Minnesota Steelheader

Spring is here and the steelhead run is just around the corner...literally! We will be posting weekly reports on General fishing conditions up the shore throughout the spring run. We also encourage all of our readers to either post or email us your reports. You will see at the bottom of each post there is a "comments" link. Simply click here to add your additional information to the current post. You can also email us any fishing reports or pertinent info and we will be glad to post it here on our blog. As of today the rivers still have ice. The heavy rains are making conditions a bit nasty with water flowing over the ice. We are thinking that the conditions should improve some time next week, unless more rain is to come. Tight lines to all this spring!

Healthy Rivers: A Water Course is a captivating online (new!) or CD-ROM program to understand the ecology, management, and stewardship of river and stream systems. A user-friendly multimedia tool, Healthy Rivers features: ~ 220+ screens of information exploring the complexity and diversity of river systems. ~ 540+ color photos and 70+ maps, illustrations, and graphic animations. ~ Over 100 audio interviews, video clips, and music segments. ~ More than 100 links within the program, 100+ links to external web sites, and a complete bibliography of over 100 references. The Healthy Rivers program explains natural structure and function of river systems using a five-component framework of flow, shape, connections, quality, and life. Six case studies examine the history of river use and provide a basis for a future vision of water resource management. A section explores the true value of river system goods and services, which leads to inspiring examples of local leaders and practical, action...

Do not leave home without them! Each year we visit this issue and by now we hope you all understand the basic reasons why proper eye protection with great UV blocking is needed. We won't spend time on that but rather give you some info on new glasses we have been testing - WileyX. Serious fishing enthusiasts know how crucial it is to protect their gear and themselves from the outside elements — from waterproof/windproof and moisture wicking garments to tackle and gear covers, savvy anglers utilize every opportunity for protection against extreme conditions. Wiley X, Inc.®, a leading provider of protective eyewear for American combat troops in action around the world, knows a thing or two about protection in rugged conditions — hence the introduction of the newest addition to its extremely popular Climate Control Series™ line of eyewear, the Wiley X Jake™ with Polarized Emerald Mirror lenses and Gloss Black frame. Like every piece of eyewear in the Wiley X Climate Control Series, th...

North Shore Steelheaders- If you live in the Northland, you probably think I'm nuts given some parts of the Shore just got upwards of 14" of new snow and it is about minus 2 out; but there are signs that steelheading is just around the corner. Near my home, the Chickadees and Cardinals are beginning to sing their spring songs on warmer mornings, and tom turkeys are beginning to show more than a passing interest in hens. The big one for me though is that just before we got hit with this latest round of snow, some of the streams on the South Shore were beginning to show signs of the daily freeze-thaw cycle that starts the process of opening up the rivers; and the North Shore won't be too far behind. I won't rehash old posts, but you'll get the idea by clicking Here Historically, steelhead runs have begun on Lower Shore streams by just under a month from now! If you haven't started already, time to start going over the gear, patching holes in the waders, replacing...

Don't Miss FishFair on Saturday, February 28th from 9 am to 4 pm at the New Hope Church (formerly known as Crystal Evangelical Free, the church is located at the northeast intersection of Hwy 169 and Rockford Road at 4225 Gettysburg Ave. N. in New Hope, MN). Activities include a live trout pond, minnow races, fishing games, adventure activities, camp displays, information booths, hands-on demonstrations, and seminars by local fishing personalities. The MN DNR MinnAqua Program will provide a variety of activities that teach kids fishing skills including: knot tying, how to identify Minnesota fish and creating your own fish print! Concessions will be available to help you "feed" just like that other fair in Minnesota. Admission is only $3 or $10 for families of 4 or more. Every family will receive a free gift bag loaded with great gifts, and sponsor discounts. Scouts in uniform will receive $1 off the price of admission.

I don't know how long this is going to last, but the Baptism River Gauge is back up and running! Having access to this information gives you critical insight as to what steelhead may be doing on any given day, and this gauge adds a sorely needed Mid-Shore flow resource to your tool-kit. Thanks to the Cooperative DNR/MPCA Stream Gaging program, you now have a window into not only what the Baptism is doing, but also what conditions on other streams in the immediate area are probably like. Hopefully with the additional dollars from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, this gauge will continue to be funded. I'll be monitoring the data-stream from this gauge, and hope to have some useful tools developed for understanding what the gauge is telling you soon. Until then, here's the link: Baptism River Gauge

Passing on some info from our friend, Tom Helgeson who is once again bringing us the Great Waters Fly fishing expo... THANKS TOM! Experience the best in fly fishing at the 2009 Great Waters Fly Fishing Expos in Chicago and Minneapolis. Emphasizing education, adventure and conservation. Led by international fly fisher and acclaimed photographer Brian O’Keefe and Madison River outfitter and author Kelly Galloup, both expos will feature regional and national fly anglers and tiers who will help you take your fly fishing to a new level. Regional presenters and fly tiers will include Tim Holschlag, Pat Ehlers, Tim Landwehr, Kevin Feenstra, Wendy Williamson and Larry Mann, Indiana writer Brandon Butler, Ohio's Great Lakes guide Jerry Darkes, Midwest Fly Fishing magazine fly tying columnist Dennis Potter, artist and guide Bob White, muskie hunters Robert Tomes and Brad Bohen, Michigan tier Jeff “Bear” Andrews and others to be named in the weeks to come. Check out the link for more details...