Got this e-mail from a listener recently. It’s great when someone gets the chance to test our waters here in MN. And the smiles on those two boy’s face. Make’s one glad they love the outdoors.

Hi Tim,
 
Been listening to your podcasts for the last couple months in anticipation of a little family trip from North Carolina up to Pelican Lake with my relatives from the Twin Cities.  We were there last week, and while we only had a couple hours to fish, we really got into some bass in a little deserted lake southeast of Pelican.  We were naively expecting smallies, but got largemouths on our 1500 series reels and 6lb test.  In our short trip we landed several bass in the 3-4 lb range, including the ones pictured, and several more healthy 2-pounders.  My son and nephew really put a hurting on the panfish with little curly-tailed grubs, while my dad and I worked over the bass with weightless, weedless white flukes.  Twitching the flukes just inside the weedline drew some aggressive strikes in the first couple hours of daylight. 
 
Unfortunately the boys got hungry and we headed to the cabin for waffles.  After that the rain and wind came in and our fishing was done.  That said, I was mighty impressed with the bass fishing in MN.  Thanks for your informative show – I’ll continue to listen as archery season approaches.  I make an annual bowhunting trip each Fall with my lifelong buddies to Sawyer county Wisconsin, and look forward to your updates on what’s happening in the northwoods…
 
We also took in a Twins / Rockies game last Tuesday – beautiful new ball park you guys have up there.  Cheers!
 
Jeff Lally
Charlotte, NC

Bill Plantan is the builder of the River Ridge Custom Canoe. I am fortunate to get called to go on a couple of trips a year with Bill and the latest was with Ron and Laura Schara. I’ve known Ron for over 20 years, having organized his Kid’s Fishing Clinics for the Aquatennial and St. Paul Sports shows. I met Laura on the Flambeau River last year but only for an instant. It was fun to finally get a chance to hang out on this trip we took to a lower stretch of the Crow Wing River. Had a great time. Got a chance to tell tales with Ron in his canoe as we drifted down the river and we told stories and caught up on all the latest. Ron is without a doubt one of the finest story tellers anywhere so getting to spend a day with him was like getting first crack at a bestseller before it hits the newsstand.

Laura and Bill had the patterned nailed down. They were using the plastic fluke trailer on a plain worm hook and working it in the slack water eddies. Ron actually hooked the biggest smallmouth but while maneuvering it for a better camera angle the fish jumped and came unbuttoned. I have little doubt he would have landed that 20-incher if we hadn’t been playing it for the sake of the show (we were taping for MN Bound and Due North).

Watch for the story about this trip in the Outdoor News and take advantage of this phenomenal fishing we’re having right now. It won’t last long.

It’s Official - Outdoor Talk (the regional show) is becoming Outdoor News Radio. Rob Drieslein will be co-hosting the show with me. This is a one-hour show that is distributed by the Minnesota News Network to it’s 100+ affiliates all over Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas. I run the show as a podcast on this website so if you miss it you can grab it here. You can also catch the Sunday show as a podcast from this website as well.

On the Sunday KTLK live radio show on May 15th we had a caller that discussed his success with Sturgeon on the Mississippi River. It looks like that fishery may be gaining in fish numbers as well as popularity. He also sent a photo.

This is a photo from Patrick Stoning who said, “Caught today below the lock and dam just north of Winona on the Mississippi. 52 inches long took 50 minutes to get it in the boat.

Great job, beautiful fish.

On a recent Outdoor Talk radio show we discussed with Jerry Sather - labsunlimitedkennels.com - the situation that happened with my son’s yellow lab. He bought the dog from a well-known kennel with a health guarantee and put a load of training into it. It was a great hunter with tons of potential. When the dog reached two-and-a-half he took it in for the X-rays and discovered it had hip dyplasia. After $7,000 in training and the goal of creating some pups from this phenomenal dog all hopes were dashed. Jason did get his money back from the breeder but it was what he paid for the dog and not what he had into it. What a shame.

I received a ton of e-mails regarding this situation and even Bill Miller, host of North American Hunter had the same situation occur to him. So it’s not that uncommon. Sather’s recommendation is to make sure you go with a breeder that is not just about the color of the dog. Too many breeders are breeding for color now and that pushes the envelope and results in dogs with problems. Never trust the guarantee (my thoughts) because all it does is get you your money back when they discover two years later and lots of training and attachment that the dog has problems. You just have to go with the best breeders and keep your fingers crossed.

Here is an e-mail I received from a listener that I thought would be worth sharing that will help in your search for the right dog, and, if you have any questions contact Sather. He’s one of the best and can set you straight.
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Last Sunday we had Jim Kalkofen on Outdoor Talk Radio discussing the 2010 MN Fishing Challenge. What a great event. Worth checking out if you like competitive fishing. The Fishing Challenge is a benefit for the MN Teen Challenge which is... Read More...

I’m already beginning to uncover the boats and get the gear ready for open water. As I look around at all the toys surrounding me I begin to realize how fishing has evolved into a sport that requires - at least for me - gadgets. My favorite is the sonar/GPS and I love the fact that they now come with the ability to drop in a map chart SD card and provide contours of the lakes I fish. My Lund Baron sports a Humminbird 997C with side imaging and two slots for the cards. With this unit I can put myself on the hottest underwater real estate for fishing with pinpoint accuracy. I have been using the Navionics charts and love them. So now I’m chomping at the bit to get the boat on the water and work down a contour line hoping for that tug on the line. It won’t be long now.

The kayaks are calling as well. Those small waters around the upper midwest won’t get ignored this year as I take to these fishing holes in the Hobie Outbacks. I also have an Ocean kayak I run in the small rivers and the fishing has been phenomenal out of the Ocean. All of these small watercraft have sonar/GPS units and I use the charts in these as well.

It’s gotten to the point where I feel like something is missing from my trip if I don’t have the underwater eyes and the ability to hang on that contour with the map chip. Am I spoiled? You bet.

Spring is in the air and I am ready. I can’t complain about my winter in MN this year, but it would be much better if you could knock a month off the back end. This weather just hangs in there too long. I’m looking forward to getting out on the Mississippi RIver for some walleyes and getting the kayaks out on the open water when the ice disappears. Won’t be long now.

Now that the Vikings are finished for the season Outdoor Talk on KTLK 100.3 is back. Some of you are wondering what happened to KC O’Dea, my co-host. KC took a position in North Carolina working with some Clear Channel talk stations in Raleigh and Greensboro. It was a well-deserved promotion for O’Dea and I wish him all the luck in the world. Rob Drieslein, who is the editor of Outdoor News and used to host Saturday morning FAN Outdoors is joining me as co-host on Sunday afternoons. The show has moved from 5-7 p.m. to a new time slot, 4-6 p.m. to hit more of the traffic that is returning home from the weekend jaunts.

So join us every Sunday from 4-6 on 100.3 FM. If you are within 100 miles of the Twin Cities you can tune us in on the dial. If not we stream the show on KTLKFM.com and there is always a podcast available right after the show is over. That link can be found on the HOME page of this site.

Thanks to everyone for your loyalty as listeners and both Rob and I look forward to some great times ahead.