Just got back from what has become an annual trip up north with my Dad to fish Lake Vermillion in Northern Minnesota. This was our third year yet and we did quite well. Started off the trip hunting for Muskie. On Day one this meant throwing some big streamers on the 10 wt after setting up camp. No success for me but my Dad landed a good pike and a largemouth. Day two we headed out with a guide and we would learn that the search Muskie was going to be challenging at best on our own. Due to the weather and the time of year the Muskie were not going to be found in shallow water like we had hoped. Instead they were suspended in open water deep water, 35 ft+, chasing schools of Cisco that were eating Mayfly larva. To catch them on a fly rod was going to be all but impossible so we opted to troll  large crank baits and bull dogs with planer boards. Let me add that it was cold that day, in the 40's and raining. While prepared as much as we could with base layers and rain gear it was still a long 9 hours on the water trolling seemingly endlessly and in the end we didn't even get a bite from a Muskie. We did catch two very nice pike, a 35" from my dad and I landed a 33" on a bull dog. Both were new personal bests for us. Frustrating to not even see a Muskie but then again Muskie fishing is almost always a frustrating affair. 

As we near the end of this year I took a moment to reflect on my experiences growing up fishing. Needless to say this included looking through dozens of old pictures while at my parents house over Christmas. I thought I would share them with you guys, as it is interesting to see what our origins are as anglers. The pictures skip a few years… as I couldn't locate those photo albums and purposely stops about 4 years short of my starting the blog: right about the time I went from being a casual angler to it becoming a serious hobby and passion. The pictures are a mix of me and my relatives and taken in Iowa and Minnesota. Enjoy!