Monster Lake Winnipeg Walleye

Bruce Mosher of "Today's Tackle" displays a monster Lake Winnipeg walleye before releasing it back down the hole. The fish measured 32", had a girth of 22", and was estimated to be in the 15 pound range. Nice fish Bruce, congratulations! This is exactly why we make the trip to Lake Winnipeg each year.

Protect Those Expensive Baits

This tackle box has been outfitted with foam, to keep all of those expensive walleye baits in good shape. Shut the box and compressed foam keeps everything from bouncing around, tangling, and chipping off the paint. I've learned this from experience. A nice job, thanks to my fishing partner Blake Liend and his wife Sarah.

Otter Rod Case a Winner

Here's a glimpse of my Otter rod case before it's shut for the trip to Lake Winnipeg. This case is just long enough to carry rods up to 38" (the precise size of my Gary Roach "Mr Walleye" Ice Series Norseman, which will be my primary rod for those BIG walleyes. The compressed foam keeps everything intact and in working order. I've even carried cans of soda in there to keep them from banging around and springing a leak. It even keeps them from freezing!

GPS on the Dash

I finally have my graph/gps unit mounted on the dash of my snowmobile. I used to use a handheld unit, on the dash too, but this larger screen makes things a whole lot easier when traveling across the lake, as it's much easier to see at a glance, when driving to that BIG WALLEYE hotspot! A compass is used as a back-up, just in case something happens to the graph and yes, my handheld will be along too. I want to be prepared, especially when fishing a lake that's as large as Lake Winnipeg.

Trailer Down & Out

After installing new hubs on my snowmobile trailer, I thought we were "good to go" to Lake Winnipeg, a 6 hour one way trip. However, when checking over the trailer lights, Blake found that the frame is cracked, almost in two, the result of a frost heave on highway 38, near North Star Lake.

Now I have a totally worthless trailer in my backyard and had to find a "loaner" for the trip. What I'm going to do with this thing is still up in the air. Sell it as is? Repair it? I don't know but I'll worry about that when I get back home. Darn.

New State Record Pout

Bemidji angler Aaron Guthrie set the Minnesota state record for eelpout on Lake of the Woods this past week with a 19.54 pound monster fish. The new record eelpout was just under a ¼ pound larger than the previous record eelpout, which was also caught on Lake of the Woods.

A press release from Lake of the Woods Tourism reads; "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.- Potential State Record Burbot Caught on Lake of the Woods".

" Burbot, also often reffered to as eelpout, are not a very respected fish and are often times coined as an ‘ugly’ fish, the “ish” of fish. Some people do not dare to touch the slimy fish because of its tendency to try to wrap around an object as a snake would. Not an avid fisherman like Aaron Guthrie of Bemidji, though. Aaron often travels to Lake of the Woods targeting the burbot he loved to eat.


Aaron Guthrie spent the day fishing Lake of the Woods near long point for his share of walleye and sauger with family members. As evening approached they switched gears, adding minnows to their lures to target some ‘pout’. Guthrie was fishing 34 feet of water when he landed a monstrous burbott. ”It’s a once-in-a-lifetime ‘pout” Guthrie had to say about the 19.54 lb trophy. Clearly finding his catch a thing of beauty.


Dennis Topp, assistant area fisheries supervisor in Lake of the Woods County, was the DNR officer to watch the trophy hit the scale and help Guthrie begin the certification process. “It’s kind of a big deal!” Topp said with enthusiasm. He had also certified the previous state record eelpout that measured in at 19lbs 3oz and was also caught on Lake of the Woods".

Winter Storm Warning!

Nashwauk, MN Weather Advisories (STORM? WHAT STORM? THE WEATHERMAN WAS WRONG AGAIN!)
WINTER STORM WARNING in effect until Wednesday, Feb 29, 6:00 PM

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY...

* LOCATION AND TIMING...HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ARE EXPECTED FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AS A STRONG WINTER STORM IMPACTS THE REGION. THIS WARNING INCLUDES THE GRAND RAPIDS...VIRGINA...TWO HARBORS...SILVER BAY AND GRAND MARAIS AREAS.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 8 T0 13 INCHES IN THE WARNED AREA BY WEDNESDAY EVENING.

* WIND AND VISIBILITY...STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED WITH THIS SYSTEM. THE COMBINATION OF WIND AND SNOW WILL CREATE LOW VISIBILITIES AND WIDESPREAD BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.

* IMPACTS...HEAVY SNOWFALL RATES AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL CAUSE RAPID ACCUMULATION OF SNOW ON AREA ROADS. TRAVEL WILL BECOME HAZARDOUS QUICKLY THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW MEANS THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CAUSE DANGEROUSLY LOW VISIBILITY AND DRIFTING SNOW. SNOW AND ICE COVERED ROADS...AND DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED. DELAY TRAVEL IF POSSIBLE. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...USE EXTREME CAUTION AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION. BE AWARE THAT YOU MAY BECOME STRANDED AND THAT IT COULD TAKE MANY HOURS FOR HELP TO ARRIVE. KEEP A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT IN YOUR VEHICLE... INCLUDING A FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER. LET SOMEONE KNOW YOUR TRAVEL ROUTE AND EXPECTED ARRIVAL TIME AND HAVE A WORKING CELL PHONE IN CASE YOU BECOME STRANDED.

Round to Bear

Blake and I really put on the miles last Saturday, starting out on Round Lake, north of Big Winnie, and ending up on Big Bear, north of Nashwauk. We went to Round for the jumbo perch but finding the really big ones was a difficult task. Many small fish were caught and these 9 1/2 - 10"ers were the only ones to make it home.

We quit at midday and headed cross-country to Big Bear Lake to see if we could catch some crappies. One lone, small crappie was caught and released. Did the weather play a part in our poor fishing? I think so.

No Child Left Inside

N-K's "No Child Left Inside" event was held last Friday on O'Brien Reservoir. It was a busy place, as usual, and I'm glad the snowstorm held off until Sunday.

Kerry Apel was a volunteer hole driller and we needed quite a few of them. In all, there were about 150 young anglers and approximately that many holes. Thanks Kerry!

Almost there.

Snow removal, around dozens of fishing holes, was provided by elementary teacher Dan Owens.