Flower pictures

Huh? How do pictures of flowers have anything to do with "Flowing Waters", or fishing in general?

Well, in a roundabout way, they do. My wife and I have always had pretty extensive flower beds and gardens - mostly perennials. She's always loved gardening, and I followed along after we got married. The way I figure it, the garden is still an important part of the ecosystem, so it's really only a step or two away from the aquatic ecosystem I love so much. We plant to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, as well as multitude of other birds.

Today, when I was moaning about not having anything fresh to post on my blog, she said "Why don't you put up some of the garden pictures you took? They're colorful and will remind everyone that spring WILL come, eventually." We all know that, in the long run, it's better to follow our advice from our wives. So, here are some pics from our garden. Hope you like them.




Columbine, hostas, and the stone rabbit






Vibrant lillies





Overflowing planter



Flowering tree in the front yard




a Hummingbird moth on the butterfly bush




Monarch butterfly




One of the resident toads

Frosty morning in Illinois

I woke up this morning and wondered if I slept for a few days, instead of overnight. When we watched the weather report last night before turning in, it was pretty distinctly calling for a high pressure system to sit over Illinois for the better part of the next week, with little chance of the winter extremes. Yet, when I looked outside, it looked like we had a pretty nice snowfall.

Now, I don't believe the weathermen anymore than the next person, but the maps showed no real clouds, so I was immediately intrigued. After a shower to wake me up, I looked out and figured it out:

Hoarfrost.

It has been pretty mild over the past couple of days - right around 32 degrees. The ground is still snow covered. So, overnight the temps remained steady, and the moisture came from the snow on the ground - fog, if you will. But it was just cold enough to freeze the water vapor on the branches and leaves, and there was a VERY slight breeze, so one side of the trees got more of the accumulating frost than the other.

At least that's my layman's version of how it happened. If you are a meteorologist, or just a weather junkie, feel free to correct me!

Anyway, it looks really nice on the trees, and I tried to take a few pictures. My camera is mediocre at best (a new 13 MP camera is en route, but hasn't arrived yet), so the shots are the best I can do.

Hope you enjoy them.





Pine Tree






Birch tree






Closeup of a frosty pine






Ice crystals on a branch






Icy grass

Figuring Out Winter

I think I've done it - figured out the "Winter Yucks". Well, not really, but I do have a thought as to why it seems like FOREVER from October to March.

My real job - actually working - is VERY hectic in December and January. I am on a 2 week straight road trip right now. That means, when I DO get home , the "Honey Do" list has grown again, leaving precious little, if any, time for outdoor pursuits. In addition to the complete lack of time, winter adventures for me take a little more planning and generally a bigger chunk of time than do the spring, summer , and fall pursuits. As I've detailed numerous times in this blog, lunchtimes getaways to the ponds can do me a world of good. Can't do any ice fishing over lunch, though. So, I end up using these months to plan Summer trips, and remember days past. And acquire new toys for the coming year.

I've got a few trips in the offing for Summer - one for smallmouth bass in Quebec and a possible return to Athabasca in Fall. There is rumor of a Venice LA trip in Spring, but nothing close to definite yet.

So, until I have something decent to post , I'll make do with these type posts, and I'll always through in a few pictures from the past. they help me get through the winter - hopefully they'll do the same for you.




Rocky Mountain National Park trout stream





One of my favorite Utah trout Streams





A small Willamette River Sturgeon - no fly gear on this boat!

Getting through the Winter

I'm starting my 2010 posts with a look back. It's something I do quite a bit in the winter, when I'm stuck indoors, and the spring seems like it will never actually get here. I spend a lot of time looking over pictures of fish and trips from the past years. I was doing that today, and thought it would make a decent first post of the year.

The photos that follow are all from Athabasca this past August, and none are actually fish. Just pictures from the area. I hope you enjoy them.

And, Happy New Year.




A mayfly from Richards Lake






The "Tackle Box" on the inside of the boat - a rope!







A bad looking moose







The best shore lunch spot in the world







A full moon rises over the bay







The shadow of the float plane on the trees below as we left Richards Lake







Mushrooms at shorelunch







How does ANYTHING grow here?








More lunchtime mushrooms







Berries and Lichens







A weather beaten tree on a shorelunch island

Merry Christmas to ALL

Hope everyonne is having a wonderful Christmas Day, wherever you may be.

This was the scene here in Illinois last nite



Doves in the ice covered birch tree




The ice covered tree out front

Now it is just raining and windy.


HO HO HO HO!!!!

Christmas List

OK, OK - I always say I don't want anything for Christmas - I really don't - but if I think REAL long and hard about it, there are always a few things that pop into my mind that I may need for one reason or another. So, in the spirit of Christmas (and mostly because everyone else's blog has a Christmas list), I bring you my Christmas List 2009

1) A Red Dot scope. I just picked up my new Bushmaster today and decided that I want a Red Dot scope for it. Don't really know why, but I want it.

2) A GREAT windblocking outer shell. I've had a lot of windbreaker-type jackets over the years, and most have been OK. But, when I'm going on a weight restricted floatplane trip - often 40 pounds - I want the best, lightest weight wind shield that is pretty good as a water repeller as well. Something under one pound. Won't let ANY wind through. I take care of the "cold-factor" with layers of UnderArmour, but the early morning boat ride is what kills you on these trips, as well as the windy days on the water. I have my eye on 2 of these pieces. Mountain Hardwear's Windstopper Tech jacket, and/or a Marmot Minimalist.

3) I LOVE the 2 pair of Muck Boots I own. One is a pair of shoes; the other is a full over-calf length boot. I found out this past summer that I need a third pair. Muck makes a shoe that goes just over your ankle. I found out that I needed them at Athabasca this past summer. HEAVY rains were with us on 2 days - so much so that the rain poured off the raingear, right down the rainpants, and right into the Muck shoe! I don't use the boot on these trips - too heavy - so the mid-size will be perfect -just high enough that the rain won't flow INTO my footwear.

4) Mostly what I want is more time to fish where I want to , when I want to . I think this is a pretty universal wish. I really miss fly fishing in the Rockies, and I haven't been on a good smallmouth bass outing for a couple of years. And I certainly need to knock off a few more of the states in my "Catch a Fish in all 50 States" quest.

5) I think I need a new ultralight spinning reel. Mine are pretty much on the back nine of their lives.


6) Finally, I really DO need a new Digital Camera. I want to do a better job with photography in the coming year. I want a compact camera that does a good job and, most importantly, is FAST. The current model I'm using - an Olympus something-or-other, about 8 mp - takes nice pictures, has a good image stabilizer, does all the things I need it to do, EXCEPT - it is terribly slow going from the last photo you took to being able to take the next one (Don't know what that is called in "photographer language"). Any and all comments re: which digital to buy would be greatly appreciated!

That ought to do it. Nothing that I really NEED, just a short list of WANTS.

Here's hoping that you all get ALL the things you want for Christmas, especially the time to do all the things we all love to do.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Wolfy

The "Traveling Dark Cloud of Doom" remains firmly in place, over my head.

Last week I was in Louisiana for a day and a half on business. Our plans were to stay at the house of an older gentleman who is a FANATIC bass fisherman, and possibly (probably?) sneak out and catch some fall bass. The most astute of you will realize that Louisiana is one of the states in which I have NOT caught a fish (the list is on the right hand side of this blog, following the Blog List), so it had a little more importance to me. But, before I proceed with this tale, let me take you back a few months . . .

1) The first failed mission was the Minnesota smallmouth bass adventure in October. First, there was the early snowfall. I wavered about fishing, but was convinced to give it a shot. Until the morning of our scheduled trip, when the boat was blocked in by a couple of Winnebago's. Part bad weather, part bad luck.

2) I had plane tickets to fly to Arkansas the second week of November to try my hand at tailrace trout fishing, Arkansas-style. Never fished Arkansas before, so that would have been another state to check off of my list. 2 weeks before my departure, torrential rains hit Arkansas, and the Little Red River rose somewhere around 20 FEET. Another trip dashed by the weather gods.

Which brings us back to last week. You may have noticed that the upper Midwest garnered most of the attention for it's crappy weather - snow in Chicago, bitter cold temps across heartland. Well, that cold front ranged FAR to the South. When we arrived in Monroe LA on the afternoon of the 9th, it was 35 degrees with a strong NW wind. The previous afternoon, it was 72 degrees and the front was moving through, with the requisite storms that accompany these strong cold fronts. The next morning dawned with a temp of 27.

Being from the Chicago area now, and previously from Syracuse, I would classify the 27 and windy weather as "Chilly". In LA, on the rare occasion that the temp falls to these depths, they hunker down and wait for spring. Needless to say, there were NO fish caught during the short attempt we made to get a few.

Three trips planned, three trips un-done due to weather.

Can't wait for 2010 - it HAS TO be better than the past 3 months!

The BIG GAME Lure giveaway winner is . . .

Time to draw the winner of the final installment of my 3 GIVEAWAYS OF CHRISTMAS - the Big Game / Pike package. Recent trends show it will be a woman, because the winners of my first two were women. Let's see how the trend plays out. By the way - with only 10 commenters, these are the best odds for all involved. Good luck to all. I'm off to the Random.org number generator.

And the winning number is: 10!! That means the winner is the last commenter to the contest, and is a newcomer to the blogsite - tmc480. AND a newcomer to pike / musky fishing. This will definitely get you started!

Thank you to all who participated in my Giveaways. I picked up a few more followers and got a lot of blog hits. And, hopefully, made a few people a little happier this Christmas season.

Now I get to go back to the usual blog posts, although this is the season when I struggle at times to come up with posting subjects. But I've got a few up my sleeve!

Thanks again to all who participated.

Wolfy

Time for the third, and final, GIVEAWAY - the Big Game Package!

Alright, time for the last installment of the 3 GIVEAWAYS OF CHRISTMAS. Readers of this blog know that Big Pike are near and dear to my heart - probably my favorite fish that swim. I love the aggressiveness of the strike, the fact that it is often a visual strike, and they can get BIG. The package that follows is an assortment of my favorite lures for these toothy critters.

Even if you are not a die-hard - feel free to throw your name in the hat. These baits will work for musky, striper, saltwater. Good luck to all.





A selection of jerkbaits


The jerkbait selection includes a number of the baits that were the hottest on our Athabasca trip this past summer. The 2 large Rapalas - Jointed X-Rap 13 and SW X-Rap - were our best producers. The Jointed X-Rap accounted for the 47"]er that was the best of the trip. There is also a Clackin Rap #8, an Excalibur Suspending Jerkbait, and new Glide Rap.





The Spinner - Spoon collection


The items shown above are another indispensable part of any pike arsenal. The bucktails are a Mepps Giant Killer and a BIG Dominatrix double bladed bucktail. There is a 1 oz. Eppinger 5 of Diamonds and a 1 oz. weedless Dardevle. And finally, a Magnum King Jr. spinnerbait.





A selection of Big Game swimbaits

I love to fish big swim baits for pike. The group above contains a package of 6" Salt Shakers and a package of 6-1/2" Strike King Shadalicious. There is also a 10" Storm Kickin Minnow and a Worden's T-60 Flatfish - the lure preferred by giant lake trout everywhere.

There you have it. The rules are the same - contest will end next weekend 12-12-09. Add your comment below.

A) Are you a pike angler? Other big game? Or just planning to be.
B) Best Pike / musky / ...

Thanks again for participating.

Wolfy

The BASS Package drawing winner is . . .

Well, it is 2:30 pm and, while it is a little later than I planned, it's time for the BASS GIVEAWAY. (Actually, I'm doing a science project with my 12 year old son, and if I don't walk away, I might have to bludgeon him. Just kidding, of course. Maybe)

There are 22 comments, so I will use 1 - 22 on the random number generator. If it comes up to a comment who doesn't bass fish, I'll re-draw.

And the winner is - 5!! The 5th commentor is: Luvs2Fish - Laurie. She found the blog through Ashley in Canada. Congratulations Laurie - I'll need for you to email me with your address and I'll get your stuff out to you.

The final installment in my "3 Giveaways of Christmas" is a Big Game package. I originally thought it would be a pike / musky package, and it certainly does apply to that, but it will also be good for stripers and salt water game fish, too. Not quite as many pieces in this one, because they are more expensive per piece.

PLEASE NOTE - I WILL POST THE PICTURE OF THE NEXT GIVEAWAY TONIGHT - SAVE YOUR COMMENTS FOR THAT PACKAGE UNTIL I POST THE PICTURE OF THE PACKAGE

I'd like to thank everyone who has been participating in these events - it's been a lot of fun for me. I am astonished by the number of fellow bloggers who have written about the Giveaway - thanks to you all.

The only "bad" part about this is that, by design, I don't do another blog entry until the date when I declare the winner. So, if I appear quiet, it's only because I want the GIVEAWAY post to come up first on my blogsite.

Thanks again to all, good luck on the pike / musky/ big game package, and Good Luck to all of you big game fishermen.

By the way - if everyone is as excited about winning their package as Rebecca was with her fly fishing package, my wildest dreams for this contest will have been fulfilled.

Good Karma, the GIVEAWAY winner, and a new BASS GIVEAWAY

OK - time to let you know who won the first of my giveaways - the flyfishing package. First , the specifics about determining the winner. I had 13 comments to my Giveaway offer, so I used the range of 1 - 13 at random.org, and generated a number. If the number would have corresponded to one of the people who responded but declared that they don't fly fish anymore - Mel comes to mind - I would have done it again until I got a winner. I only need 1 try though, and the number generated was 10. (My wife was my witness, so no one can accuse me of manipulating the number!) The 10th comment was from a newcomer to my blog - Rebecca at The Outdooress. (To see Rebecca's site - the Outdooress - click through on my blog roll) The winning selection was PERFECT on one level - Rebecca had posted the GIVEAWAY on her site to let others know about it. Thank you to Rebecca, and her package will be sent out this week after we email and I get her address. BTW - I asked a little bit about what you like to fly fish for in the comment section. Part of that was to have something to read; part of it was because I planned to include a little bonus in the winner's package appropriate to what their likes are. Rebecca's is easy - she's a trout angler and relies on caddis and Princes. So - she'll have a little something extra in the package she receives.

Congratulations Rebecca, welcome to Flowing Waters, and thanks for the plug on your site!

Now it's time for part 2 of the 3 part giveaway. I think (expect) this one to have a few more comments than the first. The second part of the giveaway is a BASS PACKAGE. Since bass are more widely fished for then trout, and my blog deals with bass a whole lot more than trout, I think this will have more universal appeal than the fly fishing one. I will choose the winner next Saturday - December 5 - using the same methods as with the first one.



Rules will be similar - send in a comment to this post. Please include:
A) Are you a bass angler?
B) Favorite species - smallmouth, largemouth, spotted bass
C) your personal best / biggest bass.

Obviously, these lures can be used for anything, but they are geared toward bass. The package includes:



The Plastics part of the GIVEAWAY



Soft Baits, Accessories

MIZMO - 1 pk Flasher Tubes
STRIKE KING - 3 pks of Tubes. 1 pk each: Craws, Rage Toads, Ocho worms
CULPRIT - 2 pks. worms
LINDY - 1 pk Munchie Ringworms
YUM - 1 pk Floating Worms
OPTIMUM - 1- 2 pk. Baby line-Thru swimbaits
VMC - 1 pk. 1/16 oz. Bugeye hooks, 1 Tube Jig kit
MUSTAD - 1 pk. 4/0 Bigmouth tube hooks
BERKLEY - 1 pk. Powerbait Realstik 3" black shad
FALCON - 1 FTO 1105 Speedbag for worms



STRIKE KING ASSORTMENT


OTHER PLASTICS


HOOKS, SWIMBAITS


FTO SPEEDBAG



Hard Baits

STRIKE KING - 2 each 1/2 oz. spinnerbaits
BILL LEIS - 1 - 1/4 oz. Rattletrap
STORM - 1 each: Deep Jr. Thunderstik, Thin Fin, and Chug Bug
RAPALA - 1 each DTFSS-7 (Flat sided Dive-to 7' crankbait), Long Cast Minnow
SEBILE - 1 each 3-1/2", 1/3 oz. Magic Swimmer


SPINNERBAITS, RATTLETRAP


RAPALA and STORM baits


SEBILE MAGIC SWIMMER


26 pieces in this assortment, plus a bonus of my choosing to the winner!

Before we start the mad dash for Bass lures, I'd like to say Thank You to the newcomers to my blog, and as always , a sincere THANKS to the loyal long-time readers. You're all appreciated more than you know.

HAVE FUN!

Wolfy

FLY FISHHING Giveaway results

I have done the random number generator (with a witness, no less). But - I am walking out the door to do some "Christmas Season" stuff with the family, so I will post the result, and the next GIVEAWAY, tonight.

Thanks to all who particiapted - stay tuned