Full Circle

In the depths of last winter my friend Vincent went flyfishing for the first time. He picked up the basics of casting very quickly but it was hard to find big blocks of time to get the finer points. The fishing during winter is always tough, but especially so during this long, cold winter and the aftermath of the record fall floods. Still, we got out and enjoyed a few hours on some nice streams.

Unfortunately, the year was also broken up by some other things, mainly linked to my illness, but also trips abroad and the ever present work. I tell you this not as an excuse for Vincent not catching his first trout sooner but more...........well, let's be honest is kind of an excuse. I won't mention it too much as it's documented earlier in this blog but it was a tremendous lift from me when Vincent struck a fine hatch on one of my favorite streams and scored a few fish.

We've had some interesting stories and adventures over the season, and fished some of Minnesota's most famous trout streams, from the Whitewater and Root Rivers to Trout Run and even Foster Arend Pond. Perhaps the most spectacular hatch was a late summer hatch of tricos on the Root River, which lead to some challenging fishing with tiny spinners in crystal clear tailouts to well educated and selective trout. Together we didn't catch a lot of trout I tried to introduce a wide variety of streams and techniques to Vincent. He began with streamers, then nymphs and finally learned the art of casting the dry fly. In fact, Vincent has fished tiny dries down to #22 and #24 on tiny spring creeks. That's pretty good progress in one season.

Well trout season in Minnesota ends here on Monday 30th September so after an unsuccesful late evening session Friday night, we headed out a little earlier on Saturday. The first pool we fished was just beginning to develop. A heavy hatch of tiny black gnats were buzzing overhead, a few mosquitos could be heard (along with the odd .22 shot from the squirrel hunters close by) and occasional miscellaneous mayflies dancing in their mating rituals could be seen. Almost first cast Vincent had a good strike but was a little too eager in setting the hook. It wasn't long though before he hooked up again, and this time brought to hand a feisty little brown trout.

Vincent Hooked up to his first trout of the evening

The smaller of the two trout

A few minutes later and Vincent was again hooked up and brought to hand a larger and well colored brownie. It was then I needed to find out what fly he'd been successful with. Turns out he'd selected a small sparkled nymph that I only carry to fish for rainbows. Turns out it works on brownies as well. I know I'll be carrying a few sparkle nymphs next time I fish that little spring creek again. We fished that pool a little longer and I finally hooked up with a nice fish but after a good fight I lost the fish after it scooted under a log and liberated itself. We headed upstream to take a look at some other water without much success and by the time we got back it was too dark to fish. The girls were back at my place and almost certainly hungry (Vincent's wife is pregnant) so we called it a night and went home.

The last stage of the fight - note the large mouth

It was a fitting end of the season whereby I was outfished by my student, which must mean I was doing something right. Hopefully before the winter sets in the two of us will have the chance to catch a few salmon but time will tell. Sunday I couldn't help myself with a cool overcast day and went in search of a BWO hatch. There was a few coming off on the upper Whitewater and although I got a couple on the dry most of my fish came on an emerger. The majority of the fish were small with only two or three adult fish, but the fishing was steady and the fall colors were pleasant. My guess is that's the end of my Minnesota season but there's still tomorrow but maybe I should use that to pack for Montana.

Crow Wing Camping

After the success of our earlier camping trip it was decided we'd have a go at a slightly fancier one, this time at a State Park in the Brainerd area. Also, being that it was Labor day weekend we could camp for two nights. Natalya was at her grandparents so Jessica left to visit and pick up Natalya on Monday (with most of our supplies) leaving me to work hard and get my lab stuff done for the week. On Saturday morning I hitched a ride with Claire, Vincent and Lucas to meet up with my long lost family.

Both of our families are state park passport holders so it's always good to visit new parks and get fill in our stamps so when we noticed Lake Maria State Park was on our way we just had to find an excuse to stop. Fortunately we had a pregnant lady in the car leaving us a plethora of excuses (needed to eat, go to the bathroom, stretch her legs, etc) to hide out childish desires to get a simple stamp. I won't say we found the park without effort or make excuses because of the sometimes ludicrous street name designations in this part of the world (I swear the cold weather freezes some important parts of the brain in Minnesota) but we eventually made our way to what appears to be a lovely state park with ponds (read swamps) and at least one extensive lake. The hardwood forest was nice and I'm sure the trails would be a pleasure, had we had more time to explore them. We sat at the uncrowded picnic table and ate a (wait for it) cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese and ham sandwich (well perhaps I overdid the number of types of cheese for effect but I must say the French do seem to love their cheese). I should perhaps be a bit careful because the sandwich was nice and if I'm too sarcastic I might be watching everyone else eat in the future.

Anyway, it wasn't long before we were back on the road. As we got close I was getting really anxious to see the kids and as soon as I saw them I felt my face break out in a huge smile. Jessica had most of our camp already set up (she'd driven down from her sister's place that morning) and the Leonard/Repellin camp was assembled in record time as well, despite all the kids wanting to play in the tent as it was assembled. The campground was fairly open and pretty much full but campsites were set apart enough that it was bareable. Campfires were going all around, kids were riding around on their bikes and running about. People were heading back and forwards from the showers but it really did still feel like camping.

Little Pierce playing with Dad

The two campsite as we get ourselves organized

Pierce displaying his new walking skills

As the evening enveloped us we had another huge feast and a campfire. We could see the stars pretty clearly and I pointed out a satelitte in the night sky to a VERY sceptical Vincent. I still don't think he believes me that it was a satelitte. It was a relaxing night and a little warmer than the previous weekend but still very comfortable. There was one or two mosquitoes but not enough to bother anyone.

The campfireVincent still not convinced that what he saw in the night sky was a satelite

In the morning we headed into Brainerd in search of the huge Paul Bunyan statue but instead found a touristy gimmick place charging altogether too much for the little bit that was on offer. There was a large Paul Bunyan at the information center and because Jessica wouldn't honor my request of posing with him I had to resort to posing myself on his knee as he gave me a spanking. Natalya being the good daughter also wanted her picture taken in the same pose. After that we headed up to Cuyuna State Recreation Area for another stamp and a picnic lunch. This area is an old iron ore mining area with the pits now filled in and stocked with trout. Being late in the season and with summer water temps our chances of catching fish were low but we tried anyway. The water was very clear and cold, but it was a little nerve-racking knowing how deep it was with my kids swimming along the shoreline. I almost went in above my head in the deceptively clear water stepping into what looked like four foot depth. There were a few people about but not too many for a holiday weekend.

Me getting "what's coming to me" from Paul Bunyan

On the road to Cuyuna

Our next stop was to stock up on a few items at Walmart in Brainerd. I stayed in the car with a sleeping Pierce while the others headed in. Natalya and Vincent bonded as she got to help him sith his shopping and they negotiated on which balls to get. Natalya came out in love with Vincent. Back at the campground the plan was to get the kids to sleep but it turns out Vincent was the only one that could manage it. The rest of us headed south to check out Lindbergh State Park. The park is close to a number of recreation areas and within the limits of Little Falls but still a nice place. It was getting dark when we arrived so the kids played on the swing sets and things while I took a quick look around.

Pierce again wandering about Natalya on the swings with the water tower behind herLucas putting Mama to work for his enjoymentMummy and Natalya on the Swings

There was a nice little brook that I'm sure would be quite nice in the spring but at in the season it was a little dried up and looked more like the home of a million mosquitoes (which were very abundant) than the scenic wonderland I'm sure it is at times. Nevertheless the kids all seemed to have a good time and worked off some energy. The adults just slipped into a new depth of exhaustion. Despite our fatigue we once again stayed up until late talking and enjoying ourselves. It was amazing how many people left on the Sunday.

A couple of shots of Lindberg State Park

Monday morning I arose early and headed down to the Mississippi River (the banks of which is where we were camped) to try my luck at some smallmouth bass. I did get one fiesy bronzeback that put on a good show until he tangled up in the heavy weed. Still, one fish is better than none. The breeze did pick up and made casting quite tough (at least with the 6 weight I was using) so I headed up for some breakfast. We had a good meal and Vincent and I headed back down to give it another try. We walked upstream and downstream without any sign of luck but it was a nice day and a scenic river. It has a very different personality than it does as it flows by our place further south.

The Mississippi RiverClaire modelling the latest in flyfishing vestsJessica and Pierce with the Sage/Lamson combo

Eventually the girls got sick of waiting and began on a hike. When we saw them we tagged along and got to explote the park a little better. The river is the main attraction but the woods are nice and quiet. We did see both bluebirds and bluejays along with other wildlife. It actually got quite hot during the walk and when we got back we had to break camp. The kids weren't happy by the time we were done either. Finally though we were on our way towards Lake Mille Lacs.

The crew (minus Jessica and Pierce) on our HikeAnother look at the Upper Mississippi

What happened next I'm not quite sure as Jessica and mine (I'm not sure about everyone elses) got a little bit crossed. Admittedly I fell asleep in the passenger seat but instead of pulling up at Mille Lacs Kathio State Park we ended up at a Dairy Queen. Despite some Parent Issues that Lucas had to deal with, we all ended up at the Dairy Queen for a while. There was a play area outside and I think the kids had fun.

Banana Split at Dairy Queen

As afternoon rolled by we headed to one final spot for a hike/swim (again, I'm not sure everyone was quite on the same page at this point) at Father hennepin State Park. There was a nice swimming beach there and it was a warm, clear evening.

Playing at the Swimming Beach

The girls stayed and watched the kids swim while Vincent and I went off and got lost on the small hiking trail system. We started along the lakeshore and then headed towards the picnic area and then...................... Not that we didn't see anything cool along the way. As we were walking we spotted an albino deer. After snapping a few shots it slipped into the greenery but then we saw another. Both were does and we began to get greedy and strained through the forest for signs of a big albino buck. It wasn't to be though.

Look hard and you'll see some albino deer

It was getting dark so we didn't hang around for very long as we still had quite a bit of driving to do. With the sun setting Claire, Vincent and Lucas headed home but we stayed and finished a picnic dinner before setting off. It was another good camping trip with plenty of relaxation and sites to see and both the parents and adults had a good time.