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A deer for Dad?

August 24th, 2010 by Dave Hrbacek

I took a drive with my dad up to Clearwater last week. Our destination was the VFW post, which we reached at about 10:45 a.m.

Even though it was only a one-hour trip, my dad was excited. How excited? He woke up at 6 a.m. just to make sure he’d be ready by 9:15, when I was scheduled to pick him up.

What was the occasion? It was the mandatory training for those who qualified for a special hunt for disabled war veterans at Camp Ripley, located a short distance from Little Falls. I served as a guide for a similar hunt for wild turkeys back in April. At that time, I found out about the deer hunt and discovered that my dad, an 89-year-old World War II veteran, would qualify.

He applied in a special lottery and got picked. He is one of 62 hunters scheduled to go on the three-day hunt in early October. This is a special opportunity for him because, even though he has gone deer hunting numerous times, he has never bagged one. He thinks he has hit one, but has never put a tag on one.

We’re hoping this will be his chance. I saw lots of deer during the turkey hunt, and the folks running the hunt say the deer herd at Ripley is very healthy. Last year, a magnificent trophy buck was taken during one of the camp’s two archery hunts. The good news for Dad is he and the other 61 disabled hunters will go out into the field before any other hunters do. Anyone who has deer hunted long enough can tell you that being out in the woods first is a huge advantage.

Another factor tipping the scale in my dad’s favor is the hunter assigned as his guide, Dick Nordling. He has gone on 10 deer hunts and several turkey hunts at Camp Ripley. He knows the camp well and has been highly successful. In fact, his hunters are 10 for 10 on deer. We’re hoping to make it 11 for 11.

Dick is modest, but quietly confident. He believes my dad will see deer on his hunt. The question is: Will he make the shot? That’s where I come in. I am letting Dad use my 12-gauge shotgun, which has a rifled barrel and a high-quality, Leupold scope (only shotguns are allowed on this hunt). It is a very accurate gun out to 100 yards and beyond. Last year, I hit the bullseye at 100 yards when I fired it at the practice range. I’m going to zero it in again this fall and let my dad practice with it.

I’m sure the gun will perform well. One challenge is that my dad has poor eyesight in his right eye and, therefore, has to shoot left handed. He has practiced this, so I hope he’ll be ready.

Taking his first deer at age 89 would be very cool!

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Big bass… at last

August 13th, 2010 by Dave Hrbacek

IMG_7431.JPGWhen I launched my boat on Lake Calhoun yesterday, I was hoping to find some big bass with my son, Joe. It had been almost two years since I landed a bass longer than 18 inches — too long, in my opinion.

I know the problem last year — the summer was so cool that many fish never went to the deep weedlines like they typically do in mid to late summer. Instead, they were shallow, scattered and very hard to find.

I was sure that would not be the case this year. We are experiencing an unusually hot summer and I figured the bass would be back on the deep weedlines. After all, yesterday was the fifth straight day the temperature had risen above 90 degrees.

Sure enough, when I put my hand in the water shortly after leaving the boat landing, it felt like bathwater. A good sign when you are hoping fish are deep.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the weedgrowth was down significantly on Calhoun this year. It was sparse on the spots I normally fish, which makes it harder to find fish. Plus, the numbers never seem to be as high when the weeds are not thick.

Yet, I was not deterred. I was determined to root out some fish from the sparse weed growth. It took a little searching, but I finally connected with a big bass. I really enjoy setting the hook and having the fish just sit there, like this one did. That’s a telltale sign of a lunker. When I got the fish aboard, I immediately put in on my ruler — 19 inches.

That made me very happy. But, I wasn’t finished yet. A little while later, I connected on another nice fish on the same piece of structure. This one measured 18 1/2 inches.

Meanwhile, Joe hooked several good fish, but they got off. I believe two of these fish were like the ones I landed. Don’t know why he had trouble keeping the fish hooked. He usually doesn’t have this problem. In fact, two weeks ago he hooked and landed a 19 1/2-inch smallmouth on Lake Mille Lacs. I think the fish were biting lighter yesterday and didn’t take our plastic worms down as deep in their throats.

He had to go to work, so I dropped him back at the boat landing at 2. Then, I headed over to Cedar Lake to try it there. That didn’t last long. The water was heavily stained and the weeds had thinned considerably since my last trip there. That is never good. Plus, it looked like the remaining growth of eurasian watermilfoil was turning brown, which means it’s dying. Fish spend very little time in dying weeds. That, combined with the overall absence of weeds, made it hard for me to know where to look for fish. I tried a few spots, but didn’t even get a bite. So, I went right back to Calhoun.

That proved to be a wise move. I tried a few new spots, then went back to the spot where I had caught the two nice fish earlier. Not long after I started, I felt a solid bite and set the hook on another big fish. This one measured 20 inches. Then, I caught another 18 1/2-incher not long after. Not bad — four fish over 18 inches.

That’s about as good as I’ve done on this lake, size wise. But, the numbers were down from other good years. Usually, there are some 16- and 17-inch fish mixed in. I caught one 15-incher, plus a few smaller ones, and that was it. I attribute that to the sparse weed growth and the inconsistent weather we’ve had throughout the summer. If we get a stretch of warm, sunny days, look out! The good news is, I now know the big fish are set up on the weedlines.

I hope to get back out on Calhoun at least one more time this summer. It has been good to me over the years. The quality of bass is very high, which is what keeps me coming back. I do hope to find some more good spots, but I’m not sure I can beat the one really good spot I have. I almost never see anyone fish it, which is unheard of when it comes to metro bass lakes.

To have a premium spot that is regularly inhabited by big fish… it doesn’t get much better than this!

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Staying sharp: Five tips for fish hooks

August 9th, 2010 by Dave Hrbacek

One of the things I am most meticulous about when I go fishing is having sharp hooks. It’s no fun feeling a bite, trying  to set the hook and then having the hook come back empty.

I always make sure that every time I tie on a hook, jig or lure, the hooks are as sharp as they can be. The best tool I have found for this is the Razor Edge hook sharpener. It’s made by a company in Ely and I bought one several years ago. They cost $25 and are worth every penny. It uses a clamp system to sharpen the hook on three sides with a stone that comes with the kit. This ensures precision sharpening that the user can duplicate consistently, hook after hook.

The down side is that the method used with the system is a bit time consuming. But, I have gotten used to this and it doesn’t bother me. I also have learned to find down times in which to do my sharpening. One prime opportunity is in the car driving up to a fishing trip. Another is in my living room while I’m watching TV. Still another is when I am up north staying in a cabin. During times when I am not fishing, or the night I arrive, I can sit down and take 10 or 20 minutes to sharpen the hooks I will use.

Once you experience the results of sharp hooks, I think you’ll agree that getting them sharp is worth the time spent. On the subject of hook sharpness, here are five tips that have worked for me:

1. Always test a hook before you use it and do not fish with a dull hook. I use the fingernail test. Place the point of the hook against your fingernail and move it across. If it digs in right away and sticks, it’s sharp. If it slides across, it’s dull.

2. If sharpening hooks does not appeal to you, buy ones that are sharp right out of the package, like Gamakatsu or Owner, which are my two favorites. I have used both of these for years and can’t remember a single instance in which I felt a bite, tried to set the hook and had the hook come out. I have extreme confidence in both of these brands.

3. Keep in mind that not every hook is sharp right out of the package. Many, in fact, are not and need to be sharpened before using. Therefore, owning a good sharpener like the Razor Edge is a must. And, buy a smaller one for your tackle box.

4. If you buy a hook that needs to be sharpened, always get a high quality brand. One of my favorites in this category is Mustad. I buy the company’s UltraPoint hook and have had great results with it. Once I sharpen these hooks, they are as good as anything I use.

5. When it comes to hooks, thinner is often better for penetration into a fish’s mouth. I like to buy thinner hooks, which I feel helps with getting a good hook set. For plastic worms, I like the Gamakatsu worm hook the best, partly because of its sharpness right out of the box and partly because of its thinness. I believe the thinness of the hook is part of the reason I get good hooksets every time with Gamakatsu. And, the hook has proved strong enough. I’ve never had a fish break or straighten this hook. If you lighten the drag on a big fish while you’re fighting it, you shouldn’t have to worry about the hook failing.

As we approach fall, when lots of big fish are caught, now’s the time to learn how to stay sharp.

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Food exchange

August 6th, 2010 by Dave Hrbacek

I made a food drop yesterday to my friend, Dorwatha Woods, principal of Ascension School in North Minneapolis. The package included freshly caught bass and northern pike, plus some venison steaks and ground venison.

The fish and game were carefully frozen with my Food Saver vacuum sealer, which I use for this purpose because it allows you to freeze things for months without risk of freezer burn. I put the fillets into the special vacuum sealer bags and place them in the freezer overnight. Then, the next day, after they are frozen, I vacuum seal the bags and seal them.

Works like a charm for me, which is why I was confident in what I handed over to Dorwatha at Ascension yesterday. She loves to cook and enjoyed fish I gave her last summer, so I decided to offer her some more. One gratifying thing for me is knowing she is planning on using some of the fish and game I gave her to serve quality meals to people who are less fortunate. Also, once a year, she makes a meal for the entire school. I told her if she wants to use ground venison the next time, I probably will have enough for her.

In the meantime, she is going to offer something very special in return. A while back, I found out she makes barbecued ribs. She does it the old-fashioned way, using a charcoal smoker and soaking the meat in a marinade overnight. In other words, she does it the way the professionals do. She said she is going to smoke some ribs and bring them over to my house.

I can’t wait!

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Surprise smallie

August 2nd, 2010 by Dave Hrbacek

IMG_8878.JPGI got an unexpected bonus last week when I went fishing for an evening on Lake Mille Lacs. More accurately, it was my oldest son, Joe, who reeled in a surprise lunker.

Our plan was to try for smallmouth bass for a few hours, then switch to walleyes near dusk. We inquired at a bait shop in Garrison, and were directed to a rocky shoreline on the west side, not  far from the boat landing. The owner of the shop suggested we try plastic tubes on small jigs. We worked the shoreline for a while, and I finally caught a smallmouth. My son, Andy, had a nice one on that broke the line.

Then, a short while later, Joe thought he got caught on a rock. That had happened to both he and Andy, so he figured it was happening again.

But, he was wrong. It turned out to be a big smallie — so big, in fact, that he thought it was a northern. This was one feisty fish, and he fought it for a while before he was able to get it close to the boat. I put the landing net in the water, and he pulled the fish toward it. But, the smallie jumped right over the net.

I have never seen that before, and it makes me want to try for these hard-fighting fish a lot more. Eventually, we got it in the net and swung it aboard. It measured 19 1/2 inches. Not bad for our first try on the lake for smallies.

I’ve have been hearing that there are many fish this size in the lake — and bigger. The guy at the bait shop says they don’t get much pressure. Even though the word is out about the smallies in Mille Lacs, he says most anglers — even bass fanatics — fish for walleyes.

Another thing that helps the smallies is the protected slot. Anything up to 21 inches has to be released. That’s fine with me. We were not disappointed with releasing Joe’s fish. We got a nice picture of it before letting it go.

I’d like to get back up there this summer and go after them again. I’d sure love to catch a big one. Now that they’re in their summer pattern, they’ll be there for the catching well into September, maybe even October.

Now, if I can just find the time….

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The joys of bike riding

July 19th, 2010 by Dave Hrbacek

Recently, I thought back to my college years and how often I rode my bike to work and school. I loved it, especially on those occasions when I would ride home from work after dark. It was exhilirating.

Those reflections came while riding a bike once again, this time, with my 8-year-old daughter, Claire. She squealed with delight as we left our home last night to venture on a 3 1/2-mile loop we started riding last week.

My wife and I had bought nice bikes several years ago with the intention of going on bike rides as a family. We went a few times, then quit. The bikes were gathering dust in the garage before Claire asked me earlier this summer to take her on a bike ride.

We pedaled to Dairy Queen on Snelling Avenue, where we rewarded ourselves with ice cream cones. My No. 3 son, William, came, too. Then, last week, Claire asked me to take her out again. So, we took to the streets near our home and made a loop. At the end, she asked if we could go every night. I said we could try.

So, every day since, she has asked to go. We haven’t made it every time, but we have gone often enough to start solidifying the routine. In all honesty, I’m glad we’re doing it. The rides are bringing back the joy of biking I had almost 30 years ago.

I can thank Claire for that. Seeing her enthusiasm, I can’t help but enjoy it. We have some big ideas for a future ride. I told her about the Cannon Valley Trail near Red Wing and said I’d like to take her there. She asks me about it almost every day. My goal is to do it either later this summer or in the fall.

This has become a way for Claire and I to connect. It is just her and I, which I hope will help build a strong relationship between us. I hope we can have many years of biking together. Right now, she works hard to keep up with me. Someday, I told her, I’ll struggle to keep up with her.

That day will come faster than we think.

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Where are the big bass?

July 16th, 2010 by Dave Hrbacek

I headed to the Minneapolis City lakes yesterday with my son, Joe, hoping for some encounters with big bass. Usually, the lunkers start biting by mid July.

I figured, with the early spring and warm weather we’ve had this month, the bass would be right on schedule, if not early. Unfortunately, that was not the case. We spent all of our time on Cedar Lake, and the biggest fish I caught was only 15 inches, which is small for this lake.

I’m not sure why we didn’t catch any big ones. Maybe, the severe storm the day before had something to do with it. At least, the little ones seemed eager to hit our plastic worms. It shouldn’t be long before the big ones set up on the deep weedlines, where they’ll remain for the rest of the summer.

On the other hand, maybe it’s an off year for Cedar. It has happened before. Like last year. The fishing was horrible all summer. My friend caught an 18-incher on the Fourth of July and that was the biggest one of the year on that lake. I caught an 18-incher on Lake Calhoun later, which was the biggest for that lake as well.

But, I blame the slow fishing of last year on the weather. We had a cold July and a cold August, so the water never got warm enough for the bass to go deep. They stayed shallow and were scattered all summer. What’s more, they didn’t bite aggressively like they often do during the summer.

I’m not sure if I’ll go back out on Cedar again this year. Maybe, in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, Lake Calhoun should be a good bet. This lake has consistently produced nice bass for me over the last several years. It’s loaded with structure and there are lots of fish all over. You have to fish a little deep — like 14 or 15 feet — but, it’s no problem once you get used to it. The fish often hang out in schools and, if you find a school of actively feeding fish, get ready for a bonanza!

I’m hoping that will happen yet this summer. The steady heat we’ve been having should drive the fish deeper in search of warmer water. Once that happens, the action should get much better.

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Running as prayer

July 7th, 2010 by Dave Hrbacek

My 3-mile run this morning had a different focus. While pounding the pavement, I offered it up as a prayer for the Maslow family.

In today’s St. Paul Pioneer Press was the story of 16-year-old Alex Maslow, who died in a car accident in Wisconsin on the 4th of July. He was by himself and heading to a cabin when he went off the road and went airborne after hitting an embankment. He was pronounced brain dead at the hospital and was taken off life support yesterday. Then, he went into surgery and donated his organs, as he had discussed with his parents back in February when he got his driver’s license.

This was a tough one for me because I have known his parents, Mike and Kathy, since the mid 1980s. In fact, Kathy and my first wife, Jennifer, who died of cancer in 1995, were best friends. It took a long time for Kathy to recover from Jennifer’s death, and now this.

I have been getting choked up all week, and I’ll probably feel that way for a while. I have been praying for the family and thinking about the Maslows ever since I got the news. Mike and  I worked together when Jennifer was sick and for about a year after her death. He was so good about supporting me during that time. It was so helpful. I hope I can do something for him now. With so much going on with his family, I know better than to try to contact him now. I hope to get a chance to greet him at the wake tomorrow and the funeral on Friday at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, which is their parish and mine.

I also know that there will be plenty of opportunities to talk to him in the coming weeks and months. I hope to have a chance to visit with him and offer some hope and encouragement. In the meantime, I will pray for him and the entire Maslow family.

Interestingly, after Mike and Kathy got engaged and before their wedding, Mike and I were driving Kathy’s Mitsubishi Montero while helping her move. She had  recently purchased it and really liked it. But, as we went through an unmarked intersection, a large car slammed into the driver’s side, pushing us off the road and into a telephone pole. We were shaken up, but not hurt. Mike felt just sick about the vehicle getting  totaled.

Kathy, however, handled the situation beautifully. She was glad both of us were OK, and she let go of the Montero. I couldn’t help but think that this incident strengthened their relationship somehow. I have always thought they had a strong marriage, and I am confident they will get through this, with the help of God’s grace and the prayers and support of family and friends.

I have been told that losing a child is one of the hardest things in life. I don’t doubt it. I know this will be hard for them. Yet, God does amazing things in circumstances such as this.

Therefore, I have hope. And, I humbly offer this prayer: Lord Jesus, pour out your grace and your comfort on the  Maslows. Take care of their every need: spiritual, material, emotional. And, especially bless their remaining six children.

Finally, give them healing and, in your perfect timing, joyful anticipation of their eventual reunion with Alex in heaven.

Posted in Other outdoor activities, Running, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Finding a running partner

June 30th, 2010 by Dave Hrbacek

It’s fun getting up at 7 a.m. to run when the weather is so beautiful. I’m really enjoying the cool mornings and low humidity.

And, today, I got a bonus — my No. 3 son, William, joined me on my 3-mile run. He started going with me last week and wants to keep it up for the rest of the summer.

Naturally, I welcome his company. He can’t go the whole distance yet, but he’s off to a good start. He is able to go the first mile, then he turns around and walks back. Depending on how fast I run, I can catch him somewhere along the way back.

Today, I didn’t, but that’s OK. That just means he’s increasing his pace. I suspect that, sometime this summer, he’ll be able to go the whole way with me. And, eventually, I’ll be trying to keep up with him.

As a parent, you look for ways to connect with your children. So far, running is it for William and I. For Claire, my only  daughter, it’s bike riding. We rode our bikes to a Dairy Queen on Monday. That’s about the perfect distance for her right now. I’m hoping there will be longer trips ahead for us. William joined us on our quick trip to DQ, but it seems like Claire likes it a lot more than he does.

Getting out with your kids is a great way to spend the summer. I’m glad to be starting now and I’m looking forward to the next two months.

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A big walleye for Bob

June 21st, 2010 by Dave Hrbacek

P1020077The much-anticipated fishing trip up north took place last week. I took my two oldest boys, Joe and Andy, to Upper Red Lake along with their Grandpa Bob Guditis.

We arrived at Upper Red Tuesday afternoon and  checked in at our cabin at Bear Paw Guides resort. The protected slot limit had changed that day from 17-26 inches to 20-26 inches. The same thing happened last year, and our family cashed in big. We took home a limit of walleyes, with every one of them measuring between 17 and 20 inches.

We were hoping for similar results this year, but the early spring ruined our plans. Rather than lots of fish being on the shallow breakline, the fish had moved out to deeper water and were scattered. We tried the traditional spots, and caught only four 12-inch walleyes.

So, I decided it was time for a switch. I had heard the fishing was excellent on Lake of the Woods, so we went there Wednesday morning. We drove an hour to get to Wheeler’s Point and the public access, and were on our fishing spot at about 10:30 a.m. The early spring meant the walleyes were out deep in 31-32 feet of water. We went through the Pine Island Gap and drove about another 3 miles until we saw a flotilla of boats anchored at the magic depth.

We picked a spot between two groups of boats and dropped anchor. It didn’t take long to get action. Joe landed a nice walleye just 10 minutes later. Only a few minutes after that, Bob set the hook on a solid fish. It was clear to him and us that this was a big fish. He fought it for several minutes, then finally got it to the surface. I swooped it into the landing net, and it measured 26 inches. It was very fat, and I was sure it weighed more than 6 pounds.

It was Bob’s biggest walleye ever and it ended up being the largest of the trip. We ended up bringing in 15 walleyes — one short of our four-fish limit of 16 — and six bonus sauger. We also caught several fish in the protected slot of 19 1/2-28 inches. The day ended with Joe and Andy catching 23-inch walleyes back to back. In fact, Andy set the hook on his fish just after Joe landed his.

We could have stayed longer to catch the final fish, but decided to head in at 7:30 p.m. One of the owners of Adrian’s Resort, Darlene Ney, was only available to clean our fish until 8 p.m., so we didn’t want to push it. She only charges $1 a fish, and it’s money well spent. Plus, she packages them for us, which makes it easier to take them home.

Actually, we could have had our limit, but Joe released a 14 1/2-inch fish at about 6:45, thinking we would catch a bigger one. In fact, we did catch bigger ones, but they were all too big to keep. Joe got one that was just over 19 1/2 inches, which was tough to throw back.

Bob had a hard time with the protected slot, especially when it meant he had to throw back his big walleye. I tried to explain the reasoning behind it, but he just didn’t buy it. There is no such slot limit in Montana, where he lives. The limit on Canyon Ferry Lake, a walleye lake near his home in Great Falls, is 20 per day and 40 in possession, with one fish over 28 inches allowed. When he looks at the size of Lake of the Woods, he doesn’t understand why a protected slot is needed.

I’m not sure I know, either. I fished the lake about six years ago, when the limit was six fish with one over 20 inches allowed. My friend, Pete, and I caught plenty of fish and came home with our limit. The fishery seemed healthy and not in need of any more restrictions in harvest. The big thing was when commercial netting ended on the lake about 30 years ago. Almost immediately, the number and size of walleyes skyrocketed. The fishing has been consistently good ever since, year in and year out.

Although the lake seems to get lots of fishing pressure, it continues to produce lots of walleyes, both keepers and fish in the protected slot. It rarely disappoints, provided the winds are light enough to get out on the lake. I plan on going back in the fall, when the walleyes migrate into the Rainy River. It sure would be nice to get back up before then. In the meantime, I have some walleye in the freezer to enjoy!

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