G. Loomis visit...

Last week I traveled out to the Portland, Oregon / Woodland, Washington area for a factory tour at G. Loomis and a couple days of fishing.  It was a great trip to one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  We fished on the Columbia River and caught a bunch of smallmouths as well as a few other critters. 

Alex Mei from www.tackletour.com , Bruce Holt from G. Loomis and myself during our tour of the G. Loomis factory in Woodland, Washington.  It is a totally manual process that G. Loomis goes through to make the finsest fishing rods in the World.  The most amazing thing out there was the pride that all the employees have for the brand and the products they produce.  It is top-notch.

Bruce Holt with a whooper spring-run salmon caught while bass fishing on the Columbia River

A smallmouth

A smallmouth I caught fishing right in downtown Portland

Check out this line-up of NRX rods we got to fish with.  These are by far the best fishing rods I have ever picked up - super light and tough.  -Gussy

Rigging the new boat

I got a new boat this past week and spent four days getting it ready for the water.  It is a beauty - 2011 Lund 2010 Predator.  

On the back end, a Minn Kota Talon, Mercury 225 Pro XS and a Minn Kota Vantage

Humminbird 1198c SI on the colsole and a "Bird" 958c on the bow

All powered by 4 Optima D31 batteries.  These are the best batteries on the market.  Though the initial cost is more than the average battery, they are well worth it because of their capacity and LONG LIFE.  You can expect years of use out of these batteries.  -Gussy

Shed hunting in Sunset Country

Now that ice fishing has wrapped up for another year, I have spent most of the past week in the woods, looking for deer sheds.  It's been fun and a great way to "shape-up" before another fishing season.  It wasn't the best season I have had for sheds, but my buddies and I found a bunch of nice sheds. 

Up at Silver Birch Lodge for the 1st annual Can/Am Shed Derby - Team USA (Dan Fuller, Mark Fuller, Pat McSharry, John Peterson and Steve Rankin) won it this year. 

Mark Johnson displaying part of our load last week - he went home with a few big sheds. 

Matthew Walker holds up a nice set that he found

Look at the size of this GIANT wolf track that I found in a low spot last week while I was shed hunting.  There was actually a wolf-killed deer nearby and several fresh sets of tracks around.   

Hockey/Fishing week in Kenora

Well the ice fishing season has pretty much come to an end for me this week.  I'm sure if you really wanted to get out and catch a few pike or lake trout you could get out there but the ice conditions are not great for getting on in most places.  We had a good run the last few days on the ice this week and caught some beauty trout, pike and walleyes. 

The Allan Cup Hockey Tournament was going on in Kenora this past week.  I had a few buddies in town that were playing on the Fort Frances Thunderhawks team and we spent the day on the ice on Wednesday.  Also, got hooked up with three players from the Dundas team (from the Hamilton area) and got them out fishing on Wednesday evening.  Everyone had a blast!

Back row: Derek Hansberry, Josh Meyers (Fort Frances)  Front Row: Tom Brown, Cam Watson, Paul Lawson (Dundas) 

 

Josh Meyers with a nice laker  

Tom Brown with a big walleye

Marty Hanson (Fort Frances) with a big whitefish

Late ice giants!!!

We are starting to wind down the ice fishing season after a long winter here is Sunset Country.  Fortunately this brings some of the best fishing of the entire season.  Here are samples of some of the fish we have been catching this past week.  I anticipate a few more trips before calling it a year! 

A big walleye from a small lake last week.   

Kalan "Slab Daddy" Wagner  with a big crappie   

Dean Howard with a jumbo pike