Author: Dale Martens

A HIDDEN GEM CLOSE BY! The southeastern corner of Minnesota is loaded with spring creeks. They are the real deal – clear water, bright green weeds, lively riffles, and abundant brown trout. A couple of years ago my partner Deb and I sampled them for two weeks and had a blast. We also witnessed an electrofishing demonstration where state technicians hauled a dozen adult browns from a 30-foot section of stream. It was barely the width of your living room and not even prime holding water. These creeks offer fantastic DIY opportunities. To experience them, download the publication, Trout Angling…

Class III Brook Trout at Gods River Wild boat rides and wilder brookies….  David McKay, a Gods River resident and my guide, kept the outboard throttle cranked wide open.   We sped toward a wall of whitewater that stretched from bank to bank, and David had no intention of slowing down. At the last instant, a chute of smooth water appeared.  The boat shot through it, straight towards some rocks. David jarred the boat into a sharp left-hander.  It was now on a collision course with the riverbank.  A sharp right-hander corrected that. A lazy zigzag brought us near the…

 A BIT OF WILL AND IMAGINATION IS ALL IT TAKES! Taxi rides, pushy swans, hand grenades, and aggressive sheep…. Would you like a Hare’s Ear alongside that Bordeaux red?  Over the past several years, my partner, Deb, and I have explored bits and pieces of Europe.  On most trips, I searched out a fishing hole. There is a lot of good looking water over there! What follows are some of the highlights and misadventures. Hopefully, you will find it informative and inspiring enough to carve out a small – or large – amount of fishing time if you find yourself…

Companion Friendly Arctic Char But still not so easy to catch… Wild arctic char generally dwell in inhospitable places. Camps that put anglers face-to-face with a char in Greenland or Nunavut are costly and remote. They are no place for a not-so-fish-crazed partner. Iceland, however, supports excellent populations of char and welcomes anyone with a taste for nature. Glaciers, waterfalls, icebergs, volcanoes, lava rock, hot springs, and extraordinary coastline are all abundant. There are also Atlantic salmon and brown trout, all close to a modern airport and paved roads. No float planes needed!  An arctic char can get crossed off…

A DUAL TRACK APPROACH During late August, I spent a week at the Lodge at Little Duck in northern Manitoba.  It lies just south of the 60th parallel, where a set of Wolverine River rapids connect Little Duck and Nejanilini Lakes. Being right on the tree line, the scenery is incredibly unique.  Vast eskers look like sand deserts. Rolling hills are covered with colorful tundra. Caribou and moose meander between scattered stands of spruce, or even swim across the lake.  Humans are rare in this part of the world, and the lodge is accessed via gravel airstrip. Despite the remoteness,…