The Mississippi River, Ojibwe, Great River, Big River, The Mighty Mississip', Old Man River, whatever you call it, the Mississippi has provided transportation, power, water, food, industry, and recreation for civilization for hundreds of years.  I'm reminded of the majesty and history of this amazing river every time I drive the beautiful river road with breathtaking outlooks among the Western Wisconsin driftless bluffs and pass the various Laura Ingalls Wilder historic sites in the Pepin, Wisconsin area.  I'm also reminded of the constant evolution of the river and its footprint when I pass Lake Pepin, a pool in the river formed by sediment from the Chippewa River where it merges with the Mississippi.  I'm lucky to have such a beautiful fishery, and scenery, close to home. I've been fortunate to catch some nice bass and pike (even an owl) there.  Locals speak highly of the fishery.  Bassmaster Magazine recognizes several of its pools along the Wisconsin border in

This month has been a series of figurative and literal storms.  Various medical challenges in my personal life along with poor fishing in my Small Craft Fisherman life.  Part of the fishing storm has been due to actual storms, high waters, and brutally high temperatures.  My latest outing was no different. Having hooked into, but losing, the largest bass I've had on in a long time, I was eager to hit my home waters hoping to lip it.  A couple days before I ceremoniously de-spooled the mono that snapped under the stress of the tank and replaced it with 40 lb Gliss line.  Gliss is strong like braid but casts for miles.  While I'm add it, I clean, grease, and oil my reels to ensure a mechanically smooth trip. The morning of my 2 minute journey to my local water.  I awake well before sunrise.  I'm used to the early sunrises of the summer, and in denial of the nearing "hard water" kayak-unfriendly Wisconsin Winter growing nearer.  My car pre-loaded with my kayak an

It has been longer than usual since my last article.  I thank my regular readers for their patience.  My wife had surgery (she is doing really well now) so I was playing nurse.  With the wife recovered, I was looking forward to my return from fishing, kayaking, and blogging hiatus. The return started with planning a fishing trip with a nearby fishing buddy.  We were going to visit a local lake known for large bass.  I had only fished it once, briefly, but was pushed out by storms.  The bass were infrequent and small, but we decided it was worth a try.  The lake is small, but has promising vegetation, ledges, and other structure.  Locals also tell stories of monster bass being pulled from there.  Given the size and vegetation, it doesn't often see boat traffic.  A perfect place to hit with a group of kayakers. We were also excited to learn two of the guys from the Wisconsin Kayak Bass Fishing Club were going to be in the area.  A perfect opportunity to fish with them since their