Author: Chris Hansen

Learn the Lingo

The lingo.  The jargon.  The nomenclature.  Seems like every group of guys has their own dictionary of words, phrases and coded language that is specific to them, and you’d better learn it if you don’t want to feel like an outsider. Try this sentence: “Something just gave a  how’s your father to your hell rod, you better grab it off the guthrie stick and give it a brent burns because I think newman is giving you a mouth party, and do it quick because a couple of gussucks are coming. To make sense of this and more, read on. Guthrie...

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Slipped a Mickey

If you were going to head onto the trout stream with one fly, what would it be? Most would choose something safe, like a hare’s ear, pheasant tail, scud.  A woolly bugger would be a good bet.  Dry fly snobs would likely pick an Adams.  I got it in my head the other day that I wanted to catch a fish on a Mickey Finn.  I think I actually first got it in my head that I wanted to tie a Mickey Finn, and I easily accomplished this.  This was a favorite fly of mine when I was kid.  Probably...

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Who Moved My Trout?

Last week I headed across the border for the first trout session of the year.  I’m glad to be getting out, but lacking the usual amount of anticipation.  Typically on the first trip of the year I head to the “K” River and do a milk run of easy spots, usually catch a couple out of most, probably get a bunch out of one or two spots.  Based on what was going on over there last year, my expectations were low. Decided to hike in to an area we refer to as “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”, a...

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Sea Monsters

 I’ve seen every documentary about the Loch Ness monster and all of his cousins ever made.  Shows about “Champ” from Lake Champlain or “Ogopogo” from Okanagan Lake in British Columbia will always get me to watch.  There is even the legend of “Peppie” from Lake Pepin right here in Minnesota.  When I lived in Northern Minnesota I heard from more than one source of an alleged thing that lived in Farm Island Lake by Aitkin.  Every winter it supposedly would show up at someone’s spear hole and scare the hell out of them. Now I won’t go so far as...

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One Particular River

This was going to be the first year that I did not buy a Wisconsin non-resident fishing license. All of the Covid hype last spring had us convinced that while we should participate in outdoor activities, we should do so close to home.  Once my 2019 license expired in March, I made the tough decision to pass on fishing across the border this year.  I’m personally not too worried about Covid, but figured keeping my Minnesota plates on this side of the river would be a good move this year. But something has been bugging me.  For a while,...

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