Thanks for the comments, guys! Brian, I was on the WI side.

@Suzuki: One trout was 20 inches and the other was a little bigger but we didn’t measure it. They were both super fat.

We were SO surprised. We’ve decided once every 8 years we’ll buy a trout stamp because it seems once every 8 years we catch one on the St. Croix randomly:) But we were shocked to catch another even bigger trout an hour after catching the first one.

Cheers,
Tony

Ha, good call on MN. For some reason whenever I fish in MN by my house it is basically 100% fishing for sunnies at this tiny lake by my house with my son. Letting him “drive” the boat (he’s 4), having him play with a sunny in the bucket for a while, etc.

Then my “real” fishing is usually when I go to Canada. It’s kind of weird – not that I have little kids, I hardly ever “serious” fish in my own state, always just fun outings for Joe… which is awesome in its own right but not real fishing or trying new lakes.

Thanks everyone! Super helpful. Lots to consider.

Oh man, really sorry to hear this. Good luck! I hope you get them back!

Interesting. I did not know that, but I always like the Uncut Angling stuff. Cheers! Tony

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Admittedly I’m not traveling as much these days (7-week old daughter!) but there is a time for everything. Love daydreaming about my next fishing trip.

Glad you liked it! By the way, nice fish in your profile pic!

Agree – sometimes the fishing is as good or better right of the dock/pier! As a kid I fished the pier at Two Harbors, just north of Duluth, to fish Lake Superior. In that case we didn’t catch anything but every year during our annual weekend trip to Lake Superior we fished the pier one evening and had fun.

A funny, and interesting, quote. I’ve heard the same thing said about boats – especially I think larger/fancier boats that run on a combination of gas and money …

Ha! I’m an equal opportunist … I’m down with catfishing anytime!

I only did the salmon fishing, but Bon Chovy Charters in Vancouver also does white sturgeon fishing on the Fraser River. It looks pretty awesome. If I ever get back and have a chance to fish there again I might try the sturgeon fishing instead next time.

Thanks, Jack. Glad you liked it!

Awesome pic. Thanks for posting!

@tegg, that’s a good perspective – sometimes the fish just wins. It can be frustrating sometimes though, but I like your outlook (and my dad’s). I’m sure it’s a rush when you do successfully land a nice steelhead. I’ve never done that type of fishing before but always hear how awesome it is up along the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota when they’re running.

Wow, what a story. I’m glad you got that 56-incher in! That would stick in my head forever, too.

Thanks for the suggestion! I talked with my dad and we are going to do just that – a day of catfishing. I’m excited for it – I’ve enjoyed catching a few cats here and there fishing locally on the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers in Minnesota and I think it will be awesome to do that up on the Red. Will look at the guides you recommended.

Thanks a lot for the trips. I appreciate it.

Tony

BK: Tom isn’t a catfish specialist like you so he’s one of those guys who catches those darn walleyes that sometimes bug you when you’re hauling in giant flatheads! Here’s the quick bio on Tom if interested: Tom Neustrom has more than 35 years of experience as a top fishing guide in northern Minnesota. Inducted into the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame and the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, Neustrom has shared his knowledge with thousands of anglers as a guide and through leading fishing magazines and top televised fishing shows.

Cheers!
Tony

Kyhl, sorry I didn’t get this out sooner. I’ve fished this area quite a bit and in reality the 5 lakes Tom recommends for opener are really good early-season spots in general so if you’re already set for opener these are good options throughout May/June. Good luck this weekend!

Thanks! It was fun talking with Phillipe and writing this story – his excitement was very contagious.