Caught in a small tributary just north of Duluth, MN along Lake Superior's North Shore. After a sight fished sucker rolled backward and popped my hook, I was sure I had missed my chance. I threw my worm in a deep hole and got snagged...or so I thought! Next thing you know I was pulling this fish up and cheezin for a pic!

I had just gotten done helping at a kids fishing clinic with the Women Anglers of Minnesota and I figured I'd stop on the drive home and fish a spillway on the South Fork Crow River near Buffalo, Minnesota. I poked around in some holes with my microhook and pulled this gem out! An unexpected and super beautiful fish.

The species I worked the hardest for...and my biggest fly rod catch. Many evenings I returned to a back eddy on the Mississippi River where I could see Buffalo feeding on foam on the waters surface. On this evening the wind had pushed the foam out into the main current and I had little hope I'd see anything. Crouching down, I moved slowly along the waters edge as to not spook any fish that might be present.  A single pair of lips breaking the surface tension was my glimmer of hope and made sure to aim just right. 

The species I worked the hardest for...and my biggest fly rod catch. Many evenings I returned to a back eddy on the Mississippi River where I could see Buffalo feeding on foam on the waters surface. On this evening the wind had pushed the foam out into the main current and I had little hope I'd see anything. Crouching down, I moved slowly along the waters edge as to not spook any fish that might be present.  A single pair of lips breaking the surface tension was my glimmer of hope and made sure to aim just right. 

This was my first darter species hook and line. I spent the weekend doing aquatic invasive species outreach at Itasca State Park in Minnesota and spent the off hours fishing the headwaters of the Mississippi River. I never had a true appreciation for darter fishing until I spent hours crouched over positioning the smallest piece of redworm perfectly near this fishes mouth again and again until finally it took. I swung it on land running after wherever it landed like a kid chasing after pinata candy.

Using White Perch as live bait, I caught this 54" beauty at the top of a weir in Onondaga Lake, NY where I knew they liked to hang out at sunset. My partner had caught one about 45 minutes ahead of this one. Two in one night was truly an amazing experience.

Burbot are my absolute favorite fish species. My first experience seeing a burbot was during stream sampling with the Cooperstown Biological Field Station in New York where we electrofished them mid-summer and ever since I loved their squiggly mottled bodies and single chin barbel. My first (and only) burbot hook and line pictured here was caught on Cass Lake with a glow spoon and minnows. 

It was springtime in Minnesota, the Mississippi River was flooded, and my partner and I waded across the now water covered bridge on Minnehaha Creek to get to an open spot to fish. A larger than normal (what I thought to be) "shorthead redhorse" bit my jig head and I excitedly reeled it to shore. After examination of its lip shape and dorsal fin rays I confirmed this new species for my lifelist was indeed a River Redhorse.

On a -13°F day up in Ely, MN. My partner and I hiked about a half hour through knee deep snow to find this pristine lake where only hand auguring is allowed (iykyk). We had heard of lake trout being recorded here but not many had ventured that far deep into the Boundary Waters to find out. The sun came out adding some warmth and we had the lake to ourselves. We caught sever lake trout that day of which this was the biggest.