TBT! 2009: Box of Tricks!

In today's Throwback Troutrageous! (TBT!) post we go back in time to January 2009. Before I became a snobby fly angler, I was all about spin-fishing and accumulating any type of inline spinner I could find. Mepps, Panther Martin, even tiny brands you've probably never heard of. I opened up one of my Plano boxes to show what sort of hardware I was chucking.

Coincidentally, this might be the first time that Len Harris (aka "Spinner") was ever mentioned on this blog. His presence in internet fishing forums used to be legendary, (I don't frequent many forums anymore, so not sure if he's still active telling his stories or posting his "where would you cast" photos). Today, you'll most likely find him on his fantastic The Stream of Time blog.

Anyway, check out all this METAL - and if you have a favorite inline spinner, I'd love to know what it is. They're nothing but effective. I was partial to the Wyld Edge Bezerkers, but I don't even think the company that made them is in business anymore...

BOX OF TRICKS
JANUARY 07, 2009

I was on the PAanglers forum the other day and read a thread (started by "Spinner") that showed what kind of lures he kept in his tackle box. There was a little bit of dialogue following, with some other folks chiming in on their favorites, so I thought it might be fun to show what is in my tackle box 9 times out of 10 when I go out for trout.

First off, I really like these double sided Plano Stowaway tackle boxes. I use model #3449. They are small, compact, and perfect to toss in a fishing vest or jacket pocket. They hold a lot too. which makes them very convenient if you like to bring a large arsenal on the water (like me). I'm all about swapping lures if a particular color or configuration isn't working, so the more the merrier for me.

Side one: Joe's Flies, Rooster Tails, Wyld Edge Bezerkers (my favorites!), Mepps Elix (now discontinued), Fish Creek Nitro Mites, and a small and indispensable Leatherman Squirt tool (with pliers). I usually also cram in some Tin Split Shot & Assorted Hooks in case I want to fish with a bait (usually waxworms) instead of lures.

Side two: Mepps Little Wolf Spoon, Wyld Edge Baby Bezerkers, Fish Creek Armadillos (a great change-up!), & Homemade spinners in assorted varieties. The lures I make myself vary from very standard to resemble Panther Martins or Mepps XDs, to what I call my Michelin Man (a lure that closely resembles a CP Swing), to random contraptions of leftover brass bodies and beads. All of them tend to catch fish rather well - and I tend to stay in the gold & silver family as far as colors go.

The Driftless Photo Dump

Took quite a few photos while in Wisconsin.  But first a bit of backstory.

I usually take most of the photos on this blog with my smartphone, which has (what I think) is a pretty good camera. Well, as I was headed to the airport to start my long weekend in the Midwest, I heard this "thud" while getting some stuff from the trunk of my SUV and looked down to see that I had obliterated my cell phone screen... to the point that it started leaking purple LCD juice all over the inside of the display, rendering the phone pretty much unusable for the weekend. Ugh.

R.I.P. Google Pixel

When I landed in Wisconsin, I ran over to the Walmart and picked up an inexpensive, unlocked Android phone to use for the weekend. The new phone works just fine, the major tradeoff being that the camera wasn't quite as good, although it took photos that were generally okay in the full-on sun.

The reason why I tell you this is some of the photos below are from the cell phone, while others are from my waterproof point and shoot. You may or may not notice, but it bugs the heck out of me.

In any event, here's a photo dump from the Driftless, 2018... starting with the Midwest Tenkara Fest, then expanding to a liberal amount of fishing, (captioned where needed, accordingly).

Culver's is always a must stop. We finally have them in Florida, but there's just something about eating them in Wisconsin. As far as a "chain" fast food burger goes that isn't an absolute gut bomb, these are at the top of my list. 

Coon Valley American Legion, home to the Midwest Tenkara Fest

Matt & Mike from Badger Tenkara conducting an onstream clinic

The new Tenkara USA Hane was attracting quite a bit of attention

As was Tenkara Grasshopper Graham Moran

Chris Stewart always brings the best toys

Some spin fishermen taking on the muddy waters of Coon Creek

Used my Tenkara USA Sato in the muddy water with some Coulee Killer tungsten bead nymphs to get into fish on Saturday

Was interesting to be in Wisconsin the first day of the season. So much water available to fish there was little to no crowding

This fish was a solid fighter, came out from an undercut to attack a "road kone" kebari 

I think the best fishing was toward dusk. Fish really started coming to life from 3-8 PM.

My beagle buddy

Viroqua, WI is a very fishy town. Home to the Driftless Angler fly shop as well as the Driftless Cafe (pictured)

Once the waters cleared up a bit on Sunday & Monday,
I flipped to fishing the Three Rivers Confluence and "road kone" kebari. 
I really think the Confluence is an underrated rod, worth checking out if you haven't already.

Picked out about 3 fish that looked just like this one in a certain run of narrow, but deep and fast water. By far the most frantic, fun, and fantastic twenty minutes or so of the trip.

Fishing adventures over, the reflective walk back to the car

Before ending this post, I did want to thank Len Harris (Stream of Time) for keeping me abreast of the weather situation via Facebook, probably wouldn't have brought the gear (particularly flies) I did had he not warned of the high and muddy water. Also, huge props to David Nash (My Leaky Waders) for pointing me in the direction of a lot of great fishing. I'm sorry we didn't get to fish a bit, definitely the next time.

Oh, and if any of these photos (or prior posts) have you interested in visiting the Driftless, make sure to check out this video from a few years back. It's awesome and captures everything that makes the Driftless Area a unique fishery.