Our Watershed, A Seasonal Reflection

-Evan Griggs, Owner Fishing For All

A watershed is an area of land over which water flows. The collection of quadrillions of tiny water drops ever moving, joining, and growing as they progress onward. Each drop absorbing something different from where they first fell, and bringing it with them to mesh into each consecutive tributary. Life is not unlike a watershed. Each of us, just a small stream, flowing through the ever changing gradient of the world. And as more of us come together, a great river is formed- a tapestry of individual water drops that join together to continue on the adventure of life. Having reached the bookend of another guiding season, I am ever reminded that Fishing For All has little to do about actual fishing, and everything to do with building a community through fishing.

It seems like a flash since I wrote this year’s season outlook in the spring, with the last of the snow melting and the trees starting to bud. And now, just after the first snow of the year, I’m able to reflect on this monumental season as I put away the boats and fly rods and pull out the ice fishing gear. This season marked the 5th year of Fishing For All, and my personal 15th year of guiding. Every year is punctuated by so many memorable moments and lifelong memories. 

One of the first highlights that comes to mind was from our June Bass Camp. The temps were nearly 100 degrees, and the wind was howling at 30mph. We slogged it out and caught some nice fish on the Croix the first day, but for the second day we chose to float the Snake River. We split the group between my big green raft (aka: Avacado) and put the rest of the group into our kokopelli pack rafts. The highlight of that day came from our longtime client, Phil McKoy, who was piloting one of the packrafts. Phil found his stride when he decided to just let the current take him backwards down the middle of the river and cast his fly at submerged boulders as he drifted by. He suddenly hooked into his first big bass right before entering a sizable rapid! The fish fought hard enough to keep Phil pointed upstream, and as he entered the roaring whitewater backwards, he exclaimed, “Now what the f#ck do I do?!” He made it through the rapids with only a few bumps off the rocks, and did land the big bass as we all were cheering and laughing around him. 

Another highlight was from our July Women’s-Only Bass Camp which just so happened to be on Sally Noll’s birthday. We pulled out a birthday cake for her after an epic day of fishing with poppers on the St. Croix. Sally and I go way back, so it was super special to share her birthday at the new Bass Camp Cabin with all of the other amazing lady anglers. Our Musky Camp was also pretty much taken over by the women’s fly group (except for Musky-Man Dan!) and Jess Miller caught her first musky on the fly! But not without a little excitement, as she almost fell out of the boat head first after setting the hook! 

On a guided trip on the Croix with Sue Knopp and her son, we had a great day of catching big bass in the morning. But over my shoulder I could see we were being stalked by a gnarly thunderstorm from upstream. After having lunch on a sandbar, the cloud finally looked “imminent” and I made the executive decision to push us out the rest of the way. That ended up being the right decision, as another very angry thunderhead had popped up downstream of us too. The two storms were on a collision course right over us! As the two purple, ominous wall clouds inched closer to each other, we stowed all the fly rods on the floor of the boat and stayed huddled as low as possible. I rowed like a madman to get us to the take out nearly 2.5 miles down river! I’ve never been encircled by such powerful and beautiful storms- lightning flashing, thunder booming, and the wind howling like a freight train in all directions! Just as we hit the landing, we anchored the boat on shore and ran to my car just as the deluge began.   

I was very lucky to hire Dan Belden this summer, who taught the bulk of our youth programs this summer (and I’m so grateful he is continuing to help with our school programs too.) He single-handedly taught thousands of kids and families how to fish this summer! All told, Fishing For All will have taught about 5,000 people how to fish this year! Many thanks to Dan for jumping right in. We also launched several social fishing groups this summer, led by my community-liaison, Ben Neitge, which were very successful and popular. I look forward to running more social outings next year. 

Undoubtedly I have the greatest guide team out there: Ashley White, Ricky Phetsavong, Aaron Grondin, Bob Bickford, Adam Waldron, and Nikki Fischer. I trust them 10,000% to offer the best experience possible for our clients. These amazing individuals care so much, work so hard, are always patient, supportive, and fun-loving. I like to say we are an “island of misfit toys,” having a wide array of backgrounds, personalities, and interests. But no matter what mother nature throws at us, or whatever crazy situations may arise, I know I can count on them to make the best of it and exceed expectations. They truly make our guide trips and camps feel like home! I am so proud to call them my guides and friends.   

At the end of the day, we are all here for the community that Fishing For All has become: fun, nonjudgemental, welcoming, and adventurous. I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on how important community is during this monumental year. The feeling of loneliness activates the same parts of the brain as feeling physical pain. It hurts to be lonely. And in today’s world, more people feel lonely and disconnected than ever before. But our watershed- our community built through fishing- continues to grow! So many friendships have been formed between clients and guides alike over the years. So many people show up to our events, camps, and classes just to meet and support other people. I truly love our watershed, and all the little drops that have meshed together.  

Whether you’ve been with us for years or are a newcomer, thank you for being a part of Fishing For All! I cannot wait to go on more fishing adventures with you all soon.

Community Highlight – Happy 90th Birthday to Lucy Shepard!

If you’ve been with Fishing For All for awhile, you’ve probably heard of the legendary- Lucy and Stan! Send your biggest birthday wishes to Lucy who just celebrated her 90th birthday! She told me she is excited to, “finally reach the age range that doesn’t need to purchase a fishing license anymore.” These two have been fly fishing the St. Croix for decades, and are two of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. Over the many years I’ve guided them, it’s become apparent that they are actually guiding me in what generosity, humility, and love of nature truly are. Feel free to email me any well wishes you may have for them, and I’ll be sure to pass it on. They are doing well, and living comfortably in a senior home in St. Paul. All our best to Lucy and Stan!

Upcoming Events and Classes

• 12/9 & 23
• 1/13 & 27
• 2/10 & 24
• 3/10 & 24
• 4/14 & 28

Don’t let your casting arm get rusty over winter, we can help you polish up your skills! Whether you’re a beginner or advanced caster, we can help fine tune your distance and accuracy, and/or start from square one.

Bring your own fly rod if you have one, otherwise we will have a small number of loaner rods available. Kids must be accompanied by an adult. $50/angler/session.

• Sessions: 7:30-9pm @ Two Rivers High School, Mendota Heights MN 
• November 21
• December 5, 19
• January 9, 30
• February 20, 27
• March 6

November Minnesota Fishing Report

Colder temps are beginning to settle over our region. Water levels on all the rivers are low and clear, making it easier to target elusive species like steelhead or muskies. Many lakes in the north have already turned over, while many in the south are just starting. Fish are spread out and active in low light periods or during the warmest temps of the day. Certain trout streams remain open to fishing year-round in SE MN, and using small nymphs, eggs, or streamers will produce well.  

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN Lakes

• Warm temps have fish still pretty active. Look in water 6-10ft along weed edges.
• As it cools off, turnover will begin and will make fishing tough for a little while. 
• Big baitfish have produced the best, with finesse presentations working on cooler days. 

Minnesota/Wisconsin Driftless Trout Streams

•  Open fishing is limited to select in-town sections and state parks.
• Small nymphs, midges, scuds, eggs have produced well. 
• Throw big streamers for large brown trout this time of year! 
• Waters are low and clear, use long/thin leaders when throwing little flies.

Mississippi & St. Croix River

• Water is low and clear on both systems.
• Smallies are pretty much done for the year on the Croix. Still active below the nuke plant on the Mississippi.
• Pike and muskies have moved into wintering holes and have been active in low light periods.
• Decent walleye action this past month with large minnow patterns! 

Bois Brule River

• Season closed on November 15!!

Cold Weather Fishing Comfort

Guide Tips From the FFA Team

There’s still some fun fishing to be done this late in the fall and winter, if you can handle the cold! As the old Norwegian saying goes, “Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær!” or “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.” Here’s some tips for staying warm and comfortable while cold weather fishing:

1. Cotton Kills! – Put away your trendy Carhart jackets and cotton flannels, they won’t keep you warm if you get wet. Instead wear clothes made from wool, fleece, silk, polyester, Gortex, etc. These materials do not absorb water and will keep you insulated, even if you get wet. Down is also a great insulator until it gets wet, so be sure your down jacket is underneath a waterproof shell. 

2. Layers Are Key – Having multiple layers of insulation is important because we want to avoid getting wet from the outside and inside. Sitting/standing around in the cold? Layer up! Moving around and generating some body heat and sweat? Layer down! Sweat can cause issues once you stop moving and cool down, so you want to try to prevent getting super sweaty in the cold. Having multiple layers allows you to customize your comfort. 

3. Here’s a good general outline for a layer system: Base layer- Wool, polyester, or silk long underwear. Midlayer: wool or polyester flannel or sweater under a down or fleece vest or jacket and wear wool or fleece pants with thick wool socks under waders. Outer Layer: Hard or soft shell jacket with a hood (most often these are polyester or Gortex) to prevent wind and rain from getting in. Wool, fleece, or polyester hat and gloves.   

4. What’s the best fishing gloves? – If you find them, let me know! I’ve tried a lot of them and they all pretty much suck in one way or the other. The best option I’ve found for gloves seems to be the ones with the fingerless glove with the flip over mitten. What I usually do is go glovesless and stash some hand warmers and/or some big old wool chopper mittens in my pockets to warm up intermittently as I’m fishing or walking between fishing spots. The same principles apply for clothing materials as to hats and gloves too. Wool, fleece, and polyester will be the best materials for keeping you warm even if they get wet.      

Embrace the cold, layer up, and go catch some fish! If you go out this time of year, chances are you’ll have the water to yourself.

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