a fisherwoman is hooked! ;D

while my friend cher and i were hiking rib mountain on a random saturday, she got a text from her boyfriend instructing her to go get them fishing poles and lures because he was going to take her out! obviously, neither of them fish... but this has been something she's been wanting to do for a long time now and it was finally happening! happy belated mother's day to her!

after we wrapped up our walk, and ice cream stop in between, i went with her to gander mountain to buy her fishing license and pick out a couple basic setups sufficient for general fishing to get them started. and somewhere, somehow... i was invited along to "show them the ways." yeah, playing 3rd wheel is not new to me, haha, jk.

that afternoon... with the canoe strapped on the truck and my tacklebox all equipped for a variety of species and ready to go, we were on our way to a secret spot someone had recently told her boyfriend about! once we got there, i insisted on a few practice casts from shore - i wasn't about to get into a canoe with 2 people, one of which has never casted before, haha - and i'm sure glad i did! can you say, DANGER!? lols, jk.

once we were finally in the water... cher was the first to get a strike! (followed by 2 more!) it was quite funny... with the first fish, she glanced at us and nonchalantly said "i think i have one..?" while her boyfriend and i instantaneously exclaimed "...then set the hook!" not realizing she had no idea what that meant. but she still managed to boat the fish! what an exciting feeling it was for her!

although it was a small pike, the look on her face was priceless! moments like these are definitely my favorites... and just like that, a new fisherwoman is hooked! ;D

snowshoeing on the wisconsin river.

valentines day just passed and although we planned to spend the day setting tip ups, we instead got stuck in the snow on the ice trying to get out there and spent all afternoon trying to shovel out the truck instead... atleast we made it on time to our dinner reservations! lols.

...like the seasons change in wisconsin, so do we as individuals. when it's hot and humid, we wish it were cooler; when it's sub-zero and snowing, we wish it were warmer. and while we do what we can in anticipation, we are never quite prepared enough for its reality once it hits.

here are some photos from an adventure taking my vday gift out for the first time; snowshoeing. pssst... it is really just walking on snow with things on your feet. for the venture capitalists out there, there's an untapped potential for grasswalking, sandwalking, even waterwalking! ;P you're welcome!

autumn in wisconsin!

if autumn were in july, we wouldn't need fireworks :) it's october and the leaves are just starting to turn! my hikes up granite peak and views from the water are even more stunning now more than ever with mother nature's new wardrobe change... and before any of us knows it, we will be smothered with a blanket of white.

i'm excited, while enjoying each day's progression toward the next! in the meantime, do something your future self will love you for!

wisconsin river gangsters!

being out on the water is one of my favorite places to be. the serenity, the beauty - and the excitement when boating a toothy creature! :) this is one thing i admire most about the boyfriend - his sense of appreciation for simplicity... wait, who am i kidding? homeboy just wants to fish! LOL, jk.

if fishing were easy, it'd be called your mom!

when i met my boyfriend back in the beginning of january, little did i know how big of a musky hunter he was and the influence it'd have on me! it's quite the understatement to say he's obsessed, lols, but i guess you can't deny passion! hah.

although i've always enjoyed fishing myself, i was moreso out rippin' lips, jigging for walleyes, or just bobbing for panfish. honestly, all i knew about the elusive muskellunge was that they were the top freshwater predator! nothing more. and that quickly all changed!

this past valentines day, he gifted me a few of his favorite and hottest lures to "start me off..." (in retrospect, this was the beginning to something very dangerous! smh, haha.) march came around and the big musky expo was in town. there, we got me my first musky setup; a heavy action rod and baitcaster reel spooled with 100lb line. and by the end of april, he'd invited me to fish a summer league with him. despite my reservations in that i'd never hunted muskies in my life before, the adventurer in me was definitely up for the new challenge!

being the lifelong learner that i am, i'd taken it upon myself to read steve heiting and jim saric's "the complete guide to musky hunting," all the "in-fisherman" magazines i could get my hands on, watched numerous musky dvd's, as well as read any and every online publication on this toothy critter to get an idea on how they behave and what this sport was all about! and in short, i basically learned they were the most finicky creature out there, dubbed the fish of 10,000 casts! and for me to be prepared to go months on end without even seeing one! how encouraging, haha. and another new interest was born!

before the season even began, i also found myself joining a local musky club... and now, league! and one of the first things i noticed about the esox hunters community was how compassionate they are about restocking efforts and ensuring muskies for future generations to come! very, very cool and much respect!

fast forward to the southern zone season opening, it was exactly what i had expected! days upon days on the river... and nothing! i had already mentally prepared  myself not to get my hopes up... until i saw my first musky as he came up to hit my bait, and missed! he may have missed, but i was hooked at the mere sight of big beautiful fish!

the next week, i got another glimpse of one, clear as day, after the boyfriend raised it boatside on a figure 8! this was now more than enough to keep me motivated! i really wanted to catch one..!

continuous casting and throwing out these big musky baits hours on end and not seeing a thing can easily get exhausting. but it's all about patience and persistence. roughly a month into the opening and going into week 2 or 3 of league... i caught my first musky! as if that weren't exciting enough, i also doubled up! and if that weren't awesome enough, these 2 catches were with back to back casts!!! ;D this was all the motivation i needed! they may be small, but they are 'skis - and it's a start!

fishing the pipe..!

after a productive day, instead of hauling the boat out this evening we grabbed a late lunch and did some lowkey panfishing at the pipe. i love that he loves bank fires, too, once the sun begins to set. <3 life is good... it may not be perfect, but live the best version of yourself and it'll inspire others to do the same. i promise.

snowmobiling on the wisconsin river!

a new city, a new body of water. strapped the auger, flasher and poles onto the sled and in no time we were mobile on the ice on our way to exploring this particular flowage. in the recent weeks, i've started to find myself frequenting the stevens point area more and more... and never having fish this stretch of the wisconsin before, it was nice to get a proper tour of the backwaters from someone who knows it like the back of their hand.

icefishing in central wisconsin.

these lakeside sunsets and amazing central wisconsin views are half the reason i brave the cold to icefish and spend time on the hard water. and living up to its reputation, it's been an insanely brutal winter with recent windchills reaching the depths of neptune here... so it's only natural that a heated shanty is sensibly the only other reason icefishing hasn't been too much of a drag! haha. well, that, and the fact that i enjoy taking the sled out exploring the river when fishing gets a little slow.

imagine... pants parties with M & N, eazy e in the tape deck, and jim beam to keep warm with :) oh, and i can't forget about the random games of scrabble to pass by the time too! nothing sums up this winter more accurately. <3

my eau pleine reservoir!

the great outdoors... incredibly therapeutic. to be out there on my little adventures with nothing but my thoughts and what i go equipped with - whether it be a book, a bottle of wine, a fishing pole, a journal or a picnic; i love it all the same.

here's just a glimpse of the scenery i've come to regularly surround myself in since the move back to smalltown usofa - this is the eau pleine reservoir, about 10 minutes from my driveway. definitely one of my favorite spots i enjoy most! and it still boggles my mind how no one else takes advantage of the natural beauty right here at our fingertips, yet continue to look for that sense of peace outward for something still unbeknownst to them!

...and forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair!