Got my tickets to Minnesota last night. Will get there the evening of May 31st and leave July 5th. This should allow for plenty of fishing, enough to seriously kill my shoulder blades. I've been reading Muskies on the Shield and Pro Tactics: Muskie and Pro Tactics: Pike pretty much non-stop for the past week. It's amazing how much you can learn about fishing from books. I've also been reading the publications from the Minnesota DNR, long range muskie and pike planning, spawning habitat studies, etc.
Now the logistics of getting all my stuff to MN is going to bog me down mentally. Frontier Airlines doesn't accept any package over 80" and my rod tube is at least 90" with the rods I want to take in it. That means I have to ship. It wasn't a problem on Northwest Airlines, so I probably should have looked into that beforehand. But tickets for NWA were around $200 more, so I don't think that would have swayed me, looks like shipping them will only cost around $20.
After reading the Pike book, I went and bought some spoons. Yes, spoons. I don't think I've ever caught something on a spoon, despite throwing them for years in the Sandy River for Steelhead and Salmon when I was a little kid. I blame my father for the frustration. Reading the book, though, I was probably reeling too fast all those years. You're only supposed to reel to the point where they weave back&forth, not spin around. That's helpful information.
I got my 9wt Winston BIIx back from Winston, who was giving me a new top section after I lost it in Canada fishing the Vedder. I'm bringing my big fly rods on this trip, just to give me another option that I probably won't take advantage of.
I'm going to read the books again, after which I will form a plan of action for most situations. I don't remember what I read so well any more, so a plan will be a good thing. I will post it when complete.
