I was standing in the small creek, figuring out how i was going to get the fly into a nearly impossible spot with my rekindled skills, where i knew a monster sized fish must be hiding!!

Then i got the fright of my life!!! Two Harley Davidson motor bikes came down the river? on the front one was a male trout and the following bike was a female trout, both not wearing helmets.

Yes - i,m only joking but hey! Wisconsin- I honestly think the trout are the only ones that do not ride Harley's!!.

 They are every where and they do make a fine sexy sound ,most of the rivers i have been fishing seem to be beside roads and you always hear them cruising  or maybe they are just plain loud!

So i,m starting to figure out the ever so friendly Wisconsin people - 

They drink beer more than water(which they have plenty of), they all go to church, everybody has an old timber farm barn on their property, fish, hunt  make the best burgers and spend 2 days a week mowing lawns?

What else do they have!- lots of bird life,animals(they call critters) , 10,000+ lakes,Huge amount of Fish and fish species, and blood thirsty bugs..

 If you have been keeping up with my reviews and weekly updates on my blog you will know about the Bear eating the poor pet goats of my guide friend Andy,, those of you who thought, i was joking might like to see the new bear trap in the photo that i,m going to import to NZ and leave beside the upper  Mataura river and put worms in it and catch the  local Athol worm fishers. (only joking guys!). But just to keep you up to date the bear is still at large!! 

Cute-but deadly jaws!

The other day i saved a snapping turtles life for a day, i was not sure if it was going to take  one of my fingers off but she or he was heading for a main road and i guessed how i could pick it up,safely, without the snapping bit getting used, , but alas it was all a wasted effort as the turtle was not content with being returned to the river and early the next day i saw its mangled shell beside the road- It was a sad morning. 

When its not too windy i try to work on my new designs out side, thats also providing the mozzies are not around. The other day i had just finished shooting insect photos most of the morning and decided it was time to work on my new hi-viz  deadly Ant pattern. 

Sitting in-front of the vice building my little sky scraper, i felt a sort of nippy sensation on my left buttock , checking no one was around i dropped my draws and there it was a nice little deer tick trying to have a feast of my blood. I picked him off and then did the boyish thing stabbed him with a needle and watched him die slowly. on my chopping board;)

 I sat down again, then after a while felt another sensation, this time on my leg! eventually i found that culprit it was a friendly leach having a drink out of my leg.  

Now one week later i,m in the tent with my head torch on,  braving a heavy rain storm,(well hiding) looking down at my leg and wrist with red sort of tropical ulcer holes in my skin and other white bumpy spots where poison ivy  and stinging nettles must have came in to contact with my skin.

Its all these little things that make having a flat battery quite easy to deal with, but  HEY! who really cares when there are  flies to be designed and fish to catch! .

got any blood left Stu!

I,m at the moment chucking(casting) colorful chickens (huge flies)  around peaty stained water trying to lure the elusive musky , with its huge jaws and razor sharp teeth. its all good for my casting and teaching, casting these  huge chicken flies and has got my casting brain in gear! 

I arrived in sort of northern Wisconsin on a whim and  into the town of Hayward , then got a very nice invite to catch up with the Musky Country outfitters- Over the space of a morning and evening i got told the score and shown the ropes a little. Brad the head guide and owner took me out for a few hours on his drift boat, We had one big musky savage the huge 6/0 fly just as i was lifting it from the water . I got a fight so did Brad- and i,ll tell you apart from the brown stuff in my pants, it sent shivers up my spine and goose bumps , to round it off ,my nipples went hard!!- Now when a fish does that too you -  Its a sure sign in my book! - your in LOVE!

The next day i was out on the only it seemed piece of water you could wade fish without a boat and it was a very short stretch, There was others fishing the area with huge lures and flies- i sort of thought, maybe i should go small and try out one of my new epoxy bait fish flies after about and hour a managed to catch and land my first musky! AWESOME!

The one that filled my pants was much bigger!

I,m now in the process over the next week of staking out some big carp that , i,ve been asked by some guides to try and catch as they have been drawing a blank- Ah! a challenge-time for the Carp- gimp fly again and allot of fish observation for it to come together!

Please read my blog for the new information on the New  SAGE fly rod,poor Lamson reel , simms wading sandals, the  new  HATCH fly fishing dvd and LINKS to some other interesting web sites.

 Remember that i,m not open until early Sept, so keep your cash under the mattress until Sept (your side)and support the passion and the dream !

Plus i,ll be skint when i get back - BUT , i,ll  have even  more new  fishing  skills and information to share with you as well as the new fly designs  for you, saltwater/fresh and warm water! Yes I have been very Busy behind the spam wraps!

Have a great month! and stay happy! 

Cheers

Stu  - "Driven by sheer Passion and living the dream"