Live Outdoors!

Outdoor Adventure Log

The Ultimate Trophy!

May 1

Posted by Erik & Michelle in NOT fishing or hunting | 3 Comments

If you had asked us 5 years ago about having children, we would have told you it was not in our plans.  We have hundreds of kids and love them all.  However with age comes (some) wisdom and we realized that ‘our’ plans are not always what is important in life.  God has plans too and they supercede ours- as they should.  When we finally realized that was what He wanted for us we made our lives open to the possibility of having a baby.

And now here we are the proud parents of Samantha Ann!  A true gift from God, a life changer- but in the BEST possible way.

She is our prize trophy and tops any record in the books!!!

Floating the North Platte

Apr 19

Posted by Erik & Michelle in fly fishing | No Comments

Our good friend Ty Hallock is a river guide and an incredible artist. He graciously put aside today to take us and his daughter Taya out for a float trip. The weather looked like it might hold even though we have been having spring rain storms move through on a regular basis lately. When we got to the river there was a cool breeze, but forrunately the sun came out early and stayed with us for most of the day. It is amazing how much water you can cover and re-cover in boat. The day was filled with dozens of healthy active Rainbows and cutbows finding their way into our net!

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North Platte

Apr 1

Posted by Erik & Michelle in fly fishing | No Comments

Over the last couple weeks we have been getting out to the river as much as possible.  The weather has been unseasonably warm (encouraging Michelle to get out) and the fishing is phenomenal as always.

We fished Saturday, March 31st with our friend Jeff Harmson.  It was a perfect morning with tempuratures in the mid 40s, sunny and the three of us hooking into several doubles and even a tripple.

We wereable to get out again on Sunday and caught a couple dozen fish still making it to Church on time!

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North Platte River below the Reef

Mar 18

Posted by Erik & Michelle in fly fishing | No Comments

The weather the last couple of weeks has been unseasonably mild!  With warmer days and lots of sunshine the itch has started for getting out onto some open and moving water.  4 trips have been logged on the river over the last two weekends with one float trip and three quick early morning trips to a favorite hole.  Each trip has been succesful with the best day having 22 fish landed and  9 others being lost in less then 2 hours of fishing.  The fish are all fat and sassy with most jumping several times before being brought to the net.  Looking forward to a couple more trips before the Bureau of Rec. starts to increase the flows starting April 2nd :(

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Big trout once again

Jan 2

Posted by Erik & Michelle in ice fishing | No Comments

Of course when a spot is artificial only (trophy quality) you expect good sized fish, but this spot is growing some GIANTS.  We each landed a dozen or more fish just this morning.  The Rainbows and Cutthroat are prolific and we are blessed with a great brown here and there too!  Besides pathfinder this may be our go-to this ice season :)

 

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Nebraska and Wyoming ice

Dec 27

Posted by Erik & Michelle in ice fishing | No Comments

Monday morning we left Ogden, Utah after Christmas with our family in Idaho.  By 6pm we were in the middle of Nebraska ready to fish.  One of our favorite spots which had monster gills and crappie was the goal.  When we arrived at dark-thirty Tuesday morning we found our area with a gps and began jigging.  The sound of geese and ducks was the clue that there was still open water on the lake  and the lack of fish coming out of the hole confirmed our disappointment.  The fish just aren’t under the ice if there is good oxygen elsewhere.  So, we packed up and headed back to Casper so we could drive another 100 miles to the north to try our luck there.  This trout spot is as hot as ever.  Erik iced nearly 20 fish and the population is as healthy as ever.  We fished until 3pm before heading back to Casper.

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Pathfinder

Dec 17

Posted by Erik & Michelle in ice fishing | 1 Comment

When we left Casper this morning it was 35º and windy.  As we approached the Sweetwater arm, the tempurature and windspeeds plumeted.  By time we reached the ice it was calm and 3º.  We invited the Hallocks and our friend Ken to join us for some fast tip-up action.  The action wasn’t nearly as fast as we are used to on this reservoir, but we still had a great time catching and releasing more than 2 dozen fish and keeping 4 for the grill (all over 20″).  Tip-up fishing gets crazy becuase the fish will move through in schools and several flags will pop up within a few very short minutes of each other.  Each member of the group runs for the next flag and slides in for the chance at a hookset.  VERY exciting.  Then in between flurries there is time to snack and share stories :) Great trip for friends and socializing!!

On the way home we had a big surprise!  We found 6 antelope horn sheaths as we were driving along a fencline that antelope frequently duck under as they move throughout there range. It was  a really interesting and surprising occurance!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

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Two days at Muddy Guard

Dec 11

Posted by Erik & Michelle in ice fishing | No Comments

We always make sure to bring the 9″ auger to this lake!  It is not uncommon to pull 20+” trout on the ice and they are fat.  A multi-species fishery with rainbows, cuttbows, cutthroat  and browns!  We probably only average one or two fish every hour but with the size and quality so good it is worth the time and effort.  The weather this weekend was perfect!  Sunny, calm and high 30′s.  On Saturday we landed a dozen fish with the biggest rainbow being 23″ with a 14″ girth and the biggest cutthroat going 21″. We fished with a couple good friends Tyler and Taya Hallock.

Sunday morning and Erik was awake at 4:00 ready to try it again.  We only fished till 10:30 this morning but landed half a dozen 18″+ rainbows and cutthroats. The weather was again amazingly perfect, sunny and warm.

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Dome Rock

Nov 26

Posted by Erik & Michelle in ice fishing | No Comments

We decided to take a drive and see if any ice thick enough to walk on has formed yet.  We headed toward Dome Rock which is an artificial only trout fishery.  We pulled up a couple hours before dark and drilled a couple holes to test our luck.  Within a few minutes Erik had a nice cutthroat on the ice.  The bite didn’t last long, but it was nice to see these beauties growing bigger and to know it is now ICE SEASON!!

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Thanksgiving Deer

Nov 23

Posted by Erik & Michelle in hunting | 1 Comment

Sometimes you wait all day for it and other times it happens too fast to comprehend. We really thought we messed up this morning when we miscalculated sunrise and then didn’t even hear the alarm! Upon exiting the truck seeing light in the sky, we knew we needed to race down the mountain to have a chance at an early morning stroller.
We left the truck (Chad went north and we headed south) and moved as quickly as possible down the mountain to the area where we expected some good movement this mild breezy morning. No time for taking it easy or for bathroom breaks, we arrived at the spot just after first shooting light. We had no sooner sat down on a ridge looking into a patch of oaks when Erik spotted a deer moving through left to right. Michelle had only put out a seat cushion and was opening the pack for some essential gear. She grabbed her shooting sticks and got in position, looking for an opening that the buck might pass through. There are only a few spots that allow for an open shooting lane in this area and one must be ready when a deer enters. As soon as the buck moved through one of these spots, Erik softly blew the grunt tube. The buck paused and that was all it took. As the shot rang out the buck kicked like a bronc and took off down hill into another patch of oaks. Trailing him was no issue, at the spot of impact there was a crimson trail that would have been traceable in the dark of night.

Later in the day, as Michelle lounged in the camper, Chad was also successful in tagging a buck. He had seen quite a few does and fawns and finally had a buck present a shot worth the taking.

One of the fun parts of hunting the Hills is placing trail cameras up for the duration of the season. It is amazing the wildlife that we DON’T see when we are out hunting!

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