Eddie Rivard Fly Fishing: Northwoods Trifecta

Ever since I've known Taylor Spraungel he's been doing his best to convince me to fish his favorite northern Minnesota trout stream. I've never felt like making a special trip to check it out but I did make time to check it out on my way home from my Memorial Day weekend spent up north.

My first impression was that the creek was much larger than I thought it would be. I'm so used to taking everything Taylor says and cutting it in half before dividing it by two.

The wilting Trillium is a sure sign that spring is almost over and the summer's comin', days are gettin' long.

While I usually start with streamers Taylor assured me that nymphing is the way to go here so I started out the day with a two nymph rig. Ever since I started fly fishing I have always liked the look of the Prince Nymph. This Brown Trout liked the look of my size 12 beadhead Prince Nymph. As I photographed him I couldn't help but to exclaim, "We have so much in common!".

Not the quite the 27 inch brown that Taylor claims to have caught here a year ago but a pretty little guy none the less.

This stream had more nice little riffles than I could count. One right after another.

My first Brook Trout also fell for the Beadhead Prince.

They call this place the Royal Hole. Taylor has pulled many nice trout from this hole.

My biggest Brookie of the day tipped the scales at 11 inches,

I was so happy.

I like how the White Pines hovered over the river like a mother over her baby's crib. They have watched over this river for many years.

Such a beautiful place.

This was a nice bend.

When I got to this spot I decided my two nymph indicator rig wasn't going to cut it so I switched to a Czech Nymphing setup.

I love it when my ideas work out. This 15 inch brown put up quite the fight.

I have pioneered and mastered the art of the trout selfy. If I ever write a book there will definitely be a chapter on the topic.

I can't believe I put off visiting this place for so long.

After I was done fishing I drove to Taylor's Grandma's cabin where I changed into some dry clothes and ate some delicious pancakes. Thanks again Grandma Spraungel!

Then it was time to fish for bass. Taylor's sidekick Kincaid "The Blade" Edwards took charge and bailed all the water from the the bottom of the boat.