One of my passions is alpine skiing. I’m a coach for the Blackhawk Alpine Race Team and my co-coach, we’ll call him “Brian”, introduced me to this video. I’m planning to purchase the full movie to watch with my boys this weekend. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

 

JP Auclair Street Segment (from All.I.Can.) from Sherpas Cinema on Vimeo.

Sunday was our first family hike with our new puppy, Louie. It was a lot of fun!

 

Louie likes fingers. They taste delicious.

 

My son Bode.

 

My wife Rebecca with Bode and Louie.

 

Louie on the Ice Age Trail near Verona, Wisconsin

 

Family Photo: Sawyer, Tom, Shepard, Bode, Rebecca, and Louie.

 

Love those rocks!

 

Shepard loves Cherry trees too.

Yesterday Stephen Rose and I did some exploring with our kids and my dog. We went to eastern Iowa county to take a look at Smith-Conley Creek. We checked out a parcel of land Stephen was curious about. And then we went to Donald County Park, a place neither of us had ever visited, even though we’ve each lived in Dane County for over a decade.

Donald County Park is the piece of land that spawns Mt Vernon Creek, at the confluence of Frye’s Feeder and Deer Creek. There are some great hiking trails, beautiful views, and of course, trout.

We had a great time exploring and relaxing in the February sun, sheltered from the wind behind a rise in the Driftless. It’s a neat place to check out, and I’ll surely be back with my fly rod when the trout season is in swing.

Shep and Joe at Donald County Park, Dane County, Wisconsin

Joe and Stephen relaxing in a Hennessy hammock, Donald Park, Dane County, Wisconsin

Shep, Joe, Bode, and Stephen, Donald County Park, Dane County, Wisconsin

Frye's Feeder runs through Donald County Park, Dane County, Wisconsin

Maybea-Dog enjoying her free time, Donald County Park, Dane County, Wisconsin

This morning I was wondering to myself, “I wonder what I could post to the blog that would be of interest to readers?”

Well, look no further than the video below. It is a trailer for the upcoming DVD” Heart of the Driftless”. I’ll be picking up a copy when it comes out in March.

I’m not sure how much I like the attention the Driftless trout fishery is getting. It was OK when a few trout authors put Black Earth Creek in their “Top 100” trout rivers. I just hope there’s enough water out there for us to keep from running into one another too often. I imagine there is.

Anyway, this looks like a bitchin’ movie that shows off the beauty and quality of the Driftless Region. And I think they use a remote controlled helicopter to get some of these amazing shots. Very cool.

HOTD Trailer from RT on Vimeo.

I got out this morning to do a little walking along one of my favorite Driftless streams. I could not help but notice the grin on my face as I took my little walk. I felt so at ease, all my concerns disappeared. The winter sun was beginning its slow traverse of the sky, the water to my right made its way from deep in the ground toward the Gulf of Mexico, and my mind was free to take it in.

Being outside along a winter creek it is amazing how much life continues on, even while everything appears to be suspended in time by bitter cold.

Below are some photos of my short journey. I hope you get out to enjoy the world a bit this winter.

The sun rises over a Driftless spring-fed creek in Wisconsin

What life lurks beneath the water? Driftless creek, Wisconsin.

Cedar trees over moving water, Driftless, Wisconsin

Frozen buds, Driftless, Wisconsin

Frozen Arctium Minus, Driftless, Wisconsin

Windblown tracks, glittering snow, Driftless, Wisconsin

Spring water, Trees, and Bluffs, Driftless, Wisconsin

A confluence of spring-fed creeks, Driftless, Wisconsin

Nightshade and Cedars in the light of the rising sun, Driftless, Wisconsin

Nightshade, aka: "Devil's Berries", streamside, Driftless, Wisconsin

Cedars lit by sunlight reflected off the creek, Driftless, Wisconsin

Cedar bark in the light of a January sunrise, Driftess, Wisconsin

Another world lives on the bark of this Cedar, Driftless, Wisconsin

A woody forest vine, Driftless, Wisconsin

Paradise Springs in Waukesha County, Wisconsin

 

This place, no doubt, is special. There is a good-sized spring that empties into a crystal-clear pool, and this pool holds some of the best-educated Brook Trout in the state, and perhaps the nation. The reason: These fish are captive and they are hunted, almost constantly, by trout anglers. When I arrived I expected to see a car in the lot, maybe two at most. But the lot was full. Half of the cars belonged to fishermen. The 50-degree temps didn’t help to keep the crowds down.

The two anglers I spoke with, both from Illinois, were on their way out and claimed that they had each “got a couple” of fish fooled.

So I went up the short trail, found a spot amongst 5 other anglers, and tried a copper john below a hopper. A cast into this pool is like an explosion going off. The ripples travel forever across the water and there’s no sneaking up on anything. One by one, the other anglers relented and I did too. There was one solitary fisherman left once I had decided to reel in my line and become a day hiker. I never did see anyone catch a fish, but they’re in there, and they sure look appealing.

 

An angler at Paradise Springs, Wisconsin

 

Spring House at Paradise Springs

 

Spring House, Paradadise Springs, Wisconsin

 

Water welling up from the earth, Paradise Springs, Wisconsin

 

Paradise Springs, Waukesha County, Wisconsin

 

An old cabin along the Scuppernong River below Paradise Springs, Wisconsin

 

Over the weekend I took a trip down to Chestnut Mountian Ski Area, south of Galena, Illinois, to do my second job as a ski coach for the Blackhawk Ski Club. We had a great weekend and our kids were second as a team in the Giant Slalom Saturday, and first as a team in the Slalom on Sunday, and we ended up winning the overall meet against powerhouse clubs Tyrol Basin and Cascade Mountain. Way to go Blackhawk!

Coaching skiers at a ski race involves standing at the bottom of the course, cheering on skiers, giving out high fives and fist bumps at the finish, and talking about the run the skier just had. It’s an interesting experience, and a lot of fun. But, I didn’t really move from my spot for two days, and if you’ve ever stood on the side of a hill for two days, you too may want a change of scenery.

So, when the race was over Sunday afternoon, I drove north through the beautiful town of Galena (it is seriously a very cool place) and headed north to Wisconsin. I decided that since I was in the Driftless I’d take in some sights I’ve not seen before. After passing through Hazel Green I checked my GPS to see that there was a river flowing southward on the east side of Benton and Cuba City that I’d not seen before. I took some county roads and made my way toward the river.

The Galena River is not designated as a trout stream, and it likely gets too warm and flows too slowly to support a trout population. I stopped at the river on Twin Bridges Road and got out with my fly rod and camera. I did some fishing with a wooly bugger, a copper john, and a hopper pattern, but didn’t get any interest from the smallmouth bass that may have been swimming there. It was nice to unwind with some casting and waiting, and it made me wonder why trout fishing has to close down for several months of the year in Wisconsin. I can’t, for the life of me, understand the science behind this law. Perhaps there is concern that spawning and reproduction will be disturbed by fishermen wading through redds. Perhaps it’s more of a cultural thing. Winter is for ice fishing, you idiot. I don’t know.

At any rate, being outside along that pretty river was a nice way to end the weekend, and I’m glad I did a little exploring.

Galena River near Benton, Wisconsin

 

Galena River near Benton, Wisconsin

 

Galena River east of Cuba City, Wisconsin

 

Twin Bridge Road passes over the Galena River, Lafayette, County, Wisconsin

 

Gravestone at Carr Cemetery near Cuba City, Wisconsin

 

Moonrise over Lafayette County, Wisconsin

Even though we’ve had a mild winter so far this season in Southern Wisconsin, I still can’t get thoughts of birds chirping and green grass out of my head. Winter brings with it an element of silence. The water is frozen, the trees are barren, neighbors are inside their quiet houses, and if you’re not at the ski hill or on the nordic ski trail, there is stillness all around.

The video below is of a day I spent last summer on Read’s Creek and Camp Creek in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region. I remember it being a fairly successful day of fishing, but what strikes me now is how lucky I am to have beautiful areas like these to visit. Spring-fed creeks are so dynamic and fecund. There’s no place better to spend a day in the outdoors.

The first segment is a plunge pool on Read’s Creek. The second is a school of brown trout on the same creek. And the third is a pool on Camp Creek where I spotted a few trout rising to sip flies drying their wings after hatching. Who says you have to nymph?

What is Seeking Trout? It’s a blog you can visit to find only the finest writing, photography, and films featuring guys (and maybe, someday, gals) seeking out, and occasionally finding, trout.

Below is such a film…

Last night I was sitting at the table with my three-year-old son, Shepard, who had asked me to get out the paints so he could do some painting before bedtime. So I did. He painted his usual stripey-stripe painting where the water from the watercolors saturates the paper so much it begins to turn back into the pulp it was made from. Lovely stuff if you’re a parent or grandparent.

I, on the other hand, had just spent a day at the office trying to forget about fishing long enough to do whatever it is I get paid to do, and now had the challenge of trying to forget about fishing long enough to be a good father for another hour. But, when I put the brush to the paper, this is what happened. I think I’ve got fishing on the brain…

 

 

Driftless Painting, Water Color, T. Anderson-Brown, ca. 2011