Eau Claire images



A regular Dean Potter.



The photos below were all taken in October, which is indeed a very fine time of year in Central Wisconsin. Taking photographs, along with fishing, writing, and hunting, has provided me a much needed respite from the urgency of school. One could say that I've hit the "fifth-year crunch," or have a case of "super-senioritis." Whatever term suits your fancy, I have it bad, and holding an old Pentax in my hands has been thoroughly therapeutic. Hope you enjoy the photos! I always enjoy sharing.







The New Glarus Brewery



"When in Brule"

One of my very favorite things about being a trout junkie is that every season presents opportunity. Whether it's in the form of hitting the summer mayfly hatches just right or brewing up an absurd amount of coffee and churning out new flies once winter settles in, there is never a time when I feel like I'm disconnected from the sport. Late fall is no exception to this seasonal fly fishing equation, and for my friends Ryan Alger, Nate Wick, and I, our trout sonars pointed north to the Bois Brule River and the opportunity for fresh fall steelhead. 

The online fishing reports prior to the trip revealed that the water was extremely low and clear and the steelhead that were there did not come without diligence. However, the sluggish report did little to quell our enthusiasm. With boxes of freshly tied nymph and egg flies, we left Eau Claire in the rear view and, after a few ceremonial nips of whiskey, made camp in the 27 degree Northern Wisconsin air. 

In the morning, I checked the USGS water data for the Brule on my iPhone, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the area had gotten rain in the past 24 hours, and the river had come up a bit. We hit the river early, and the conditions didn't disappoint. By 1:00 on Friday morning, all three of us had hooked up with fresh fish. Ryan nearly landed a 23" hen that snapped the tippet as I was trying to net it. If I were on top of things, I would have got a shot of the poor guy's face after his first ever steelie snapped off. The caption would have read, "fuuuuuuck." However, Ryan would go on to land a smaller jack, and Nate and I followed suit with fresh fish of our own, solidifying the trip's success within just a few hours. 

We spent the rest of that day and the next letting the Brule's water soak into our souls. Amid scattered snow showers, we smoked cheap cigars and sucked down hoppy craft brew. 

So that's what this time of year means to me...another opportunity to catch some kick-ass fish in a unique setting, and it never hurts to share it with some amigos. Enjoy the photos!

I reserved a roll of film for the trip, and all but the last photo (taken by Ryan) were from my Pentax. 

Good beer is photogenic.  

27 degrees and the coffee tastes alright!

24" silver stunner.

The things I would do to own that shack...

25" hen