Ticks – Never a Friendly Sight
I remember my first encounter with ticks. I was about 9 years old and on one of the many family vacations to Bagley Minnesota. Undressing and getting ready for bed one night, I noticed a small brown “bug” slowly making its way up my leg. Close Encounters of the Tick Kind I picked the unwelcome […]
Lake Turnover in Fall – Causes & Effects
What is Lake Turnover? Does it effect fishing? What’s happening down there? I had pondering these questions for some time, especially after taking some fishing trips in the fall. After some extensive research, here’s what I’ve learned. Water is quite possibly the most fascinating substance on earth. This is true for a number of reasons, […]
The Mosquito – Summer Pest!
Mosquitoes Defined According to Wikipedia, mosquitoes are defined as: “… small, midge-like flies which compose the family Culicidae. The females of most species are ectoparasites”. It’s not the “flies” part that bothers me so much — it’s the “ectoparasites” part. The reason is that a female mosquito’s hypodermic-like proboscis penetrates my skin in order to […]
The Graceful and Not so Common Loon
Several years ago, a good friend asked why I had never done an article on the Common Loon. I had no plausible explanation. Reflecting for a moment, I made the promise that I would do some research and write the article. What I cannot understand is why it has taken me all this time to […]
Mayfly Secrets for Walleye Anglers
Who cares about mayflies? Fish do. The pesky critter in question is from the class Insecta and goes by the scientific order name of Ephemeroptera. Beyond that, it gets confusing. However, the first part of the word comes from the Greek word ephemeros, which means “lasting for a remarkably brief period of time.” The second […]
Freshwater Lake Algae – The Good & Bad
Not long ago, I read an article about algae that was adapted from a book called Lake Watch: A Guide to the Care of the Yahara Lakes, written by several distinguished authors from the University of Wisconsin. I thought I would share with you some of the information gleaned from that article. What is / […]