Getting antsy ...

This is a scene that we're all getting anxious to see. ICE! Here it is Thanksgiving, and no ice yet. Come on colder weather! The "we" of course is Kris, Jon, & I. The girls don't care much for the cold. But that's only because they don't go out and enjoy it like we do.

Bonus at the Berry

Paul, Jon, and I took advantage of a warm autumn to go to Strawberry in November. This is generally not something one can do, as the cold weather is frequently making an ice sheet of the big lake. But the fishing was hot, and we took some good video of the action.
Many beautiful cutthroat trout came to the net, most fooled with white tube jigs while we wind drifted a rocky edge.
It's easy to see why they call them "cutthroat" trout.
The average size of these trout was 20+ inches, and many were pushing 3 pounds.
You can tell we were bundled up against the cool wind, but that was easy to forget about once the line started to tug back. Several doubles highlighted the fast action.

Abstract Fish Paintings / DeYoung Fine Arts

An abstract image of a Rainbow Trout. I love these illustrations; what a creative way to look at these beautiful creatures! To see more: http://www.deyoungfineart.com/gallery/PAINTING-GALLERY-1
Brown Trout
Cutthroat Trout
King Salmon
A 4-into-1 wall mural!

Searching the Archives

My articles appear in the Ogden Standard-Examiner's XPLORE OUTDOORS section. To search their newest archive site, go to: http://www.xploreutah.net/

From there you can simply search, and relevant documents will appear. As of August, 2010, the site is operational, and is constantly being loaded with back issue information. Just use the SEARCH button to search for Brad Kerr and my relevant articles.

In good company ...

One of my favorite LDS paintings, Come Follow Me, depicts the Savior beckoning to fishermen to join Him in bringing souls to His Father's Kingdom." The first men that our Saviour dear,
Did choose to wait upon Him here
Blest fishers were, and fish the last
Food was that He on earth did taste.
I therefore strive to follow those
Whom He to follow Him hath chose."
- Sir Izaak Walton * "Angler's Song" by the Piscator
from The Compleat Angler

More Fall Color & Colorful Fish

Our apricot tree is turning for the fall season, and it reminds me of ... me. Still standing there, mostly alone, showing signs of age, grudgingly dropping leaves now that the fruitful season is over. I'm glad to have a busy wife by my side, wonderful daughters, and sons-in-law who still don't mind if I tag along on fishing trips. And the grandkids; they still allow you to be young and playful whenever they're around.
Who among us sees a pile of autumn leaves on the ground, and thinks, "Work"? As oppossed to a child, who sees them and thinks, "Play!"

Here's a cold water sample of a tiger muskie. Jon caught this "snake with teeth" early one morning while out with his family.
Jon gave me this shot of a tiger trout in fall spawning colors. Interestingly, these fish are sterile hybrids, and do not reproduce. However we still get to benefit from their display of brilliance when cold weather starts moving in.
Jon also has gotten into hiking into the Uinta Mountains to fish for beautiful brookies, and this unique species: Arctic grayling. Distinguished by the very tall dorsal fin. they are not found in very many areas of the continental US. But we're lucky enough to have them.
This is my next goal of a specie that I want to catch, but as yet haven't. Jon and I did a hike-in to go after these unique beauties, but all I caught that day was gorgeous brookies. On the other hand, Jon caught several arctic grayling that day!

The BIG one that got away!

This isn't the actual "BIG one" of the day, but one just like him walked out into the road on us this morning as we were on our way to Pineview to go fishing. Fortunately for both him and the front end of my truck, I managed to brake hard and move enough right to miss him. At the moment, all I could see out the windshield was legs and belly. These guys are monsters. Once he meandered off the road, I turned the truck to face him and the headlights showed us the nice rack he carried, and the cow who must have crossed just in front of him. I don't mind a big one like that getting away!
One of Jon's smallmouth bass of the day. Only slight breezes, but with the temps barely reaching 50, we were pretty chilled by the time we left.
Jon got this shot of the 5 crappies I kept for filleting. I jigged them up out of ~20 feet of water, and had a fun time catching them. No tiger muskies on this day, but one had some healed teethmarks on its backside!
This big female was just over 13-inches, and as you can see quite healthy.