Wildwood Float Trips

Many thanks to all the great fly fishers that have joined me this fall on my Musky Pilgrimage.  We boated some very nice fish and sad to say lost many more.   I never thought getting a good hook set on a Musky would present such a challenge.  It is a challenge that I am up for.   Seeing those monsters attack and then slip away has me waking up at night in a cold sweat.   Special thanks to Bill Andrews!!  He is the man.  Bill fought some nasty conditions this past Saturday(see above snow photo) and also lost a beast of a fish.  How it got off still has me shaking my head.  All we wanted that day was a picture of a nice Musky in the snow.  We came close.  Here is what he had to say after that snowy Saturday.

Musky Fever has never been so bad!!!  I need more cowbell.  The fishing for the alpha preditor has been off the charts.  Lots of fish are moving and eating.  It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when and how big.  Took 2 nice fish today.  I boated one at 42″  and my partner in crime landed a gorgeous 45″er.  PJ and Donna both got their first Muskies on the fly this past weekend.  Congrats to both on them.  Did I mention that Donna boated 2.  PJ lost a couple of giants.  The fever has them in its grips with no way out.  To many fun things to do this time of year.  It’s going to be very hard to leave the river for the grouse woods.  The dog will have none of it and we will e in the woods this coming weekend.  We’ll keep you posted as the fever hopefully gets worse.

What a great week and a half I have had. The fishing has probably been the best I’ve had all year. I think the fish are sensing the coming fall and starting to eat.
I started out this week in my old stomping grounds of NE Wisconsin. I had the pleasure to guide with Tim Landwehr and Nate Sipple from the Tight Lines crew. It is a rare treat that I get over there during the heart of the season.   What a wonderful river and resource they have. 

Tim is the gold standard by which all guiding operations should be measured.  They run the best shop and guide service east of the Mississippi.(Notice I said east)  Tim has helped me more over the years than anyone in this crazy industry and I owe him a big debt of gratitude.  Thanks Tim for letting me be a part of Tight Lines even if it was for just two days.  I wish it could be a little more.  

On my way home I stopped off in Hudson for the Kiap Tu Wish Trout Unlimited Chapter to do a presentation on warm water fishing.  What a great group. They do a ton to keep our trout streams in this area special.  Thanks for the invite.  I really enjoyed it. 

Thursday found me on the my home stretch of the Mississippi.  I had a great day with Jean and Bill.  This was their first experience chasing smallmouth from a driftboat.  The river gave up a few nice fish for them and I really enjoyed their company.  Looking forward to my next trip with them both.

Friday found me on the secret river with the Engebretsons.  Every year I get to celebrate Don’s birthday.  His son Mark takes his wonderful father fishing for the occasion.  This year was Don’s 95th birthday and as always we simply had a grand time.  Don’s birthday is always one of my highlights for the year.  Thanks Mark and Don for letting me share in your celebration. 

Saturday, my brother- in- law and I got to fish.  I keep forgetting what a fine fly caster he is.  Must have been the excellent instruction he has recieved over the years.  We had a great day and caught some very nice fish. 

Today I had a wonderful father and son experiencing the Miss for the first time.   I think thay saw what a great river it is.  Thanks Phil and Jackson for a great, wet day on the river. 

We still have some dates in September available and are running a great deal.  $350 gets you a full day on the water and a chance to win a free trip next year. 

The fishing has been outstanding  and should get better.  The frog hatch should be here in a week or so and that can make the fishing unforgettable.

Give us a call if you are interested. 

Thanks,

Kip and the Wildwood Family

P.S.  Musky, Musky, Musky will soon be here.

Look at the smile on Cade. That fish would make anyone happy. What a great kid and I sure enjoyed having him and Ian in the boat this past week. Conditions were tough but they worked hard and it paid off.
Boy it’s been a crazy year for the water. Up and down. Just when things are settling in we get another batch of rain. Despite that, fishing has been pretty good. Fish are definatley moving off the banks and are relating more mid river structures.  Look for this trend to continue. Top Water is still going stong and will continue. We are right in the heart of Popper season. Still days available for August.  Please give us a call or shoot us an e-mail.

Well we are finally getting some sun and the Smallmouth are responding. Had several nice fish the last couple of days with good numbers. Half were caught on Poppers. The trip from hell starts tomorrow and it looks like we may have timed it just right. I’ll have a report on the trip when we get back.

Well, as many of you know we have made the move to Monticello, Minnesota .  We now live on the banks of the Upper Mississippi River.  We are still living out of boxes as we do some work on the place and try to make it our new home.  The river out the back is in great shape and things our looking good for the upcoming season. We could however, use some warm weather and less rain.  Fishing guides are as bad as farmers.  I don’t think we’re ever really happy with the weather.  Early season is always a crap shoot.   The rivers have been up and down making things a bit unpredictable.  Despite the conditions thus far,  we’ve still managed to land some fish and enjoy some beautiful days on the river.  One recent day the evening was spectacular.  The sun was out, the wind died down and the golden time of the day made the trip worth while. Fish were eating poppers and everything  seemed right.   My client turned to me as we both took in the glory of the Creator and said, “This is like balm from heaven.”  I couldn’t agree more.  We were both just glad to be in a driftboat floating down another glorious river here in the Midwest, doing what we love to do.

The winner of the Sage XP was Erinie Labrake from Appleton,Wisconsin.  Thanks to everyone that booked a date during the last promotion.   Help celebrate our move to Monticello with some gear from the fly shop.  From now until June 30th, 2010, for every trip booked for this season, you will recieve  a $25 shop credit.   We now have a very small shop at the new house.  We will be handling your basic smallmouth flies, leaders, tippet and some Wildwood Float Trips gear.  We are keeping it simple, just your basics.  Guide days are booking fast.  Come enjoy some of the finest smallmouth fishing in the world.  Give us a call and let us know how we can help.  We can be reached at 612-723-7438.

Thanks,

Kip and the Wildwood Float Trips Family

Many changes are happening here at Wildwood Float Trips.  It is an exciting chapter in our lives.  Spring has sprung and I have had some very nice days on the trout streams the last couple of weeks.  Our big Spring Creek weekend begins this Thursday.  This year’s trip is completely filled and the streams look to be in great shape. 

The biggest news is that a sold sign went up on our house last week.  If all goes as planned we will be moving to a house on the banks of the Mississippi River at the end of May.  This move will be a big addition to Wildwood Float Trips.  Look for more exciting things to come from us as we settle into our new location. 

This is the last week to take advantage of our spring promotion. I have a Sage XP that isn’t getting much use. This is probably one of the best smallmouth rods ever made. It is a 9 ft 8 wt. It’s in great shape and will be a welcome addition to anyone’s collection. It’s also a great rod for Saltwater and Steelhead.

For the next week, for every trip you book, I will put your name in a hat. If you book a spot on the return leg of “The Trip from Hell,” you will get 6 chances thrown in the hat. On April 26th, I will pull a name from the hat and that person will win the XP.

I must receive an e-mail confirming the date by midnight of the 25th of April. I will ship the rod after your deposit is received for the dates you have booked.

We want to thank all our friends who were praying and encouraging us as we were in the process of trying to sell the house.  Your support did not go unnoticed.  We are blessed to have so many friends and supporters.

God Bless you all. 

Kip Vieth

Wildwood Float Trips

www.wildwoodfloattrips.com

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth at this years Great Waters Show. I met a lot of great people and saw a lot of old friends.

I also want to thank all the people that bought one of Grace’s pink poppers. We raised $40 for Casting for Recovery. If some of you would still like to purchase a “Popper for Recovery” feel free to contact us and we can get you some.

The winner of this years box of Smallmouth Flies was Joel Johnson from Minnetonka, MN. I hope everyone had a great time at the show and hopefully learned something about our great sport.

To kick off this season with a bang we are going to try something different. I have a Sage XP that isn’t getting much use. This is probably one of the best smallmouth rods ever made. It is a 9 ft 8 wt. It’s in great shape and will be a welcome addition to anyones collection. It’s also a great rod for Saltwater and Steelhead.

For the next three weeks, for every trip you book, I will put your name in a hat. If you book a spot on the return leg of “The Trip from Hell,” you will get 6 chances thrown in the hat. On April 26th, I will pull a name from the hat and that person will win the XP.

I must receive an e-mail confirming the date by midnight of the 25th of April. I will ship the rod after your deposit is received for the dates that have been booked.

Stayed tuned for future promotions. I’m going to try and make these as fun as I can.

Thanks for all your support and have a wonderful Easter!

God Bless,

Kip Vieth
Wildwood Float Trips
www.wildwoodfloattrips.com
612-723-7438
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The Great Waters Show is coming.  March 26th-28, 2010

I am really looking forward to the show this year.  Tom and the crew at Midwest Fly Fishing always do a stellar job with the shows. 

This year I will have a booth of my own and am blessed to be able to do two presentation.  The first one will be on metro area fly fishing opportunities.  I will be teaming up with Andy Roth, and Bill Sherck on this one.  Look for it on Saturday afternoon.

My second presentation will be on the Smallmouth Trip from Hell.  I will be joined by the famous artist and guide Bob White.  He will be my partner in crime on this years trip andI am really looking forward to working with Bob on this endeavor.  It’s my favorite trip of the year.  We present on Sunday afternoon.  Look me up at my booth and I look forward to seeing you all. 

P.S. Got out fishing last week before the melt.  What a great time I had all by myself.  Things are really looking good in the Southwest of Wisconsin, and I have even heard good reports on the tribs in Northeast Wisconsin.  Get out there, thing will only get better.  It’s almost BWO time.  I love those bugs.

See you at the show or on the stream,

Kip

2010 Smallmouth Trip from Hell
Leg One: June 23-26 Leg Two: June 27-30

Wildwood Float Trips and Whitefish Studios, AKA Bob White, are teaming up for this years trip across Minnesota and Wisconsin. I’m really excited to have Bob join me on this adventure. Bob and I have wanted to work together for awhile, and this year we are going to make it happen. This will be my third year in a row doing this trip. I have to say it is one of the highlights of my guiding season.

You may be wondering what the Smallmouth Trip from Hell is. It’s a four day guided trip, fishing four of the finest warm water fisheries in the country. We will tackle a different river each day of the journey. The rivers include the Mississippi, St. Croix, either the Flambeau or the Chippewa, and the Menominee. Each river has its own personality and quirks. This is what makes the trip so much fun.

We will start on either the Mississippi or the Menominee Rivers depending on which leg of the trip you are on. After we are done fishing the first day we load up our gear and boats and travel to the next destination. We will spend the night near the next day’s river. We keep this pace until we reach the last river on the fourth day. The itinerary for leg one of the trip, starting on the Mississippi River, is below. This will give you an idea of the logistics of the tour. If you chose to do leg two of the trip, it starts on the Menominee, so just reverse the order.

Day one: Fish the Upper Mississippi. When we are done, we travel to Grantsburg, WI.
Day two: Fish the National Wild and Scenic St. Croix River. Travel to Winter, WI.
Day three: Fish either the Flambeau or the Chippewa River. Travel to Pembine, WI.
Day four: Fish the Menominee River. If you survive the Smallmouth Trip from Hell, feel free to go and get some rest.

For more information contact either Wildwood Float Trips or Whitefish Studios.
www.wildwoodfloattrips.com or www.whitefishstudio.com
Kip@ 612-72DRIFT or Bob @ 651-433-4168