Tag Archives: fly fishing

May 22, 2014 · 12:44 pm

Meetings, so many meetings.

Part of my new job with TU involves traveling to regional meetings, meeting our members, and having some really awesome discussions about getting women involved and active in TU. Here’s a few of my favorite memories so far:
Reno.
I bought a new luggage tag, ran into friends in Madison before I flew out, and flew into an airport with cutthroat trout in the tile floor. I ran by myself and also with my friend, Steve Moyer, in ~~terrifying~~ interesting areas, with power poles in the middle of the sidewalk, along the Truckee river, stayed in a big hotel/casino/spa/resort (The Atlantis), drank some weird things at a hipster bar, and gambled for the first time.

Dillard, GA.
I loved an early taste of spring. I ran downtown, did yoga in the grass, ate a Moonpie and drank a Nehi soda, and bought cowboy boots. I listened to a bluegrass band, ate grits, met a ton of great people, and sat in meetings at a really cool venue- The Dillard House.

Westby, WI.
I learned about stream restoration techniques, talked with members about engaging our women volunteers, fished with my friend, Pete, and his pup, Teak. I hung out with nerdy staff (Brennan!), bonded with some of my favorite Wisconsin TU people, and came home to a crazy snowstorm.

Lewiston, MI.
I stayed at the Garland Resort, ran on golf courses, met some incredible female leaders (and men, too!) within TU, hung out with my WITU guys, and got closer with our TU staff. I went to a fly fishing historical museum, and found some Weber reels made here, in Stevens Point! I caught my first Michigan fish, and was welcomed home to Wisconsin with a view of the Capitol from the plane and a hot cup of coffee.

I have one regional meeting left, over in State College, PA. I have just been so inspired by the people I’m meeting and I am so proud to work for an organization that does so many good things in our communities. 🙂

Miles this year: 219.55

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Tagged as coffee, fly fishing, running, traveling, Trout Unlimited, Yoga

March 30, 2014 · 8:16 pm

Idaho

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to head over to Idaho for some photo work in December. It was a mountain-y, amazing experience. 🙂 I love that a big part of my job involves playing outside.
Check it out.

I wore that bear hat when I was on the Bear River, and I liked it so much I kept it on most of the trip!
One of the cities that I stayed in was a little place called Lava Hot Springs. There were little private hot tubs, both indoor and outdoor, that were filled with continually flowing water from the hot springs in the river. It was pretty cool to sit in them!

I was lucky enough to have my friend, Chris, take me out to (the?) Henry’s Fork and help me catch some fish!
I caught a couple different kinds, the above Rainbow Trout (on my new Tenkara rod), and a really special (and purple!) Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (on the Bear). I was so excited when I caught that fish that I fell in the water. 🙂 I can’t explain the feeling that comes when I can figure out where the fish are, use the right fly, and cast to the fish in a way that allows me, just for a second, to take in the beauty of a native fish that belongs in that water. A kind of fish that has been there for longer than any of us have been here. It’s just special. Plus, that fish was purple. With orange. ❤

One of my favorite parts about traveling is learning. Every city is different, each state is special. It is amazing how all these waters can simultaneously be the same and unique. Healing, for sure… those hot springs, quite literally. Special thanks to Chris for shooting a few of me in my element, and putting me on a few fish. 🙂
It was a sweet trip, only slightly tarnished by a major shutdown of the SLC airport due to a crazy snowstorm, and an extra day and a half stuck alone in a hotel room topped off by flying standby home with my foot in that walking boot…
but I made it home in time to snuggle with B, bake my Christmas cookies, and finish all my shopping.
Sometimes I wonder why I’m blessed with some of these amazing opportunities… But I just give thanks, and enjoy, and share the results with you!
Have a good one, friends. Up next? Reno and Georgia. 🙂

Miles this year: 116.2

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Tagged as fly fishing, Idaho, photography, tenkara, traveling, trout, water

February 12, 2014 · 10:00 am

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, White Christmas

The day before Thanksgiving was the sweet courthouse wedding of Stephanie and Justin. I rarely have the chance to shoot a small, casual wedding, and I jumped at the chance! The officiant is a friend of the family, and everyone was so comfortable… Resulting in natural, relaxed smiles. After the ceremony, we hopped over to the 400 block in Wausau and popped in to Malarkey’s Pub for a quick drink!

Congratulations, Justin and Steph!
We hosted our annual Thanksgiving dinner with my mom, Gram and Grampie, and Jean and Mark.

It was pretty low-key this year, but I made my pies. It’s a tradition!

And of course, the annual post-dinner photo of me and Grampie on the couch 🙂

Since Grampie can’t hear, we usually just sit there and not talk, but I brought down a dry erase board and we got to share a few laughs. He usually asks me about fly fishing… And this occasion didn’t disappoint! He wanted to know if I fish in waders or just dresses 🙂 here’s the honest answer…

We sent everyone on their way, full and happy, and Amy came over for pie slice #2 and finalizing our Black Friday shopping game plan. It was successful…

A new suitcase, for all my upcoming travel. 🙂

We returned home in the wee hours of the morning, and I took a short nap to prepare for opening night of White Christmas. I was playing two roles- tap dancer, and pit orchestra musician. I ran between the two throughout the show. 🙂 Here’s a busy show weekend in photos…

…and some photos Brian took of the show.

During the show, I had a serious romance with Tyler… And he proposed in the final scene. Look at that rock! 😉

And just to leave you on a very curly 1980’s happy note, here is me from my first year of tap dance lessons (photo courtesy of Robert Payne)

Once a stylish woman, always a stylish woman. 🙂
Stay tuned for a whirlwind of December, including Amanda and Andy’s engagement photos, a trip to Idaho, a game at Lambeau, and more adventures… Including my triumphant return to running 🙂

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Tagged as dancing, fly fishing, music, percussion, photography, shopping, tap dancing, Thanksgiving, wedding photography, White Christmas

January 16, 2014 · 9:21 am

Captiva and Sanibel, a.k.a. I love my job.

I got home from my northwoods adventures late Saturday night, and headed to the airport early on Sunday. The snow on the car ride home (thanks for being a safe driver, Linn!) made me even more excited to get out to Florida for some work. It was a whirlwind two days of shooting on Captiva and Sanibel Islands. I took photos for several different publications when I was down there, all focused on saltwater fly fishing.
New fly…

Well chewed fly…

Big water, big rod, big teeth.

That’s a speckled sea trout. I think I’ve seen that fish before… I’m pretty sure he was in the cast of True Blood.

Ladyfish galore. They’re incredibly acrobatic, which makes them fun to watch and even more fun to catch. Hey, I didn’t have to work the whole trip!

I went all sorts of crazy places… with snakes, snails, crabs, and gators. Yeah, I’m a sundress-wearing badass.

The resort that I stayed at had a hermit crab race. Yes, really.

We stopped at the fly shop to get tips and tricks… Any place with a fish on the sign is good, in my book.

I left a cryptic message for future generations…

…and captured my last sunset on the water. That storm rolled in shortly after sundown, and my short, sweet trip was over.

These photos were used here:
Midcurrent: Chasin’ the Ladies
Dun: Captiva
Hatch: Chasing Mackerel in Tarpon Bay
One adventure after another. Thanks for sticking with me, friends!

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Tagged as Captiva, Florida, fly fishing, photography, Sanibel, traveling, water

October 10, 2013 · 4:04 pm

Riverfront Jazz Festival, Justiceworks 1/2, and fish shocking! :)

I love running. So every year, when fall rolls around, I find myself signing up for the Justiceworks 1/2 marathon on Labor Day weekend, since it’s practically in my backyard. It apparently doesn’t matter if it fits in my training schedule, I just can’t pass it up. So this year, I rode my cruiser over to the park to pick up my race packet on Friday night, and settled in for a good race on Saturday morning.
I fueled normally, drank a cup of coffee, and ran the 3/4 mile to the start line. I saw Robert, and we hung out and chatted until the trumpet began to play, and we were off!
The first miles go through downtown, then campus, and around Lake Joanis in Schmeekle Reserve. Imagine my surprise when I saw Ray around mile three, manning the water station!

I chatted with a mom of three from Rapids for a few miles, then our entertainment started! This sweet choir was singing for us around mile 5.

Miles, oh, 5-10ish are an out-and-back, and I love those. I get to say hi and smile at everyone both coming and going! I saw a couple friends, Eric and Lauryn, and met a lot of strangers. I danced at all the end-of-driveway boom boxes, made jokes with spectators, and basically had fun. Around mile nine, the humidity was starting to get to me, and I was feeling a little cranky!

I did what any logical person would do- I ran faster, caught up to the guy in yellow ahead of me, and started talking. Turns out, it was his first half marathon! I gave him a couple mile pep talk, then zoomed off. Drank some water…

…and ran into my friend, Heather, who was guarding the cross-street around mile 12. She saw me coming and snapped these two 🙂

I came in all happy and smiley, and got my medal. Then, I looped back around about a half mile to cheer on my new friend in yellow to his first half finish. 🙂 He looked like he was having a hard time, so I was happy to lift his spirits for the final stretch.
I found Robert…

…and Eric and Lauryn. 🙂

All in all, it was a good race. A lady pulled me aside at the finish line, and told me that running behind me is miserable. She smiled, but said that suffering for 13.1 miles behind someone who is laughing, smiling, singing, dancing, cheering on strangers, and making jokes… well, that just adds insult to injury. She laughed, and I gave her a hug! I ran home, showered, then got ready to head over to Riverfront Jazz Festival to do some work!
Here is some of my favorites from both days, along with some of the friends who joined us for live music along the Wisconsin River. 🙂

Riverfront Jazz Festival is free to the public, and they sell raffle tickets and take donations to support jazz scholarships at the university. It wasn’t that long ago that we were selling tickets, hoping for a scholarship! We drank lots of wine, ate delicious food, and laughed, sang, and danced. ❤
On Labor Day Tuesday, I went night fishing in waders for the first time, pretty much unsuccessfully. I've been hex fishing in a kayak, and I've fished up until dark before, even fishing until I had to walk out in the dark, but I've never tried wading and casting in the dark before. I didn't even care that I didn't catch a fish because the fly we used was sooooooooooooooooo cute…

Adorable, right?!
I also took my annual trip out with the DNR fisheries guys on a shocking expedition. We went on a section that has been heavily repaired by our local TU chapters, so I was anxious to see the results of the work that we’ve done.
The crew…

…other awesome stuff…

…and, of course, the fish!

It was pretty much the best field trip ever! Fish are awesome! I felt a sense of personal pride when trout came out from under structures we’ve built for them. That river is mine, and yours, and I am glad that we’re taking care of it. ❤

Since my blog readership is so widespread and growing, the likelihood that a congressman is reading this is pretty high, right? In that case, I wanted to share a quote I heard directly on a call this morning.

“Outside of Washington, D.C., conservation is not a partisan issue.”
-Lynn Scarlett

Dear Congress, I’m begging you, for all of the previously mentioned reasons… Please let us get back to our work.

Miles this year: 337.4

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Tagged as concerts, conservation, fly fishing, music, music photography, photography, picnics, race recap, races, Riverfront Jazz festival, running, Trout Unlimited

October 7, 2013 · 12:28 pm

Being sick: Vimeo, Jill and Breck, meeting with Katrina

Hey, friends. I’m sick. Kind of a sniffling, whining, tea-drinking, curly monster.
In between shooting, watching the Packers destroy the rudest team ever, and teaching dance last night, I sat under a big blanket and watched vimeo videos. Mostly about water. And it’s been on my mind nonstop.
So I’ll start with two of my secret favorite places. Both have trout in them. And I’m sure that some of my TU faithful friends would recognize these places, but I’ll never tell.
The first dreamy spot…

This place will probably disappear if Saratoga gets their cafo. If it doesn’t disappear, it will be forever changed. I’ll keep you all posted on the status of that project, or you can find it yourself at www.stoptherichfieldcafo.org.
The second spot isn’t really in danger of any kind, but it’s a perfect example of why a well-manicured, sparkly, sundress-loving girl will put on rubber pants and stand in cold water. I go to these places and take in as much beauty as I possibly can. Enjoy.

And always know, if you want to come, I have a spare pair of waders and a map to get us there.
On to more beauty… Engagement pictures from the countryside. Ladies and gentlemen, Breck and Jill.

It was hot and humid for this shoot, so we wrapped it up in quite possibly the best way…

I can’t wait to work with these guys! There was a time when Brian and Breck worked together and looked so much alike that people were constantly confusing them, including me! I gave Breck a hug from behind once, thinking it was Brian. Whoops. 🙂
When I came home from that shoot, I had a long awaited package at my doorstep. New skate wheels! It was way past overdue.

If I could bring a Kleenex box, cough drops, and tea, I’d go skating this afternoon. I’m missing this beautiful fall day 😦
Speaking of beautiful days, Mat and I had perfect weather for our field trip last month. We took our state representative, Katrina Shankland, out to see some of the stream work that our TU chapter has done on the Tomorrow River.

It was a really fun time- I love sharing my knowledge about “our” section of this beautiful area, and Katrina is a wonderful person. It makes me feel good to know she’s representing me at the Capitol!

Have a wonderful day, friends.
I’m off to make some more tea. ::cough::

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Tagged as engagement photos, fly fishing, photography, skating, streams, Trout Unlimited, water

October 1, 2013 · 3:38 pm

That was some kind of hiatus.

Hey, fans and friends. Sorry about that ridiculous break that I like to call a disorganized summer. Actually, I focused on spending more quality time with B and spent more time on the stream and playing outside. I can’t really apologize for that.
I left off promising to share some favorites from Hannah and Todd’s beautiful central Wisconsin wedding on June 22nd. ❤

Absolutely, positively, stunning.

Todd and Brian have been friends for quite some time- I believe they met in middle school, and they played in a rock band together when I first met Brian! I met Todd when he first came to college- we were in percussion studio together. It was so wonderful to spend this day with our friends.
Sadly, about a month after their wedding, a tornado destroyed much of their church. I’m so glad I captured her dress hanging in front of those beautiful windows- that entire wall collapsed in the storm.
Even though it rained on their wedding day, we were able to spend some time playing outside and truly celebrated this new beginning with Mr. and Mrs. Truesdale! 🙂
Another fantastic June project of mine is something I developed this past winter, that I’ve briefly mentioned in the past. When our Wisconsin State Council of Trout Unlimited asked me to take on the role of chair for their brand-new Women’s Initiatives committee, I agreed, even though I had no idea how to start. Among the many ideas that I had while brainstorming, I was thinking of how I could plant the seed in the minds of girls, so they would grow up informed and connected to the resource. The biggest source of girls in our country? Girl Scouts! There are 3.2 million Girl Scouts in our country, and almost a million of those are adult volunteers. That sounded like a perfect place to start, so I called up my long-time pom-squad girlfriend from junior high, Melissa, since she works for the Girl Scouts.
I started asking questions about water badges, and I contacted TU national’s staff to see what kind of youth resources that were available for me. To make a long story short, the TU staff (Bryan, Franklin, Rochelle) and I developed a curriculum for a three day event, and Stream Girls was born. We took the girls out to a stream for a guided stream walk, entomology, fly tying, casting, and fishing. I have big plans for the growth of this program, as it is a perfect opportunity to create a new generation of informed, educated female citizens… And they’re darn adorable. See for yourself.

Up next? Kim and Brad’s beautiful Wausau wedding. A perfect transition from Stream Girls, Kim and I met 15 years ago in Brownies. Beautiful bride, fun wedding, delicious 2510 celebration cake, fabulous friends, and lots of laughter.

Congratulations, friends. Love you.
Bear with me as I play catch up for the next week or so.

Miles this year: 327.85

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June 25, 2013 · 11:10 am

West Virginia fishing, shooting (and fishing!) up in Pembine, and a HOT wedding in Arizona

When I don’t blog for a month, then try to do some kind of recap, I appear to be a world traveler.
On my trip out East, I stayed a few extra days, learned more about TU, and fished. A lot.

New wading boots, never to be this clean again.

Pretty brookie!

The baby fish are just the cutest.

It was raining a lot in the mountains, so everything was very green, and there were waterfalls everywhere! The roads were really windy, cut into the rock, and I definitely got motion sick in front of one of TU’s VPs. Not embarrassing at all.

I took a break from fishing to hook up with Franklin and Bryan, both TU staff, to discuss plans for our Stream Girls program. It is designed as a collaboration between TU and Girl Scouts, and we made a lot of progress. 🙂

My flights home were uneventful, and I was happy to return to my pup and my own bed. Brian, on the other hand… When I came home from this trip, I walked in the door to a mustached man smoking a pipe. I need to stay close to home to keep that guy in line! 🙂
I had a day in the office to try and catch up on some of the work that I missed, then I headed up to Pembine to do some photos for Tim, Nate, and the Tight Lines guys. Photos with pro fly fishing guides? I wrote it right in my contract that I needed a beer stipend and I had to get on some fish. 🙂
Here’s some of my favorites from this nine hour float.

I got to fish some, too! I’d never used a seven weight rod before, nor caught any fish of this size. Thanks to Nate, who captured these memories for me!

It was, quite obviously, an awesome week of fishing! I’m so proud that I now have fishing licenses in several states 🙂
Stay tuned for details from our trip to Arizona!

Miles this year: 214.75

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Tagged as brook trout, fly fishing, fly fishing photography, guided trips, photography, smallmouth bass, traveling

April 24, 2013 · 11:46 am

Another busy spring month in photos…

Another month has slipped by. I don’t know how that happened! As you’ll see, I’ve been a busy girl. So without further ado, I present you “Heidi’s photos/fishing/running/TroutUnlimited Adventures!”

Baby Grant. Too precious.

Evening run with Brian!

A precious Easter orchid from my beloved Grampie.

Snow on Easter Day, and cuddling with my BFF, baby Halle.

A Spa 212 photo shoot. Tanner’s a trooper!

Busting out new shoes!

A few new shots for the folks at Fehrman Orthodontics…

I’m keeping up with singing to my seeds and sprouts. They love jazz. 🙂

More spring running, even past “Lake Frederick.”

Went fishing with Doug. Cold, cold water, and snow-covered rocks.

Bistro 212 hosted a cooking class. Italian food!!

Went to a Hornberg chapter TU board meeting…

Had a shoot (and lunch!) at Red Eye Brewing.

Had a photo shoot at WISH steakhouse. Yum!!!

Hit up Guu’s with my friends.

Went to a presentation by George Kraft and commented on by Katrina Shankland.

Took photos of the gorgeously pregnant Kendra, one of two winners of our Olivia Act contest.

Threw in a cold weather 12 miler.

Got my car stuck in the spring mud.

Went fishing and exploring with Laura.

Survived an ice and freezing rain storm.

Hung out with Ashley, an encaustic artist…

Captured the lovely spring-turned-winter wedding of Laurie and Henry.

Discovered it wasn’t squirrels that were emptying my bird feeder, it is DEER.

Went to Clay Corner to paint Misty’s paw prints that we made when she was still here. 😦

Celebrated Ian’s first communion. Congratulations, kiddo! 🙂

Took a shameless selfie with Grampie.

Did polka dot manicures for little girls. Love that!

Went for a sunny run. Special thanks to the car full of teenagers for the shouted, “Hey, baby!”

Met with my favorite Lifest photographer men for coffee, geeking out, and laughs…

Went fishing in the Driftless.

(Caught a lot of sticks…)

Went to the Trout Unlimited Upper Midwest Regional Meeting, learned a lot, gave a little presentation.

(Met the CEO)

Came home to a heart-nosed pup.

And I’m back in my office, hard at work.

Here’s to more fun in the next month! 🙂

Miles this year: 159.6

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Tagged as beer photos, fly fishing, food photography, new shoes, portrait photography, pups, running, Trout Unlimited, wedding photography

February 3, 2013 · 4:32 pm

Fishermen, dancers, runners, and musicians.

I usually keep myself pretty busy, but I’m doing a great job of running myself ragged lately! 🙂
Last you heard, I was heading over to O’so for their special release. Ooh, it was worth it!

We also stopped by at Central Waters’ anniversary party. Last weekend was filled with good beer and good company. We even ran into Sarah!

We had some wintery weather here, which made playing in the snow and ice a lot of fun.

The snow froze into ice on the end of my ponytail, and whenever I turned my head to look before crossing the street, I was whipped with that icy hair!

I finished up my run in time to head up to Wausau to take my gramps to lunch with an old friend.

Gary Borger is well-known in the fly fishing world, and he’s a fishing friend of my gramps’. I was reading one of Gary’s books, and he told a few stories about fishing with Grandpa a long time ago! How cool.

I was lucky enough that Gramps sent me home with one of his orchids.

It’s brightening my kitchen counter in a bud vase.

The middle of my week and weekend were dominated with photo shoots. I got the chance to meet up with a few running friends of mine who are being featured in Hoopla for their work on the Point Bock Run.

The race sold out in record time this year, and Brian and I are lucky to have registered in time! 🙂
I also had a photo shoot at Waupaca’s Ale House for River Cities Jazz. I know a lot of the musicians in that group, and it was wonderful to hear them play again.

It started snowing during the gig, so it was a slippery drive home. We’ve had our share of winter weather this week, for sure!
On Saturday morning, I was able to take in a rehearsal of the Point Dance Ensemble. I’ve known their director, Pam, since I was in college, and it’s always a pleasure to see what projects she’s working on.

I logged a few miles (indoors, sadly) and got ready to head north for the Wisconsin Trout Unlimited State Council Banquet. I sold tickets, as usual, and enjoyed the company of our state’s fishing community.

The live music this year was provided by John Greiner and Mat Buchman. It was a joy to hear them play once again.

There was a new award this year, called the Unsung Hero award, and each chapter had the opportunity to nominate one of their members. We were so pleased to be able to nominate Norb!!

I took photos of lots of the prizes, but I was lucky enough to win one. Here’s my haul…

Now I guess I have to find someone to tell me if I should hang this bamboo rod on the wall, or have it worked on and fish with it!
Brian was able to fix my car and is currently on his way home from Green Bay after working on it since Friday night. I’m so excited to get my car back 😀
Hope you had a good weekend! Happy Superbowl Commercial Sunday! ~~Go, Pack, GO!~~

Tag Archives: fly fishing

Meetings, so many meetings.

Idaho

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, White Christmas

Captiva and Sanibel, a.k.a. I love my job.

Riverfront Jazz Festival, Justiceworks 1/2, and fish shocking! :)

Being sick: Vimeo, Jill and Breck, meeting with Katrina

That was some kind of hiatus.

West Virginia fishing, shooting (and fishing!) up in Pembine, and a HOT wedding in Arizona

Another busy spring month in photos…

Fishermen, dancers, runners, and musicians.

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