Gear Review Thursday – Got cold hands??

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Joe

The majority of the country has just gone through a very moderate winter, and open water fishing is either available or just around the corner for most of us. (I know, I know – this early proclamation of SPRING means massive March snowstorms, centered over my S. Maryland home) Spring fishing generally means a few things for most of us – weather changes by the hour, hit-or-miss fishing, COLD water and, quite often, COLD HANDS.

The folks at Glacier Glove would like one of our bloggers to give their Ice Bay gloves a test this spring. These gloves are Premium fleece lined, and feature 2mm thick neoprene that is blind stitched and glued.

Bring on the crappy weather!!

By now you all know the drill: leave your comment below and on Monday we’ll let the RNG pick 1 outdoor blogger for the win.

Before you pull that comment trigger: Gear Review Opportunity is open to OBN Members with an Active Blog on the Outdoor Blogger Directory. By Commenting on this Entry you confirm you have read the Reviewer Guidelines and agree to the terms and conditions. Comments will be accepted until Sunday at 5 p.m. MST. Winning comment (s) will be selected by the Random Number Generator and announced this coming Monday on the OBN. Please check back to see if the RNG has shined upon you, we don’t track down winners…

Thank you Glacier Glove for your continued support of the OBN! Don’t forget – you can follow Glacier Outdoor on Facebook, too! Just click HERE.

Quickfire Outdoor Interview: The Four Season Angler

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Rebecca

Name or Online Code Name: The Four Season Angler, aka- Ed Schmitt

Blog URL: The Four Season Angler

1) Outdoor Activity of choice? Of choice? That’s easy, I’d choose fishing every time, regardless of weather, season, or conditions.

2) Outdoor Mornings. Up at 5 a.m.? 6…7…8…9…Or when the sun heats up the tent and you can’t take it anymore? Outdoor mornings start the night before because usually I can’t fall asleep before a planned outing. If I do fall asleep, I am up in time to be out on the water to watch the sun come up, especially on Lake Michigan… I never get tired of watching that transformation from grey to orange to blue over the big lake.

Lake Michigan Sunrise

3) Snicker Bar or Granola Bar on the trail? I don’t do a lot of hiking anymore, but when I did it was always granola. Nature Valley cinnamon to be exact.

4) Your Birthday is coming. What outdoor (dream) present should we all chip in to buy you this year? As far as outdoor items, I have everything I need. What would really make my birthday special though would be for all of you who wish to give something, to take a currently serving or veteran of the armed services into the outdoors with you. Take a minute to say Thanks, spend a little time with them, and enjoy the outdoors together. If just one of you OBN bloggers would do that, it would make my whole year.

5) Seven days in the Alaskan Wilderness or Seven days on a Tropical Beach? That is really tough, it really depends on what season we’re talking about… Are the salmon running up the Kenai? Are the Yellowfin Tuna within range of the local Charter fleet? Do I have time to lose those extra thirty pounds I packed on over the holiday so I look good in my mankini?

6) What kind of Outdoor Store would you own? If I could own my own storefront, I would own a rod-building shop with a staff guide service and a kids/veterans/disabled fishing clinics and expeditions program.

7) Finish this sentence: When I was a little kid, I loved to go outside and… get into trouble. Sometimes it was as simple as floating the neighbor’s cat down the creek on a barge made of lashed milk jugs, and other times it was as complicated as trying to find the cat when the barge sank 2 miles downstream.

Travis Walleye Pic

8 ) Do you have an Outdoor related item that is priceless to you? What is it and why? I would say that the most valuable item for me to have in the outdoors is my waterproof/shockproof digital camera. Being able to capture moments and experiences like this pose I caught resident blogger Travis Brasfield in is priceless.

9) Fill in the blank. When I head outdoors I need to have_________________with me? -my sense of adventure- I could list a dozen things I always try to bring with me but they all would be useless with a sense of adventure. If I’m not mentally prepared to expect the unexpected and to cherish every moment, it’s not even worth going out.

10) What’s the story behind your blog name? Originally, my blog was started as an outlet for myself being an avid fisherman of all four seasons to chronicle my experiences on the water, in the water, on the ice, and in the outdoors. I found it was a great way to improve my writing skills and share what I see and do with others. After a short period of time I approached other writers/bloggers from the Chicagoland area and asked if they were interested in doing the same. I felt it was a great way for them to get their voice heard, and also to help them improve as writers themselves.

Soon The Four Season Angler grew into The Four Season Angler’s Writers Network. Now FSA has a resident blogger staff of 6 outdoor writers including myself, and 1 blogger who is our resident beer aficionado. In its first year, the writers network had several of its authors published in local, regional, and national publications. This year we hope to expand our audience even further, and so far we are on track to accomplish that task and it’s only February.

Courage Level Question: It’s You and a Grizzly Bear face to face on the trail. Knowing yourself, will you 1) Hold your ground and see who blinks first 2) throw your gear at the Grizzly and run for your life or 3) faint on the spot?

I’ve been face to face with a large Black Bear before. I was just inside his comfort zone while he snacked on a pile of fish carcasses. Let me tell you, that was as close to a Depends undergarment moment as I’ve ever had. Fortunately for me, the cabin was close enough for me to sprint back to before the bear could make a move, but those few paralyzing seconds were torture. So, to answer your question; I would absolutely run away like a little girl.

Ice Fishing Frabil Tip-Up winners

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Joe

This will be a short, sweet (for the winners) post – both Rebecca and I have other things pulling at our lives at the moment.

The winners of the Frabil tip-ups are:

#9. Rhon BelL, and

#5 – Jason Porter

Get us your addresses quickly so we can get the tip ups out before the ice melts!!!

Outdoor Blogger Network Friday Notes ~ 2/17

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Rebecca

Did you miss the Quickfire Interviews of Waterdog Journal and Walkin’ with the Wild Woman? I hope not…

Did you get your comment in for the gear review opportunity Frabil Tip Ups? Well I hope if you have ice still you didn’t…

Outdoor Gear Review: Snug Harbor Bay has reviewed the Lightload Towels on her blog here. Be sure to stock up on some of these great towels for the upcoming Outdoor season!

Outdoor Gear Review and Giveaway:

Tales of a Mountain Mama has reviewed the GeoPalz Pedometer for kids on her blog here. We have re-posted it on the log here.

BUT WAIT, there’s more to this GeoPalz Review…

Right now Tales of a Mountain Mama is having a giveaway of 3 GeoPalz pedometers.
You have until February 23rd to get your entry in and bring one of these cool pedometers home to a little one in your life.
Visit: Get Kids Moving – Geopalz Review and Giveaway

Outdoor Giveaway: Jason from Southern Utah Hunt and Fish is also having a giveaway on his blog going on right now. A New outdoor hat, a new outdoor t-shirt…yep, we can all use Outdoor apparel. So…

Head on over to the giveaway post:
The Shed Inc. and Our First Giveaway!

Giveaway goes from now & will close 5:00 PM Mountain time on Monday, February 20th!

Outdoor Giveaway: The Will to Hunt is having a giveaway right now. I should go check again, but I’m pretty sure I read one of the prize values is $300 bucks….

So here you go, the link:
The Mindful Carnivore Photo Contest!

You have until 12 Midnight EST Wednesday February 22nd ~ Good Luck!!

Ok, that’s it for this week.
Wishing you all another fantastic Outdoor kind of weekend.

Rebecca and Joe

Quickfire Outdoor Interview: Walkin’ With the Wild Woman

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Rebecca

Name or Online Code Name: Gretchen Steele

Blog URL’s: Walkin’ With the Wild Woman
Willie Says…
Through the Lens

1) Outdoor Activity of choice? Wandering aimlessly.I have outstanding wandering skills! Oh dear; you mean like a true activity. Of course photography, .. foraging for edible and medicinal plants/mushrooms, and in all honesty most any kind of outdoor activity, fishing, hunting, camping. Truthfully, I just get nutty if I stay inside!

2) Outdoor Mornings. Up at 5 a.m.? 6…7…8…9…Or when the sun heats up the tent and you can’t take it anymore? Usually around 4ish.. earlier if it’s waterfowl season. Every daybreak is a reminder that I’m lucky and I’m still on this side of the dirt so I like to catch everyone I can.. doesn’t mater if it’s a rainy, foggy, morning or gorgeously colored sky.. I’m seeing another new day.

3) Snicker Bar or Granola Bar on the trail? Well..anything chocolate appeals to me ..but usually it’s a protein bar of some sort or another, a handful of jerky, and what ever I can forage along way .

4) Your Birthday is coming. What outdoor (dream) present should we all chip in to buy you this year? Well I’m just going to dream big here… A little houseboat with space enough for me and all three big dogs. What a life that would be navigating up and down the Mississippi and it’s tributaries! I am a river rat through and through..

5) Seven days in the Alaskan Wilderness or Seven days on a Tropical Beach? Alaska! Alaska! Alaska! I’m more of cold weather lover. Heat and sun melt me like jello..

6) What kind of Outdoor Store would you own? Thinking on a grand scale – one that catered to women in the outdoors, where all of the finest products -and fun ones too- that are available for women in the outdoors could be found in one easy spot; on a smaller scale, I love every little mom and pop bait shop I walk in.. I can see me as in my golden years as a little white haired old lady happily filling coffee thermoses, passing out minnows and fishing advice.

7) Finish this sentence: When I was a little kid, I loved to go outside and...gather up as many treasures as I could fit in my bucket and drag them home to show off. Just an aside.. no one in my family was very thrilled when I brought home a bucket of baby cottonmouths.

8 ) Do you have an Outdoor related item that is priceless to you? What is it and why? My late uncle’s field guide; all of the notes in the margins about locations, etc are priceless because many of those areas have been lost to mining or development. The notes to himself about how he was right and my mother was wrong about about various plants are hilarious.

9) Fill in the blank. When I head outdoors I need to have_________________with me? First and foremost a camera – but since there is a rumor that the camera was surgically attached some years ago, that’s a given. The other would be Willie, my companion, trailside entertainment, and service dog in training .

10) What’s the story behind your blog name? Walkin With the Wild Woman..came because what I really set out originally to do with that one was show people what life outside is like..as in “c’mon, just go for a walk with me” .. Willie Says.. Willie has been an opinionated little egomaniac since the first day he crossed threshold in my house. He’s a dog with lots to say! Through the Lens was mutually chosen between my Heartland Outdoors editor Jeff Lampe and myself, again in an effort to show folks what I see through lens of my cameras.

Courage Level Question: It’s You and a Grizzly Bear face to face on the trail. Knowing yourself, will you 1) Hold your ground and see who blinks first 2) throw your gear at the Grizzly and run for your life or 3) faint on the spot?

My mother always said I wasn’t brave, I just didn’t have enough sense to be afraid of anything; so I’m pretty sure as foolish as it would be, I’d stand there toe to toe until I was the bear’s lunch. I sort of dig staring contests with big unruly beasts.

Thank you for dancing in the fire for us Gretchen!

Be sure to check out all of the fantastic Outdoor Blogs
Gretchen writes in: Walkin’ With the Wild Woman~ Willie Says… ~ Through the Lens

Photo’s credited to Gretchen’s “partner in crime”, second shooter, and outdoor pal Adam Rutkowski.

Gear Review Wednesday – Still Ice Fishing??

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Joe

The best ice fishing of the year is often the late ice, so we’re glad to offer up a few tip ups for you hard water enthusiasts.

Up for grabs this week from FRABIL are 2 each Ice Spider Tip-ups and Lake Champlain Stick tip-ups. We (well – not us – the RNG) will choose 2 lucky bloggers to each receive one each of these tip-ups. So – 2 bloggers each get 2 tip-ups!

First up are the Ice Spider Tip-ups. Frabil says:

Compact in design, Frabill’s affordable and sleek Ice Spider is changing angler’s let-it-lay-all-day mentality to one of portability. Easy to transport, deploy and redeploy trouble free. Spool sets low in the hole and away from refreezing skim ice. The Ice Spider is the ideal tip-up to use when the fish are on the move, and you need to follow. Full specs are:

Legs fold for quick storage
Deploys in seconds
Compact design for improved storage
Fits over 10″ hole
Pre-lubed with Sub-Zero® low-temp lubricant for smooth operation in coldest temperatures
Shaft in shaft design allows re-greasing
Removable spool shaft for ease of cleaning and re-lubrication
Dual trip settings allow anglers to set to the tension needed for any application
Ultra glide shaft for friction-free performance
$12.95 value

Next up are two Lake Champlain Stick Tip-ups. These just scream “Classic ice fishing”!!

Economical and historical. Pioneered in Canada and to the east, Stick Tip-Ups provide timeless performance, especially in deep snow. Functionally, they’re easy to use, no matter the skill level of the angler; fold up tight for easy storage; and are highly affordable. The Lake Champlain Stick Tip-Up King of the Stick Forest, sports a premium hardwood plank for on-the-ice support, as well as a built-in ruler, and stainless steel and aluminum components.

Premium hardwood design
Stainless steel and aluminum components resist corrosion
Built-in ruler
32″ hi-visibility flag and extra-long spool shaft ideal for deep snow
Folds for compact storage
Line rolls easily off of vertical spool
Ready to fish – includes line, depth finder and line markers
$24.95 value

By now you all know the drill: leave your comment below and on Monday we’ll let the RNG pick 2 outdoor bloggers for the win.

Before you pull that comment trigger: Gear Review Opportunity is open to OBN Members with an Active Blog on the Outdoor Blogger Directory. By Commenting on this Entry you confirm you have read the Reviewer Guidelines and agree to the terms and conditions. Comments will be accepted until Sunday at 5 p.m. MST. Winning comment (s) will be selected by the Random Number Generator and announced this coming Monday on the OBN. Please check back to see if the RNG has shined upon you, we don’t track down winners…

Thank you Frabil for the Opportunity!

Quickfire Outdoor Interview: Waterdog Journal

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Rebecca

Name or Online Code Name: Ken G or Waterdog, nobody pronounces my real last name correctly anyway, I’m Polish.

Blog URL: www.waterdogjournal.com

The always elusive Ken is on the right...

1) Outdoor Activity of choice? My fishing equipment is in my car 24/7, so if I’m out camping or hiking or just wandering around and I come across fishable water, I can go fishing.

2) Outdoor Mornings. Up at 5 a.m.? 6…7…8…9…Or when the sun heats up the tent and you can’t take it anymore? I’m always up at sunrise, but two cups of coffee need to kick in, I dawdle doing other things, then head out fishing mid afternoon. Sunset on any kind of water is magical.

3) Snicker Bar or Granola Bar on the trail? Even when doing an all day fishing marathon, I don’t eat. Lots and lots of water. It’s a bizarre fasting thing I do.

4) Your Birthday is coming. What outdoor (dream) present should we all chip in to buy you this year? The best pair of Simms waders that money can buy. I’ve never had a pair of waders last more than one season without springing a leak and I’ve bought expensive ones by others. I think I can burn the Simms out in one season too.

5) Seven days in the Alaskan Wilderness or Seven days on a Tropical Beach? Definitely the beach. Less clothes to wear, warm breezes, miles of beach to stroll and a huge variety of seafood to sample. I might go fishing, or drinking, and I don’t drink much. But I’ll make an exception.

6) What kind of Outdoor Store would you own? In 2005, the driest year in recorded history around Chicago, I opened a canoe/kayak livery and small tackle store. Did get the outdoor related art gallery up and running. Had to shut things down at the end of 2006, that first year killed me. Never did get the high fat content ice cream shop up and running. Not sure I have the energy to do it again.

7) Finish this sentence: When I was a little kid, I loved to go outside and……play, run, cause trouble and roam the streets and alleys like the city rat I was. I grew up in an old inner city Chicago neighborhood. It was wonderful. Till I was 11, we had 6 people, 4 kids, living in tiny four room apartments. We weren’t allowed to sit around the house. I didn’t start fishing till I was 27.

8 ) Do you have an Outdoor related item that is priceless to you? What is it and why? Over the years my daughters have made and given me all kinds of outdoor related things. They’re within sight of my desk or one is in my pocket at all times. They’re all priceless to me.

9) Fill in the blank. When I head outdoors I need to have___ my cell phone ___with me? Long story short, in the 6 years we’ve been together my wife has died on me twice and came close two more times. She’s all better now, but I’m not taking any chances. You need me, call me.

10) What’s the story behind your blog name? 1998 or so I needed a company name that reflected what I was doing out on the rivers. Guiding, writing, heavily involved with local river conservation issues. I grew up around river rats, disgusting things and I don’t like being called one. That name was out.

Then I was watching 101 Dalmatians with my daughters and the scene where the dogs are warning each other came on. One was on a barge floating down the river barking out his warning. Waterdog came to mind, kind of like a watch dog warning of things wrong on the river. I just add whatever it is I’m doing on to Waterdog, hence Journal, this time.

Courage Level Question: It’s You and a Grizzly Bear face to face on the trail. Knowing yourself, will you 1) Hold your ground and see who blinks first 2) throw your gear at the Grizzly and run for your life or 3) faint on the spot?

I don’t think I’m capable of fainting and I run like a snail.

That bear would hear swear words screamed at him and strung together in patterns never before known to man, a skill I have. If a battle ensues and I have one opportunity to get anywhere near one of his eyes, I got half a chance. One of the other things we did outdoors as kids, street fighting, you never back down.

Thank you Ken for stepping into the fire for a few.

~ Be sure to check out the wonderful writings of Waterdog Journal ~

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone