CASS LAKE, Minn. _ You play the cards you're dealt when picking a date on the calendar to go fishing, and Brian Brosdahl's hand on this June morning was stacked with ample doses of sun, high barometric pressure and light to variable winds.
That's hardly a royal flush when the destination is gin-clear Cass Lake and the target is walleyes, a sometimes fickle fish known to favor low-light conditions and choppy waves.
No worries, Brosdahl said; we'd get our fish.
"They'll still bite," he said. "You just have to appeal to their animal instincts."
Known to pretty much everyone in the fishing world as "Bro," Brosdahl, 51, of Max, Minn., is one of the most recognizable and well-liked anglers in the industry. He runs Bro's Guide Service, offering guided trips on lakes throughout the Northland in both summer and winter, and fishes the occasional bass and walleye tournament.
We've known each other some 20 years, Brosdahl and I, and have fished together several times. Among the more memorable was a blustery day on Cass in June 2012, when screaming west winds kept most anglers off the water.
We rocked and rolled in big waves, but we still caught walleyes.
The conditions were a marked contrast to this day's calm winds and bluebird skies, but that didn't dampen Brosdahl's optimism.
"I always like a little bit of cloud cover, and I always like to have some waves," he said. "Without waves, it's a lot tougher. All of these lakes here are wind-driven, but like I say, the best time to go is when you can because you can't pick your weather, and we've put together limits on tough days.
"You can't catch fish sitting at home or sitting in the cabin."
