Taking on big slab sided crappies is a respectable challenge and can be a real gas when you put it all together. Catching early season crappies is simple and easy enough but we’re talking real slabs (those in the thirteen to fifteen inch and beyond range), and they’re not everywhere. But the fact is they do exist and they can be caught if you have a little inside information. When it comes to producing behemoth crappies less is usually more. The lakes that hold big numbers are more likely to produce smaller fish. Probably big enough to put in the pail and that’s perfectly fine, but were not looking for the run of the mill keepers here. Our target is the largest of the species and it’s the lakes that have fewer fish that harbor the real monsters. Some of the best include medium to clear ... [ Read More ]
Catch the early season Rainy River walleye bite
Winter’s demise signals the beginning of an annual rite of spring, as schools of pre-spawn walleyes surge upstream into rivers across the Walleye Belt. Although the water is cool and fish location often changes day by day - even hour by hour - savvy anglers can enjoy some of the year’s best fishing, especially where rivers flow into larger bodies of water, such as the Rainy River at Lake of the Woods or Detroit River at western Lake Erie. In these situations, these Rainy River walleye from the main lake gather at the river mouth in late winter, then move upstream toward spawning areas as the ice recedes, boosting the river’s walleye population to its highest point of the year. I typically start my search at the river mouth and work my way upstream, checking channel edges and a variety ... [ Read More ]
Tick protection: creepy crawlies giving you the heebie-jeebies?
It's about more than just that skin-crawling sensation when you feel those little insect legs creeping up inside your pants or down your neckline; ticks and other biting insects can pose a real health concern. Addressing biting insect and tick protection as part of your hunting and outdoor activity prep is vital to avoid a multitude of diseases. Throughout human history, mosquitoes carrying disease have killed way more people than any war or natural disaster combined. And even with our modern medical technology, we're still not out of the woods yet. In my home state of Michigan, ticks currently carry Lyme Disease, as well as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tularemia, and Ehrlichiosis to name a few. Mosquitoes carry the West Nile Virus in the US as we speak. In Africa, Malaria spread by ... [ Read More ]
Getting A Grip On Transitional Bass
Getting A Grip On Transitional Bass When pertaining to giant bass in transitional modes, we need to take into consideration, not only the movements and transitions that bass make season within season. Daily transitions also occur throughout each season within season through the entire year. Lets first breakdown the seasonal transitions and then cover all aspects of variables that cause daily or nightly transitions within these stages of each particular season. The first seasonal transition occurs during the late Winter / Early Spring time frame, as the largest fish in the system migrate from Wintering areas in main lake basins following migration routes to eventual secondary staging zones. Consecutive fronts during this time frame create a scenario where giant bass will stall, ... [ Read More ]
Go Small or Go Home
Modern day society continues to push the mentality of doing things “big” and bold. “Go big or go home” is no longer just a term used on the sports field, but also rather in the office, at the factory, or even in the classroom. We are wired to take things to the max and “push it to the limit.” But what about fishing? Or better yet, what about those first few weeks after ice-out when the panfish are still in “ice mode” trying to find their appetite? “Go big or go home” might send you off with the latter, but “go small or go home” could be the ticket to an amazing day on the water. So what does “ Go Small or Go Home ” mean exactly? For me, it means keeping you ice fishing tackle with you when you first hit the open water scene. When you sit back and think about it, you just finished ... [ Read More ]
Turkey Patterning Tips
Now that the weather is starting to warm up and spring is here, a turkey hunter's thoughts turn towards chasing turkeys. It's often a lot of work to get that big tom into shotgun range. On top of that - these birds are tough to put down! You want to do everything in your power to make sure that when the opportunity presents itself that you're able to get the job done quickly and cleanly. Turkey patterning is probably the least fun part of turkey hunting. These turkey loads pack a wallop! But it is an important duty of yours as an ethical turkey hunter to do what you can to make a clean kill. Here are a few tips to get you started and make the process more efficient. Guns: Most people who hunt turkeys do not have a customized turkey gun. Rather, most use guns that they already use to ... [ Read More ]
Jigging for walleye Ten Tips to Catch More Walleyes with Jigs
By Jason Mitchell Jigging for walleye the most versatile method in any walleye fishing technique guid, and jigs are the most versatile tool in angler’s tackle box. Like any technique, In walleye jigging there are details and nuances that can make you successful or unsuccessful. If there is one aspect of jig fishing that is often overlooked, it would be the importance of versatility. There is not necessarily a right or wrong way to fish a jig. When the fish are biting, you can fish a jig in a lot of different ways and get bit. When conditions get tougher however, we often see a particular stroke or jigging style produce and catching fish is all about locking into that specific mojo. The best jig anglers can tap into that mojo. The cadences and strokes can vary ... [ Read More ]
Late Ice Perch – Bug Brained Perch at Late Ice
Late Ice Perch - Plastics Plastics Plastics! The author Jason Mitchell with a giant perch caught over a soft bottom transition using a Northland Tackle Blood Worm. There is no silver bullet with late ice perch regarding location but make no mistake, some of the most impressive catches and fishing for the whole calendar year take place in march. Late ice is prime time for jumbo perch but the tactics and patterns can run the gamut. On so many lakes, late ice perch move relatively shallow and become more aggressive as the ice rots. Large sand flats or gently sloping flats that have chara and sand grass often hold fish during late ice particularly if these locations are near the mouths of bays and other shallow water that where these fish will eventually spawn. These shallow flat patterns ... [ Read More ]
That Time of Year!
That Time of Year The season is finally beginning to make a switch and believe me it’s for the better. Last weekend was the first time I could drive my truck on the ice all season, going wherever I wanted to. This counts mid-winter resort ice roads, as the snow was too deep to get off the beaten path. I was pretty much sitting atop a snowmobile for nearly the whole ice season. If I didn’t, I was unable to get to the fishing holes of my choice. Now, however, it’s a breeze, although at the time of this writing (Sunday night) more snow is forecasted for the North Country. Hopefully we won’t get as much as they’re predicting. It’s so nice to fish out of the back of a vehicle, which is what I did last Sunday. Driving around, looking for perch, all of the necessary gear was at arm’s ... [ Read More ]
Ice Fishing Walleye After Dark – Huge Walleye
Night Shift Walleye - Ice Fishing Walleye After Dark Not all bodies of water offer solid after dark fishing opportunities when ice fishing walleye but there are so many notable fisheries where we have traditionally caught the majority of fish or sometimes the largest fish long after the witching hour when the sun sinks into the horizon. On many bodies of water, the best walleye fishing happens after dark. From Montana’s Fort Peck Reservoir to the Finger Lakes of New York with a long list of fisheries in between these two destinations, the night shift is where it is at for catching walleye through the ice. I cut my teeth with after dark walleye fishing on the east end of Lake Sakakawea and nearby Lake Audubon, both large impoundments created by the damming of the Missouri River in ... [ Read More ]