For a lot of us hardcore catters, the arrival of July means our favorite fish are getting busy "getting busy" and we beat our heads against the wall looking for some hungry fish. The days are hot and the bite is slow, that's a well known fact...or is it? No doubt about it, the fireworks of the 4th usually signal anything but when it comes to Flatheads, but... because the Channel cats spawn earlier than Flatheads, it can also mean a very strong post spawn bite for them! For myself personally, when the water temp hits mid 70 to 80 degrees, I start really focusing on the fish that will bite and the baits they will bite on. While channel cats can be predators and take live bait (especially the bigger ones) they are for the most part scavengers and scroungers. You can really use this ... [ Read More ]

Lindy pro staff angler Charlie Nelson of Duluth, Minnesota, isn’t afraid to invade aquatic jungles in search of walleyes. When walleyes forage for perch, shiners and other baitfish in submerged weeds, Nelson digs them out with Lindy Spinner Rigs. Nelson often plucks walleyes from cabbage weeds in the St. Louis River, which flows into Lake Superior. He employs several techniques that will work elsewhere for fishermen that are willing to tackle the greenery. “A lot of guys won’t fish in the weeds because you’ve got to constantly pick the stuff off your spinners,” Nelson says. “It’s a pain, but that’s where the walleyes are.” New Lindy Spinners The New Lindy Spinners with willow leaf blades are Nelson’s go-to rigs when he fishes weeds. He favors the smaller No. 4 size blade because it ... [ Read More ]

When the calendar changes to June my favorite method for catching walleyes switches to trolling crankbaits.  simple trolling for walleyes is preferred over anyother method, I would characterize this as the “early summer” pattern and I focus on shad style crankbaits for their subtle wobble action and I only use two sizes #5 and #7. While many people continue to focus their time with live bait rigging, jigging or bobber fishing, I have found trolling to be much more productive and it keeps me in contact with active fish. In many lakes and rivers across the Midwest, this pattern has proven to be very effective for catching both numbers and quality of fish. Where to start In early June, walleyes are starting to transition to their summer patterns. In lakes, this means they have started to ... [ Read More ]

There really aren’t a lot of places where walleye angling starts out good and keeps getting better through July and August and even into September. Lake of the Woods is one such place and is a real jewel and why it might be a good idea to schedule a trip to this northern most border water. Lots of pole bending is what we’re talking about and includes fish of every size; from the smallest sauger to monster ‘eyes and everything in between. Although the action can be red hot it isn’t everywhere and there are some things to look for as well as some specialized equipment needed to be effective. The predominant summer pattern is trolling basin areas with crankbaits and is super effective way to cover water and put fish in the boat. There is more than one way to get it done but hands ... [ Read More ]

Reading water during high levels and fast flow in order to find walleye is not as hard as it may sound. In fact reading water during near flood levels is the most straight forward time to locate river walleye and sauger. This time of year it is common for me to guide customers that want to learn how to fish high water. I start them by saying animals fish included, need to conserve energy as much as possible. Then I point to the middle of the river where the water is roiling and churning and flying downstream, flowing at over 110,00 cubic feet per second and ask, “if you were a fish would you be out there?” They always answer correctly and say, “No.” Thus eliminating the main channel as where they are not, effectively reducing 75 percent of the water that you need to search. With ... [ Read More ]

Both Northern Minnesota and Southern Minnesota lakes have the potential of growing pound-plus sunfish. Many Northern lakes that are "untapped" will see some excellent large sunfish populations. However, these populations can fluctuate and produce trophy sunfish one year and not produce any the next. Some lakes will experience year classes of stunted sunfish, and sometimes the effects seem to be irreversible. So just how do Northern areas compare to Southern areas when looking to land a trophy sunfish… Many lakes that once produced big sunfish might now find themselves falling short because of over harvesting, biological factors, or environmental factors, especially in the smaller lakes. The larger Northern lakes seem to withstand some of the negative variables that are thrown at them; ... [ Read More ]

As spring weather arrives and lakes become ice-free, most anglers start seriously thinking about purchasing new or replacement tackle. Purchasing new equipment can put a dent in the pocket book, so here are a few ideas that can save you some money. Rods It would really be nice to have a different rod for each kind of fishing… one for jigging, one for trolling, one for rigging, and so on. For most of us that is just not practical and it can be very expensive. One way to stretch your dollar is to pick and use rods that can be used for more than one application. One good example is a long rod, one that is over 8-feet long. You see them listed as mooching rods, noodle rods and salmon rods. Something like the Okuma Celilo or Connoisseur line of rods. Both are considered specialty ... [ Read More ]

We started out on a small lake that is known for having some some good sized sunfish. After all my years of chasing fish through the ice and open water it still amazes me the amount of excitement, anticipation, and anxiety that I get from the start of a new day of fishing. I pray those feelings stay with me forever! We worked really hard to find the fish on this lake but it didnt pan out. We easliy drilled a couple hundred of holes with our Strikemaste solo's from one end of the lake to the other looking for these fish. What a pleasure it has been this year cutting holes with this auger. It has allowed me to be much more mobile and willing to find active fish instead of waiting for them to find me. At 10am with only a few smaller sunfish caught our group decided to pull the plug and ... [ Read More ]

Sometimes you just have to take a chance and explore some new water. This past weekend my wife Wanda and I decided to fish some small hidden gems that generally don’t get a lot of attention in the Chippewa National Forest . I had spent some time checking out the Minnesota DNR’s Lake Finder site for the area we were staying in looking for any clues to a possible hidden gem. Many of the lakes listed on the Lake Finder site do not have a “modern” access. Some have no access at all which really limits the pressure these lakes receive. These lakes are often more easily accessed in the winter with a snowmobile or ATV. Wanda and I picked a lake we had fished before a few years ago with some success. We had a recent warm spell that melted much of the nearly 3 feet of snow that had ... [ Read More ]

Big Muskies, big pike, big cats, big sturgeon, big walleyes, what angler doesn’t want big fish? Many of us hit the ice with the thought that today I’m finally going to get the big one. That one big fish that will make us complete. The movie “Grumpy Old Men” summed it up, 2 guys on a quest for the fish. The one fish they’ve been after for a lifetime, “Catfish Hunter.” They did what they had to do to get a shot at the infamous catfish. If I can only do battle with the big one is what a lot of anglers think. But take a step back, pause for a minute, and ask yourself, “Does size matter?” Over the years I’ve learned that no matter what we do for fun, we all eventually find our niche. I have plenty of friends whose quest is for the 32 inch walleye. Other good pals of mine are on a mission to ... [ Read More ]