This isn't necessarily a brand new topic but I’m still amazed at the amount of people I speak to on the ice, forums, or in the bait stores that don’t use or know much about Tungsten jigs. This will be my 4th year using Tungsten through the ice. I’ll never forget the first time I used a tungsten ice jig instead of my go-to lead jigs. I was fishing a Crappie hole with a friend on a Minnesota lake. We were sitting in 38 feet of water and the school was hanging out near the lake bottom. When I dropped my lead jig down it would take a long time for it to reach the school. After a short while, I realized that my buddy was catching fish more frequently than I was. I then noticed that his jig, although the same size and profile, was reaching the school much quicker than mine. I asked him what ... [ Read More ]
New Stuff That Actually Works!
New Stuff That Actually Works! Each and every year, new products make the scene. It doesn't matter what the field, as the latest and supposedly greatest innovations continue to make their presence known, mostly through aggressive ad campaigns. Some of these products are here one day and gone the next, failing to impress the avid outdoor enthusiast. However, when it comes to the ice fishing industry, I usually have a front row seat and make my own evaluations. Here are a few from this year that made the grade. Northland Tackle "UV Buck-Shot Spoon"- It's the famed "Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon" with a little extra attractant and that's the highly visible, UV enhanced, optical-brightened finish that calls fish in from a wide radius. This might sound like a lot of ad hype, but when I witnessed it ... [ Read More ]
2013: A bowhunting year to forget?
The toughest bowhunting season I've ever had is coming to a close. I went into this season with very high hopes and a lot of tags in my pocket. I had MT elk, MN bear, MN whitetail, and ND muley/whitetail tags and I was excited to get to work in trying to fill these tags! The MN bear hunt started it all off for me. In spite of having tons of pics of bears on the bait, the season came and went and I never saw anything more than this. I did get to spend some really great time with my kids, which was great! The elk hunt in MT was a bigger disappointment. Mother Nature flexed her mighty muscles on this trip and showed us who's boss. We took a whoopin'! My buddy Jon shot his first muley, which was awesome! Anytime in the mountains is wonderful and I'm extremely ... [ Read More ]
Otter Thermal Stay positive in negative temps – fish in an Otter!
When the high temp is a negative number, Brad Hawthorne is positive his clients appreciate his full-thermal Otter portable ice houses. “I’ve got 15 Otter Lodges out there on Upper Red Lake right now,” says the ICE FORCE pro and fulltime fishing guide. “The windchill is 43 below, but it’s 86 degrees in those Otter shelters – we’ve got a thermostat in one, so we know. It’s absolutely beautiful in ‘em. Even in a deep freeze like the one blanketing the Ice Belt of late, the coldest Hawthorne’s clients will ever be is on the ATV ride out onto the ice. Once they’re inside an Otter and fishing, they’re comfortable and content. “In any other type of portable shelter when it’s this cold, condensation is just instant, and it will get cold inside,” Hawthorne says. “With the Otters, we don’ have to ... [ Read More ]
New DNR Plan Aims to Get Mille Lacs Lake “Back on Track”
National review of DNR management part of effort to boost walleye numbers in Mille Lacs Lake Unprecedented change is occurring at Mille Lacs Lake and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is taking unprecedented actions to address it. The MN DNR will convene a blue-ribbon panel of national fisheries experts to review past and current Mille Lacs management practices as part of a new effort to increase the legendary lake’s walleye population as quickly as possible with minimal impact to the local community. “We will have nationally recognized fisheries experts review our work and offer recommendations,” said Don Pereira, DNR fisheries chief. “We want Mille Lacs lake back on track. This is one strategy to do that.” Panel members are: Drs. Jim Bence and Travis Brenden, ... [ Read More ]
Ice Fishing With War-Like Strategy – Humminbird GPS Dephtfinder
All-In-One ice fishing Humminbird GPS dephtfinderfor GPS mapping, depthfinder, & graph maximizes time, puts fish on the ice. by Jim Edlund On the windblown icescapes of Devils Lake, North Dakota, guide and fishing pro Jason Feldner says, “Fishing without good electronics is like bringing a knife to a gunfight.” These days, the owner/operator of Perch Eyes Guide Service says he takes to hardwater with “war-like strategy,” employing the latest in ice fishing electronics to help him quickly locate and stay on top of fish throughout the winter. Although he says there are a number of manufacturers making good flasher units these days, for him it comes down to the all-in-one—a piece of technology that not only features a flasher, but a graph and accurate, onboard GPS mapping. For ice ... [ Read More ]
Using Your Vexilar to the Fullest
ICE FISHING by Matt Johnson We’re all familiar with 3-color flashers. We’ve used them for years and they have become a foundation for most ice anglers. Having the ability to “see” what’s below you and react accordingly is something most of us would never forfeit. It’s to the point now that if we leave our Vexilar at home then we turn around to get it. Fishing is just not the same without your flasher staring you in the face when battling with a finicky fish. But do we really use our Vexilar to its fullest? It’s not just a tool that shows the bottom, the fish and your jig, it’s much more than that… Whether it’s an FL-8, FL-18, FL-12, FL-20 or FL-22, your Vexilar has fast-become your best friend on the ice. Seeing that green flicker turn into an orange line followed by a solid ... [ Read More ]
Innovative Leadcore Improves Catch
Unique applications of the so-called ‘big fish’ line for crappies, perch and bluegills by Mitch Eagan Certainly, the best way to decode what fish are keen on is covering as much water as possible with a multitude of baits. Unfortunately, though, it’s tedious and time consuming – virtually unrealistic. Meanwhile, back on earth, trolling, by far, is the best way to find fish while eliminating unproductive water. But by pulling lures with a conventional rod, reel and line combo, it’s physically impossible to sample the entire water column. And this time of year, fish of all species can be anywhere – high, low, or somewhere in-between. Fall is the perfect time to break out the leadcore line. With this one crucial piece of gear, lures of any stripe can be fished down to whatever depth ... [ Read More ]
Early Canada Goose Hunting Strategies – by Jason Mitchell
The early Canada goose seasons that are now available to hunters across the Country creates some tremendous opportunities for waterfowl hunters. A number of states, which now have nuisance seasons or early resident goose hunting opportunities, stretch from the Midwest to the East Coast. Most of these additional and liberal hunting seasons revolve around the abundance of Giant Canada Geese that typically weigh between ten to twelve pounds. These resident populations of birds that have populated much of the northern tier of the Nation west of the Rocky Mountains are the largest subspecies of Canada Geese. Through massive reintroduction efforts, these birds have been remarkable in their ability to expand and adapt. A bird that was once threatened is now flourishing on golf courses and ... [ Read More ]
Short Line Walleye Crankbaits – Video of Technique Included
What the heck are Short Line Walleye Crankbaits? Time to find out from Jason Mitchell.... Short Line Cranks for Walleyes by Jason Mitchell No two lakes are ever the same so there is no rubber stamp that covers all situations when it comes to fish location. That is the beauty of fishing, you can put together a pattern that works really well on a given fishery and then travel twenty miles and find a completely different set of rules. Even on a given lake, different parts of a lake will have unique characteristics that set each area apart. Places with multiple personalities. Leech Lake in northern Minnesota fits that mold along with Devils Lake in north central North Dakota. Come mid-summer, the reality is that most major walleye fisheries will reveal several patterns ... [ Read More ]