by B-man715 Baiting season has been on for a couple weeks now, but only one of mine has been getting hit. This is in the no-quota area of Minnesota, where you can shoot two bears every year. I'm used to drawing one tag every eight years in Wisconsin!! He and one other bear have been coming in quite regulary, often times as early as 2pm. Go figure that two days before the season opens, my only hot bait goes stone cold......... This bait is nearly a half mile walk from the truck, which makes popcorn the logical choice (ever carry 5 gallons of cookie dough a half mile??? that dump is heavy!!) I figured another baiter had come in with a more appetizing offering. The heat had also kicked it up over the last few days too. Temps have been in the mid eighties. This was my logic for the bait ... [ Read More ]
Where Are Those Ring Necked Pheasants?
Ring-necked pheasants were first imported to America in 1881 from China, and they have since become among the hottest upland game birds of Minnesota. It's a grassland-dependent species mostly found in rural areas near grain harvests and grassy fields, like corn. Ring Necked pheasants can survive a comparatively broad variety of temperature conditions and eat grain, weed seeds and insects. Basic description Span: 20 to 36 inches, including the tail variability. Sounds: Ring necked pheasant roosters crow loudest in summer and springtime, particularly at twilight and dawn. Loud, fast beating of the wings that can be in the field generally follows a rooster's crow. Roosters additionally frequently cackle when they fly. Reproduction: Pheasants start mating in May and April. Hens lay ... [ Read More ]
The Panfish Assault: Operation Inline Spinners
by Matt Johnson Exploding through the water like a torpedo, the monster bluegill crushes the shiner minnow—a hearty meal that’s typically found on the menu of a bass. This is a common scenario that often goes unseen within our favorite bodies of water, abundant with panfish. See, panfish are kamikazes, and have been known to devour baits twice their size. If that’s the case, then why do we settle with small-profiled presentations when targeting these underwater bullies? We’ve been taught that when thinking about smaller fish, we must throw smaller baits, but that’s definitely not the case… Lures that we commonly use to target bass and larger gamefish also have their place in a panfish angler’s arsenal. Granted, we might have to downsize slightly, but the common practice of throwing ... [ Read More ]
Giant Bass Through the Stages of Fall
Bite windows for giant fall bass can be short and intense, but this has always been my favorite season for searching for out-size fish. Between the last phase of late summer and into fall turnover, giant bass can be found locating at variable depths on waters throughout the country. While shallow water impoundments find fish locating either in heavy vegetation or on inside and outside turns on edges of expansive weed flats, deep impoundments can offer a chance at giant bass that locate on and around on off-shore structures. During the first stage of turnover, off-shore haunts also offer topwater opportunities to boat quality largemouth and smallies. Many fish are suspending on forage pods out over main basins. During prime bite windows during the night and early morning hours, larger ... [ Read More ]
Minnesota Sturgeon Fishing: Bigger and Better
Anglers have more opportunities to fish for Minnesota sturgeon because of a new catch-and-release fishing season this year. Here’s what you need to know. What does the new season mean for anglers? The new catch-and-release season on inland waters began this year. Each year, it closes from April 15 to June 15 to protect sturgeon during spawning. During the season, anglers can intentionally fish for lake sturgeon on inland waters. This allows sturgeon fishing on waters like Otter Tail Lake and the Littlefork, Bigfork and Kettle rivers – all of which have good numbers of lake sturgeon. Anglers can also catch and release lake sturgeon on additional border waters like the Red, St. Louis and Mississippi rivers. Why expand sturgeon fishing? Comebacks staged by lake sturgeon in recent years ... [ Read More ]
Crazy Catfish (Squeaky-Clean Whiskery Schemes)
Who says you need to always use stinky stuff to catch catfish? Sometimes, cats are as happy to actively swim and chase prey as any freshwater predator. In fact, as anglers continually discover, catfish can be caught with a whole array of methods previously ascribed to their ‘glamorous’ aquatic brethren. Driven by broad powerful tails, forceful frames and muscular mandibles, the catfish clan—channels, blues and flatheads—is entirely capable of kicking bass and waylaying walleyes in any underwater arena. You’ve heard the stories—probably even yourself caught cats using unorthodox methods at one time or another: Channel catfish caught on curly-tail grubs; flatheads falling for Fat Raps; blue cats bombarding buzzbaits. Far from supernatural fishing phenomena, these seemingly unlikely events ... [ Read More ]
Scout Smarter for Turkey hunting Season Success
Scout Smarter for Turkey Season Success Pro Alex Rutlege reveals his pre-season back of tricks By Lance Davidson Most turkey hunters like getting out in the field to patch together the pieces of the puzzle that will help them bag a bird once the redbuds start to bloom. Serious turkey hunters, however, see scouting as much more than an enjoyable way of shaking off late winter’s cabin fever. For the folks whose season plans involve numerous hunts in multiple states, scouting is mission critical to getting birds down early so they can move on to the next hunt. “Success in any hunt comes down to scouting,” says Tenzing Outdoors pro and host of Bloodline TV and Radio, Alex Rutledge. The Birch Tree, Missouri native’s 30 plus years of workmanlike hunting experience have ... [ Read More ]
Stick to the Plan – Turkey Hunting
I love to turkey hunt, but I can’t sit still, so at times it’s a real challenge. When I first started turkey hunting, I’d hunt in the same spot, nice and still until about nine o’clock and then head home. On the way home, I’d see toms strutting everywhere and I soon realized I was doing something wrong. Since then I have developed a solid plan that works for me. I hunt in phases. Each phase is a time of the day that corresponds to certain turkey behaviors. I hate wearing a watch, but when I am hunting with my plan, I use the clock on my cellphone to keep me on track and keep me disciplined. When I am bored stiff hunting, time seems to move really slowly, the clock keeps me honest. I also bring plenty of food and water, in case the plan takes a while to work. When I turkey hunt- I like to ... [ Read More ]
Nuclear Ant Dare to Drop a Nuclear Bomb
Supercharged Nuclear Ant leaves mushroom clouds during last ice - Ice Fishing Mayhem Swirl. Whirl. Slurp and munch. Fish are frantically siphoning food from the flow. The bite? Fast and furious. After all… it is last ice. The sun’s high and bright, and its intense rays are literally liquefying the layer of snow right out from underneath your boot’s cleats. The melt-off’s draw from the still-frozen surface is flowing down through your hole, as well pouring in from the surrounding springs and streams. Within the runoff, miniature morsels of food have been lying in a frozen state since the water first solidified. It’s the time of year when panfish of all species are treading high in the water column; their dorsal fins literally tickling the lake’s soon-to-be-departed icy shell. The ... [ Read More ]
Experience Wins Over – Ice Fishing Perch, Crappies & Bluegill
Experience Wins Over - Ice Fishing Perch, Crappies & Bluegill Being in the fishing game as long as I have, a slight bit of common sense seems to take over every once in a while, certainly a whole lot more than it did when younger. A “two group” Ontario lake trout outing got me to thinking about this.Planned a month in advance, there would be eight of us. I use the word “us” loosely, as Blake and I weren’t planning on making the trip, as we were penciled in to help with the annual “No Child Left Inside” program, put on by the Nashwauk-Keewatin school district. Scheduled for a Friday, it would be the same day the trout outing would get underway on Lake Manitou. I thought about running up there late Friday or early Saturday but came to my senses after watching the weather ... [ Read More ]