With the recent Bassmaster Classic win, KVD reminded many anglers how effective a lipless crank can be in cold water. He wasn't alone as most of the top 10 guys were throwing trap style baits. I came across a good article that not only talks about fishing lipless baits but also on the differences between the wide variety of styles available and the techniques each is best at. It also touches on the best setups for fishing these baits and gives a sample worksheet to help you identify baits you should use. Here is an excerpt....

"Lipless cranks may all look somewhat similar, but an important point to realize is that not all lipless cranks behave the same - unless you just chunk and wind them. It's fair to say that most bass anglers today, that's all they do with lipless cranks - chuck them out and wind them back in. If that's all you want to do, then stop reading right now and go use any lipless on the market - and you should have success. Most are good to "chuck and wind" straight back.
If you want to do different things than that with them, you need to realize not all are the same. There is a big difference in what you can and can't do with different brands/models of lipless."

Check out the full article at http://www.bassdozer.com/articles/lipless-crankbaits.shtml
A good read and hopefully it helps you catch a few more bass this season.

We picked up a few subscribers over the past month or two and I wanted to welcome you to the site. If you are a frequent reader but haven't yet subscribed, you can do so by entering your email in the  box to the left and clicking "Subscribe". That way you can get every entry delivered straight to your inbox.

Thanks,
Sport

     

        

As the weather warms and ice fishing draws to a close, most anglers have started to prepare for the upcoming open water season. Plenty of good panfish fishing can still be had during late ice as melting snow brings warm oxygen rich water into lakes and streams. I wanted to spend a few minutes talking about new gear items that helped make my winter fishing better than ever this past season. Maybe you can pick up a deal at the end of season sales that some retailers are having for ice fishing gear.

Mobility has become key in Ice fishing in recent years. Sitting on a bucket in one place waiting for fish to swim by is no longer what the sport is about. Power augers have been the biggest advancement in mobility and allow anglers to drill holes all day. I was not an early adopter of the power auger. I would normally find fish during early ice when my hand auger could drill holes easily and often. Once the ice got to 18" or more I would settle in and beat on the spots I had found earlier or invite a fishing buddy with a power auger. This year I broke down and got a Strikemaster Electra 12000dp.



The auger works great and I love not having to deal with gas and oil. It is also nice that it doesn't smoke up the inside of the wheel house. If you are in the market for a new auger. Check it out.

Last year I started selling Rod Slicks and have been using them on my bass rods for some time. This winter, I used them on my ice rods and was very happy with how the worked. If you keep your rods in a bucket you know how often the get tangled. I also use them to protect those higher priced jigging rods. They are great! If you are interested in getting a few slicks drop me a note.



I use a MrHeater Buddy for warming my various shelters. One thing I have always hated is the number of empty 1Lb propane tanks that seem to fill up my truck and garage. This year I got the fitting from Bass Pro Shops that allows me to refill the canisters. Now I keep about four tanks around and can simply fill them off the BBQ grill when I need to. It is quick and easy and it saves you lots of money in the long run. 



Filling the tank is very easy. Connect the brass adapter to the 20lb tank and tighten it with a wrench. Then connect the 1lb tank. Turn the whole setup upside down and open the valve. Leave the valve open for one to two minutes then turn the valve off. Your done. The small tank has been refilled. You cant really get the tank as full as when you bought it due to air in the tank but close enough to surely justify the $20 purchase.
Click the picture (left) to take you right to the adapter.

There is a few items I added to my winter fishing. Hope they help you too.

Sport

        

I am very happy to announce a new partnership I have joined with Mad Bass Custom Baits.

Mad Bass is smaller family owned bait company based out of Washington State. That area of the country has a  very good but little known smallmouth fishery.  They specialize in "Finesse" baits as well as smallmouth offerings but offer a fairly complete line up including hard baits and plan to be adding to the product line in the coming months.

I am very excited to have partnered with Mad Bass. As anyone who has fished with me knows or if you have read many of my fishing related entries you will know that I consider finesse fishing one of my strengths and enjoy having a spinning rod in hand whenever it is applicable. You may also know that if given the choice, like most bass anglers, I will chase smallmouth over large mouths any day. That makes Mad Bass baits a perfect fit for my style of fishing.The unique designs and colors that Mad Bass is producing will surely help me put more fish in the boat this upcoming season.




If you are interested in looking at some different smallmouth and finesse type baits, check out the Mad Bass website at www.madbassbaits.com or drop me a note and I can fill you in.

Sport

        

I spent  a few days last week in the UP of Michigan and got the chance to do some fishing. One day we chased panfish with only limited success. I did manage to learn some new water though and spent some time on the ice with friends.
I spent another day and a half setting Tip Ups for Northerns on a lake in the Hiawatha National forest. This area was my stomping grounds as a kid so it was fun to get out and enjoy the country again.

Michigan regs changed in the past year or two and now allow for 3 lines per angler and 2 hooks per line. This meant the party of 5 of us could put out a dozen tip ups and still have a couple rods in hand for panfish. The panfish bite was slow with only one perch being landed on day one. The northern bite however was excellent. On day one we had 15 flags landing 8 fish in the 20-25 inch range and broke off a couple fish that felt much bigger. The fish were obviously active. They were tearing line off the spools. Several fish had half a spool out with in 30-40 seconds of the flag going up. One fish bit threw the heavy fluorocarbon leader just like they do so often in open water.


                            Jackie lands a nice one.

We had our spread starting in about 3 feet of water going out across a channel of 20+ feet and then back up onto a point with some milfoil and pencil reeds in 4 or 5 feet of water. On day one every tip up produced at least one bite even though the depth ranges varied so widely. On day 2 however the shallower lines produced best.


                        Old fashioned but still effective!

Most guys would never think to put out baits in 3 feet of water under 20 inches of ice. They should! This is not the first time we have had success in very skinny water. The action can be fast and furious as big Northerns get up in shallow water looking for an easy meal. The second day we got only 5 flags but landed 4 fish in the 23-34 inch range. We pulled the set in mid afternoon to pack up and head home after a nice fresh fish fish fry for lunch.


                              This 11.5 lb prespawn female took a golden shiner and lots of line

All in all a great couple days. We released most of the fish to hopefully catch next year. Only a couple weeks left in most states to get out and chase toothy fish so get out there now before you have to put the tip ups away for another year.

        

I recently took a few guys out and tried to catch a few of the big crappies many lakes of northern Minnesota are known for. We worked with Rick Grabko from the Boy Lake area. Rick lives on the lake and runs a guiding operation on the lake. He rents a few fish houses so we fished out of one of those and stayed in Longville.



The house was sitting in one of the deep holes of the upper basin. We were in roughly 38 feet of water at the base of a ledge running up to 23 feet. Too deep for the Aqua Vu so I borrowed a Vexilar from a fishing buddy. We marked plenty of fish but just couldn't get them to bite. We only managed one crappie the first day and 4 more on day two. Earl had never been ice fishing before so it was good that he caught the majority of the five fish.


                                        Earl shows off the catch of the day.


                                                     Good size fish even if the numbers were down.

Everyone had an extra day before having to hop on planes etc. so we headed back to the cities and hooked up the wheel house to the truck. Off to tonka to bend a rod a few more times.
We parked the house on a weed edge that drops off into a deep hole. I have had luck here in the past and it didn't take long till the action got hot. The Aqua Vu showed fish everywhere. Ray took up a comfy spot on the couch while Earl landed fish after fish from a corner chair. Bill (my dad) and myself took turns catching fish out of another hole and laughing at the almost constant yelling of "Fish On!"


                                                Ray liked his spot on the couch.

They might not have been the biggest fish but we caught plenty (probably around 50) and brought home enough good ones to have a real nice fish fry with the girls back home. We also got one decent northern on a tip up on top of the weed flat.

 
                                        Earl lands a big one   


                                           Celebrating the catch

All in all it was a great three days on the ice. It was great to spend time with friends and to introduce the sport of ice fishing to a newcomer.
If you are interested in the trip we took and want more info about the places we went or the gear we used, feel free to drop me a line.

Sport

        

We picked up a new wheel house a week ago and I wasted little time getting Sarah and myself out in it. No major lunkers caught but probably 30 gills got pulled up in a couple hours of fishing. About half of those by Sarah.



Sarah had a blast and with the extra room she could watch a movie and wrestle with the dog when she got bored. I hope to get Andrea out this weekend.

Quick post since I am very behind. Hopefully I will get a few more out this weekend.

Thanks
Sport

        

Ice fishing is in full swing here in the Midwest and below is a list of all the fun events you should think about getting out to and catch a few fish for prizes. I am a bit behind with this list but there are plenty here for you to choose from.

This year I tried to organize the events by state. Let me know what you think. Feel free to send me any event I may have missed and I will add it to the list.

Minnesota

StrikeMaster Ice Augers World Ice Auger Drilling Championships
Time:8:00AM Saturday, January 9^th Location:Brainerd

Join us for the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza!
January 23, 2010 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
On Gull Lake - Brainerd, Minnesota

01/30/10 The 35th Maple Lake Ice Fishing Derby
Hosted By: Maple Lake Property Owners Association

01/30/10 The Original Ice fishing Contest (Part of the St Paul Winter Carnival)
White Bear Lake
http://www.icefishingevent.com

01/31/10 57th Annual United Northern Sportsmen's Ice Fishing Contest
Island Lake, Duluth, MN
http://www.unitednorthernsportsmen.org/Events.htm

02/6/10 12th Annual Park Rapids Legion Community Ice Fishing Derby,
Saturday, February 6, 2010. Start time 1 to 3:30pm
Over 110,000.00 in Prizes Grand Prize Raffle, 2010 Ford 4 wheel drive truck, Polaris ATVs Cash and much more.
http://www.parkrapidsfishingderby.com/

02/13/10 Hunters Point Resort Perch and Pout Hunt
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing hours 7am-2pm
2pm awards and door prizes (lots of them)
Contest entry and details at Hunters Point Resort 320-676-3227

02/13/10 10th Annual Alexandria, MN Ice Fishing Challenge
http://www.icefishingchallenge.org/index.html

02/19/10 - 2/21/10 31st Annual International Eelpout Festival
Leech Lake, Walker MN
http://www.eelpoutfestival.com/

02/20/10 Fountain Lake Sportsmens Club Ice Classic 2010
This years extravaganza will be held February 20th 2010 in conjunction with the City of Albert Lea Winter Carnival.

02/20/10 Ducks Unlimited Ice Fishing Tournament
Noon to 3 PM on Garrison Bay. $30 per hole per person. Max 2 holes per person. $40 per hole after Feb 15th. Top 75 fish weighed win prizes. Truck, 4 wheeler, Ice Castle fish house, Aqua views, etc. Location: Garrison - Mille Lacs Lake
http://www.fishingforducks.org/

02/20/10 Mille Lacs Perch Extravaganza
Feb 20th out of Hunters Point Resort
$$ for biggest perch & TONS OF DOOR PRIZES
http://www.johnsonsportside.com/

02/20/20 3rd Annual Lake Minnetonka Kids Ice Fishing Challenge
Anglers between the ages of seven and seventeen will converge on ice to compete in an ice fishing derby.
10AM-12PM on Carsons Bay of Lake Minnetonka.
http://fishtonka.blogspot.com/2009/11/kids-ice-fishing-challenge-on-lake.html

02/27/10 8th Annual Little Hole On Big Lake 
Lakeside Park in Big Lake, MN (12:00-3:00)
http://www.littleholeonbiglake.org/


03/14/10   VFW Ice Fishing Derby
Baudette, MN
2:00 P.M. VFW presents an Ice Fishing Derby on Baudette Bay
http://www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/calendar.asp

　

Wisconsin

01/16/10 Big Elk/Musser Lake Association Ice Fishing Contest
Phillips (www.pricecountywi.net)
Ice fishing contest (9am-3pm) plus raffle and paddle wheel contests and hot food & beverages throughout the day in the heated/carpeted tent on Musser Lake. Cash prizes will be awarded for the largest fish Northern, Walleye, Crappie, Blue Gill, and Perch. Entry fee is $5.00. Trophies, cash prizes and raffle prizes will be awarded at 4pm. This event is being sponsored by the Musser Lake Association.

02/27/10 SYAA'S 6th ANNUAL 2010 BASS LAKE ICE FISHING CONTEST
Bass Lake, Somerset, WI. (12:00-3:00)
http://www.basslakecontest.com/

Pelican Lake Ice fishing Tournament (Not sure if this one is going this year)
http://www.wiicefishing.com/index.html

NAIFC12/19/09 Boom Lake, WI [Champ]
01/10/10 Richmond Lake, SD [Qual]
01/24/10 Lake Wissota, WI [Qual]
01/31/10 Hamlin Lake, MI [Qual]
02/07/10 Delavan Lake, WI [Qual]
02/21/10 Lake Thompson, WI [Qual]

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The past few weeks have been spent traveling, hunting and spending time with family. My mind often wonders while doing these things and I recently had a few thoughts about what a hunting blind really is. I recently sat in a duck blind constructed of 4 posts a plywood floor and some burlap wrapped around it with 3 other full grown men. The blind was situated in about 2 feet of water on Michigan's Little Bay De Noc. As we scrambled to abandon ship with the whole thing starting to crumble under our weight, I thought of all the wide variety of blinds I had found myself in.

As a boy my father and I would scrounge driftwood and other debris that had washed ashore to make our duck blinds. Each one was different and over the years we saw each as an individual work of art. One year a very large pile of rocks was our crowning achievement. The ducks weren't quite as impressed as we, but a few fell in front of it all the same. We also used layout boats and a sheet of burlap for a few years. Although extremely effective for luring ducks close, the chill of water running down your waders while laying prone in a leaky old wood boat does grow old in the later part of the season.
As a young man I would scramble up a tree in the fall with hammer and a few scrap 2x4s in hand. I would fashion a crude platform just big enough to hold my 90 pound frame and then don a camouflage shirt and wait with my bow and arrow. I never shot a deer from one of those tree stands, but I watched more deer from there and at a closer range than any blind I have sat in since.
In my early years of riffle hunting for deer we were not allowed to be in a tree. I would sit on a bucket behind a pile of brush. Sometimes I would be watching a run or a swamp edge but most of the time I was watching the squirrels and jays stealing corn and apples from my bait. I have graduated now to roomy enclosed blinds with propane heaters and sliding windows. It is not uncommon for some fellows I know to remove their boots while hunting whitetails. I do wonder if it is really hunting at that point but I must admit I like to warm my hands by the fire every now and then.
They make pop up blinds, roll out blinds, snap together blinds and on and on. But what do these various and widely different devices have in common?

I remember a few years ago being asked by a non hunter what I meant when I said "blind". I actually had to think for a minute before trying to explain. A dictionary will tell you that the word blind has many, many meanings. The one to which I am most currently referring to is "a lightly built structure of brush or other growths, esp. one in which hunters conceal themselves". Although mostly accurate, I believe this definition does not do the blind justice. There is so much more that defines a blind. So now you will glimpse into the rambling thoughts of a man driving long distances, hunting (unsuccessfully) and spending holiday time with family.

A blind can be a work of art. The tinkering of a master craftsmen. A blind is often a place to spend time with good friends. To laugh at the missed duck that was sitting 25 yards out and applaud a good wing shot or nice retrieve. A place to get wet in freezing temperatures and to enjoy the smell of your dog when he is wet too. A place to take a nice nap (aka work off your hang over from the night of poker before) or maybe read a book by a small propane heater. A small library of sorts. It can be simply a quiet place of reflection to watch a few animals and learn how they really act without the bars and plexi glass of a zoo. In recent years we have taken to cooking breakfast in the blind. To that end our blind could now be considered a 4 star restaurant. The 5th star was recently removed when the proprietor was caught letting the dogs clean the plates.

It can be a place of worship. If you have never been accosted by your wife, mother or girlfriend over missing Sunday morning church, you probably aren't a hunter, or else you come from a family of atheists. Next time you catch that look when you are preparing camouflage on Saturday night, just remind the would be protagonist that watching the sunrise with a light breeze to your back (for you duck hunters, to your face for you deer hunters) and listening to the sounds of gods creation, as it wakes to a new day, that you couldn't be any closer to God. Remind her that the bible says we were put here to rule over his creation and that your Remington is the only way you know to carry out God's great plan for us. My dad once used a slightly better analogy than this to render a nun speechless after being called out on poor attendance at Sunday mass. I know I have had many a conversation with God while in a blind. God I hope that deer comes closer, God I hope the outboard starts, God I hope my gun fires again after kicking it in the drink, etc,etc.

There is nothing quite like a good blind. Be it small, big, smelly, cold, warm, wet, dark, etc. We love them all and they hold a place near and dear to our hearts.

        

November 15th in Michigan takes on a holiday feel. This past holiday weekend we headed back with a single goal in mind. Get Andrea her first Buck. Last year Andrea passed on a buck because it came in within 15 or 20 minutes of getting in her blind. Obviously a bigger buck would come by right.... She never saw another buck that year. After learning her lesson, she had vowed to drop any buck that crossed her path this year.
We borrowed a nice .243 Weatherby for her to use this year. After shooting at the range a couple times, it was apparent that she was comfortable with her new gun. She was punching the ten ring at 100 yards and we rarely shoot much past 50 in the cedar swamps of the UP. I wouldn't want to be a buck in one of her shooting lanes.
We both sat several times the first few days of the season. Nothing but does and fawns for Andrea not a single deer for me. The weather was just too warm and too nice for the deer. They didn't need to move and when they did, it was at night. Then last weekend they seemed to start moving just a little more and we sent Andrea to a different blind that I had heard a buck grunting at a day or two earlier. I sat in a blind about 80 acres away with my cell phone on vibrate. When I heard the shot I knew it was her but sent a quick text to find out for sure. Buck down! was the reply. I left my blind and we met up back at camp and got the gear to start tracking and dragging.



He didn't go far but the blood trail was pretty light so it took us a few minutes to find him. Andrea was pretty excited when we did and was making phone calls while I started the messy work of field dressing the nice six point deer. Back at camp we washed fresh cooked heart and belly loins down with a few celebratory shots. I caught a little grief about how Andrea had shot two deer in the past couple years and I had not shot a one. I was still very happy for her and the meat goes in the same freezer. Next year I will probably hunt a little harder though and Andrea may get a little less special attention. (Although she may very well not need it)



Sport

        

Jerky is a snack enjoyed by many if not all outdoorsman from time to time. About this time of year I always end up making some from whatever wild game I can find in the back of my freezer. Venison gets the call often, so does duck or goose. I am playing with the idea of trying pheasant this fall as well. I will let you all know how that works out.
I like making jerky for a variety of reasons. First of all, I am cheap and beef jerky is pricey if you buy it at the store. Second It is a great way to use up some less than favorable cuts of meat. It is fun, you can add whatever spice you like, it is great in the blind, boat, or truck... the reason go on and on. That being said I thought I would share a few of the tricks that have worked for me.

I have already mentioned the different types of meats I have used. Any lean meat can work for you. Make sure you trim all the silver skin and fat off the meat before drying it. It will cause your jerky to go bad faster not to mention that it is tough to chew.
I recently bought an electric knife to help with the slicing of strips. This has made that portion of the process much easier than years past. It is great for taking those just a little too thick slices and making a perfect cut in half to get two thinner slices. I paid 20 bucks for the knife I got. You can pay more but this one seems to be getting it done. Plus I can use it to carve the turkey in a couple weeks.

After slicing the meat, I have started running a Jaccard over the meet. This is basically a mechanical meat tenderizer. It allows the meat to better absorb the marinade and it helps to even out the thickness of the strips allowing for even drying. Some folks like to make jerky out of ground meat. The end product is easier to chew but the grinding process is labor intensive not to mention you have to clean the grinder and the tube gun that lays the strips in the dryer. I find the Jaccard to be an easier option.

Marinades are as numerous as stars in the sky. I even read a recipe lately for jerky ice cream. I dont know about that.
You can buy pre-made marinades, you can find recipes on line or you can buy a book. As you look at them all you will find a few ingredients make up 80% of them. soy sauce, teriyaki, salt, brown sugar and liquid smoke are in most of them. Add some garlic, ground pepper and any hot pepper and you have them covered. Mess with these, add some hot sauce, beer or whiskey and enjoy.

Original jerky was dried by smoking it. If you have a smoker, have at it. I don't, so I have used the oven. The lowest heat with the door cracked will work. A dehydrator does work a little better however. The air movement dries the meat more evenly. Either way you will enjoy your tasty snack while hunting for more meat for your next batch.

I hope this gives you a few ideas or motivates you try making jerky yourself.

Good luck in the field,
Sport