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Sport's Outdoors Blog
Ice is on its way
A lack of cold weather (along with a few other issues) as kept me off
the ice this winter. As I write this today however it is -6 degrees at
noon with the sun shining. That will make some ice. I hear the warm
weather as had the bite going pretty well but guys have to drag
portables out. I need a good 12-14" to get the diesel and wheel house
out so hopefully by next week.
the ice this winter. As I write this today however it is -6 degrees at
noon with the sun shining. That will make some ice. I hear the warm
weather as had the bite going pretty well but guys have to drag
portables out. I need a good 12-14" to get the diesel and wheel house
out so hopefully by next week.
The Great Worm Hunt
As a boy growing up in Michigan, We used worms for bait when chasing just about any species of fish. In the spring a river near my home was host to a spawning run of suckers. They provided hours of fun for me and my friends. If we weren't trying to snag them with big treble hooks, we would get them to eat a big gob of worm. The brook trout in that stream fell for fresh dug worms as well. Perch would take a double hook rig baited with worms in Lake michigan during their spawning runs in lake Michigan, Walleyes on spinner rigs, bluegills, etc. If the ground wasn't frozen and we were going fishing, we probably had to dig a few worms first.
I got good at finding these simple yet very important creatures. It was rare that one of the standard spots wouldn't produce a good ice cream pale full of slimy brown gold. The leaf piles under the eaves of the garage or the tool shed were always an easy place to start. Move the leaves and get to the wet ground and there they would be. Sometimes a stick would be needed to scratch up a little earth if it hadn't rained in a week or more. A keen eye was needed to differentiate between a worm and a wet stick but I mastered the skill. Replacing the leaves back on the pile ensured future hunts would be successful.
From there you could always count on the slightly less pleasant, large pile of dog poop behind our bird dogs kennel. This location provided some of the fattest worms but was most likely responsible for the women in our family never touching a worm during a fishing outing. (Although the women in my family loved to fish, it is hard to tell a leaf pile worm from a dog crap worm) There were several tricks to hunting this spot too. Most important was that worms are rarely if ever found directly in the pile. Even they must not be able to handle the pure fecal power. Instead you had to use a shovel and dig at the very edge where the poop meets the topsoil. Here a couple shovels of dirt could be over turned and broken up to unveil a trove of wiggling beauties.
Now when you were away from home and had to find a few worms for a last minute trip or maybe had run out during a hot bite, there are some standard locations one could look. Tipping over the logs used as seats around a fire pit always has potential, as did turning over large rocks. Soil type of the area however could have a great affect on success rates. Rocks on a sand beach dont have worms under them. Worms aren't really the beach type I guess. I was also scolded by a young native boy for attempting this technique on a trip to Belize. Apparently Scorpions, Snakes and other mean critters like living under things too. Safety tip for you.
This past spring I had cabin fever something terrible. The weather was nice enough but seasons were still closed here in the north country so I couldn't hit the water. It had rained during the day so I decided to teach my daughter one of the most fun ways to catch the biggest worms. Sarah loves worms and regularly collects them off the driveway following a storm. This night however, we were taking a more direct approach. She was allowed to stay up past bedtime and armed with a flashlight and plastic cool whip container, we hit the front yard. Watching a four year old in princess PJs diving on a night crawler as it shoots back down its hole in the grass is a priceless sight I would recommend to any father who has a daughter. We had a blast. The worms won most of the time but Sarah and I did manage to outsmart a few. If you have never tried to catch a worm using a flashlight at night you would be shocked at how fast they are and although they have no eyes, they can tell when you shine the light on them. You need to pull slowly as Sarah found out once or twice or you will find yourself holding half a worm. Once we had scared all the worms in the front yard back down, It was time for bed. I got a big hug and had to promise another worm hunt soon. A promise I gladly made.
I dont use live bait very often anymore. Worms made from plastisol make up most of my arsenal these days. I will always have a place in my heart though for the wiggly little guys and I am guessing the fish will too.
I got good at finding these simple yet very important creatures. It was rare that one of the standard spots wouldn't produce a good ice cream pale full of slimy brown gold. The leaf piles under the eaves of the garage or the tool shed were always an easy place to start. Move the leaves and get to the wet ground and there they would be. Sometimes a stick would be needed to scratch up a little earth if it hadn't rained in a week or more. A keen eye was needed to differentiate between a worm and a wet stick but I mastered the skill. Replacing the leaves back on the pile ensured future hunts would be successful.
From there you could always count on the slightly less pleasant, large pile of dog poop behind our bird dogs kennel. This location provided some of the fattest worms but was most likely responsible for the women in our family never touching a worm during a fishing outing. (Although the women in my family loved to fish, it is hard to tell a leaf pile worm from a dog crap worm) There were several tricks to hunting this spot too. Most important was that worms are rarely if ever found directly in the pile. Even they must not be able to handle the pure fecal power. Instead you had to use a shovel and dig at the very edge where the poop meets the topsoil. Here a couple shovels of dirt could be over turned and broken up to unveil a trove of wiggling beauties.
Now when you were away from home and had to find a few worms for a last minute trip or maybe had run out during a hot bite, there are some standard locations one could look. Tipping over the logs used as seats around a fire pit always has potential, as did turning over large rocks. Soil type of the area however could have a great affect on success rates. Rocks on a sand beach dont have worms under them. Worms aren't really the beach type I guess. I was also scolded by a young native boy for attempting this technique on a trip to Belize. Apparently Scorpions, Snakes and other mean critters like living under things too. Safety tip for you.
This past spring I had cabin fever something terrible. The weather was nice enough but seasons were still closed here in the north country so I couldn't hit the water. It had rained during the day so I decided to teach my daughter one of the most fun ways to catch the biggest worms. Sarah loves worms and regularly collects them off the driveway following a storm. This night however, we were taking a more direct approach. She was allowed to stay up past bedtime and armed with a flashlight and plastic cool whip container, we hit the front yard. Watching a four year old in princess PJs diving on a night crawler as it shoots back down its hole in the grass is a priceless sight I would recommend to any father who has a daughter. We had a blast. The worms won most of the time but Sarah and I did manage to outsmart a few. If you have never tried to catch a worm using a flashlight at night you would be shocked at how fast they are and although they have no eyes, they can tell when you shine the light on them. You need to pull slowly as Sarah found out once or twice or you will find yourself holding half a worm. Once we had scared all the worms in the front yard back down, It was time for bed. I got a big hug and had to promise another worm hunt soon. A promise I gladly made.
I dont use live bait very often anymore. Worms made from plastisol make up most of my arsenal these days. I will always have a place in my heart though for the wiggly little guys and I am guessing the fish will too.
Mad Bass Releases New Website
Mad Bass Custom Baits has released a completely new and updated website this spring to help customers learn more about their baits and help you catch more fish.
New to the lineup this year are a few baits I am very excited about. The Mad Stix are a stick worm bait that is going to be a solid fish producer. It is slightly fatter than many of the other senko style baits on the market and will appeal to a slightly larger bite.
The Mad Creature is a flipper bait and will pull double duty both as a jig trailer and a flipping bait. Both of these soft plastics are available in standard colors as well as several that can only be found from Mad Bass.
Dont forget to check out the hard baits as well. The crank baits have been completely redesigned for the 2011 season.
Check out the new site it has a great new look (especially the pro staff page of course). If you want to get your hands on some of these baits, let me know and I can help you get the ones you need for that next trip to the lake.
Sport
New to the lineup this year are a few baits I am very excited about. The Mad Stix are a stick worm bait that is going to be a solid fish producer. It is slightly fatter than many of the other senko style baits on the market and will appeal to a slightly larger bite.
The Mad Creature is a flipper bait and will pull double duty both as a jig trailer and a flipping bait. Both of these soft plastics are available in standard colors as well as several that can only be found from Mad Bass.
Dont forget to check out the hard baits as well. The crank baits have been completely redesigned for the 2011 season.
Check out the new site it has a great new look (especially the pro staff page of course). If you want to get your hands on some of these baits, let me know and I can help you get the ones you need for that next trip to the lake.
Sport
Ice Fishing With the Kids Video
Winter is hanging on strong so I bundled up the kids and got the fish house hooked up to the truck again this week. It is a fair amount of work taking a baby and a 3 year old out, but it can be lots of fun. Luckily the fish have started to go into the spring feeding frenzy. They were hitting much better than a couple weeks ago when they were in the dreaded doldrums. The warm snap we had a week or so ago also seems to have chased most other fisherman off the lake so we had the whole thing to ourselves.
We used 1/64 oz jigs with small plastics and wax worms to get these gills going. 2 pound line spooled up on ultra light rods rounded out the rig. We do have spring bobbers on the rods but you could watch them hit by looking down the hole, or as you will see, just watching on the camera. The bucket of fish made for a nice fish fry.
This is my first real attempt at editing our videos. The video itself is mostly of the back of my head but Sarah lays the charm on thick when she knows the camera is rolling.
Enjoy!
Sport
We used 1/64 oz jigs with small plastics and wax worms to get these gills going. 2 pound line spooled up on ultra light rods rounded out the rig. We do have spring bobbers on the rods but you could watch them hit by looking down the hole, or as you will see, just watching on the camera. The bucket of fish made for a nice fish fry.
This is my first real attempt at editing our videos. The video itself is mostly of the back of my head but Sarah lays the charm on thick when she knows the camera is rolling.
Enjoy!
Sport
2011 Classic Time
I dont consider myself a pundit but figured I would put in my two cents on the upcoming big event that starts the season of bass fishing off.
With new BASS ownership taking over last Nov, this event will be the first for the three man team. It doesn't sound like Logan, McKinnis, and Copeland have changed too much for this event but one change I am interested to watch is the Emcee. Dave Mercer takes over the Microphone at this years classic. Dave has his own show on WFN, "Facts of Fishing". I like the show and I think the funny man should do a good job. Although he can be a character, he does know fishing and isn't just a joker like say a Fish Fishburn.
I notice Mike and Mike will not be broadcasting from the take off this year. Cutting back the limited TV coverage the event already had with the departure of ESPN isn't too surprising. Every year they try to put more coverage online so I guess hard core fans will have to continue to get the best info there. Surfing around the Bassmaster.com site I didn't see if they will be streaming the weigh in. ( I found it an hour after this post of course @ http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/classic/live/index) A shame if they didn't since the one hour recap show never does justice to the event. Check ESPN2 listing for show times.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/news/story?page=bassmaster_TV_schedule
My picks... Should be a good one. No clear favorites jump out at you when you look at the field. I think a less known guy could realize his dreams this year. KVD never dominates in the river tournaments. Lots of people Like Hackney as a "local" guy but the locals rarely win it.
Maybe a federation guy can pull it out this year. The kid from Idaho is hot and reportedly spent lots of time practicing.
Give me Tommy Biffle, Stephen Browning or Edwin Evers (who is quietly coming off a good year last season) as my top picks.
We will see how I do.
Sport
With new BASS ownership taking over last Nov, this event will be the first for the three man team. It doesn't sound like Logan, McKinnis, and Copeland have changed too much for this event but one change I am interested to watch is the Emcee. Dave Mercer takes over the Microphone at this years classic. Dave has his own show on WFN, "Facts of Fishing". I like the show and I think the funny man should do a good job. Although he can be a character, he does know fishing and isn't just a joker like say a Fish Fishburn.
I notice Mike and Mike will not be broadcasting from the take off this year. Cutting back the limited TV coverage the event already had with the departure of ESPN isn't too surprising. Every year they try to put more coverage online so I guess hard core fans will have to continue to get the best info there. Surfing around the Bassmaster.com site I didn't see if they will be streaming the weigh in. ( I found it an hour after this post of course @ http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/classic/live/index) A shame if they didn't since the one hour recap show never does justice to the event. Check ESPN2 listing for show times.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/news/story?page=bassmaster_TV_schedule
My picks... Should be a good one. No clear favorites jump out at you when you look at the field. I think a less known guy could realize his dreams this year. KVD never dominates in the river tournaments. Lots of people Like Hackney as a "local" guy but the locals rarely win it.
Maybe a federation guy can pull it out this year. The kid from Idaho is hot and reportedly spent lots of time practicing.
Give me Tommy Biffle, Stephen Browning or Edwin Evers (who is quietly coming off a good year last season) as my top picks.
We will see how I do.
Sport
Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo
I heard about this event and figured I would share. Looks like it might be a fun way to kill a few hours this Spring.
Sport
We are thrilled to announce that Tom Helgeson’s Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo will continue this year on April 1 - 3 at a wonderful new location -- The National Sports Center in Blaine, MN.
As you may have heard, Great Waters founder Tom Helgeson died in November after a brief battle with cancer. His absence left a huge hole in the Midwest fly fishing community.
Thanks to the help and encouragement of his countless friends, we are continuing the expo in the Twin Cities.
We have been overwhelmed and heartened by the enthusiasm and support to continue the expo and build on his legacy.
The managers of the National Sports Center have proven to be exceptional hosts and partners who will help the expo grow, thrive and ensure it remains the epicenter for fly fishing adventure, education and environmental stewardship in the Midwest.
We are busy booking exhibitors and planning the kind of educational, adventurous and interesting programming you have come to expect. We are close to finalizing arrangements to bring in several big-name fly fishing personalities who will add sizzle to the show. Stay tuned for regular e-mail updates and check greatwatersflyfishingexpo.com for more information. Gary Borger & Brian O'Keefe will be featured presenters at this year's Expo.
From now on, a significant portion of the proceeds will go to a Tom Helgeson legacy foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to protecting and preserving the moving waters of the Midwest.
Now we need your help. Please come to the expo (National Sports Center staff secured a special discount for Great Waters guests and exhibitors at nearby hotels) and tell your friends who love the sport -- or who want to know more about the sport -- to come see the finest fly fishing manufacturers, shops and guides in the Midwest. It’s guaranteed to deepen your appreciation of the sport and the environment.
We look forward to seeing you at Tom Helgeson’s Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo on April 1-3 at the National Sports Center in Blaine.
New SportSmithFishing.com Release
Happy New Year!
I have had an extremely busy fall and overall end to 2010. A new Baby, home improvement projects and a little time hunting have taken all of my time the past 3 months. I have managed to spend a little time completely redoing my main home page. Please take a few minutes to jump over there and check it out. To be honest it is not completely done yet but I am tired of sitting on all that work and figured what better day than Jan 1 to release it. Click the link below to check it out.
www.SportSmithFishing.com
I also wanted to take a moment to thank my sponsors and all those who helped make 2010 a succesfull year on the water. That includes all of my faithful readers (You) as well. I look forward to working hard to ensure 2011 is even better.
Thanks again!
Sport
I have had an extremely busy fall and overall end to 2010. A new Baby, home improvement projects and a little time hunting have taken all of my time the past 3 months. I have managed to spend a little time completely redoing my main home page. Please take a few minutes to jump over there and check it out. To be honest it is not completely done yet but I am tired of sitting on all that work and figured what better day than Jan 1 to release it. Click the link below to check it out.
www.SportSmithFishing.com
I also wanted to take a moment to thank my sponsors and all those who helped make 2010 a succesfull year on the water. That includes all of my faithful readers (You) as well. I look forward to working hard to ensure 2011 is even better.
Thanks again!
Sport
Fall Lunkers
With unseasonably high temps it was more like a July evening on the water than mid october. I have been cooped up in the house taking care of the new little guy and working on projects around the house. Tonight I took dad and Sarah out for just a couple hours of dock skipping on a lake right by my house here in Maple Grove.
The water temps were still 67-68 deg. Crazy warm. Water skiers were out as we hit the first dock. It didn't take long. The fish were way up under the remaining docks but if we got a ring fry or hand tied jig under there we usually got bit. We landed 8 or 9 fish with the smallest about 2 1/2 pounds and several around 4 1/2. We lost a big one each when we got our 17lb flouro sawed off. They were big and wanted nothing to do with getting pulled out their homes. Pretty good night for a quick little "get out of the house" trip. Below are a couple pics.
This 4lb plus fish hit a hand tied jig and chiggercraw trailer.
Another 4lb plus fish. This one on a weightless ring fry.
More to come on how the summer tournaments worked out for me. Stay tuned! (better late than never)
Sport
The water temps were still 67-68 deg. Crazy warm. Water skiers were out as we hit the first dock. It didn't take long. The fish were way up under the remaining docks but if we got a ring fry or hand tied jig under there we usually got bit. We landed 8 or 9 fish with the smallest about 2 1/2 pounds and several around 4 1/2. We lost a big one each when we got our 17lb flouro sawed off. They were big and wanted nothing to do with getting pulled out their homes. Pretty good night for a quick little "get out of the house" trip. Below are a couple pics.
This 4lb plus fish hit a hand tied jig and chiggercraw trailer.
Another 4lb plus fish. This one on a weightless ring fry.
More to come on how the summer tournaments worked out for me. Stay tuned! (better late than never)
Sport
Next Generation
I have to apologize for my infrequent attempts to provide content to my site. It has been a crazy summer culminating in the birth of my son William Robert Smith last week. 9lbs13oz and 22 inches long he is a keeper in anybody's book.
Those interested in some pictures of the little guy can go to the following link and enter the following password.
Link: http://www.myfirstdayphotogallery.com/gallery/mgh091810awilliam-953489
Passcode: MGH091810aWilliam
Keep an eye out for updates on my August fishing as well as the Minnesota Federation TOC.
Sport
Those interested in some pictures of the little guy can go to the following link and enter the following password.
Link: http://www.myfirstdayphotogallery.com/gallery/mgh091810awilliam-953489
Passcode: MGH091810aWilliam
Keep an eye out for updates on my August fishing as well as the Minnesota Federation TOC.
Sport
July Fishing, Fun and Beyond
In late June I took a trip with Sarah up to our lake place and spent 3 or 4 days prefishing for two July tournaments in the Alexandria area. We spent a considerable amount of time driving around MIltona and Ida. Both are large lakes and both have a good population of Large mouth and Small mouth. The weather was not great so several times we sat in the truck waiting for storms to pass or slept in to wait a storm out. We still managed a few fish and put together a bit of a game plan.
This 4 pounder took a senko under a dock. Picture taken by Sarah. Pretty good for a three year old.
Sarah posing nice from the front deck with a rainbow in the background.
We left Alexandria and repacked our bags to head over to Michigan for the 4th of July. It was great to spend time on my childhood waters with my boat and just fish for fun. I managed to help my niece catch her first largemouth by throwing senkos around some weed patches. She was excited and we managed a couple pics (grandmas camera though).
One morning I went out and used a nice antique bamboo fly rod and managed a 14" large mouth on a popper. It was everything I could do to land that fish on a buggy whip like that. Awful lot of fun.
I had told my parents I would take them hunting for trophy Small mouths on Lake Michigan while I was home. Mom usually gets stuck at home with Sarah when Dad and I go out to fish so it was her chance to get out with us and maybe catch a nice one. We got up at 4:30 one morning and headed to the Garden Peninsula. The wind was howling at 6:00 in the morning making it a little too rough to venture out on the big water. We worked around the protected bay and did manage a few fish.
This toad crushed a spook walked over a steep break into 20 feet of water first thing in the morning. Unfortunately we couldn't find any more big ones. The wind got even worse so we called it quits by mid morning.
After catching a few more largemouths back at the cabin, passing on a few tips and tricks to the family, getting wet on the jet ski, and spending a few days on Mackinaw island, we headed back to Minnesota to prefish some more for Miltona and Ida.
More to come.
Sport
This 4 pounder took a senko under a dock. Picture taken by Sarah. Pretty good for a three year old.
Sarah posing nice from the front deck with a rainbow in the background.
We left Alexandria and repacked our bags to head over to Michigan for the 4th of July. It was great to spend time on my childhood waters with my boat and just fish for fun. I managed to help my niece catch her first largemouth by throwing senkos around some weed patches. She was excited and we managed a couple pics (grandmas camera though).
One morning I went out and used a nice antique bamboo fly rod and managed a 14" large mouth on a popper. It was everything I could do to land that fish on a buggy whip like that. Awful lot of fun.
I had told my parents I would take them hunting for trophy Small mouths on Lake Michigan while I was home. Mom usually gets stuck at home with Sarah when Dad and I go out to fish so it was her chance to get out with us and maybe catch a nice one. We got up at 4:30 one morning and headed to the Garden Peninsula. The wind was howling at 6:00 in the morning making it a little too rough to venture out on the big water. We worked around the protected bay and did manage a few fish.
This toad crushed a spook walked over a steep break into 20 feet of water first thing in the morning. Unfortunately we couldn't find any more big ones. The wind got even worse so we called it quits by mid morning.
After catching a few more largemouths back at the cabin, passing on a few tips and tricks to the family, getting wet on the jet ski, and spending a few days on Mackinaw island, we headed back to Minnesota to prefish some more for Miltona and Ida.
More to come.
Sport