Sport's Outdoors Blog

Team Smith brings home a win. (FAB Tour recap Cedar Lake)

Sport — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:58:21 GMT

Last night was 6th event on the FAB Tour schedule. Dave Larsen and I went out to Cedar Sunday, after fishing minnetonka, just to look around. We drove around for about 2 hours and didn't really catch any fish. We put together a plan though after eliminating water and figured we would give it a shot.

Cedar is a dirty water lake with plenty of boat docks along with slop and reeds in areas. I am not a huge fan of fishing dirty water but I know it will tend to keep fish shallower so we started on some reeds in the best looking area of the lake. As boat number one, no other boats were in our starting spot but neither were the fish. we moved to some pads and started to throw a Spro Frog around. I caught a 14 inch fish to get us started. Not the quality of fish you hope for when you throw the frog but a fish is a fish. We moved to the docks and I managed to fight the wind enough to get a nice 2+ pound fish on one of my hand tied Black/Blue jigs. Dave caught a nice fish on a Ring Fry and I caught one more on a Senko. With four in the well, we headed down lake to a spot where we had fish blow up on a frog Sunday. We spent an hour in there looking for a big fish and didn't catch a one. In hind sight we probably wasted too much time in there. With about one half hour left we moved back to the reeds we had started on. I like reeds late in the evening. I feel the fish will move into them as light fades and last night they did. It only took a couple minutes and Dave was horsing a 3.5 pounder out of the reds on a Mojo rig. This fish anchored our limit but we still had a little 12" fish I wanted to get rid of. With about 15 minutes to spare I hooked into another 2+ on my jig to cull out that 12 incher. We headed to the scales cautiously optimistic. Fishing had been tough and we caught a total of 7 fish with 6 being keepers.

As it turned out other teams had struggled. Only one other team brought in a limit and they were mostly small. our bag of over 11 pounds put us easily into first. Dave's big fish was also good enough for the big fish pot. A nice 221 dollar check for 3 hours a fishing had Dave and myself smiling on the ride home. The win should also move the team up in the year standings. Possibly into first with just 2 events to go.

Dave and John will be fishing the next two weeks as I spend some quality time with the baby. Hopefully they can keep up the momentum for the team.

Two Days on Tonka

Sport — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:20:18 GMT

This past weekend I fished Saturday and Sunday on Minnetonka with the Gopher crew. This was tournaments 5 and 6 for the season. Pressure was on me a little since I live so close to the lake. I do consider it my home water but after spending 30-40 days on it in 2006, I wasn't on it once in 2007. It hasn't been better this year with only about 8 hours prior to Saturday on the lake. I basically conceded to fishing old spots and hoping they held up or just winging it and trying new water.

Saturday We launched out of Maxwell bay on the north west side of the lake. I had formulated a plan that I hoped would get me a quick limit of fish and then allow me to go looking for bigger fish. We started on some bridge pilings. We were the fourth boat out so several of the competitors came by and commented on my starting spot. In the past I had found the pilings to hold fish although usually not real big ones. It only took a few minutes and I had a couple short fish on a drop shot. A few more minutes and I had a 13" fish in the boat. While trying to unhook him he broke my drop shot rig so I switched to a texas rigged Zoom Brush Hog. A few casts later a nice 2.5 pounder hit as I flipped to a large chunk of concrete under the bridge. The texas rig was my go to bait the rest of the weekend.
From the bridge we moved to some points and weed lines that I felt would hold fish. We moved in and out and found our best fish on the deep weed edge in 14-16 feet of water. I filled my well with 14 inch fish and kept working for a bigger bite. I managed to upgrade a little but never put the toad in the boat I wanted. After about 11:00 I don't think I caught another keeper. We went to some docks around noon to try to get my non-boater his limit fish and the plan worked out.
I finished the day with a little over 10 pounds and a sixth place finish. Not bad considering the minimal practice I had put in on a big body of water. 16.1 pounds won the day. The decent finish moved me up a spot on the year and into 4th place for the season.

Sunday I was a little concerned about how I would fish. I had used most of my water the day before so I decided to wing it early and hit some old spots later on. I started on a point that was real close to the best spot we fished the day before. We started out on the deep weed edge since that had worked before. After 10 minutes or so with out a bite I decided to move into the inside edge and see if the fish had moved up with the overcast conditions. They had and We started to catch fish immediately. The point formed a square edge about 100 yards long on the outer edge and 40 yards long on each side. Each pass along the outer edge and through the corners produced a couple fish. With each pass I would throw a different bait to change things up. This tactic worked great for me and I had a limit of 9 or 10 pounds and was culling by 7:30.
I had a member of our JR club (Jake) fishing with me and he was struggling a little so once the bite cooled down I moved to some nearby docks to see if we could get Jake a few fish and maybe get me an upgrade. The docks were pretty dead. I missed one and Jake caught a couple short fish. He also pulled a small walleye to the boat on a wacky rigged senko. I have never seen that before.
Much like Saturday, I struggled to catch fish all afternoon. With about an hour to go, we pulled up on a point that had produced a couple fish In the past and started to throw the texas rig on the deep edge. I was able to put one nice upgrade in the boat while a competitor boat watched from a long cast distance away.
I ended the day with a better bag than Saturday of 11.2 pounds but so did many other guys. A nice 18.5 pound bag won the day. I ended up in 8th place and slipped to 7th on the year.

All in all I was happy with how I did considering the limited time I had spent on the water prior to this tournament. I learned a few new spots and was happy with my on the water decisions. Next up Pokegama. I am probably not going to be prefishing this one either so if any of you have been out there and want to share, feel free. Thanks!!

BASS Elite Series sqwashes the little guy

Sport — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:21:43 GMT

I had to wait a couple days till I had cooled down enough to write this entry. Hopefully I don't get too worked up again in the process.

A few days ago BASS announced it would eliminate the Co-Angler position from the 2009 Elite series. Click here for details. Needless to say many including myself are upset with this decision and the reasons are numerous. I will try to list a few.

The Business of Fishing
Weekend anglers are the heart and soul of this sport. Weather the pro's realize it or not, we are the guys they are trying to sell the 18 dollar crankbaits to and the line conditioner and the auto parts..... Now you want to eliminate a huge portion of the fan experience as well as the sponsor exposure. The occasional 5 minute blip on Saturday morning TV cant even compare to spending a day in the boat with someone and PROVING that your sponsors products work or for that matter that you are even using your sponsors products.

The Pro's feel a co-angler can get in the way and that they don't have as much on the line as a pro who is trying to make his house payment. What's next? A pro Anglers Union to "protect the rights of neglected Professional Anglers everywhere". These guys know that they get paid to fish right?

I fished as a co-angler last year on Smith Mountain lake in Virginia. I spent lots of money on fuel, tackle, licenses, the 750 dollar entrance fee, and gas money to the poor pros (Thats right for those of you who have never been a co-angler on the elite series, you have to give Hackney 60 bucks for the pleasure of riding around with him). One of my pros back boated me all day and asked me for tackle without me saying a word about it. I understood that he had to fish his way and I was supposed to scratch out whatever fish I could. By the way, the bank still wanted my house, boat and truck payments when I got home and my check for 24th place was much smaller than the pro's who took 24th.

This change has the real possibility of making it harder for guys to realize the dream of fishing for a living. The Pros already have their sponsors, but these events could really help a young angler attract his or her first sponsors. An opportunity the disgruntled pro's may have forgotten they once needed too. I myself was hoping to fish two of the 2009 events as a co-angler and was planning to use that exposure to help attract sponsorship.

The Nature of the Game
It has been said that the Elite series is the MLB or NFL of fishing. Lets be honest, it isn't and never will be because you cant get 50,000 fans to sit around the lake and watch every cast. The nature of fishing eliminates that possibility. I guess many of the pros forget where they came from. The federation, the weekend series, and most local level tournaments all have the Boater/co-angler aspect of the game. If the Elites are like MLB, then this move by BASS to me is like telling minor league teams they can only use wood bats but the major leaguers all get to use aluminum so they can hit more home runs. Do the guys whining about co-anglers really think this change is going to help them beat KVD? I would be willing to bet he only beats them worse next year. Focus on what you are doing from the front deck, worry a little less about the guy behind you and maybe you will fair a little better.

The Future of BASS
I do not see how this change is going to help BASS compete with the FLW that is coming on so strong. FLW already pays bigger purses. They cover a wider market with salt water and inshore tournament series. They also started a huge push in the fantasy fishing game this year by giving out cash prizes. BASS on the other hand is just throwing away $75,000 in entrance fees from every tournament. Maybe Luke Clausen is the smartest guy out there by jumping ship a couple years ago.

If you have ever gone to an Elite series weigh in, you probably noticed that most of the fans in attendance are family and friends of the co-anglers. My wife, parents, in laws etc would all go to a weigh in to watch me stand up there with the pro's. I know for a fact however that they wouldn't have bothered to fight the traffic or sit in 90 degree heat otherwise.

Small town communities welcome these guys with there big rigs in to utilize their resources. Many of you may not know that these small towns have to pay BASS to come and utilize their fishing resource. The towns obviously get some tourism from the events but it is also a good clean family activity for communities that probably don't have too many entertainment options. Now BASS is saying we want you to pay us to come in and catch your fish but your fisherman cant join us. If FLW asks to come in and allows the local anglers (tax payers) to participate, who do you think local communities will choose? FLW or BASS?

After fishing in Virginia, I received a survey on how the event had been run and how the anglers were to fish with etc. One of the questions was "Where else would you like to see an Elite Series event held?" I quickly wrote down my home town waters of Bay De Noc. I was thrilled beyond words to see it made the 2009 schedule. Thrilled until an hour or two later when a friend told me about the elimination of co-anglers. The joy quickly turned to anger. I know it is a stretch to think my single suggestion brought BASS to Escanaba, but I am guessing it didn't hurt either. Now my parents as tax payers helped pay BASS without the ability to participate in the event. Now I am sorry I filled out the survey at all. Obviously it doesn't matter what the co-angler thinks since they are no longer a part of the future of BASS.

In Closing
If not for the great guys in my federation club and the commitments I have made to them, I would be canceling my BASS membership. I will definitely not be fishing any more BASS events like the Weekend Series or the Opens. I will probably search out more FLW events to fish and definitely renew my FLW subscription. If you have thoughts on this change let me know. Think I am over reacting? Let me know. If you like what I have said here pass it on.

FAB tour event recap Waverly Lake

Sport — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:13:14 GMT

Last night was the 5th event for the FAB Tour series. John Haynes and I headed out to the lake with little knowledge of the lake. Rumor was it took 24 pounds to win during an all day event last year and the winner from that event would be there. I managed to get out on the lake with my dad just over a week ago but wasn't out long and didn't find too many fish. I did manage to get an understanding of how the lake was laid out and the kind of cover it provided. Many times that is the most important thing you can get out of pre-fishing.

We started on a set of docks that I had caught a couple fish off of in practice. The first 6 or 7 docks didn't produce so much as a bluegill tap. Finally we came to a dock and I pulled a decent fish of over two pounds off it on a Wave Worm Tiki Bamboo Stick. John had just dropped the net and fish in the boat before his rod bowed over with a decent keeper off the same dock. Now we were in the groove. We continued down the row of docks and managed just a couple more bites before running out of docks to fish. We started the big motor and ran to the other side of the lake where I felt the docks may continue to produce. As we came off plane another boat was fishing the area we had hoped to hit so we went another direction and started fishing again. We fished for a while and filled our limit with a couple small fish before John hooked into a big fish. I happened to be looking at his rod when he set the hook and thought for sure he had just set on the dock itself. The rod bowed in half as he pulled the 3.6 pounder out from under the dock. That fish culled a 13 incher nicely for us while a competitors boat watched from nearby.

Since we had a limit and had again run out of docks we decided to hit a deep water turn with large weed clumps that I had seen in practice. I hadn't fished it but idling over it we could see bait fish everywhere so we felt it was a good spot to try to upgrade. The plan worked out. Although I missed a couple fish that felt really good, including one that completely straightened out my Owner Down Shot hook, we managed to cull out three more times using jigs and mojo rig. We felt fairly confident going to the scales but still not too sure after loosing a couple fish.

We weighed over 14.5 pounds of fish. Plenty of fish for second place but just a pound shy of first. It was a great day on the water. Had we not missed a few, we would have been very happy with how we did. But knowing that we probably had the winning fish on the line and lost them was hard to deal with on the ride home.

This weekend is Minnetonka. I haven't gotten much practice out there this year so I will be winging it again. Hopefully it goes as well as it did last night.

Big Island Bash

Sport — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:01:56 GMT

It has been a while since I put together an entry. I have been busy lately with some fishing business as well as some summer time family fun. About a week ago I spent a couple days pre-fishing for upcoming tournaments. I struggled to catch many legal fish so I am hoping to put something together for my upcoming FAB events as well as a two day event on Minnetonka. I may get out again before the weekend but we will see.

Then late last week and into the weekend I had my annual guys weekend with a bunch of my old buddies. We get together once a year and drink, play euchre and sometimes fish. This year we went back to the UP and spent several days canoing the Big Island Wilderness chain of lakes in the Hiawatha National forest. It was a fantastic place and the weather cooperated almost the whole time except for one torrential down pour that sent us scrambling under a small tarp that we had brought "Just in case".

Fishing was ok and actual we expected it not to be real good. We were able to catch enough for dinner one night however. I fished the first day out of a small kayak. I have caught fish in a kayak before but never one as small as this one. After catching a few small bass and some monster bluegills on a #3 Super Vibrax spinner I switched to more traditional bass gear (rubber worm). One or two casts later I was battling a 2 pound largemouth out from under a log and loosing the battle. The fish was actually able to spin the kayak around and get back under the log. He started to get wrapped up so I had to paddle with one hand and hold the rod with the other to get into position to get him out. It was fun and I finally got him in my grip and was able to show him off to a couple of the other guys who were close by in a canoe. Shortly after that we setup camp and began the cards and Vodka consumption that usually accompanies this trip. A good time was had by all. Especially the local Mosquito population.

On a separate note...I have heard good reports coming in on fishing in other places. Check back soon for details and pictures.

Happy Fourth of July!

Sport — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:07:22 GMT

Andrea, Sarah and I headed to our lake property this past week to enjoy a quiet 4th of July. We got some work done up there but unfortunately I came down with a fever and we had to come home early. Consequently I didnt get out on the water and dont have any good stories to tell.

I did get an email from my sister however and from the sounds of it, the fish were hitting watermelon Gambler Aces like they were going out of style back in Michigan. Check out the pictures below. As I mention on my web site, send me pictures of your catch (big or small) and I will post them up here too.

Thanks sis for sharing your pics. Nice Fish!

FAB Tour event on Clearwater recap

Sport — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:15:55 GMT

Last night was event number three for the FAB Tour season. John Haynes and I had prefished last week for a few hours and felt we had a pretty good plan in place to go out and catch a decent bag. We were looking for 12-14 pounds to win the three hour tournament.

As the second boat out, we drove straight to weed flat adjacent to deep water that had produced for us in practice. The weeds were sparse in most places but had a few thick clumps scattered along the edge before it dropped into deeper water. The thicker clumps were our targets and they paid off immediately with five fish in nine or ten casts alowing us to start culling within a half hour of take off. The biggest fish came off a 6" ring worm rigged on a light jig head. John started out throwing a texas rigged creature bait but eventually switched to a flick shake worm. The slower fall seemed to make a difference.

After the bite slowed on the weed clumps, we moved up into some reeds which often produce on clearwater. Nothing was going on there so we made a move to some slop that we had planed to finish the night on and hopefully upgrade by throwing a frog and some bigger senkos. The frog bite wasnt as good as it was in practice. John had two blow ups but wasnt able to get the hook in either fish. I threw a Tiki Bamboo stick into the holes around the edges and was able to upgrade a couple of our 15" fish with 16" fish. Not as good of upgrades as we had hoped for but at least the water produced for us.

We ended up bringing 10.92 to the scale. Landing us in second place and earning us a check of $114. A bag of 12.88 took first place. Our big fish weighed in at 2.9 pounds. Just a little shy of the 3.3 fish that took the big bass pot.

It was a good night on the water. Next week is North South Center. We hope to prefish this weekend and do well again out there. Make sure you check back to see how we do.

Koronis and Green Tournament recap

Sport — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:23:44 GMT

Saturday and Sunday were events two and three for the Gopher Bassmasters season. I managed to draw another boater both days and ended up acting as the non boater for the weekend. I was a little stressed as I looked at all my gear neatly organized in my boat and tried to figure out what to bring with me and what to leave behind. I picked out 6 or 7 rods and a bag of soft plastics and headed for the lake.

Saturday we fished Koronis. I got a good draw fishing with Wayne Lindgren. Wayne had spent a few days prefishing for the tournament and had some good water to go to. He also has a boat that is capable of getting into places other guys might not be able to get to. We started out the day running up a river channel that dumps into the lake. The river dumps out of Rice lake and we spent the majority of our time fishing that lake. The water was very high and very dirty. Many of the docks were under a few inches of water. The first place we tried we found fish schooling and chasing bait. it only took a couple casts and Wayne landed a fish in the 12-13 inch range. He didn't even look at it before tossing it back in the drink. I thought for a second and then commented that I kind of thought that fish was legal. He told me that it wasn't worth the hassle of putting it in the live well because he planned to catch much better fish than that. A few casts later I landed a 12 inch fish, barely a keeper. Wayne told me again that I shouldn't bother. I reluctantly took his advice and tossed the fish back. I then told Wayne of the tournament we fished together last summer where I had done just the same thing and ended the day with only 4 fish. He just laughed.

The schooling fish seemed to be all small so pretty quickly we ran to another spot. As we came down from plane, Wayne started to fill the live wells with water. A confident move that many anglers wont do out of fear of jinxing themselves.

The spot was the entrance into a smaller bay. there was a little current flowing through the channel and cattails lined much of the shore. We dropped the trolling motor and started to head towards the channel and threw out a cast. Wayne was instantly hooked into a solid 2 pound large mouth. I cast off the other side of the boat and was greeted by an exact replica of his. Within a few minutes we were in a full on feeding frenzy bite. It was the kind of thing fisherman dream of. We both filled our limits in a matter of 10 or 12 casts and started to cull. If you threw 2 cast in a row with out a bite, something was wrong and we got upset. We had to flip most of the 2 and 3 pound fish into the boat because the other guy was either too busy fighting a fish or down in the boat taking one off, culling, retying etc. and couldn't help with a net. Wayne was kind enough one time to flip a 2.5 pounder into the side of my head while I was putting a cull tag on one of the fish I had just caught. The wind was off shore so every time we doubled up on fish, we would drift away from the spot and could get straightened out before using the trolling motor to ease back in for the next cast. The bite did eventually slow down but we were able to continue to catch fish by moving and flipping to cover. Wayne was throwing a Senko and I was throwing a Wave Tiki-Bamboo Stick. After a little over an hour, we moved to a row of docks looking for a kicker fish. I managed to upgrade once or twice pitching a hand tied black and blue jig.

I ended the day with 15.5 pounds. Wayne ended up with 14.7 pounds. We finished number one and two on the day. We had a great day to say the least and it was a good win for me coming off a disappointing showing on Alexander the week earlier.

Sunday we fished Green. Green is a big lake at over 5,000 acres of gin clear water. It is known for having monster smallmouths in it and rumor was that they were still on the beds. A 40+ boat tournament fished it the day before so no one was real sure how the fish were going to be situated. 40 boats and 80 anglers can cover some water and beat up fish sitting out on the beds. I was paired with Ryan for the day and we were the last boat out. We ran all the way across the lake to a large flat with scattered rocks and boulders. At first the bite was slow. I managed a small keeper on a popper to get us started. As the sun got higher we were able to start seeing the targets we needed to hit. Many of the larger rocks and boulders had fish bedded up next to them. It often took several cast but the fish would bite and we started to put them in the boat. My next few fish came on a 6" Robo worm rigged on a shakey head. I later changed to a drop shot with a Gulp minnow on it and managed a little better hook up ratio. Ryan was throwing a drop shot that had worked for him in practice. Once we both had a limit we started trading off running the trolling motor every time the man running the motor caught a fish. We just cruised the flat casting to rocks, occasionally stopping to work a fish for a few minutes before moving on. We pretty much caught fish all day this way. I have never caught fish off beds before and it was fun. The wind was blowing moderately hard which made seeing the fish difficult, but when you could, it was exciting to watch them circle around and hit your bait.

Ryan came in with 13.9. Good enough for the win. I ended the day with 12.4 pounds, landing me in 4th. We had another great day on the water.

Two good showings helped my standings for the year. After our Wisconsin tournaments I was sitting in 18th place. I moved up to 5th place with half the season to go now. Hopefully I can take this momentum into the July tournaments and maintain my ranking. I hope to get a few pictures form the weekend. If I do I will post them later.

Drop Shot Video

Sport — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:33:05 GMT

I found this great video of a roboworm rigged on a dropshot. It always helps to be able to visualize your bait in the water. This should really help with that.
I started using Robo Worms for the first time last year. They have since become a real go to bait for me. The 4.5 inch like the one shown here was responsible for taking many smallmouth for me last week. The 6 and 7 inch work great on a shakey head. Enjoy!

MFBA State Championship From Lake Alexander

Sport — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:35:21 GMT

This past week I fished pretty much 7 days straight. If that sounds rough it kind of was. My hands are torn to shreds my nose is a little sunburned and my left side has a silver dollar sized bruise from setting the hook with my jig rod but I wouldn't rather be doing anything else.

Monday last week I headed up north with my parents to pre fish for the tournament taking place Friday and Saturday. Dad would fish the three practice days with me and grandma was going to watch the baby (Thanks Grandma!). The weather was nice Monday and the fish were turned on. My very first cast, the one you lob out while you are setting your depth finder the way you want it and adjusting your pedestal seat, produced a nice 18.25" smallmouth. He came off a 1/4 ounce football head jig with my own hand tied skirt and hand poured claw trailer. There is nothing better than catching a big fish on tackle you have made yourself. The rest of the day we found fish deep and shallow the sun was out for the most part and the wind wasn't too bad. That really changed over the next two days however.
Tuesday the bite had slowed but we still managed to catch fish deep including a 19.5 inch smallie pictured below. She came on a drop shot using a 4" Robo worm in 20 feet of water. We hit the WPT button and moved on to find similar water. Wed it turned really bad. water temps had dropped back to the upper 50's and the wind and rain were pouring it on. We ended up only fishing about 2 hours before we got off the water. The lightning is what really forced us off along with many of the other guys that were out trying to get a little practice in.
Thursday was an off limits day so my dad and I headed to a little no name lake near where we were staying to straighten the lines on my spinning rods and just spend a little time in the boat not getting blown around. Of course it was calm and sunny that morning. After a couple hours of not catching anything, we headed into Little Falls and played tourist. There is lots to see and do in this central Minnesota town including Charles Lindbergh's Childhood home and a fishing museum loaded with old fishing paraphernalia.

Friday I fished with a member of my bass club Chong Vang. The wind was brutal and made it tough to fish the mid lake structure. We both caught limits but we did have to work for them. I hit many of the spots I had found in practice and was able to pull two good smallies into the boat (2 pounds plus) off a mid lake hump. One took a grub the other a dropshot and Robo Worm. Large mouth filled out my other three fish for a total weight of 9.94. That put me in twelfth place after day one just .01 from the eleventh place angler. Everyone caught limits and the weights were all close. One big fish on the second day could mean a trip to Lake St Claire.

As it turned out I didn't get that one big fish I needed. I had a limit the second day in under two hours but was never able to upgrade by more than a few ounces. I finished in 18th place with 18.6 pounds for two days. the cut for St Claire was at 19.5 and it took 22.5 for the win. All in all I had a good time fishing the tournament. I felt it was run pretty well and look forward to fishing with the TBF again next year. I really look forward to fishing Alexander again. It is a great lake with big Smallies, Largemouth and Muskies. Below are a few shots from the past week.

TBF on Lake Alexander

Sport — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:14:17 GMT

I will be heading out tomorrow morning for the week to prefish for and compete in the TBF state tournament on Alexander south west of brainerd. I wont be able to post any updates from up there since I am staying at a cabin with out internet access. I will make sure I let you all know how it goes as soon as I get back.
I do anticipate the tournament going well. I have been on the lake a couple times before and the fishing can be outstanding. The lake has both Largemouth and Smallmouth in it along with plenty of structure that should hold fish. We will see tomorrow how far the spawn has progressed. Other lakes I have been on so far this year do not seem to have warmed to a point were fish are done spawning. Maybe I will be marking a few "Big Mamas" on beds with the GPS and going back to them.

You can check out my entire tournament schedule on the tournament page of my site.

Welcome to a new subscriber this past week!

Inaugural FAB Tour event (Sunset Bass cont...)

Sport — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:39:00 GMT

Last night was the first event of the FAB Tour season. We were out on Sylvia & Twin lakes by South haven. Conditions were not ideal as a cold front moved in. 80 degrees over the weekend changed to 59 on the truck thermometer when we put the boat in the water. Water temps were at 63-64, up slightly from practice. We started on some deep water docks that had fish in practice. Since it was overcast I wasnt real confident the fish would be there but figured we could try and if nothing happened we could move out to the break from there. That plan paid off pretty well. With in 45 minutes we had 2 small fish in the live well and a better fish (over 2 pounds) sitting alone in the other live well. The better fish came off a point in about 18 feet of water. I was throwing a drop shot with a watermelon red Zoom Meathead worm on it. After catching a few smaller fish we tried to replicate the pattern in a couple other spots. All we could come up with was small fish.
We headed to a flat that sits in 6-8 feet of water and has scattered weeds on it. It also had held fish in practice. Dave started throwing a white swim jig and reeling it back steady over the weed tops. He caught three or four fish on consecutive casts before I finally dropped my drop shot and picked up a grub. We drifted over the flat and put two more small fish in the box to round out our limit. We then headed back to deep water points hoping to cull a couple 12.5 inchers we had with a kicker fish. Then it got slow. We could get the occasional small fish but nothing that would help us. We tried moving back up to see if the fish had moved up to feed, still nothing. With about 15 minutes to spare I managed a 13.5” fish on the drop shot to cull one of our small guys. With 3 minutes to spare Dave pulled in another 13.5” on a mojo rigged ring fry. We were satisfied with our night out but not real confident in how it was going to hold up.
We ended up with 6.51 pounds and a dead fish for 6.26. Only good enough for 4^th place. 10 pounds even won the night. 2.9 pounds won big fish.

Sylvia & Twin are fun lakes to fish. The water is crystal clear and there are lots of fish. I wouldn’t recommend it if you are lunker hunting as big fish are harder to come by. A sign at the ramp says the lakes are being considered for special regulations next year. All bass 20 inches or less immediate release and a five fish panfish limit. If you like to keep fish, or would like to hold a small tournament, you may want to get out there this summer before the regs change.

The Drop Shot

Sport — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:33:52 GMT

I recently did an interview with John Haynes for a podcast for Fishing in the Midwest. The interview is also available on iTunes for those of you who would like to subscribe to the series. In the interview we talked about finesse fishing. I also bring up the drop shot. I received some inquiries for more details on the drop shot so I thought I would post this internet article I found on how to tie the drop shot.

Drop Shot Rigging

By Dennis States

Once in a while a new technique of fishing comes along that is so easy and so successful that it gains great popularity in a very short time. The drop shot, or down shot rig, has become one of those techniques.
   While I was at the Texas Fishing and Outdoor Show in Mesquite representing Pure Fishing, I did a number of seminars on the bass tub. It didn't take me long to figure out that this technique was one of the spectator's main interests. The bass in the tank also had a big interest in the drop shot rig.
   From past experiences I knew these bass-tub bass could be very finicky about hitting a bait for the first day or two of the show. So, I went right to the drop shot rig. It was a big success with both the audience and the bass. This way of fishing is not necessarily one of the best ways of becoming the next state record holder, but what it can accomplish is five good bites on those tournament days when there isn't a much of a bite to be had on the whole lake. In other words when fishing is tough.
   The best knot that I have found to use on the down shot rig is the old standby Palomar knot. After several years of working with my guide customers on their knot tying skills, I have found that the palomar knot is the simplest and quickest knot to tie correctly for most all applications.
   Figure 1 shows the starting loop for a Palomar knot. Be sure to make the loop long enough so that the tag end of your finished knot is long enough to attach the Owner down shot sinker 12 to 36 inches down from the hook. Notice how the loop is started from the inside shank of the hook. This keeps the hook facing up- right when you're finished.
   Figure 2 shows a simple overhand knot, creating a loop larger than the bait you are tying on. Notice the angle of the eye on this hook. This is a special new creation from Owner Hooks. It is designed to give the hook more horizontal lift.
   Figure 3 shows passing the loop down over the hook. It's important to hold the eye of the hook with your thumb and finger and very carefully pull the slack out of the knot. You can help the line tighten on the eye by wetting the line and "feeling" the line into place.
   Figure 4 shows the final step for tying the hook on. Take the end of the tag line and go back up the line and run it down through the eye of the hook. This again has to be done from the inside of the shank. This will help support the hook so it will stand out at a 90-degree angle from the line.
   Figure 5 shows the completed rig using the Owner down shot offset hook. This is a weedless way of fishing the down shot rig. For most weedy lakes and for shallow-water casting, I recommend this way of rigging. Notice the cone shaped weight on the end of the line. This is another new design from Owner Hooks. This is not a regular casting sinker. It has a line receiving eye that makes it easy to attach and to change weight size as needed. The bell bottom is extra large so it drags harder than a regular weight, allowing you to use a lighter weight and still keep in touch with your bait. These weights are new on the market so you may have to ask your favorite tackle shop to order them.
   Figure 6 shows the original drop shot rig using a straight shank hook. This nose-hooked system works well in open water. You can add as many hooks as you can handle. If you are fishing it straight down like I do on Lake Fork during late fall and early winter, it becomes a fish-catching technique, but not just for bass. I have caught bass, catfish, crappie and brim all in the same spot.
   I recommend all first-time users to practice the tying of this rig at home. If it is not set up correctly you are not likely to get the results that you want.
   You might want to make a copy of the knot tying instructions for on-the-water reference.
   As far as line requirements go, a light low visibility line is recommended. How light is up to the individual and by the body of water you are fishing. To me 12-pound test is light, 10-pound is real light. For my standard drop shot rig I use 14-pound Berkley Vanish. It has a hard finish that helps to hold the hook at the correct angle, and it has extremely low visibility.
   If you are doing a lot of casting with a drop shot rig you might want to put a small swivel about 12 to 18 inches above your hook. If you experience a lot of line twisting in the first hour or two, that is a real good indication that you are fishing it too fast. You should spend more time "shaking" this rig with your rod tip than retrieving it. Keep in mind that the intent of this technique was a light-line, controlled depth and finesse presentation by keeping the bait in the same place for an extended period of time.
   As far as what baits work the best, that is like a lot of other fishing techniques. Whatever you have the most confidence in is going to work the best for you. Just remember to keep it small so that a light shaking action or current will keep it moving.

Mixed Bag

Sport — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:45:58 GMT

Went out yesterday with a fishing buddy and enjoyed the beginning of the summer season. It was warm and sunny almost all day. Water was still a little cold (58) when we launched but, it warmed into the low 60s as the day progressed. Fishing was slow at first but we figured them out eventually and had a great day. We had set a goal of 15 pound of Largemouths and 15 pounds of Smallies. We didn't quite make our goal but came darn close.

Largemouth totals were anchored by three fish over 3 pounds and a couple 2 pounders for 14 pounds.
The Smallmouth total was probably between 11 to 12 pounds with two fish over 3 pounds anchoring the bag.

You have to love the fun that takes place when a big fish hits a bait that wasn't meant to land him. That was the case with a nice muskie that hit a texas rigged soft plastic and proceeded to make several runs after seeing the boat. He also managed to get tangled in the trolling motor during one of those runs but with a little team work and a couple attempts we managed to get him in the boat.
Here are a few pics of the day.

All and all a nice mixed bag for a day on the water.

Sport

Bass at sunset

Sport — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:25:25 GMT

I went out last night around 5:00 to get a few hours of fishing in on a lake just west of the metro. Conditions were great. Sunshine, warm and gentle winds. The water was clear with 8 foot or more of visibility. Perfect for looking at fish and trying to catch them. Water temps have finally started to come up. Most of the lake was hovering around 60-61 degrees.

Small fish were roaming the shallows near the launch as we pulled away from the dock. I had never been on the lake but it was rumored to be good. After looking at the map we decided to start on a shallow flat on the south end of the lake and look around. More small fish were cruising the shallows. We caught several 10" fish on a ring fry rigged weightless and a jig. While casting to a dock in 3 feet of water, we were shocked to see a loon come firing out of the shallows chasing a school of fish. He stopped as he drove his bill into the soft bottom just feet from the boat. He popped to the surface with his catch displayed for a moment and then tilted his head back and swallowed the small bass. Then he proudly swam off as to say "thats how you catch em boys".

After retrieving my lure from the dock (I got a little distracted during the commotion) we moved a little further out and tried some weeds in 6-7 feet of water. Weed growth is still behind schedule and finding thicker weeds seems to help bunch up the fish. I made a long cast to a shiny spot I could see a long way off. Within a few moments I was hooked into a little better fish. He was a 14" buck, most likely sitting on a bed.

Another boat was working our way so we fired the big motor and moved to a row of docks adjacent to deep water. I switched to a grub and started swimming it around the docks. It was working well but not the quality of fish I was looking for. My partner continued to wear them out on his jig, but also smaller fish.

We worked around the lake and hit several more spots before the sun went down. We never found the big ones but managed to land a fish on almost everything we threw. Our largest fish was right around 15". A football of a fish that looked to me to be ready to spawn. As we pulled the boat out of the water 7 or 8 boats were measuring fish. It was a small multi species tournament. The biggest fish brought in was a 17" bass. The majority of the bass brought in were between 12" and 14".
I will be back on the lake next week. Hopefully we can find a few more of the big females.

Fixing Those Rusty Pliers

Sport — Sat, 24 May 2008 06:34:17 GMT

I was in the boat the other day getting ready for a day on the lake. Like many fisherman I keep a few basic tools laying around in the bottom of my boat for quick and easy access. I was disappointed to find my needle nose pliers used for hook removal completely rusted up. I had to grab the handles with both hands and yank to get the jaws open. I went to the work bench and looked for some trusty WD30. It was no where to be found. I did have some rubbing alcohol there so I figured I would give that a try. It worked like a charm! Alcohol is a great solvent and in a matter of moments the rust was dissolved and cleaned out of the hinge. Good as new.

Looking to clean up some tools in you tackle box this season, give this tip a try.

Spring time tournaments

Sport — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:28:05 GMT

Well the first two tournaments of the season are in the books. A cold spring and long winter made water temps considerably lower than normal for this time of year. In prefishing it became evident that fishing was going to be tough. Everyone I talked to that had done any prefishing pretty much agreed. This isn't too unusual for a spring tournament in Wisconsin. It seems every fish in the lake is 13.5" when there is a 14" size limit.

In practice we didn't catch many fish but I felt I had found several areas that would hold fish. Saturday I started on one of those spots on Bone lake. I had found a stretch of scattered grass and rock in 5-8 feet of water about 80 yards off the bank. Third or fourth cast with my drop shot produced a short fish. About 5-10 minutes later I had another short fish and a nice perch. Not what I was looking for but promising enough to warrant coming back after trying a few other spots.
On the next spot my partner started throwing a spinner bait. Bone is a pretty well known musky lake and a spinner bait is often a good way to find them. A couple Muskies and a big northern later I was still with out a fish and my boat was starting to smell like a fish market. Turned out the fish had moved shallower. Guys brought in limits from the 2-4 foot range. Much of my time had been spent in the 5-8 foot range thanks to the small fish I had caught early and a nice keeper that my partner caught. I never took the time to move up. I only ended up with one fish for weigh in that day. Needless to say I wasn't too happy but tried to regroup and get ready for Deer lake on Sunday.

It was expected that Deer would be hard. I fished the lake two years ago and caught 30+ fish but only one fish over 14". Sunday turned out to be the same kind of day. I had learned from my experience the day before and tried shallow and deep. We saw large schools of small fish cruising the shallows. It was pretty obvious hat fish will start spawning in the coming days as the water continues to warm. Between my non-boater and myself I would estimate 40 short fish caught. My partner managed one 14" fish off a dock and I didn't weigh a fish. There were lots of guys with me at the weigh in with zeros and only one limit of fish brought in.

All in all it was nice to be on the water again but I sure will be glad to get back on Minnesota waters, especially when they get a little warmer. If Muskies and big northerns turn you on, I can definitely recommend Deer and Bone lakes in Polk county Wisconsin.

Brainerd Minnesota based Nature Vision continues to grow

Sport — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:51:33 GMT

Nature Vision is well known for its AquaVu line of under water cameras. The company continues to grow though and diversify its product offerings to the fisherman. In January of this year Nature Vision announced purchase of Castaic Softbaits. A leader in the hot Swimbait craze for big bass fishing. Below is an excerpt from a press release this month regarding the companies latest acquisition.

Brainerd, MN, May 5, 2008 - Nature Vision Inc., (NASDAQ: NRVN), innovators of Aqua-Vu underwater video cameras today announced the acquisition of certain assets of Marcum Technologies, Inc. (MarCum). A manufacturer and distributor of electronic sonar and underwater camera devices, the Anoka, Minnesota based company has built a loyal base of customers, particularly within the ice fishing market. Among insiders in this segment of the industry, MarCum has become recognized as the clear performance leader in flasher sonar technology.

Earthday Events for 2008

Sport — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:18:12 GMT

Earth Day this year is April 22nd. If your like me, You hear about it on the news every year but never really do anything special that day. Maybe this year should be different.

As fishermen and outdoors men, we all should make an effort to give back something and help protect the resources we enjoy. Below I have listed a few events that will be taking place in the Minneapolis area for earth day. For a more complete listing of events in Minnesota, or anywhere in the world, go to www.earth day.net.

Minneapolis Earth Day Events

The 14 Annual Minneapolis Watershed Clean Up will take place Saturday, April 19, 2008, from 9:30 am to Noon at 35 locations around Minneapolis. Join your neighbors for a day of service and a lifetime commitment to the environment.

A collaborative effort between the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPR) and City of Minneapolis Solid Waste and Recycling, the Minneapolis Earth Day Watershed Clean Up was initiated in 1995 to draw attention to the water quality improvement needs of Minneapolis’ lakes and the effect individual actions have on urban water quality. The goal of Earth Day is to provide both a volunteer experience and environmental information to Minneapolis residents and park users who participate in the event. This annual event involves cleaning major watersheds and water bodies in the City of Minneapolis including: the Chain of Lakes, Lake Nokomis, Lake Hiawatha, Powderhorn Lake, Diamond Lake, Shingle Creek, Minnehaha Creek, Bassett’s Creek and the Mississippi River. Last year, more than 2,000 volunteers at 25 locations around Minneapolis removed over 17,000 pounds of garbage for our neighborhoods, parks and watersheds. For more information about the event, please visit www.minneapolisearthday.com

New this year, the Minneapolis Recycle Run will take place Sunday, April 20, 2008, at Lake Harriet. Join your family and friends on a walk around beautiful Lake Harriet and give back to the environment. Proceeds from teh Recycle Run will benefit future Minneapolis Earth Day efforts. For more information about the run, please visit www.minneapolisrecyclerun.com

April 19:

The Bottineau Neighborhood Association is proud to be able to offer the first 5K run/walk of the year in NE Minneapolis. Join us for a trip down historic Marshall Street, past the old Grainbelt Brewery, across the Mississippi (twice) and back again. Then feel free to enjoy a light breakfast on us, participate in our annual river/watershed clean up or check out some of the environmental education displays. End the morning by joining us in the Grand Reopening of Gluek park after a 2.5 years asbestos remediation. Proceeds from the 5K will be used for our environmental programming and future Earth Day events.

For more information, see www.bottineauneighborhood.org

Get a Compost Bin Dirt Cheap For Earth Day 2008

Hennepin County has partnered with Bachman’s, Lakewinds Natural Foods and The Reuse Center to sell compost bins. Backyard composting is an easy way for residents to turn much of the waste from their yards and kitchens into a rich material that can be used to improve the soil. Using finished compost on lawns and gardens will provide an organic fertilizer, suppress weeds, and hold moisture in the soil.

The bins are being sold at a reduced cost of only $35. The compost bin features a 13-cubic-foot capacity, a sturdy, easy-to-open lid, two harvesting doors, and is made of black recycled plastic. There is a limit of one bin per household.

Residents must pre-order by April 1 online at www.hennepin.us/compostbinsale. Payment will be made at the time of pick-up during regular store hours. Bins will be available for pick-up on April 19 through Earth Day, April 22. Residents can choose from the following locations:

Bachman’s, 6010 Lyndale Ave S., Minneapolis

Lakewinds Natural Foods 17501 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka

The Reuse Center, 2801 21st Ave S., Minneapolis

If residents miss the pre-order deadline, a limited quantity of bins will also be available at Hennepin County’s Drop-off Facility in Brooklyn Park. Bins will be available for purchase on a first come, first serve basis on Wednesday evenings from 6 pm to 8 pm, beginning April 23. No pre-order is necessary. Bins are available while supplies last.

For general questions about the compost bin sale, see www.hennepin.us keyword search “compost bin” or call Hennepin County Environmental Services at 612-348-9266.

LakeMaster Releases new chips for 2008

Sport — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:22:15 GMT







Minnesota 2008 GPS Map Card

The All New 2008 LakeMaster® ProMap Minnesota Card is plug & play, which means you simply insert the chip into your Lowrance unit, turn it on, and the lakes automatically appear on your screen. It's that simple. The new MN chip is loaded with an amazing 750 total lakes with contours, of which 130 are high definition LAKEMASTER PROMAP lakes. That's over 80 new or revised ProMap lakes and over 620 enhanced lakes with contours. The chip is feature packed with: highly detailed road map, thousands of points of interest, state and wildlife management areas, parks, hunting zones, and over 2,000 BWCA campsites and marked portages. The chip also features fast redraw and zoom levels to .03 miles. This chip works in ANY LOWRANCE mapping unit that takes an MMC chart (except the LMS 2400 & LMS 240). You may have to download the most recent LEI software upgrade for your unit.




ALL NEW! ProMap Woods-Rainy Ontario Series Map Card

LakeMaster's all new Lake of the Woods/Rainy Lake map card will make you stop and look twice. The Woods/Rainy edition includes High-Definition 1-foot Contours for nearly all of Lake of the Woods. The High-Def detail covers all U.S Water and the south half of all Canadian water, from Big Narrows to Nestor Falls, plus updated coverage of Miles Bay and all new Hi-Def data for Sabaskong Bay (650,000 surveyed acres total). The Woods/Rainy chip has now been expanded to include all of Rainy Lake & the Rainy River (U.S. and Canadian Water)! This new LakeMaster's edition in amazing 1-foot Hi-Def contours not only expands the map coverage, it will expand your sense of adventure. New Features include shallow water areas, the 0 to 15 foot range, using shaded areas. This feature makes finding or avoiding these critical areas easy. The high-definition one-foot contour lines are now displayed black to make viewing in direct sunlight much easier.

UPGRADE YOUR OLD LAKE OF THE WOODS CHIP We truly value our loyal customers so we are offering an upgrade program for anyone who currently owns a "working" Lake of the Woods LakeMaster chip. If you would like to take advantage of this upgrade offer, follow these steps. 1. Click the buy button and complete the checkout steps. 2. LakeMaster will use the shipping address you provide to send a prepaid mailer to you (Expect a mailer in 1-4 days after placing the order). 3. Place your chip inside the mailer and promptly send it to LakeMaster. 4. When LakeMaster recieves your mailer, we will update the chip and send it back to you, at which time your credit card will be charged in the amount of $50 plus shipping and tax (Tax applies to MN residents only. You will recieve an order confirmation with your total price after completing step 1). LakeMaster's all New Woods-Rainy Edition GPS Map Card includes High-Definition 1' contours for Lake of the Woods, all of Rainy Lake, and all of Rainy River! Also includes depth contours for Crane, Kabetogama, Namakan, and Sand Point lakes. Lake of the Woods now includes all of Sabaskong bay and updated contours for Miles bay. New Features include: -New black contour lines for easy viewing in sunlight -Easy-to-read, shallow water (0-15') shaded areas -Over 6,000 Marked Rocks (Some the Hard Way!) -Includes the entire Minnesota basemap (Major roads, streets, parks, lakes, & streams)

Golf, Gators and Bass

Sport — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:35:41 GMT

I was lucky enough to spend last week in Hilton Head South Carolina with my family visiting with my in laws and celebrating my four year anniversary with Andrea. Hilton Head is loaded with golf courses. I intended to play a round or two but also planned to do a little fishing.
Before going down, I talked to a few local charter captains. Captain Johny Walker (love the name) told me how the golf course ponds had plenty of big bass in them. He said he had caught several fish in the 12 pound range by fishing the ponds in the morning before the golfers hit the course. This sounded pretty good to me since it had been quite a while since I had fished open water. I was also excited to possibly catch my biggest bass ever.

The weather down there was a little cool. Nights in the 40s and day time highs the first couple days only in the 50s. I figured this was going to slow down any bite that way have been going on. As it turned out I think it did slow it down but it didn't turn them all the way off. The first night out, my father in law took me to a pond just a few yards down the cart path from the condo. I tied on a buzz bait and slung it out while standing in the tee box. a couple casts later I was hoisting a four plus pounder from the edge of the pond. I think my father in law was a little surprised that the ponds he had lost the occasional golf ball in had fish of that size in it. Maybe they grow big eating those Top Flights.

I managed to catch a couple more fish on top water baits. I never had much luck throwing worms or spinner baits. I did get nervous a few times as gators in the 10 to 12 feet range would slowly swim over to see what I was doing or would lay just off the green when driving a par three. All in all I had a great time. Next year I will have to do a little research to find ponds with good populations and try to whack a few bigger fish.

DNR Sponsored Fly Fishing Event this Spring.

Sport — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:35:37 GMT

This looks like great event for anyone with kids interested in learning to fly fish.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Youth-adult fly-fishing event scheduled for May 16-18 (March 18, 2008)

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) MinnAqua Program and partners Trout Unlimited, Inc., and Good Earth Village invite youth and adult companions to learn the techniques of fly-fishing over the weekend of May 16-18.
The event will be held along some of the state’s finest trout fishing waters at Good Earth Village near Spring Valley in southeastern Minnesota (about 30 miles south of Rochester). Guides and instructors will teach participants how to fly cast, tie flies and read the water for trout before the actual fishing begins.

Dan Ryan of DNR’s MinnAqua Program said fly-fishing is growing in popularity in part because it is a life-long activity that both young and old enjoy. “We have many miles of outstanding trout fishing waters in Minnesota that are accessible and uncrowded,” Ryan said. “It’s a great way for adults and youth to enjoy some quality time together.”

The program will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday and conclude at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Youth ages 11-18 are eligible to participate if accompanied by an adult. Cost is $125 per adult/youth pairing and includes equipment, food and lodging at Good Earth Village.

Enrollment is limited, so register early. For additional information or to sign up, contact Ryan at (507) 359-6028 or dan.ryan@dnr.state.mn.us.

Urban Fishing

Sport — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 22:28:09 GMT

Versus has done it again. I wrote earlier about a new fishing show on Versus that was different from so many other fishing shows. City Limits is another break from the norm.

While I am not a huge Mike Iaconeli fan, I do like his new show. City Limits puts Mike and a local angler on urban waters and challenges them to catch a limit of bass each in 6 hours. The challenge is just for fun and to prove that fishing opportunities are often overlooked in the urban landscape. We all have done it. Driven by a body of water for years without ever seriously considering fishing it because it was in the city limits of some large city, at the end of an airport runway or flanked with concrete for miles in each direction. This show goes out and proves that bass can be caught in downtown Chicago or Washington DC.

While Living in Seattle I spent hours sitting in traffic on the bridges that cross Lake Washington. Although you see tons of pleasure boaters, you rarely saw fishermen on this large lake that separates Seattle form its east side suburbs. Fishermen were only seen for the most part during the two or three day Sockeye salmon season. That is if the Fish and Game allowed a season. Salmon is king in the pacific Northwest and you hear little or nothing about the warmer water species of fish. That is until I was talking with a dive team that was doing underwater surveys for the fish and game. They were video taping the Smallmouth in the lake and recording how many juvenile salmon they would eat in a given time period. Apparently there was concern that those pesky smallmouth might be affecting the salmon runs. Turns out 3 and 4 pound smallies are all over in the lake but they get little or no pressure. I went out several times after that and was able to catch a few of these wonderful fish.

I later discovered the lake was also loaded with jumbo perch. I brought several dozen fillets to a backyard BBQ one day to fry up and share with my friends. Every one was amazed that I had caught and kept fish from the lake. Once they were fried up though they disappeared quickly.

Get out on your local body of water. Even if it is right in the city. It may hold plenty of fish and you don't have to burn up all that gas in your truck driving to some remote lake.

Mille Lacs Perch

Sport — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:26:23 GMT

Last year a few of us decided to start an annual trip to do a little ice fishing and get away from home. Last year we rented a sleeper out of Izaty's. The shack was very nice but the fishing was a little slow. We managed to catch enough fish to have one meal on the ice and to take a small bag of fillets home. All in all a good trip.

This year we rented a sleeper from Jerry Brandt's operation. After going to his home office to check in, we found a note that said he was at the bar having lunch and that we should meet him there. Who were we to pass up a beer at 12:30 on a Monday? We headed to the bar and eventually got checked in and headed out to our shack.

The shack was about two miles out on a rock reef in about 25 feet of water. We dropped lines then dropped the camera. Small perch in the four inch range surrounded our baits. Mostly staring in amazement but sometimes nibbling a little. The occasional Sculpin would also make a feeble attempt to take our baits before scurrying back to the bottom. To say the fish were in a negative mood would be an understatement.

We talked with plenty of locals. The general consensus was that the fishing had been poor all year. Refreshing to hear as opposed to the "you should have been here last week" that you normally get, but still not encouraging for our current trip. Thats what beer, cards and the radio are for I guess.

The fishing was tough. Over the course of two full days we caught 3 keeper sized perch (in the 11 inch range) and a bunch of the four inchers. Just so we could get a snack to taste, I did clean up 6 or 7 of the 4 inchers and the keepers. They tasted good. It was just a lot of work to clean those little guys. Next year we will go further north to Winnie. After two years of struggling for a bite, I think we will go for more fish.

Here are a couple pictures from the trip.

Dad with a crayfish he caught. We actually lost a couple others right at the ice.

Ray showing off a couple lunkers.

Passing time between bites.

Family Fishing

Sport — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:25:06 GMT

It has been a while since I posted an article. Visitors, family obligations and fortunately a 3 day fishing trip to Mille Lacs has kept me away from the computer. More on the Mille Lacs trip in a later post.

A couple weeks ago I had my parents and a friend from Seattle out for a little ice fishing. I introduced my buddy Ray to ice fishing a couple years ago and he has loved it ever since. Ray has come out to fish three straight winters now. 20 degrees below zero is a little hard on an islander from Seattle (where it rarely dips below 35) but he still makes it out.

With weather in the 40s the day after everyone arrived in town, we figured a whole family adventure was in order. Even my 10 month old little girl Sarah came along. First order of business was getting licenses for every one. What a hassle. I guess the DNR computer doesn't like a 2008 date being entered on a 2007 fishing license. It took stops at a couple license retailers and a call to the DNR to finally get it straightened out. Finding sucker minnows for our tip ups was the next challenge. Many area bait shops were out since the season was wrapping up for Northern and Walleyes. We managed to find a few at the bait shop in Wayzata. Thanks Guys!

We hit Minnetonka and were happy to find lots of holes already drilled. With over two feet of ice drilling a couple dozen holes would have taken a while. It only took a few minutes to get onto a non stop Bluegill bite. My Mom, Andrea and Ray were catching fish as fast as they could keep there hooks baited with wax worms. My dad and I worked on getting 5 or 6 tip ups out. Sarah mostly played with the dog and watched grandma cull a pile of bluegills she had on the ice with bigger ones whenever she could.

We ended up keeping about a dozen bluegills for a pre-dinner snack. Deep fried Turkey was already on the menu for that night. Not a single flag on the tip ups although we did see one Northern on the camera. I didn't catch a single fish on tip ups this year. Not sure what I did wrong. I saw plenty of fish caught on other guys rigs and I caught plenty on a Swedish pimple. I guess there is always next year.
Here are some pictures of a great day on the ice!

Mom has a nice pile started. Sarah enjoying her first time ice fishing.

Ray with a bronco gill. (Camera phone doesn't do it justice)

New Fishing Show

Sport — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:53:04 GMT

There are probably hundreds of fishing shows on TV. Most are pretty much the same. I have started watching one recently that is a little different and I wanted to tell you all about it.
Hook n' Look is a new series on Versus. What makes it different is that they actually get in the water and film the fish in their natural environment. You get to see how they are related to cover as well as how they react to the baits. In the first episode I watched, they caught and filmed bedding Smallmouth. After releasing the fish they would follow the fish right back to the bed. It only took a minute for the fish to setup on the bed again.
They frequently have fisheries biologists on to discuss the science of the fish and their prey. Most fishing shows will heavily promote a lodge or bait in each episode. Hook n' Look so far has not been so obvious. Sure they mention what they are using and obviously they have to mention the sponsors, but it doesn't dominate the show. I like this aspect. We will see if that changes in future episodes.

Here is a link to the show schedule. http://www.versus.com/nw/article/view/62500/?UserDef=true&catID=78

Lots of Smallmouth episodes are coming up but there are a few Largemouth episodes as well as a Peacock show.
Setup your DVR and let me know what you think.

Sport

Ice Fishing Tournaments

Sport — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:07:35 GMT

Winter has taken a firm grip this month and has forced many folks to stay locked up in the house in front of a warm fire. The weather man says the worst is probably behind us though so put on that parka and get out and test your ice fishing skill at one of the many ice fishing tournaments taking place over the rest of the season. Most of them are fund raisers for local charities. That means you can feel like a philanthropist while you fish for prizes.

Jan 26th        Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza
                      Gull Lake, Brainerd MN.
                      www.icefishing.org

Jan 26th       Maple Lake Fishing Derby
                     Maple Lake, MN.
                     www.maplelakeonline.com

Jan 27th       Mavericks Big Bobber Ice Fishing Contest
                     Westwood Marina, Lake Washington (near Mankato) MN.
                    www.msumavericks.com

Jan 27th       United Northern Sportsmen's Ice Fishing Contest
                    Island Lake, Duluth MN.
                    Info call 218-722-2711

Feb 16th      Forest Lake VFW post 4210 Fishapalooza
                    Forest Lake, MN
                    www.icefishingforestlake.com

Feb 15-17th Eelpout Festival
                    Leech Lake, Walker MN.
                    www.poutfest.com

Feb 16th       6th Annual Ice Golf Tournament (not really fishing but sounds like fun)
                     Hasty - Silver Creek Sportsmen's Club, Silver lake
                     Contact: Jason Neu 320-267-8145

Feb 23rd       4th Annual Minnesota Ducks Unlimited Ice Fishing Tournament
                     Garrison Bay, Mille Lacs Lake
                     www.fishingforducks.org

Feb 23rd       Somerset Youth Athletics Assn Ice Fishing Contest
                      Bass Lake, Somerset WI.
                      www.icetourney.com

If you know of any other events I may not have listed here, please feel free to add a comment.

Good luck!

Tip Up Line

Sport — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:28:12 GMT

It isn't supposed to get above zero all weekend here in Minneapolis. Add steady wind and it will be just a little too cold to go out on the ice and look for new fish. I have no clients booked so when the wife said she may need to work and leave me with the baby I played like it was going to hurt. She knows I want to be on the ice most weekends so no sense in changing her perception. In reality it will give me an excuse to work on my gear in the warmth of the basement.

So here is the tip for all you guys who got new tip ups for Christmas or just want to put new line on your spools. If your like me, you will be putting new line on all your bass or walleye rods before the season begins next spring. Dont throw that braided line away, spool it up on your tip ups. Any braided line 20 pound or larger works great on a tip up.

Hopefully this tip saves you a few bucks and gives you something to do while watching football this weekend.

Got any tips you want to share? Send us an email at info@sportsmithfishing.com and we will post it here under Tips and Tricks.

A day on the ice with dad

Sport — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:11:56 GMT

My father was in town this weekend for a short visit. We hadn't gotten together yet this year to do some ice fishing. After spending Friday morning at Cabela's and the afternoon at the sportsmen's show in St Paul, we were more than ready to get out and drill a few holes.

Saturday we headed over to Minnetonka. I was surprised by the number of guys fishing on Grays and Wayzata bays. Portables and permanent shacks were scattered about with plenty of trucks and tip ups in between. Seems word got out that the northerns are bitting on Grays.

We had to drill a couple holes before we could locate the best available spot to set up. We put out a couple tip ups with sucker minnows and then settled into the portable with some wax worms. The blue gills were aggressive and hitting our baits as fast as we could drop them down. The Aqua Vu showed a large school of fish. They were holding beneath us from 4 feet down all the way to the bottom (12 feet). Typically schools will move through and you end up with slow periods in between the action. Not the case this day. The fish were down there to stay and we caught them non stop for close to four hours. Most fish were medium size but we were able to land several nice fish in the 7 to 8 inch range. Dad also pulled up a nice bonus crappie (picture below). We missed one northern on a jig rod but didn't manage so much as a bite on the tip ups. The lack of Northerns probably explained the constant blue gill action.

All in all a fantastic day on the ice. Final count was well over one hundred blue gills between the two of us and the bonus crappie. Get out on the ice and give it a try.

Cheap and easy tip up lights

Sport — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:31:18 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV1wN74xueo

Check out this video link for an easy do it yourself tip up light.

Ice Reports

Sport — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 10:39:58 GMT

I spent a few hours scouting area lakes last weekend just to get out of the house and to get a feel for what others may be doing. It was surprising to me how few people I saw fishing. Parkers Lake in the Plymouth area was completely devoid of anglers for the second time that I have driven by now. This lake usually has considerable traffic by fisherman looking for blue gills and crappies. It also contains a healthy number of large pike. Anyone looking for a place to get away from the crowds on more popular spots may want to give Parkers a try.

Some Minnetonka fisherman have started to drive on the ice. Many are still parking near shore and using ATVs or snowmobiles to go out, but some trucks were all the way out Sunday. As I write this, the thermometer is well below zero so more ice is surely being made. Grays Bay had its normal handful of anglers. Wayzata bay has developed a couple distinct clusters of shacks.

Weaver lake is one of my favorite area lakes. Not only is it close to my home but it often gives up quality fish and has limited pressure, especially during the open water season. During winter however it is not uncommon to see several dark houses and a hand full of portables anytime you drive past the launch. Sunday the lake was deserted. I must admit I was shut out on my first attempt on Weaver this winter so that may explain a lack of fisherman there.

Medicine Lake was by far the busiest area lake. Guys were scattered all over the lake. Bait shop reports say they are catching walleyes but that is typical bait shop talk. Two main clusters of shacks are in the typical areas. The south west arm was loaded with trucks, wheel houses and portables like always. The north east portion of the main basin also has a considerable number of permanent houses. Portables dotted the rest of the lake Sunday.

Monday I took a ride and checked a few lakes in the Alexandria area. 14 inches of ice has people driving on most of the lakes up there. I didn't get any reports on fish being caught but guys were fishing. I also spotted 3 rooster pheasants and one hen. I will have to give Spear a shot at them next fall.

Good luck but don't catch them all.
Sport

A quiet New Years

Sport — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:43:13 GMT

The sun finally came out Monday for the first time in a week or more. I hadn't been to our property near Alexandria in over two months. Andrea had the day off for the holiday and wanted to stay home with the baby so my dog Spear and I packed up the auger and some other gear including snow shoes, and headed out. A quick drive up 94 and we were looking over the frozen lake.
In October I placed a trail camera on a tree in the corner of the field. I was curious how many deer and other animals were using the field. I wanted to retrieve the camera which gave me the perfect excuse to go up there. Since I was up there I may as well drop a line and see if the blue gills we had caught from shore all summer would be willing to take a wax worm through the ice. I also was anxious to use the new tip ups Santa had brought me for Christmas. On the way through Brandon I picked up a few sucker minnows. The plan was to snow shoe through the property and out onto the small lake and drill a few holes. Catch a pike or two and a handful of bluegills then grab the camera and head back home to celebrate the new year with Andrea and Sarah. As is typical for off the cuff trips like this my plan didn't work out as far as the fish were concerned. I didn't get any bites after a couple hours of trying. I didn't mind too much though.
The sun was out and Spear and I cut fresh tracks in the snow. Places like this look so different in the winter than they do in the summer. It was calm and quiet. A beautiful scene that reminds me why I live in a northern climate and deal with snow shovels and broken snow blowers for several months out of the year. Spear also seemed to enjoy our time as he did his best quail dog impression running far and wide searching for something, anything really. Occasionally I would call him back only for him to take off again after checking in.
After giving up on the fishing, I pulled the lines and we made our way to the trailer. A 1962 camper trailer is what we call home for our summer time trips to the property. As you can imagine a 1962 trailer is not real air tight and as such in often blessed with a few rodent inhabitants. I took a few minutes to empty the mice traps and Spear took the opportunity to clear his paws from some of the ice that had formed on them. I locked the trailer back up and put my snowshoes back on. We took the long way back to the car. Savoring the quiet and the beauty of a frozen landscape.
As we approached the car a flock of turkeys were feeding in a field across the road. We watched them for a while and then packed up for the drive home. A great day for the final day of the year. As it turned out, after two months in the field, the camera only got one picture of a bunny.A dozen or more others were unrecognizable. Guess I will have to work with the camera settings and give it another try. Sounds like another good reason to go up there. Since I am going up there I may as well.....

Happy New Year to you and yours. May 2008 bring you all the best.
Sport

Christmas Eve Fishing

Sport — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:17:12 GMT

The holiday season is all about friends and family. We had some friends from out of town at our house spending the holiday with us. Saturday was spent getting those final gifts and filling the fridge with food for the big meal. Although a little late, we did manage to get out and scout for some fish Saturday before the sun went down. We got on a good Blue Gill bite and managed to land one Northern on a Swedish Pimple. We kept a few gills and had a nice little fish fry for dinner that night. Sunday was more shopping and wrapping of gifts not to mention that fantastic Bears victory over the Packers.
Monday (Christmas Eve) we headed out to the spot we had found fish on Saturday. To my surprise we had the ice to our selves. Only two trucks at the landing and just one guy sitting on a bucket in the middle of the lake. Not sure why but we pretty much had it all to our selves.
It had been 2 degrees in the morning but had warmed to the mid teens. The Sun was out and the strong winds from the night before had subsided. All in all a beautiful day. Although we had 13 inches of ice, no one else had been driving on the ice so neither did we. A short walk later and we were drilling holes. As typical when you take first timers out, a problem immediately arose. My augers blades went dull over night. This made drilling the holes a considerable chore. We got it done however and set up the shack and got Barbara baited with a wax worm looking for the blue gills.
The fish were there but seemed to be few and far between. They have to be done there I thought as Mike dropped the aqua vu to see what was going on. The answer appeared almost instantly. A big musky was checking out our baits and apparently hoping for an easy meal of blue gill. After bumping the camera, it looks like a little blue gill if you have never seen it, the musky swam off. The pan fish came back shortly there after. Barbara even caught a perch. Every 15 minutes or so a Northern would come by and scare them off though. Mean while the tip ups I had set out with small sucker minnows continued to not produce. Frustrated, I put down a jig rod with a small sucker minnow on it and the fun began. First one, then several more Northerns were coming out of the holes in the shack. we settled into a nice little routine. Catch the gills while they were down there and drop a sucker when they left or a northern showed up on camera. A good time was had by all.
We headed home as the sun was setting. All our fish were released, but a few shrimp on the BBQ made up dinner back at home. Off to bed as Santa is on his way and dreams of the next good bite filled my head.

I hope you too had a Merry Christmas. Check out a few pictures from our outing.