When late fall in the Great Lakes and Midwest region rolls around a few weeks to a month after turnover, the bass largely shut down, especially largemouths. This usually happens after the water temperature gets below around 48 degrees. The largemouth bass is primarily a warm-water fish and doesn't get much further north than Minnesota. They flourish in warmer waters (part of the reason why bass get so much bigger in the South and Mexico - the difference is huge) and the areas where people can ice fish for them are confined to a few states. Which is just as well, because the ice fishing for largemouth bass is pretty poor.
Despite their slower metabolism, bass still need to eat. Before the lakes freeze, you want to go smaller in lure size and slow your presentation way down. Slower presentations like jigs and jigging spoons are your best bet. You can also try slowly working small jerkbaits with lots of pauses in the retrieve.
Location. Points, docks, and mouths of creeks are your keys now. Look for where the bank tapers to provide access to deeper water. If there are green weeds still alive, good, but remember that brown and dying weeds actually consume oxygen so those are bad.
Water is clearer this time of year (algae and weeds are mostly gone) so I usually go with a naturally colored presentation in lakes - olive or other darker colors. Shad colored imitations are great this time of year, especially in earlier fall.
Once the ice freezes, bass become even more dormant. Largemouth fishing can be decently challenging this time of year. They eat less but more importantly, they eat smaller things too. Instead of summer fishing when you were using five to seven inch lures, now we want to use one to two inch lures. And two inches is even a little big.
Basically, largemouth ice fishing is very similiar to panfish fishing. You'll want to focus on fertile flats and weededges with small lures and light gear. Crappie minnows work.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Exploring Kalamazoo
So I flew home yesterday for Thanksgiving Break to see my family and the house they are living in for the moment. My family moved to Kalamazoo Michigan a few months ago and I hadn't seen the area at all so I took the day to explore the area and check out the fishing opportunities that I'll be experiencing this summer.
First and foremost, Gull Lake is only about five minutes north of our house. It's an early stage mesotrophic lake, which means that it is deep and clear - over a hundred feet deep, with a visibility of over 20 feet. It has smallmouth and largemouth, walleye, pike, rainbow trout, brown trout, and lake trout. The pike and the lake trout both can get over twenty pounds, which are truly large fish. I'm very excited to try and chase a 20 lb pike or fly fish for the lakers.
There are a number of nearby streams that are either stocked or have naturally occurring brown trout. The best of these are Spring Brook and Augusta Creek, which are fifteen and five minutes away. These give me classic small stream trout fly fishing opportunities.
The Kalamazoo River is a great warmwater river fishery with pike, walleye, and even lake sturgeon. However, the stretch near to me is best for smallmouth bass. The Kzoo is about ten minutes away.
An hour south of my house is the St. Joseph River, which has lake-run brown trout, steelhead, and salmon. These fish can get upwards of twenty pounds and the river is one of the top ten steelhead rivers in the midwest.
And finally, of course, there are numerous ponds around with largemouth bass. There's even one about two hundred yards in front of the house that will be perfect for the canoe in the summer.
I'm very satisfied with the Kalamazoo area. I have excellent fishing for lake and brown trout, huge pike, and smallmouths. There's also possible walleye fishing, rainbow trout, sturgeon, and largemouths. Should be a good summer.
First and foremost, Gull Lake is only about five minutes north of our house. It's an early stage mesotrophic lake, which means that it is deep and clear - over a hundred feet deep, with a visibility of over 20 feet. It has smallmouth and largemouth, walleye, pike, rainbow trout, brown trout, and lake trout. The pike and the lake trout both can get over twenty pounds, which are truly large fish. I'm very excited to try and chase a 20 lb pike or fly fish for the lakers.
There are a number of nearby streams that are either stocked or have naturally occurring brown trout. The best of these are Spring Brook and Augusta Creek, which are fifteen and five minutes away. These give me classic small stream trout fly fishing opportunities.
The Kalamazoo River is a great warmwater river fishery with pike, walleye, and even lake sturgeon. However, the stretch near to me is best for smallmouth bass. The Kzoo is about ten minutes away.
An hour south of my house is the St. Joseph River, which has lake-run brown trout, steelhead, and salmon. These fish can get upwards of twenty pounds and the river is one of the top ten steelhead rivers in the midwest.
And finally, of course, there are numerous ponds around with largemouth bass. There's even one about two hundred yards in front of the house that will be perfect for the canoe in the summer.
I'm very satisfied with the Kalamazoo area. I have excellent fishing for lake and brown trout, huge pike, and smallmouths. There's also possible walleye fishing, rainbow trout, sturgeon, and largemouths. Should be a good summer.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Winterizing
I went out for an hour today on Valentine and noticed that parts of the lake that I used to fish is being covered by a thin skin of ice. This, of course, makes it quite impossible to fly fish. Although it will probably melt again, I decided that it's time to winterize the fly fishing gear for the year. The bass mostly shut down for the year a few weeks ago anyway, and I'm running low on wire leaders for the pike.
It's important to take good care of your gear for the winter. Remember that your gear will sit stationary and unused for months. I'll go through it item by item.
Rod: not much needed here. I usually give it a quick wipe down to get any weeds or dirt off it. I also like to wipe down the cork handle to get it a little cleaner. Make sure the female ends of the ferrules are clear of obstructions.
Reel: Most modern fly reels are self-lubricating, which means that applying oil or grease will usually do more harm than good. Again, wipe down for dirt on the inside and outside of the reel and spool arbor. Not much needed here either.
Flies: Make sure your flies are spaced out. If they are stored closely together, then their form can get bent and deformed. Make sure they aren't put away wet in an enclosed space where the hooks will rust or grow mold. I have an anti-rust patch in my fly box.
Line: This is the most important part. Remember that line is susceptible to damage from light, dirt, and chemicals. Clean it by soaking and then running it through a cloth until it doesn't leave dirt in the paper towel. Don't put it back on the spool - wrap it LOOSELY around another object with a large radius like a coat hanger. This minimizes memory and coils. Store it in a dark place out of the light.
A little depressing but there's always next season. Time for ice fishing soon.
It's important to take good care of your gear for the winter. Remember that your gear will sit stationary and unused for months. I'll go through it item by item.
Rod: not much needed here. I usually give it a quick wipe down to get any weeds or dirt off it. I also like to wipe down the cork handle to get it a little cleaner. Make sure the female ends of the ferrules are clear of obstructions.
Reel: Most modern fly reels are self-lubricating, which means that applying oil or grease will usually do more harm than good. Again, wipe down for dirt on the inside and outside of the reel and spool arbor. Not much needed here either.
Flies: Make sure your flies are spaced out. If they are stored closely together, then their form can get bent and deformed. Make sure they aren't put away wet in an enclosed space where the hooks will rust or grow mold. I have an anti-rust patch in my fly box.
Line: This is the most important part. Remember that line is susceptible to damage from light, dirt, and chemicals. Clean it by soaking and then running it through a cloth until it doesn't leave dirt in the paper towel. Don't put it back on the spool - wrap it LOOSELY around another object with a large radius like a coat hanger. This minimizes memory and coils. Store it in a dark place out of the light.
A little depressing but there's always next season. Time for ice fishing soon.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Tip-ups + Jigs for Pike
Over two of pike caught in a yearly basis in Wisconsin and Minnesota are caught ice fishing. Of those fish caught ice fishing, tip ups account for more of those pike than any other method. Tip ups are a highly effective way to target northern pike because they allow you to keep several baits in the strike zone for long periods of time, being fished effectively with minimal attention. In addition, you can use maps and depth charts to place your tips ups in spots that you know are likely to hold fish. But jigging is also a highly effective and overlooked method for taking winter pike.
In Minnesota, it is legal to fish two lines per person. If you have a few people along for the trip, you can put out a bunch of tip ups and jig as well. I like to put out two or three tip ups and then drill another hole right next to each of those tip ups. I'll get an ice rod with 12 lb test, a wire leader, and a lure like a Lindy Darter or Rattletrap - something that makes sound. I'll jig this lure next to the tip up and what often happens is that the sound of the lure attracts fish to the area, but they then see the bait on the tip up and take it.
There are a few different ways you can set up a dual jig approach. If you have enough people to be fishing multiple tip ups, then you can drill holes in between the tip ups so pike attracted to the sound have to pass the bait on their way there. You can also set up the tip ups in a circle and jig right in the center of the circle to "call the fish in". Or do the opposite if you are by yourself and can only have one tip up - set up a tip up and then jig at four different holes surrounding your one tip up. If possible, set these surrounding holes up on pike structure (rocks, saddles, weedbeds) as well.
For this "call em in" approach, you'll want a lure that makes sound. That's crucial. Try to have it also mimic the natural forage in the lake - often perch in the metro area. Or you can tip it with a bit of minnow. Although your lure is helping to boost the effectiveness of the tip ups, you'll often find that you take pike on the jigging rod as well.
In Minnesota, it is legal to fish two lines per person. If you have a few people along for the trip, you can put out a bunch of tip ups and jig as well. I like to put out two or three tip ups and then drill another hole right next to each of those tip ups. I'll get an ice rod with 12 lb test, a wire leader, and a lure like a Lindy Darter or Rattletrap - something that makes sound. I'll jig this lure next to the tip up and what often happens is that the sound of the lure attracts fish to the area, but they then see the bait on the tip up and take it.
There are a few different ways you can set up a dual jig approach. If you have enough people to be fishing multiple tip ups, then you can drill holes in between the tip ups so pike attracted to the sound have to pass the bait on their way there. You can also set up the tip ups in a circle and jig right in the center of the circle to "call the fish in". Or do the opposite if you are by yourself and can only have one tip up - set up a tip up and then jig at four different holes surrounding your one tip up. If possible, set these surrounding holes up on pike structure (rocks, saddles, weedbeds) as well.
For this "call em in" approach, you'll want a lure that makes sound. That's crucial. Try to have it also mimic the natural forage in the lake - often perch in the metro area. Or you can tip it with a bit of minnow. Although your lure is helping to boost the effectiveness of the tip ups, you'll often find that you take pike on the jigging rod as well.
Preparing for the Winter
I was running around Plymouth this weekend and saw a small pond with a thin partial skin of ice over it and it made me sit up straight in my seat. Most of the ponds and lakes haven't frozen at all yet. It varies by a lot of factors like exposure to wind or sunlight. But this was the first ice I saw all year.
My family was in town for the weekend and I convinced them to drive me to Cabela's so I could stock up on fishing stuff for the winter. I got everything that I thought I needed - quick strike rigs, depth finders, and an auger for $55. Total bill was around 90 which isn't too bad considering I probably won't need anything else for the year.
I just thought that I would run over a few necessities for those of you that are thinking about getting into ice fishing. A lot of it depends on what you are trying to catch though.
I'm mostly a pike fisherman so I use tip ups. Tip ups can be used for a variety of fish, like walleye and trout as well, but they are mostly used for northern pike. They work by suspending a minnow or piece of bait in the water and springing a flag when a fish takes the bait. You then have to set the hook and pull up the fish. Tip ups often work best with dead bait, not live, because the fish are much less aggressive in the cold of winter. Live bait will work best in very early season and perhaps at late season, but the pike will take dead bait all year. Suckers do if you don't have anything better but oily fish like smelt, shad, or ciscoe are better. Use a quick-strike rig - a rig with two treble hooks - so you can hook the fish quicker and easier. If you are practicing catch and release, don't get too far from your tip ups, and don't keep the fish out of water too long because their eyeballs freeze over.
You'll need an ice auger to drill the holes. Match the hole size to the fish. Most fish in the metro will fit through a six inch hole, except for unusually large pike and musky. I use at least an eight inch hole because I find it easier to work with and I do a lot of pike fishing. Gas augers are fast and powerful, but they are also heavy and loud. Noise, although it can sometimes attract fish, is more likely to scare the fish. Electric motors are much quieter but expensive. Hand augers are quiet, portable and cheap but they also take a long time. Make your holes count... hehe. Resharpen your blades periodically and wipe down after a day on the ice to prevent rust.
Ice fishing rods are largely similar but there are differences. Again, match the rod to the fish. There are a large variety out there nowadays.
A sieve-like spoon is good for getting slush out of your hole. Small clip on depth finders take your line to the bottom so you can find depth easily. Warm clothes are an obvious must. A shovel clears off snow.
The stuff piles up quickly, especially if you opt for a portable tent, heater, and fish finder. Make sure your sled has room in it for everything. I also like snacks :)
Monday, October 22, 2012
The Point
A dear friend of mine that goes to UW River Falls likes to make fun of me. And so, when she found out that I release most of the fish that I catch, she poked quite a bit of fun at me for loving to do something that seems so pointless. Of course, she knows why I love fishing, and I didn't have to explain to her the point, but it still made me think.
I was still thinking about it Sunday morning. I spent the first seven waking hours of my Sunday morning, until 3 in the afternoon, sitting in a church listening to the training for the mentorship program I'm participating in. It's important and good stuff but I was sleepy so I got a little distracted. I was sitting next to a large window that looked out across a medium sized pond next to the church. It must have had small sunfish in it, because every so often I would see a dimple on the surface of the water as a fish came up to rise. The simple beauty of the sunny fall morning and the pond in the cattails made it harder for me to focus on the speaker.
What is the point of my fishing.
I feel like I've written on this a lot before, but I still have people ask me that. To be honest, I like talking about it. I like discussing my passion for something that other people see only as a casual pasttime. So here it is again.
I love fishing because of the challenge it gives me. The fact of the matter is that I can fish during every single month for the rest of my life (and probably will try) and I will still not understand everything there is to know about fishing. There will always be more to learn. Fishing challenges me and makes me think. It's an equation, really, an equation that I somehow enjoy despite my loathing of math. It's about putting together all of the factors - fish species and characteristics, preferred habitat, body shape and size, predation strategies, season, water temperatures, light levels, water clarity, time of day, forage base, and so many others. It's about having to use my mind to maximize my time and my resources.
I love fishing because of the beauty. There is something about the sun rising over a lake on a summer morning through the mist at 5 o clock, with the call of a loon in the distance that raises the hair on my neck. The sound of the waves lapping on the shore and the quiet splash of bass around you. The delicate movement of a fly through the air. Deer coming to the shore to drink and watching you.
I love fishing for what it means to me. It's something that has made me so much closer to my dad, the person I respect most on this planet. It's been our bonding time for as long as I remember, something that sets me apart from my other siblings. Fishing is also a defining feature for me, something that I can take pride in because I'm good at it. Something that other people know me for. Finally, fishing has been a spiritual experience for me. I've spent more time praying to God while fishing that I have while at church.
And finally, I love fishing for the payoff. The heart pounding excitement of the flash as a fish takes my fly or the tightening of the line. The splash and the whine of the drag and the feeling of pride as you carefully release the fish into the water that it came from. Or, adversely, as you clean and prepare the fish for a delicious dinner that you caught yourself. The feeling of outsmarting a wild creature. Of accomplishing something by yourself, of taking complete responsibility for a prize gained.
I also love the fishing for the disappointment. The days that you miss a fish, the days that the fish remind you that you will never be as clever as you think you are. The days that remind you why it's not called catching.
I was still thinking about it Sunday morning. I spent the first seven waking hours of my Sunday morning, until 3 in the afternoon, sitting in a church listening to the training for the mentorship program I'm participating in. It's important and good stuff but I was sleepy so I got a little distracted. I was sitting next to a large window that looked out across a medium sized pond next to the church. It must have had small sunfish in it, because every so often I would see a dimple on the surface of the water as a fish came up to rise. The simple beauty of the sunny fall morning and the pond in the cattails made it harder for me to focus on the speaker.
What is the point of my fishing.
I feel like I've written on this a lot before, but I still have people ask me that. To be honest, I like talking about it. I like discussing my passion for something that other people see only as a casual pasttime. So here it is again.
I love fishing because of the challenge it gives me. The fact of the matter is that I can fish during every single month for the rest of my life (and probably will try) and I will still not understand everything there is to know about fishing. There will always be more to learn. Fishing challenges me and makes me think. It's an equation, really, an equation that I somehow enjoy despite my loathing of math. It's about putting together all of the factors - fish species and characteristics, preferred habitat, body shape and size, predation strategies, season, water temperatures, light levels, water clarity, time of day, forage base, and so many others. It's about having to use my mind to maximize my time and my resources.
I love fishing because of the beauty. There is something about the sun rising over a lake on a summer morning through the mist at 5 o clock, with the call of a loon in the distance that raises the hair on my neck. The sound of the waves lapping on the shore and the quiet splash of bass around you. The delicate movement of a fly through the air. Deer coming to the shore to drink and watching you.
I love fishing for what it means to me. It's something that has made me so much closer to my dad, the person I respect most on this planet. It's been our bonding time for as long as I remember, something that sets me apart from my other siblings. Fishing is also a defining feature for me, something that I can take pride in because I'm good at it. Something that other people know me for. Finally, fishing has been a spiritual experience for me. I've spent more time praying to God while fishing that I have while at church.
And finally, I love fishing for the payoff. The heart pounding excitement of the flash as a fish takes my fly or the tightening of the line. The splash and the whine of the drag and the feeling of pride as you carefully release the fish into the water that it came from. Or, adversely, as you clean and prepare the fish for a delicious dinner that you caught yourself. The feeling of outsmarting a wild creature. Of accomplishing something by yourself, of taking complete responsibility for a prize gained.
I also love the fishing for the disappointment. The days that you miss a fish, the days that the fish remind you that you will never be as clever as you think you are. The days that remind you why it's not called catching.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Valentine Pike on the Fly
Today I was planning on going to a football game but overslept and didn't wake up until 1:30. It was a gloomy day, cloudy and rained on and off.
Since we know that fall revolves around three great activities - football, deer hunting, and fishing - I try to include at least one of those in every one of my days. I missed football and hunting isn't possible yet, so after the rain stopped at around dinner time I headed out to fish for an hour before dark.
I've found a decent spot to do some fly fishing on the shores of Valentine, which is important because they pulled the dock for the year and I'm gonna lose my bike at the end of October so I won't be able to go down to Johanna as easily. It's a spot with open room, the only problem is the cattails that just kill me whenever I get lazy and start casting wider loops.
The algae is mostly gone from the shorelines, which leaves me able to cast both topwater flies and streamers, depending on conditions. A safe bet is that, while topwaters are more fun to watch the fish hit (and it's easier to detect a strike), you'll get more strikes with streamers because most fish feeding occurs below the surface. I usually look around when I get to the lake and don't use a topwater unless I can see topwater rises on the lake.
It rained today and was still cloudy. The rain makes the water murkier and reduces visibility, something that I usually deal with by using brighter colors like chartreuse or red. The cloudiness reduces the light level. With low light levels, use a darker lure or fly so the fish can see a silhouette in the water. Finally, it's fall, which means the fish are willing to take bigger offerings.
So I put on a six-inch black streamer, with a tail that is tipped in chartreuse and a few orange rubber whiskers. This way I got the size, I got the dark silhouette, and I got the brighter colors.
And it worked out. I fished for about an hour from the same spot of shore and caught two pike, a 27 incher and a 25 incher. Considering how small and shallow Valentine stays, that's probably about where the fish top out in length. That's part of what I love about fishing - putting all the factors together to outsmart the fish and see it come out in success. I was lucky tonight because I managed to land both pike on a bass leader - six pound test, no wire leader. Usually that doesn't go so well with northerns.
I released both pike. The first one managed to get his teeth into my thumb a little. Not the best feeling in the world.
Pictures are on facebook for those interested.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Fishing Isn't a Team Sport
Part of what I loved about playing football in high school was the teamwork and being part of team with other guys.
Much of what I love about fishing is that it isn't a team sport.
How do both of those make sense?
Although I think that team sports are invaluable and were an essential part of making me the person who I am today, I also have always been a relatively solitary person. I'm not a person that needs to be hanging out with friends every minute of the day.
What I love about fishing is that it's all me. No relying on teammates or coaches or fans. I make the decisions. I do what I enjoy most. I answer to nobody except myself.
The thing about fishing is that nobody can let me down. Nobody can make me promises or encouragement and then break it. Nobody can lie to me or try to one up me. It's all me. Does that make sense?
And part of what I like about fishing is that I can rely on it to always be there.
Much of what I love about fishing is that it isn't a team sport.
How do both of those make sense?
Although I think that team sports are invaluable and were an essential part of making me the person who I am today, I also have always been a relatively solitary person. I'm not a person that needs to be hanging out with friends every minute of the day.
What I love about fishing is that it's all me. No relying on teammates or coaches or fans. I make the decisions. I do what I enjoy most. I answer to nobody except myself.
The thing about fishing is that nobody can let me down. Nobody can make me promises or encouragement and then break it. Nobody can lie to me or try to one up me. It's all me. Does that make sense?
And part of what I like about fishing is that I can rely on it to always be there.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Reflecting, bass on the fly
When I went to Colorado with my family a few summers ago and tried fly fishing for the first time, I fell in love with it. The grace and the skill and the movement involved all spoke to me in a way that fishing with bait doesn't. I came back to Minnesota and, a few months later, received my first fly rod for Christmas, a six weight perfect for bluegill and crappie. I bought an eight weight at Cabela's for pike and bass and couldn't wait to catch some bigger fish on the fly rod.
But fly fishing is tricky to pick up at first, and I struggled. My cast still seldom breaks fifty or sixty feet. I caught small bass about a foot long, and a few snake northerns, but nothing of any size.
Added to the equation was that this past summer was probably the hardest few months of my life. My youngest brother, Nicholas, was severely infected with a fungus and fought for his life for several months. He teetered on the edge and spent a month in intensive care in the children's hospital before recovering. In addition, my father continued a fruitless job search before finding a job... in Michigan. My family moved and I still haven't been to the house that I technically am supposed to call my home now. Finally, I suffered heartbreak in the relationship department. Priorities were misplaced and communication failed and it was one more thing to pile on top. All of this happened as I was preparing to enter college and start my higher education at Bethel University. My relationship with God, much like my relationship with Cosette, started to fall apart and was replaced with anger - anger at Him and anger at the world. If not for my friendships with people like Sonia, Alex and Mya, I don't know how I would have gotten through it.
Needless to say, I didn't get much fishing done that summer. My fly rod was relegated to a corner of the garage as I spent my days on the phone, in the hospital, or snatching time at the house that would quickly become someone else's. But I still found a little time to spend on the lake. When nothing else made me feel better, fishing always could.
There are two types of fishermen - those who enjoy fishing because it's fun, and those who live fishing. I live fishing. It occupies my thoughts of every waking hour. I'm constantly thinking, reading, dreaming of how to improve my fishing knowledge. Most guys know football or basketball - I know fishing. It's just what I do. One of the ways that you can tell the fishermen who live fishing are the ones that keep fishing even when they don't catch anything.
I had a dry spell. The whole summer, I didn't catch a fish on the fly that was bigger than a foot long. Sure, I caught little guys on flies, and I caught sizeable fish on spinning gear, but my fly fishing was marked by many mornings of zero fish. In a way, it represented my failures that I felt burdened by from the summer. I failed in my relationship and was powerless to protect my brother or help my father, failing three of the people I love most in the world. And now, even what I knew best was failing me. My longtime sanctuary was letting me down in much the same way that I had been let down all summer.
Then I came to Bethel University, still struggling with my issues and my new shaken faith in the Lord. But I fell in love with this school - with the people, the environment, the beautiful campus. The lake that you can see from the cafeteria and the weekly nights of worship with thousands of men and women stretching their hands to the Heavens. I realized that life is never as bad as it seems. My brother recovered and my dad got a job. I even go to a college on a lake.
I biked down to Johanna the other day in the early morning with my fly rod in a pack on my back, and fished from shore. It was one of the many beautiful fall days we've been having at Bethel lately: blue sky, crisp air, light breeze and the smell of leaves. My fly, a baitfish imitator, danced out over the water before scurrying in between fallen leaves. I cast for over an hour without a fish before the water humped up behind my fly and my rod bent in a quivering bow.
A few minutes later I pulled a tired largemouth out of the water, a little less than two pounds. Not any monster by any means, but as I looked at that fish, it seemed like a symbol of hope to me. A symbol that despite the dry spells, the luck always returns and it always gets better. As I carefully released the bass back to the lake and watched it swim away, I felt a swell in my spirits. I don't think that it's a coincidence that the fish came to me at this time. I believe that from here, my life is only going to keep getting better. I survived the storm and can look the future with renewed hope.
Many of the people that read this, if they read this far, will be frustrated with me putting so much of my life and my religious beliefs in this post. It's a fishing blog, after all. But part of who I am, part of the whole reason that I even have a fishing blog, is that fishing is inextricably connected to my person and my life, and it is impossible to separate. Fishing has given me some of my most exciting moments and my most peaceful moments, my most challenging and my easiest, my most relaxed moments and my biggest andrenaline rushes. Most of my talking to God has been done on a lake. That's part of why I am pursuing a major in environmental science - I love this world of God's and believe that it is part of my responsibility and calling to help preserve it.
I caught another mediocre largemouth that day at Johanna, and another tonight at Valentine that was bigger, about 16 inches. Pictures are on Facebook under mobile uploads if interested.
But fly fishing is tricky to pick up at first, and I struggled. My cast still seldom breaks fifty or sixty feet. I caught small bass about a foot long, and a few snake northerns, but nothing of any size.
Added to the equation was that this past summer was probably the hardest few months of my life. My youngest brother, Nicholas, was severely infected with a fungus and fought for his life for several months. He teetered on the edge and spent a month in intensive care in the children's hospital before recovering. In addition, my father continued a fruitless job search before finding a job... in Michigan. My family moved and I still haven't been to the house that I technically am supposed to call my home now. Finally, I suffered heartbreak in the relationship department. Priorities were misplaced and communication failed and it was one more thing to pile on top. All of this happened as I was preparing to enter college and start my higher education at Bethel University. My relationship with God, much like my relationship with Cosette, started to fall apart and was replaced with anger - anger at Him and anger at the world. If not for my friendships with people like Sonia, Alex and Mya, I don't know how I would have gotten through it.
Needless to say, I didn't get much fishing done that summer. My fly rod was relegated to a corner of the garage as I spent my days on the phone, in the hospital, or snatching time at the house that would quickly become someone else's. But I still found a little time to spend on the lake. When nothing else made me feel better, fishing always could.
There are two types of fishermen - those who enjoy fishing because it's fun, and those who live fishing. I live fishing. It occupies my thoughts of every waking hour. I'm constantly thinking, reading, dreaming of how to improve my fishing knowledge. Most guys know football or basketball - I know fishing. It's just what I do. One of the ways that you can tell the fishermen who live fishing are the ones that keep fishing even when they don't catch anything.
I had a dry spell. The whole summer, I didn't catch a fish on the fly that was bigger than a foot long. Sure, I caught little guys on flies, and I caught sizeable fish on spinning gear, but my fly fishing was marked by many mornings of zero fish. In a way, it represented my failures that I felt burdened by from the summer. I failed in my relationship and was powerless to protect my brother or help my father, failing three of the people I love most in the world. And now, even what I knew best was failing me. My longtime sanctuary was letting me down in much the same way that I had been let down all summer.
Then I came to Bethel University, still struggling with my issues and my new shaken faith in the Lord. But I fell in love with this school - with the people, the environment, the beautiful campus. The lake that you can see from the cafeteria and the weekly nights of worship with thousands of men and women stretching their hands to the Heavens. I realized that life is never as bad as it seems. My brother recovered and my dad got a job. I even go to a college on a lake.
I biked down to Johanna the other day in the early morning with my fly rod in a pack on my back, and fished from shore. It was one of the many beautiful fall days we've been having at Bethel lately: blue sky, crisp air, light breeze and the smell of leaves. My fly, a baitfish imitator, danced out over the water before scurrying in between fallen leaves. I cast for over an hour without a fish before the water humped up behind my fly and my rod bent in a quivering bow.
A few minutes later I pulled a tired largemouth out of the water, a little less than two pounds. Not any monster by any means, but as I looked at that fish, it seemed like a symbol of hope to me. A symbol that despite the dry spells, the luck always returns and it always gets better. As I carefully released the bass back to the lake and watched it swim away, I felt a swell in my spirits. I don't think that it's a coincidence that the fish came to me at this time. I believe that from here, my life is only going to keep getting better. I survived the storm and can look the future with renewed hope.
Many of the people that read this, if they read this far, will be frustrated with me putting so much of my life and my religious beliefs in this post. It's a fishing blog, after all. But part of who I am, part of the whole reason that I even have a fishing blog, is that fishing is inextricably connected to my person and my life, and it is impossible to separate. Fishing has given me some of my most exciting moments and my most peaceful moments, my most challenging and my easiest, my most relaxed moments and my biggest andrenaline rushes. Most of my talking to God has been done on a lake. That's part of why I am pursuing a major in environmental science - I love this world of God's and believe that it is part of my responsibility and calling to help preserve it.
I caught another mediocre largemouth that day at Johanna, and another tonight at Valentine that was bigger, about 16 inches. Pictures are on Facebook under mobile uploads if interested.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Pike and Bass in the Fall
Hey, I know it's been a while since I posted on this blog but I'd like to get back into the swing of things. I'm currently going to Bethel University near St. Paul, Minnesota. The school is on a small lake and there are a few other small lakes with short bike rides, so I'm planning on keeping my fishing activities going.
Fishing in the fall, like in any season, has a lot to do with water temperature. Turnover is happening, which is when the different water temperature layers all combine and the lake has a uniform temperature throughout it. During actual turnover, fishing is usually poor, but it improves after turnover. Also, it becomes easier to catch fish from the shore after turnover because large fish don't have to remain deep to stay cool. Turnover happens earlier in smaller lakes and in many small lakes may not happen at all. It is usually accompanied by the beginnings of fall - when nights start to get cool and there are those characteristic windy fall days. Many lakes have already experienced turnover in Minnesota.
After turnover, pike start eating a lot to put on weight for the winter. Winter is a period when many of the baitfish and minnows die off from harsher conditions and winterkill (when dissolved oxygen in the water is depleted and fish die). To prepare for this, pike and muskellunge start feeding more aggressively in the fall days. I love to be out pike fishing when other people are all in woods deer hunting. Use larger baits at this time, because they are looking for bigger meals. Remember that pike often prefer food that is a third of their own body length. Weededges are key now, the classic pike habitat. Avoid dying weeds because the process of weed decomposition actually needs oxygen and depletes oxygen levels - whenever possible, find living, green weed beds to fish, the larger the better. Morning fishing doesn't work as well as afternoon or early evening because the fish are more sluggish in the morning from cold temperatures, similar to in the spring.
Like with pike, use bigger baits for bass. Look for them in many of the same areas too, such as live weedbeds and flats with streams flowing into them. A big tip is to follow the shad, which is a favorite prey of bass in the fall.
Valentine is hard to fish without a kayak, there's really no open shore and the college dock is very small and surrounded by algae. Johanna is a little better with more open shore but still not great. Both lakes have bass, pike and crappie, and Johanna also has tiger muskie and walleye but those don't concern me as much.
I can't wait for some hardwater fishing... once the lakes freeze and I can break out the tip-ups, I'll actually start catching decent fish.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Dry Fly Failures
The season opener is only a few weeks out and I'm practically salivating to get after the pike and largemouths. The only fish besides sunnies and crappies that I've caught all year is a little largemouth on a woolly bugger fly. I need some size.
The northern and bass are ending their postspawn period and the crappie are nearing their spawn period. I've been out to French Park a few times this week and just messed around with the fly rod a little. Sunfish and bass are a lot of fun on my five weight.
One area that I definetly need to improve on a ton is my hooksets with topwater flys. It's actually much harder for me that what I use with spinning gear for topwaters, like a hula popper or jitterbug with an ultralight. The strikes can be so small and so fast and usually they don't even grab the hook. For every fish that I've caught on a dry fly this week, I've missed about five. Very frustrating and when I get frustrated on the water I mess up my casts, which just makes me more frustrated.
More on dry flies for bass and sunfish later. I have to go watch Touch.
The northern and bass are ending their postspawn period and the crappie are nearing their spawn period. I've been out to French Park a few times this week and just messed around with the fly rod a little. Sunfish and bass are a lot of fun on my five weight.
One area that I definetly need to improve on a ton is my hooksets with topwater flys. It's actually much harder for me that what I use with spinning gear for topwaters, like a hula popper or jitterbug with an ultralight. The strikes can be so small and so fast and usually they don't even grab the hook. For every fish that I've caught on a dry fly this week, I've missed about five. Very frustrating and when I get frustrated on the water I mess up my casts, which just makes me more frustrated.
More on dry flies for bass and sunfish later. I have to go watch Touch.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Understanding Sunfish
In light of my mic difficulties yesterday, I'm opting for a written post this time around instead of a video. No certainties for the future, though.
This time of year in Minnesota, the focus is all on the crappies for the professional fishing world. Crappies are fun to catch, delicious, and can even be challenging to find sometimes. However, I think that this is also the perfect season to get back to an old childhood friend of almost every fisherman - the sunfish.
When I say "sunfish", I am referring to the sunfish family. To most Minnesotans, these small fish are known simply as "sunnies". However, this term is actually very broad. There are many species of fish in the sunfish family, one of the largest being the largemouth bass. However, the most readily thought of sunfish include bluegills, redears, and pumpkinseeds. Personally I love green sunfish for their pretty blue stripes around their mouths. Other true sunfish (that is, sunfish excluding bass and crappies) include redbreast, banded, mud, bluespotted, and warmouth, not to mention hybrids. Not all of these fish live in Minnesota.
The most commonly seen and caught of these is the bluegill. It's perhaps the most popular of the "sunnies" and sports a characteristic blue tint around the gill region. They prefer water temps in the mid 70's and spawn when water temps reach the high 60s.
Redears are the largest of the true sunfish and is usually found a little deeper than bluegills and pumpkinseeds. These guys stay closer to the bottom and can be a little trickier to catch than others.
Pumpkinseeds are the shallowest of these three sunnies. They have smaller mouths as well but are fairly aggressive.
But, something to remember, all sunnies are relatively aggressive and fight well for their size. Also, they're easy to catch and pretty darn tasty. A simple worm and bobber is plenty to catch a meal off a dock.
For flies, anything small will work, but I like using a woolly bugger with a bit of sparkle in it.
Tight lines,
Bradley
This time of year in Minnesota, the focus is all on the crappies for the professional fishing world. Crappies are fun to catch, delicious, and can even be challenging to find sometimes. However, I think that this is also the perfect season to get back to an old childhood friend of almost every fisherman - the sunfish.
When I say "sunfish", I am referring to the sunfish family. To most Minnesotans, these small fish are known simply as "sunnies". However, this term is actually very broad. There are many species of fish in the sunfish family, one of the largest being the largemouth bass. However, the most readily thought of sunfish include bluegills, redears, and pumpkinseeds. Personally I love green sunfish for their pretty blue stripes around their mouths. Other true sunfish (that is, sunfish excluding bass and crappies) include redbreast, banded, mud, bluespotted, and warmouth, not to mention hybrids. Not all of these fish live in Minnesota.
The most commonly seen and caught of these is the bluegill. It's perhaps the most popular of the "sunnies" and sports a characteristic blue tint around the gill region. They prefer water temps in the mid 70's and spawn when water temps reach the high 60s.
Redears are the largest of the true sunfish and is usually found a little deeper than bluegills and pumpkinseeds. These guys stay closer to the bottom and can be a little trickier to catch than others.
Pumpkinseeds are the shallowest of these three sunnies. They have smaller mouths as well but are fairly aggressive.
But, something to remember, all sunnies are relatively aggressive and fight well for their size. Also, they're easy to catch and pretty darn tasty. A simple worm and bobber is plenty to catch a meal off a dock.
For flies, anything small will work, but I like using a woolly bugger with a bit of sparkle in it.
Tight lines,
Bradley
Saturday, April 21, 2012
More Spring Fishing
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Fly Rods
I have two different fly rods - a five weight from Sage and an eight weight from Three Rivers. Both of them came as a combo deal - that is, the rod and reel and line was all sold together as a package.
The advantage of package deals is that you can usually get the same products for much less cost that you would if you bought them separately. The disadvantage is that is takes away the option to choose your own reel or line to go with the rod, and it takes away the option of overloading your rod (more later).
Basics on fly fishing: In regular spin fishing, you cast the lure and the weight of the lure carries it out during the cast. The reel serves a very important role as a drag controller. In fly fishing, the weight of the fly was originally too small to carry the fly out over the water. Instead, the weight of the fly line moves the fly.
During the original days of fly fishing, choosing line was a complicated affair. Different brands used different measures. Nowadays, different line weights have been numbered so it is much simpler. The rod matches the line - a five weight rod uses five weight line, etc. the smaller the weight, the smaller the fish that can be caught with it. I use my five weight for sunfish, crappies, and small trout and bass. My new eight weight makes it possible for me to catch pike, largemouths, and steelhead.
A good fly rod can cost into the thousands of dollars. The cheapest one that Cabela's is selling now is around $40. The combo Three River set up that I just bought was about $90... medium quality, in a combo and on sale. I feel good about it.
The setup of a fly line can be complicated for beginners. Around the reel is wrapped braided line called "backing". This connects to the thick "fly line", with then is normally connected to a few inches of red monofilament or similar. This red monofilament makes it possible to connect a leader - clear monofilament. This leader has to be tapered (thicker at the butte than the tip) or it will not cast correctly. If you are northern pike or musky fishing, it is necessary to attach a foot of wire to the end of the leader so the teeth will not cut the leader. Then you attach the fly.
There are a lot of other details for the amateur fly fisherman - dry flies or nymphs, floating line or sinking. Maybe later.
Still trying to improve my cast... I'm stuck at that 40-50 foot range.
The advantage of package deals is that you can usually get the same products for much less cost that you would if you bought them separately. The disadvantage is that is takes away the option to choose your own reel or line to go with the rod, and it takes away the option of overloading your rod (more later).
Basics on fly fishing: In regular spin fishing, you cast the lure and the weight of the lure carries it out during the cast. The reel serves a very important role as a drag controller. In fly fishing, the weight of the fly was originally too small to carry the fly out over the water. Instead, the weight of the fly line moves the fly.
During the original days of fly fishing, choosing line was a complicated affair. Different brands used different measures. Nowadays, different line weights have been numbered so it is much simpler. The rod matches the line - a five weight rod uses five weight line, etc. the smaller the weight, the smaller the fish that can be caught with it. I use my five weight for sunfish, crappies, and small trout and bass. My new eight weight makes it possible for me to catch pike, largemouths, and steelhead.
A good fly rod can cost into the thousands of dollars. The cheapest one that Cabela's is selling now is around $40. The combo Three River set up that I just bought was about $90... medium quality, in a combo and on sale. I feel good about it.
The setup of a fly line can be complicated for beginners. Around the reel is wrapped braided line called "backing". This connects to the thick "fly line", with then is normally connected to a few inches of red monofilament or similar. This red monofilament makes it possible to connect a leader - clear monofilament. This leader has to be tapered (thicker at the butte than the tip) or it will not cast correctly. If you are northern pike or musky fishing, it is necessary to attach a foot of wire to the end of the leader so the teeth will not cut the leader. Then you attach the fly.
There are a lot of other details for the amateur fly fisherman - dry flies or nymphs, floating line or sinking. Maybe later.
Still trying to improve my cast... I'm stuck at that 40-50 foot range.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Bait for the cheapskate, new fly rod
I have a pond in my backyard that is a decent length, but only gets to be about two or three feet deep at the deepest spot. I discovered this a few years ago when I tried to stock it with bluegills that I caught in Minnetonka and they all died during the winter. However, although it can't hold fish, the pond has a ton of frogs and leeches in it that I use for bait. The leopard frogs aren't really useful yet because the bass and pike season doesn't open for a few months yet. However, bluegills love small leeches and crappies will even eat them sometimes (although leeches don't work nearly as well as small minnows).
To catch leeches, you only have to make a leech trap. This is a pretty easy and cheap affair. You need to find a container that you can punch small holes in. I found a plastic coffee can and punched holes in it with a screwdriver. Bait it with a piece of meat or fish (a lot of things will work - I use the body of a sunny after I fillet it). Put the trap in about a foot of water, just enough to completely submerge the trap. Before it gets light out, at around six, go out and remove the leeches from the trap (they leave the trap and go back in the mud when it gets light out). Keep them in water and put them in the fridge. There are many types of leeches that you can catch in ponds - the ones that work best for sunnies are about an inch long and black. Stay away from the really large or the multi-colored ones, they don't work as well.
Leopard frogs are great for bass and pike - they often work better than a live sucker in shallow areas. Hook them through the thigh to keep them alive and put them under a bobber with enough weight to keep them in the same place. As with all bait, make sure that the frog can't get down in the weeds to hide from the fish.
Crayfish work very well for both smallmouth and largemouth bass. As with frogs, make sure you know local and state regulations before using them for bait.
Anyway, I found a ton of leeches in my pond and they worked great for bluegills. I got out to Medicine Lake on Saturday and the place was packed... hundred of people fishing from the shore. Not really a surprise considering how popular the park is and the great weather. I was out for about an hour and caught about a dozen nice bluegills. I was kind of surprised there were any fish left at all in the area, considering how hard they are being pressured. I haven't caught any crappies recently but maybe I'll get out after them soon. As a side note, I have already been checked twice this season at Medicine. Make sure you are fishing with a license and you aren't keeping any fish out of season that you accidentally catch.
Other events this weekend... we got the boat out of storage! Really excited for this fishing season and it was awesome to see the boat all cleaned up and scrubbed down. We have a really nice set up and it really adds a whole new dimension to fishing if you have a nice boat. I also finally got an eight weight fly rod at Cabela's, along with some flies. Very excited to get some pike and bass on the fly when the season opens up. I'll probably do a separate post about the fly fishing later.
Tight lines,
Bradley
To catch leeches, you only have to make a leech trap. This is a pretty easy and cheap affair. You need to find a container that you can punch small holes in. I found a plastic coffee can and punched holes in it with a screwdriver. Bait it with a piece of meat or fish (a lot of things will work - I use the body of a sunny after I fillet it). Put the trap in about a foot of water, just enough to completely submerge the trap. Before it gets light out, at around six, go out and remove the leeches from the trap (they leave the trap and go back in the mud when it gets light out). Keep them in water and put them in the fridge. There are many types of leeches that you can catch in ponds - the ones that work best for sunnies are about an inch long and black. Stay away from the really large or the multi-colored ones, they don't work as well.
Leopard frogs are great for bass and pike - they often work better than a live sucker in shallow areas. Hook them through the thigh to keep them alive and put them under a bobber with enough weight to keep them in the same place. As with all bait, make sure that the frog can't get down in the weeds to hide from the fish.
Crayfish work very well for both smallmouth and largemouth bass. As with frogs, make sure you know local and state regulations before using them for bait.
Anyway, I found a ton of leeches in my pond and they worked great for bluegills. I got out to Medicine Lake on Saturday and the place was packed... hundred of people fishing from the shore. Not really a surprise considering how popular the park is and the great weather. I was out for about an hour and caught about a dozen nice bluegills. I was kind of surprised there were any fish left at all in the area, considering how hard they are being pressured. I haven't caught any crappies recently but maybe I'll get out after them soon. As a side note, I have already been checked twice this season at Medicine. Make sure you are fishing with a license and you aren't keeping any fish out of season that you accidentally catch.
Other events this weekend... we got the boat out of storage! Really excited for this fishing season and it was awesome to see the boat all cleaned up and scrubbed down. We have a really nice set up and it really adds a whole new dimension to fishing if you have a nice boat. I also finally got an eight weight fly rod at Cabela's, along with some flies. Very excited to get some pike and bass on the fly when the season opens up. I'll probably do a separate post about the fly fishing later.
Tight lines,
Bradley
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Spring Opening 2012
Hello all! It's been a few days since my last post and I thought I would drop a note in to keep you all updated.
A few weeks ago I went out for the first open water fishing of the season with Cozy. We went down to the dock in Wayzata because they have a circulator there. A circulator is a machine that is often put under permanent docks in the winter to keep the water from freezing and wrecking the dock. It basically just keeps the water moving. I was just messing around with my fly rod and didn't expect to catch anything, but actually found a lost bluegill. First fish of the season was on a fly and it was cool because even bluegills are fun on a five weight fly rod. Not a fish that normally deserves a picture but it was the first of the season so... here ya go.
There was almost no snowmelt this year due to the warmth. This means an earlier ice out, an earlier spawn, and much lower water level than normal for the first two events. Although this can be good for the fish populations, it throws off their natural migrations and makes them a little harder to predict.
After fly fishing off Wayzata dock, I went out to the Crow River when it broke and tried for a little catfish. I only fished for about half an hour and it was pretty bright out, so it didn't really surprise me that I didn't get any bites.
I also had the opportunity to fish the Zumbro River down in Rochester last weekend. I was at Camp Victory for a church retreat and woke up before breakfast (and everyone else) to fish the river in the mornings with my fly rod. No fish showed up... the flies I was using were primarily for bass and the water was still too cold for the bass to be moving around much.
Finally, I managed to get out today at French Park on Medicine. We just got a lot of rain, so the water was relatively dark. The overcast skies stuck around, complicating things. I don't like dark water with overcast skies because it complicates lure selection for me. Normally, you are best choosing bright colors on sunny days and dark colors on cloudy days. You choose natural colors in clear water and bright, exotic colors in stained water to help the fish find the lure.
I didn't have any luck with flies, so I downgraded to jigs. No luck with jigs, so I downgraded to live waxworms. Minimal luck with waxworms, so I downgraded again and added some Gulp for flavor and finally started getting fish. I missed a couple and released the bluegills, so at the end of the day I only ended up with a few crappies. But it was a great day, got a couple fish, and got outside.
This is crappie time! Get out on the docks and shores, it's the best spot to find them now. Good luck and have fun.
Tight lines,
Bradley
A few weeks ago I went out for the first open water fishing of the season with Cozy. We went down to the dock in Wayzata because they have a circulator there. A circulator is a machine that is often put under permanent docks in the winter to keep the water from freezing and wrecking the dock. It basically just keeps the water moving. I was just messing around with my fly rod and didn't expect to catch anything, but actually found a lost bluegill. First fish of the season was on a fly and it was cool because even bluegills are fun on a five weight fly rod. Not a fish that normally deserves a picture but it was the first of the season so... here ya go.
There was almost no snowmelt this year due to the warmth. This means an earlier ice out, an earlier spawn, and much lower water level than normal for the first two events. Although this can be good for the fish populations, it throws off their natural migrations and makes them a little harder to predict.
After fly fishing off Wayzata dock, I went out to the Crow River when it broke and tried for a little catfish. I only fished for about half an hour and it was pretty bright out, so it didn't really surprise me that I didn't get any bites.
I also had the opportunity to fish the Zumbro River down in Rochester last weekend. I was at Camp Victory for a church retreat and woke up before breakfast (and everyone else) to fish the river in the mornings with my fly rod. No fish showed up... the flies I was using were primarily for bass and the water was still too cold for the bass to be moving around much.
Finally, I managed to get out today at French Park on Medicine. We just got a lot of rain, so the water was relatively dark. The overcast skies stuck around, complicating things. I don't like dark water with overcast skies because it complicates lure selection for me. Normally, you are best choosing bright colors on sunny days and dark colors on cloudy days. You choose natural colors in clear water and bright, exotic colors in stained water to help the fish find the lure.
I didn't have any luck with flies, so I downgraded to jigs. No luck with jigs, so I downgraded to live waxworms. Minimal luck with waxworms, so I downgraded again and added some Gulp for flavor and finally started getting fish. I missed a couple and released the bluegills, so at the end of the day I only ended up with a few crappies. But it was a great day, got a couple fish, and got outside.
This is crappie time! Get out on the docks and shores, it's the best spot to find them now. Good luck and have fun.
Tight lines,
Bradley
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Springtime for River Channel Cats
With these warm temperatures that we have had lately, it won't be too long before the ice is off the water. As a general rule, rivers are clear of ice before lakes because of the running water and current.
There are a few rivers (although not many) around the Metro area for the ambitious angler. The Mississippi and the St. Croix offer a lot of opportunities - but I have never fished them. The only river that I really fish around here is the North Forkof the Crow out in Rockford. The Crow River is relatively small but decent enough. I wouldn't recommend taking out a boat of medium or large size, but canoes and small alumacrafts would be fine. There is a small ramp at Riverside Park in Rockford, but is not suitable for large boats.
The Crow River (North Fork) has a high percentage of roughfish such as carp, suckers, and redhorse. The most prevalent gamefish are channel catfish, actually being the second most abundant fish behind redhorse. Although the catfish are smaller in the Crow than in the Minnesota, abundance is higher. There are also significant populations of smallmouth bass, walleye, and pike in the river. Bank angling is available at bridge crossings and at many Wright County Parks.
I like the Crow because it offers excellent opportunities for channel catfish and smallmouth fishing, something that is different than chasing largemouths and pike across lakes. This time of year, cats are one of the few fish that are legally allowed to be taken.
Fishing for early spring catfish in the Crow is all about location. This time of year, there are vast amounts of dead baitfish that died during the winter. This plentiful food source is washed into wide river bends and large pools. Look for calmer, wider water. The catfish congregate around this food source and cherry-pick the best meals. The catfish are also in the shallower waters because temperatures are rising and they are preparing to spawn. Shallow, warm areas of the river are the place to be. If possible, fish the downwind side of the river as well. The wind blows the warm water and the dead baitfish into this "feeding area". Look for the warmest possible area - possibly next to a feeder stream that carries warm water into the river. Depths from one to four feet should work best. If you plan to eat your catfish, avoid fish over sixteen inches in the Crow to avoid flesh contaminants.
There will be no shortage of dead baitfish for the catfish to choose from - so make them choose yours. Use a dead minnow such as shad or sardines. Now, smellier is better. You could use stink baits such as cheese and gizzards, or you can use a variety of commercial baits. Good luck.
Final note... although I did see a few people on Lake Sarah, I DO NOT recommend going out on the ice right now. Use caution and good sense. The ice fishing season is basically over around here.
There are a few rivers (although not many) around the Metro area for the ambitious angler. The Mississippi and the St. Croix offer a lot of opportunities - but I have never fished them. The only river that I really fish around here is the North Forkof the Crow out in Rockford. The Crow River is relatively small but decent enough. I wouldn't recommend taking out a boat of medium or large size, but canoes and small alumacrafts would be fine. There is a small ramp at Riverside Park in Rockford, but is not suitable for large boats.
The Crow River (North Fork) has a high percentage of roughfish such as carp, suckers, and redhorse. The most prevalent gamefish are channel catfish, actually being the second most abundant fish behind redhorse. Although the catfish are smaller in the Crow than in the Minnesota, abundance is higher. There are also significant populations of smallmouth bass, walleye, and pike in the river. Bank angling is available at bridge crossings and at many Wright County Parks.
I like the Crow because it offers excellent opportunities for channel catfish and smallmouth fishing, something that is different than chasing largemouths and pike across lakes. This time of year, cats are one of the few fish that are legally allowed to be taken.
Fishing for early spring catfish in the Crow is all about location. This time of year, there are vast amounts of dead baitfish that died during the winter. This plentiful food source is washed into wide river bends and large pools. Look for calmer, wider water. The catfish congregate around this food source and cherry-pick the best meals. The catfish are also in the shallower waters because temperatures are rising and they are preparing to spawn. Shallow, warm areas of the river are the place to be. If possible, fish the downwind side of the river as well. The wind blows the warm water and the dead baitfish into this "feeding area". Look for the warmest possible area - possibly next to a feeder stream that carries warm water into the river. Depths from one to four feet should work best. If you plan to eat your catfish, avoid fish over sixteen inches in the Crow to avoid flesh contaminants.
There will be no shortage of dead baitfish for the catfish to choose from - so make them choose yours. Use a dead minnow such as shad or sardines. Now, smellier is better. You could use stink baits such as cheese and gizzards, or you can use a variety of commercial baits. Good luck.
Final note... although I did see a few people on Lake Sarah, I DO NOT recommend going out on the ice right now. Use caution and good sense. The ice fishing season is basically over around here.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Making An Umbrella Rig
Materials you will need: Time, a vise, wire, epoxy putty, terminal tackle.
You know the speal... brush up on state and local regulations
http://kayakanglersoutheast.blogspot.com/2012/01/alabama-rig-manifesto-how-to-make.html
P.S. I'll do some real tactics posts soon... Ice will be out in a couple of weeks and it will be time for spring time cats and crappies. Haven't been out since my day at Gray's.
You know the speal... brush up on state and local regulations
http://kayakanglersoutheast.blogspot.com/2012/01/alabama-rig-manifesto-how-to-make.html
P.S. I'll do some real tactics posts soon... Ice will be out in a couple of weeks and it will be time for spring time cats and crappies. Haven't been out since my day at Gray's.
Monday, March 5, 2012
The Alabama Rig - What Everybody's Talking About
If you follow the bass fishing world in any way, then odds are that at one time or another you have heard about the Alabama Rig. It's what everybody has been talking about ever since it won the Lake Guntersville tournament on October of 2011, just a few months ago. Soon after the tournament, these rigs were selling for seventy five dollars a pop on the internet. The race to get them was only outmatched by individual states racing to outlaw them.
For those who don't know, standard fishing laws and regulations place a limit on how many hooks may be fished at one time. The Alabama rig utilizes five hooks in a system that imitates a school of minnows such as shad. It's incredibly effective for bass when they are suspended in open water. However, the multiple hooks in the rig make it illegal in many states, including Minnesota.
Alternatives? You could cut the extra wires off, fishing only a few of the baits. You could leave some of the lures unhooked for "dummy" baits to serve as attractors. Or you could attach blades to the outside wires and use only one hook. Of course, the hard part is getting one.
Check it out, for curiosity's sake. It's all over publications like North American Fisherman, Field and Stream, and In Fisherman. Pretty cool but honestly, I think that they will be illegal everywhere soon enough.
For those who don't know, standard fishing laws and regulations place a limit on how many hooks may be fished at one time. The Alabama rig utilizes five hooks in a system that imitates a school of minnows such as shad. It's incredibly effective for bass when they are suspended in open water. However, the multiple hooks in the rig make it illegal in many states, including Minnesota.
Alternatives? You could cut the extra wires off, fishing only a few of the baits. You could leave some of the lures unhooked for "dummy" baits to serve as attractors. Or you could attach blades to the outside wires and use only one hook. Of course, the hard part is getting one.
Check it out, for curiosity's sake. It's all over publications like North American Fisherman, Field and Stream, and In Fisherman. Pretty cool but honestly, I think that they will be illegal everywhere soon enough.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Winter Bluegills
I got out yesterday from about one to six... Went out by myself to Gray's Bay. Had to take the minivan because the sled doesn't fit in my car.
I was planning for some crappies, but I couldn't find them so I switched to bluegills. Once I found them then it was pretty steady action and I ended up keeping around a dozen that were big enough to fillet. Once they were all cleaned I got about an ounce of meat per fish, and it took me a long time, but it's fun to get out and bring home your own dinner.
I was fishing off the bottom in about 13 feet of water... teardrop with combined waxworm and red eurolarvae but with bluegills you could use either.
Not recommending going on the ice because I can't guarantee that it's thick enough. Where I was, the ice was about a foot thick, but this time of year is tricky.
Remind me not to keep panfish. Way too much work, even if they are delicious.
I was planning for some crappies, but I couldn't find them so I switched to bluegills. Once I found them then it was pretty steady action and I ended up keeping around a dozen that were big enough to fillet. Once they were all cleaned I got about an ounce of meat per fish, and it took me a long time, but it's fun to get out and bring home your own dinner.
I was fishing off the bottom in about 13 feet of water... teardrop with combined waxworm and red eurolarvae but with bluegills you could use either.
Not recommending going on the ice because I can't guarantee that it's thick enough. Where I was, the ice was about a foot thick, but this time of year is tricky.
Remind me not to keep panfish. Way too much work, even if they are delicious.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Late ice for crappies
The ice fishing season closed last Sunday night for northern and walleye, and the wait begins for the next season to open in June. This is my least favorite time of the year.
But the off season is the time to target the fish for whom the season never closes. For me, this is crappy and channel catfish. The Crow in Rockford is still frozen, so it's not quite possible to go after the cats yet. But crappie fishing is good year round.
Late ice crappies are mostly out of the shallows, although a few may be returning to the shallows in preperation for the spring. The fish school in basin areas or outside the weedbeds.
These schools can be hard to find, because they basically drift around the lake in search of zooplankton and minnow sources. My strategy for this time of year is to find the part of the lake that is most likely to concentrate fish, and wait for a school to move through and get hot.
Look for indentations in drop offs and inside turns in basins. Best ones are at the end of the lake. You may be fishing in up to or over 30 feet deep.
Black crappies are usually the most prevalent, but you may also find whites. I like crappies for a few reasons - A) They're delicious, B) They are found in almost every lake, and C) the season never closes. You can also usually feel good about taking a lot out of a lake, because they reproduce and grow quickly.
With all fish, even crappie, exercise good judgement. Return what you don't keep, and keep what you don't return. Don't keep little ones.
Tight lines,
Bradley
But the off season is the time to target the fish for whom the season never closes. For me, this is crappy and channel catfish. The Crow in Rockford is still frozen, so it's not quite possible to go after the cats yet. But crappie fishing is good year round.
Late ice crappies are mostly out of the shallows, although a few may be returning to the shallows in preperation for the spring. The fish school in basin areas or outside the weedbeds.
These schools can be hard to find, because they basically drift around the lake in search of zooplankton and minnow sources. My strategy for this time of year is to find the part of the lake that is most likely to concentrate fish, and wait for a school to move through and get hot.
Look for indentations in drop offs and inside turns in basins. Best ones are at the end of the lake. You may be fishing in up to or over 30 feet deep.
Black crappies are usually the most prevalent, but you may also find whites. I like crappies for a few reasons - A) They're delicious, B) They are found in almost every lake, and C) the season never closes. You can also usually feel good about taking a lot out of a lake, because they reproduce and grow quickly.
With all fish, even crappie, exercise good judgement. Return what you don't keep, and keep what you don't return. Don't keep little ones.
Tight lines,
Bradley
Friday, March 2, 2012
There's An App For That
Yes, it turns out that there is finally a decent app that relates to fishing.
I already have experimented with a few apps that were "fishing related", and some of them are useful, but most have ended up as disappointments. The only ones that I really use is one that calculates fish weight from length and girth, a weather app, and a river monitoring app that is meant for kayakers.
This app is actually kind of cool, though. It's called My Fishing Advisor and is endorsed by the North American Fishing Club (I learned about it through a NAFC member email). It basically works by having you enter in information like where and when you are fishing, and what you are fishing for, and then it tells you the best approach and your chances.
It's nothing mind blowing for anyone who has intermediate knowlege of fishing, but I think that it's cool that people are finally starting to put the time into developing real fishing apps that are useful. Definetly recommended for the novice fisherman - you might actually learn something. Anyway, it's free, so mess around with it and get on the lake.
Tight Lines,
Bradley
I already have experimented with a few apps that were "fishing related", and some of them are useful, but most have ended up as disappointments. The only ones that I really use is one that calculates fish weight from length and girth, a weather app, and a river monitoring app that is meant for kayakers.
This app is actually kind of cool, though. It's called My Fishing Advisor and is endorsed by the North American Fishing Club (I learned about it through a NAFC member email). It basically works by having you enter in information like where and when you are fishing, and what you are fishing for, and then it tells you the best approach and your chances.
It's nothing mind blowing for anyone who has intermediate knowlege of fishing, but I think that it's cool that people are finally starting to put the time into developing real fishing apps that are useful. Definetly recommended for the novice fisherman - you might actually learn something. Anyway, it's free, so mess around with it and get on the lake.
Tight Lines,
Bradley
Thursday, March 1, 2012
The Metro
I love the fishing around the suburban Lake Minnetonka area. There is an enormous amount of fishing opportunities in my immediate vicinity. Ten minutes to my south, Lake Minnetonka is an excellent largemouth and muskie lake. Fifteen minutes west is the Crow River, a river that holds large amounts of channel catfish and smallmouth bass. Christmas Lake, near Lake Minnetonka, is managed as a two-story lake and has rainbow trout. The Mississippi even has paddlefish and gar, and there are sturgeon in the St. Croix. Bass, northern pike, and crappie are found in almost every lake in the area. Walleyes and muskie are stocked in many of the surrounding lakes. You can spear pike in many lakes and bowhunt carp.
With that said, the downfall of metro fishing will continue to be the eternal search for trophy fish. With musky it is not a problem, as almost all musky fishing practiced nowadays is catch and release. But trophy-size bass, walleye, and pike are continually hard to find. In such proximity to the Twin Cities, a forty-inch northern is unheard of and the walleye rarely top thirty inches.
For example, a thirty inch pike around here can take around eight years to reach that size. That's eight years of avoiding hungry predators and fishermen, and to be honest, not that many make it that large. The premier pike lakes around my area are Medicine and Sarah, and even in those, it can be hard to find a pike over thirty inches long.
I realize that Lake of the Woods, Mille Lacs, and Vermilion are wonderful fisheries and some of the best in the country. Canada is hard to compare with. But I don't have the advantage of having a cabin like so many Minnesotans, up north where larger fish are a little easier to find.
Even given all that, though, I probably still wouldn't change locations based on fishing preferences. Despite the added challenge, it's hard to beat Medina for pure variety in fishing opportunities.
With that said, the downfall of metro fishing will continue to be the eternal search for trophy fish. With musky it is not a problem, as almost all musky fishing practiced nowadays is catch and release. But trophy-size bass, walleye, and pike are continually hard to find. In such proximity to the Twin Cities, a forty-inch northern is unheard of and the walleye rarely top thirty inches.
For example, a thirty inch pike around here can take around eight years to reach that size. That's eight years of avoiding hungry predators and fishermen, and to be honest, not that many make it that large. The premier pike lakes around my area are Medicine and Sarah, and even in those, it can be hard to find a pike over thirty inches long.
I realize that Lake of the Woods, Mille Lacs, and Vermilion are wonderful fisheries and some of the best in the country. Canada is hard to compare with. But I don't have the advantage of having a cabin like so many Minnesotans, up north where larger fish are a little easier to find.
Even given all that, though, I probably still wouldn't change locations based on fishing preferences. Despite the added challenge, it's hard to beat Medina for pure variety in fishing opportunities.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
First post - recap of winter 2011-2012
Hello all. As you are reading my first post on this blog, over a foot of snow is piling up outside my window. I took advantage of a snow day today to make this fishing blog, something that I've been thinking about for a while and finally got around to doing.
I'm excited for this blog. Although all blogs tend to lose their appeal after a few months, this one is built around something that I love to do and will always love to do. Hopefully that keeps me motivated to post.
Considering the weather conditions outside in the beginning of March, I suppose it's only fitting that I start this blog off with a recap of the winter for 2011-2012. I'll try to keep it condensed, despite having several months of fishing to write about.
For those that don't know, my dad and I first got started ice fishing during the winter of 2010-2011. This was only my second winter ice fishing, and consequently, we are still very much in the learning process. However, this winter we were able to catch a couple nice fish for the metro area and put some meat on the table.
The season started as soon as three inches of ice is on the lakes, which is the general requirement for walking thickness. We started the season off with a trip out to Gray's Bay, and ended up catching a few small perch and a little northern. It would have been fairly uneventful except that Joey actually went with us for this one and I think he even had fun when he saw the northern. It was only two feet long and we let it go, even though anything over 14 inches is fair game for filleting. For some reason he did not trip the tip up, I must have set it up incorrectly. Below is the pike and my (slightly smaller) perch... haha.
I think that next we went to Eagle Lake with me, dad, and Nicholas. We started off slow but when we moved a little, it picked up and we ended up catching a few black crappies. We took those guys home and once they were filleted we had about 12 ounces. Wasn't much but you have to start somewhere!
We were able to get out to Medicine Lake twice this winter, which is my go-to spot for northern. The second time I had Kevin, Graham and Alex come out too - unfortunatedly they didn't catch anything. Each time we went out I got one on the tip-ups - first one was about 23 inches and the second was about 28 1/2. They were both under 30 so we kept both of those and filleted them to add to the crappie. Many people don't think about eating northern because of the y-bones, but once you know how to do it it's not hard. And it tastes just as good as walleye.
For my birthday, Dad, Grandpa Terry, Joey, Nicholas and I rented a shanty on Mille Lacs and went walleye fishing until around 3. It was painful because we left right when they started to get active... I caught an 11-incher and dad caught a 21 and a 23 (which got released because they are in the protected slot). We missed about four, which I am still mad about. It was still a blast though.
That was pretty much all of the eventful fishing of this winter. There were a few other trips resulting in no significant fish, including days at Spurzem, Carson's Bay, and Wayzata Bay. But for the most part, I consider us fairly successful.
Notes from this winter:
I'm excited for this blog. Although all blogs tend to lose their appeal after a few months, this one is built around something that I love to do and will always love to do. Hopefully that keeps me motivated to post.
Considering the weather conditions outside in the beginning of March, I suppose it's only fitting that I start this blog off with a recap of the winter for 2011-2012. I'll try to keep it condensed, despite having several months of fishing to write about.
For those that don't know, my dad and I first got started ice fishing during the winter of 2010-2011. This was only my second winter ice fishing, and consequently, we are still very much in the learning process. However, this winter we were able to catch a couple nice fish for the metro area and put some meat on the table.
The season started as soon as three inches of ice is on the lakes, which is the general requirement for walking thickness. We started the season off with a trip out to Gray's Bay, and ended up catching a few small perch and a little northern. It would have been fairly uneventful except that Joey actually went with us for this one and I think he even had fun when he saw the northern. It was only two feet long and we let it go, even though anything over 14 inches is fair game for filleting. For some reason he did not trip the tip up, I must have set it up incorrectly. Below is the pike and my (slightly smaller) perch... haha.
I think that next we went to Eagle Lake with me, dad, and Nicholas. We started off slow but when we moved a little, it picked up and we ended up catching a few black crappies. We took those guys home and once they were filleted we had about 12 ounces. Wasn't much but you have to start somewhere!
We were able to get out to Medicine Lake twice this winter, which is my go-to spot for northern. The second time I had Kevin, Graham and Alex come out too - unfortunatedly they didn't catch anything. Each time we went out I got one on the tip-ups - first one was about 23 inches and the second was about 28 1/2. They were both under 30 so we kept both of those and filleted them to add to the crappie. Many people don't think about eating northern because of the y-bones, but once you know how to do it it's not hard. And it tastes just as good as walleye.
For my birthday, Dad, Grandpa Terry, Joey, Nicholas and I rented a shanty on Mille Lacs and went walleye fishing until around 3. It was painful because we left right when they started to get active... I caught an 11-incher and dad caught a 21 and a 23 (which got released because they are in the protected slot). We missed about four, which I am still mad about. It was still a blast though.
That was pretty much all of the eventful fishing of this winter. There were a few other trips resulting in no significant fish, including days at Spurzem, Carson's Bay, and Wayzata Bay. But for the most part, I consider us fairly successful.
Notes from this winter:
- Spurzem winterkills and is not a good winter lake
- Walleye bite much lighter than northern on tip ups
- Small changes in location matter a LOT
- a fish finder is invaluable
- presentation, presentation, presentation
- Always have a clear plan before going out and know exactly where to go
- Never forget the tent stakes
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