2009 Articles

2009 Articles

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July 2009

Family Fishing Fun by Dave Duwe
"That is a German Brown Trout" I told my son Nathan when he caught a 12 lb carp. I have never seen him more proud. The tourists walking by the dock were very impressed. They asked Nathan what kind of fish it was and he explained it was a German B... [ read more ]

Predicting Summer Patterns On Ol Man River by Ted Peck
One of the biggest mistakes in my college career was taking Greek Philosophy 481. This was an advanced course for philosophy students. Not a good choice for a journalism major who selected the class because the time fit his fishing plans. Besides a ... [ read more ]

Rember When... by Scott Ehricke
I can remember growing up in Appleton,WI and I always looking forward to the upcoming walleye run and whitebass run. You see, my uncle used to drive down from Fremont and pick me up and take me with him. I was only 6 or 7 at the time, but I remember ... [ read more ]

Spinning Your Way to More Walleye by Steve Ryan
Summer offers some of the easiest walleye fishing to be had throughout the year. Forget the talk about dog days of summer. Walleye enjoy a nice summer day as much as anyone in the Midwest. Over the last decade, crawler harnesses and spinner rigs ... [ read more ]

Work a Weedline by Bob Jensen
As summer progresses, gamefish throughout the Midwest will be found in a variety of areas in a body of water. They are looking for food, and, depending on the lake, food can be found in a variety of areas. In some lakes, walleyes will be feeding on... [ read more ]

June 2009

Sunglasses for Fishermen and Women by Patricia Strutz
Sunglasses are not only an outdoor person's friend, but an integral part of our tool chest. In addition to reducing glare to help locate underwater structure, they also provide much needed protection. However, in the world of sunglasses, there a... [ read more ]

Swimming Grubs for Door County Smallies by Bill Schultz
During the past 14 plus years, I've had the good fortune and pleasure of spending 125 days chasing smallies in Door County. Throughout, my efforts have been rewarded with having caught and released hundreds of smallies. Like many of you who have... [ read more ]

Top 10 Failures Of Boating Courtesy by Ted Peck
Nothing puts the pin in a fishing party hog faster than being forced to contend with discourteous boaters. Natural Resource organizations in many states-Wisconsin included-require young boaters to successfully complete a boating safety course before ... [ read more ]

Trolling Tips on Lake Winnebago by Scott Ehricke
Trolling for walleyes on Lake Winnebago can be very difficult at times. I have written this article here with hope that this will help you out in your quest to catch the elusive walleye on Lake Winnebago. If you are going to troll with crank ... [ read more ]

Try A River This Summer by Bob Jensen
The Midwest is blessed with all sorts of fishing opportunities. Lakes, rivers, ponds, and reservoirs dot our landscape. Wherever you live, you don't need to drive far to wet a line. Rivers can provide some outstanding fishing action throughout t... [ read more ]

May 2009

A Family Fishing Trip by Jason Boser
We could talk about how to catch the big walleyes, Northerns, slab Crappies, big bull sunfish, or even big jumbo perch But I am going to talk about a nice day on the lake getting our next generation into fishing. Just some tips on getting our younger... [ read more ]

Big Water Humpheads—An Alternative Approach to Panfish by Ted Pilgrim with Tony Roach
For trophy panfish sleuths today, it's all about staying two steps ahead of the pack; going where crowds of anglers haven't been for a while. Sometimes, it's a simple matter of circling back to lakes that were hot several seasons back. But from a bro... [ read more ]

Early Season Shallow Water Walleyes by Bob Jensen
It's here or very near! Wherever you live in the Midwest, walleye season is open or very close to opening. The next few weeks will see lots of anglers trying to catch walleyes. Here are some ways to increase your odds for walleye success early in ... [ read more ]

Jiggin The Reefs by Scott Ehricke
Fishing the reefs on Lake Winnebago can be difficult if you do not know the proper method of doing it. I am going to explain to you a method that we use, that seems to do the trick. I hope this helps you put more fish in the live well, and also gives... [ read more ]

Milk Run Catfish by Ted Peck
Not long ago a young man asked me which stretch of Rock River offered the best catfishing. The honest answer is 'that run of river you happen to be fishing at any given time'. The first couple miles above Lake Koshkonong is a great place to get... [ read more ]

Stick Time by Dave Duwe
Late spring and Early Summer is the best time to try Stick baits for Largemouth Bass. How can something that has no action catch fish? These round plastic baits are tapered like a straight banana. I'm talking about Senkos, Yum Dingers, or All- Ter... [ read more ]

April 2009

Early Season River Walleyes by Bob Jensen
Pretty much wherever you live in the Midwest, there are walleyes just waiting for you to catch them right now. Some states have a closed season on 'eyes, but with just a little driving, you can get to areas that have walleye fishing happening as you... [ read more ]

It's A Small World by Dave Duwe
From the frozen river to a Florida reef, what a difference a week can make. On February 16th, FLW Touring Pro Brad Davis and I hit the Wisconsin River near the Wisconsin Dells. We literally "hit" the river, there were ice flows, a lot of ice flows,... [ read more ]

Making An End Run On The Spring Run by Ted Peck
Recent posts on the Pool 9-Genoa link confirm our human tendencies to make predictions on fish behavior based on limited information. It's human nature to see somebody catch a fish and try to mimic their behavior or to honestly believe walleyes are a... [ read more ]

Road Trip Peacock Bass: Part II by Bill Schultz
Back in early February, I had the pleasure of fishing for butterfly peacock bass southwest of Ft. Lauderdale with Wisconsin friend Steve Starr. During the heart of winter in Wisconsin, it was a wonderful treat, and I had the good fortune to catch an... [ read more ]

March 2009

Crappies After Dark by Dave Duwe
Night time is the right time. As the end of the ice fishing season draws near, some of the best night time crappie action can be had. The warmer spring nights makes early March ice fishing some of the most comfortable of the year. For late ice ... [ read more ]

Missouri: A Great March Option by Ted Peck
My Dad was a wealth of homilies and old guy sayings which still whisper in my ear, even though he's been gone for almost 20 years now. One which comes to mind almost every day is "the best way to get two rods tangled is to get them within 10 feet of... [ read more ]

Open Water Fishing This Year by Bob Jensen
There's still lots of ice-fishing left in the winter of 2009, but I've been doing some thinking about the upcoming open water season. Those of us who live in the Midwest have lots to look forward to when it comes to fishing. I say it a lot, and I... [ read more ]

Road Trip Peacock Bass by Bill Schultz
It's winter in Wisconsin. I'm not an ice fisherman, and I haven't fished open water since late October. The wait is getting to me, especially with our "old time" winters of the past two years. Last year, I had a chance to fish smallmouth bass on the ... [ read more ]

February 2009

9 Hot February Panfish Waters by Lawrence Van Veghel
Panfishing is piscatorial pleasure, and this outstanding pastime presents us with great-tasting, low cholesterol fish dinners. Petite February teases anglers with the possibilities of productive panfishing. Here are nine Wisconsin waters rivaling a... [ read more ]

Change Tactics For Panfish On Winter's "Back 9" by Ted Peck
There is no doubt ice fishers are playing the 'back nine' of Winter in Wisconsin. But make no mistake, the hardwater season is far from over. Environmental changes below the ice are changing behavior in panfish, forcing successful anglers to adapt if... [ read more ]

Madison Fishing Expo Runs Feb 27-Mar 1 by Dan Durbin
New Trout Pond Among Events The Madison Fishing Expo (MFE) will be held February 27-March 1 at the Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center, and along with a new trout pond will feature a star-studded cast of seminar speakers and several kid-f... [ read more ]

Northern Pike Nirvana by Steve Ryan
Most claim that it doesn't exist. Others whisper in low tones about its possible location. Notes are passed. Satellite images studied. GPS coordinants exchanged. Like chasing the end of a rainbow, the end point keeps shifting. Some prospect the ... [ read more ]

Thoughts On Ice-Fishing by Bob Jensen
We're quite a ways into the ice-fishing season. It's about this time every year, after we've been on the ice a few times, when we realize that we've learned or re-learned some things that can contribute to ice-fishing success. Following are some th... [ read more ]

January 2009

Ice Fishing for Keepers by Dave Duwe
For many years, my father and I were plagued with catching only 5 to 6 inch bluegills while ice fishing in the shallow weed flats. My how things have changed, with Vexilars and other fish locators, 5-6 inch bluegills are a thing of the past. The a... [ read more ]

Jigging Success for Winter Pike by Steve Ryan
Pack away the tip-ups. Grab a jig rod in one hand, a small box of lures in the other and set off on the ice for a full day of pike action. No bait necessary. With a basic understanding of the movement of pike throughout the ice season and a few sim... [ read more ]

Midwinter Strategies by Ted Peck
Thirty-one is a great number if you're talking walleye length. But when the home barometer needle hovers here you can bet the bite will be tough. The active feeding window for fish has been small lately.roughly the size of a peephole in the armored ... [ read more ]

Mobility On The Ice by Bob Jensen
As we get farther into the ice-fishing season, things change a bit. We still need to put our bait in front of a fish if we want to be successful, but we need to be a little more aggressive in our search for fish. Early in the season, because of... [ read more ]

Women On The Ice by Barb Carey
I feel like a pioneer. Not because I'm aging and about to turn 50 but because I am one of few women I know that have a passion for ice fishing. As I began to become more involved in the sport I realized it isn't to often that you run into other women... [ read more ]