2001 Articles

Don’t Put That Rig Away Yet…There Are BIG Muskies In Kentucky!!! by Dennis Radloff

I used to get a little misty eyed on November 30th each year because I knew it would be five months before I'd throw another lure at a musky. NOT ANYMORE!!! Musky fishing as I know it has changed forever, and even though Wisconsin's' musky season closed on Friday, there's plenty of excellent fishing to be had all winter long. Not just some little "action" lake, or another "over pressured" body of water, but one of the best musky factories I've seen. Is your heart beating? Are your palms starting to sweat? Do you want to know where this place is? Are you ready to go now??? Cave Run Lake just outside of Morehead, Kentucky is as good as it gets, and December is BIG fish month down there. One lo... more

My List for Gifts by Robert Piorkowski

Having trouble trying to a gift for an outdoors person?? As a fisherman and hunter, I'm always on the search for new and better products to make my time outside enjoyable. We all enjoy giving, but the hard part is shopping, especially when the recipient is an outdoors person. Below, I've tried to put together a short list of items, to expedite your (or my wife's) shopping. As an avid shore fisherman and wader, I'm always looking for products to aid me in traveling light "In" the water. Recently, I found a unique product created by Stycorp Ltd. that helps organize equipment, and reduces the need to bring a backpack when fishing. The TALS 500 works as a tackle storage system that i... more

Rapala on Top by Dustin Smith

The Original Floating Rapala, a forgotten lure. A lure first made in 1936 by Laurie Rapala. The Rapala is a thin minnow type bait made of balsa wood.The original Rapala comes in many sizes targeting everything from Panfish to Northern Pike and Musky. For Bass, I use sizes 7 to 11. For most situations I use the 9, it is 3 ½ inches long and weighs 3/16 oz. In spring a smaller bait such as the 7 might be better because of the smaller baitfish in the spring. In the fall when baitfish are rather large going up to size 11 sometimes is best. I use three basic colors. My first color would be Silver with black back. Silver always represents some kind of baitfish in any lake. On cloudy or overcas... more

Start Early For A Successful Spring Turkey Hunt by Gilbert Arndt

As I look at my calendar, the deadline for Spring Turkey Applications, Dec. 10, is approaching fast! Now before you apply is the time to determine not only what zones you want to hunt in, but the time periods that will work for you as well! Over the seasons of putting in for permits, not only for my family, but advising clients as well, I have picked up on a few procedures that might be helpful. The first tip I usually give clients is, don't put in for the first time period as first preference, unless it is the only time you can hunt! The reason for this being that everyone wants that first season, and in units with lower permit numbers you are running the risk of either getting a much la... more

Winter Safety, What You Don't Know Can Kill YOU! by Steve Huber

As I'm sitting here, in Rhinelander, writing this article, the snow is falling and I'm thinking about icefishing and snowmobiling. The only problem is that while we do have snow now, there's not a bit of ice formed on any lake yet. Heck, there's not a bit of frost in the ground and the swamps are wide open as well. You're probably wondering, "where in the heck is this rambling going to?" Well, I'll tell you, I want to talk about winter safety, NOW, before anyone goes out there and gets themselves in trouble. I know that many of you are just dying to get on the ice and get fishing for those "First-Ice Lunkers". Well, are you willing to die for a couple of fish? Here's what the Minn... more

Hot Fishing, Frozen Kid by Steve Huber

A short while ago, my phone rang. Since I have two teenage daughters still living at home, that wasn't unusual. Hearing my wife answer the phone and say, "I'm sorry, Steve is still married," meant only one thing. Darin Novak was on the other end of the line and he opened the conversation with his standard line, "Is Steve available?" Chuckling, Janet handed the phone to me and said "Guess who?" A flustered Darin asked me if I'd be willing to help him out. He began telling me about this e-mail that he'd gotten, asking for fishing photos to be e-mailed to this young man, Justin Young, in Louisiana. Justin was, and still is struggling with leukemia, a particularly nasty form of cancer. ... more

Hunting Diver Ducks - Waterfowlings' Romantic Adventure by Gilbert Arndt

As I am writing this article, it is Oct.25, 2001, and as most of us avid Diver Duck hunters know, last night brought us some near perfect hunting weather! As I look out my window at noon, it is overcast, with 30 plus mile per hour winds from the Northwest, 38 degrees, and occassionaly snowing! All we need is some heavier driving snow,and sleet! This is when "the going gets tough, the Diver Duck Hunters get going", or "tough weather won't last, so the Diver Duck Hunters better get going"!!! Extreme weather, wind, cold, big windswept, rough lakes of the north, all are associate... more

Too Cold For Muskies? NEVER! by Dennis Radloff

If your fingers have feeling, and your line isn't frozen on the reel, and your feet are toasty warm then chances are good that you're sitting in front of the TV watching the football game? There's only 30 days left before our Wisconsin musky season closes, and November possess the final, no, the ultimate chance of catching the biggest muskies of the year. However, it's also a tough time to be on the water with freezing cold temperatures, line freezing on the reel, hands painfully cold, feet numb, snow, sleet, rain, wind, hail, and big fish! Funny how you can take some of the most undesirable elements, just ad musky fishing, and it doesn't matter. What I am going to do in this article is... more

Weightless Tubing by Dustin Smith

The Tube (Gizit) is truly a versatile lure, from fishing it deep for smallmouth bass or flipping and pitching it for largemouth bass. A way not many anglers fish them is weightless. It is a highly under fished lure that produces big results. A tube ranges in size and color of course. For weightless fishing, I prefer a tube 4 ½ inches but depending on the size of the baitfish smaller or larger tube might be more effective. Tubes that have thicker bodies and a solid head are usually used, because you can cast farther and they last longer. Flipping tubes are preferred by most anglers for weightless fishing. I have two primary colors for weightless tubes white, and chartreuse. I use wh... more

Winterizing Your Inboard Boat by RIVER RAT

Well, the time has come to put your inboard boat away for this year. There are some things that need to be done at this time of the year to prepare your boat for storage for the winter months. I will try to guide you along the way, with a series of steps, and if you follow them, you should have no problems getting it ready for storage. The first thing you need to do is to fill the gas tank, and add enough Stabil to condition the fuel for storage. You will find Stabil is a lot cheaper than the Manufactures Brand fuel conditioner. After you top the fuel off, and add the stabil, you will want to hook up your water supply hose to your "Ears" and attach them to the lower unit. The Ears I'm talki... more

Winterizing Your Rig by RIVER RAT

For many of you the fishing and boating season has come to a close. Many of us are waiting for that" Indian Summer" weather, for a few warm days on the water before we finally decide to put the rig away. When you make that final decision, there are some things that you need to do so you can avoid problems in the spring. If you follow this general guideline, I think you'll be on your way to good start come springtime. I'll take you through the steps I take. And I hope you will follow them as well. The first thing I do is to put enough Stabil in my gas tank and then I fill up the tank. On the bottle of Stabil it will tell you how much to add so you have the correct mixture. I then head ... more

Fall movements Of Walleyes by RIVER RAT

For most of you fisherman the season has come to a close. From May thru Labor Day the majority of you find that this is your normal fishing season. At this time your thoughts turn to hunting or catching up on other projects you were able to postpone in order to go fishing. Well I can tell you this. You are missing out on some of the best fishing the year has to offer. That's right. The FALL TRANSITION: Shorter days, Cooler nights, leaves changing colors, weed beds dieing off. Theses are tattle- tale signs that marble eyes are about to get motivated. At this time of year hardly anyone is on the lakes at all any more. From now until ice up, the lakes are going through a change and so are the... more

On the road again... by Steve Huber

If it seems like I'm never home, you're probably right, at least my wife would probably agree with you. Earlier this year, my son graduated from high school and when asked what he wanted for a graduation gift, his reply was "contact lenses and a fishing trip with you." Well, how could I turn down a request like that? I looked over the different lodges, resorts and guides that Lake-Link has to offer. Believe me, if you haven't checked all the different places that are offered lately, there's a bunch. Well, they looked good, but still offered fishing opportunities similar to what I have here at home. I wanted my trip with Jim to be special so I kept on looking. I checked into some F... more

Pre-Fall Feeding Frenzy by Robert Piorkowski

Usually, my lunchtimes are spent reading or fishing when the weather is nice. Recently, I needed to get out and wet a line. Current reports said rain was approaching, it was overcast but I ignored the weather and headed to a local hotspot. The first pond I hit was very calm, so I threw a buzzbait for about 15 minutes near some shore structure. Nothing, not even a rise at my go-to-hotspots... (You guys that fish the same lakes know what I mean...) I headed back to the car and drove to another lake about 5 minutes away. I was using the same bait, a white 3/8 oz buzzbait tied to my baitcaster outfit. As I walked to the water, I noticed the creek inlet was flowing from the rain. This is... more

When the Walleyes Return by Bruce Mosher

It seems like just about the time you establish a pattern, conditions change. Take springtime for instance, walleyes wrap up spawning and quickly switch focus to edibles. They flock to shallow structure where baitfish are easy to come by. Dial them in, and you're the man. But as abruptly as the lake gods giveth, they taketh. Circumstances change. Water temperatures rise; baitfish vacate; and our glossy-eyed friends migrate to deeper structure. We're left frustrated with the challenge of divining new patterns in wilder places. Autumn welcomes a rekindling. A cooling thermometer and shortened daylight hours summon baitfish and walleyes shallower, returning to where the se... more

Baiting Bears In Wisconsin... Hard Work, But Rewarding by Gilbert Arndt

It was a warm, late August afternoon in northern Wisconsin, and I had been sitting over one of my active baits since 4pm. I was hoping to videotape a large bear,with a 5 1/2 inch track,that had been hitting two of my baits in this area! It was now 6pm, and judging by the calm attitude of the porcupines, and pine squirrels,this was going to be a prime evening to see bear!!! SUDDENLY,everything was still,and like most "Big Bruins",I saw him below me,before I heard any sounds! The first thing that stands out when you see a bear in the wild, is just how Black the are,compared to their surroundings! The large boar stood below my tree stand,surveying the bait before approaching, oblivious to my pr... more

Fall movements Of Walleyes by RIVER RAT

For most of you fisherman the season has come to a close. From May thru Labor Day the majority of you find that this is your normal fishing season. At this time your thoughts turn to hunting or catching up on other projects you were able to postpone in order to go fishing. Well I can tell you this. You are missing out on some of the best fishing the year has to offer. That's right. The FALL TRANSITION: Shorter days, Cooler nights, leaves changing colors, weed beds dieing off. Theses are tattle- tale signs that marble eyes are about to get motivated. At this time of year hardly anyone is on the lakes at all any more. From now until ice up, the lakes are going through a change and so are the... more

Lines, Lines, Everywhere is Lines.... by Steve Huber

I've been watching the Outdoor Messages on Lake-Link and a couple other sites with interest lately. It seems that anytime there someone asks "What type of line should I use?", there are conflicting statements and opinions. So here is one guide's opinion on lines, based on years of experience. First of all, you MUST remember that your line is the only thing that connects you to the fish. When you consider the amount of money spent on rods, reels, lures, bait, licenses, getting to the lake, boat, motor, etc., blah, blah, blah, it's really being penny wise and pound foolish to worry about the cost of line. After spending $100 on a rod, close to that on a reel, is a lousy twelve bucks for... more

Night Bite For Walleyes by RIVER RAT

In any lake or river system the type of structure preferred by walleyes most often is a flat. On flats there are no deep pockets, no sharp breaks, just flat bottom areas. On these flats there could be stumps, rock, weeds, timber that will attract baitfish to the area. Spend the time to learn what the flats have on them. The flats will hold active walleyes the majority of the time in a given body of water. Walleyes like consistency. Water temperatures, weather patterns, and abundant food sources. Flats are a major feeding area for walleyes at night, and that makes it a must to fish. As the walleyes become hungry at night, the first place they will head is the flats. Shiners crawfish, young ... more

Understanding River Smallmouths in the Fall by Bill Schultz

A few weeks ago your favorite spot for river smallmouth bass was dynamite. You had one of your best days ever. Now you're back for another great day of bronzeback action, but where are the fish? The last time you were at your hot spot it was late summer and now fall is here. What happened? The answer is that they've moved. Maybe just a few hundred yards or, depending on the size of the river, many miles. What Smallies Do In The Fall Smallmouth bass migrate in the fall. How far and how fast depends on water temperature, size of the river and habitat availability. When the water temperature hits the low 60's, smallmouths begin to migrate from their summer haunts to areas in close... more

Basic River Tackle for Wading by Robert Piorkowski

One of the main questions I hear about river fishing is, “what should I bring?" As an avid wader fisherman of 3 main rivers within 30 miles of Chicago, I say, “you don’t need a lot". The main thing is, keep it simple. I bring up to 2 small (7-inch) tackle boxes, and a small container if I’m using bait. All tools, bait, and leaders are kept in the pockets of my vest. Granted it can get bulky, but by bringing the basics, vest weight and lure decision-making are kept to a minimum. Basic tackle for wading is a long spinning rod, preferably 7 foot, matched with 6-10# mono line. I use 6# green during clear water conditions, and go up to 10# when using leaders for flyfishing. The longer rod... more

Bass Fishing is NOT! Just a Guy’s Thing Anymore by Roger Brown

Well, finally after all the years of enjoying the sport of bass fishing I have noticed that more and more women (and girls) are taking a considerable liking to this wonderful sport. In fact, in the last five years during the operation of my 3-day "On-Water" Bass Fishing School and Bass Fishing Charter Service located here on Lake Champlain and Lake George, NY, I have had a tremendous increase of women (and girl) students enroll in my school as well as booking bass charter trips each year, and I really must say that it really gets me excited to see them enjoy all the fun and excitement they’ve been missing out on for so long. For many years bass fishing has been thought of as being just ... more

Reading the Weeds to Bassin' Success by Justin Hoffman

Whether it means casting a topwater bait or hopping a worm, the largemouth bass has an uncanny way of luring us to the lake year after year. You may, however, be missing out on some of the hottest action if you fail to poke and prod the large expanses of weed and bulrush that exist on your favorite body of water. These plant structures hold an extraordinary attraction to largemouth, and some of the biggest fish you have ever encountered call these little gems home. Here are three patterns to concentrate on - all proven producers of big largemouth bass. Floating Weeds One thing to keep an eye out for when scanning a lakes' shoreline is the presence of floating weeds. These weeds ... more

Scouting For Deer by Steve Sams

This time of year, it is easy to think about nothing but fishing. But with hunting not too far off, some thought should be given to scouting. Scouting plays perhaps the most critical role in your deer hunt. A few hours spent in the field before the season can make all the difference when the season starts. There are 3 types of scouting: pre-season, during season and after season. Now is the time to start your pre-season scouting, the most important of the 3. Scouting the whole year can provide a wealth of information, but pre-season scouting will be the most effective. During the summer, most bucks and does live and feed in the same areas they will inhabit when hunting starts. Crop rotation ... more

Too Short? by Steve Huber

O.K., it's August now, you're sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee with the "Ol Spousal Unit" and wondering "What in the heck happened to the summer?" Like I said, it's August, the kids will be going back to school soon, that's evident by the sales flyers in the newspaper, advertising "Back to School" specials already. So, what does this have to do with fishing? EVERYTHING!!! Stop and think now, how many times did you go fishing this season? HA! That was easy, I'll bet you remember each and every time, don't you? Now, and here's the tough one, how many times did you take your kids (or one of the neighbor kids if you don't have any)? Gotcha, didn't I? Shame on you... more

Camouflage and Stealth...
Not Just for Hunters by Brian Athern

If I had stopped to really give it some thought, I suppose my attire would have raised an eyebrow or two. By no means was I trying to make a fashion statement, just attempting to sneak up on a fish or two. The stares of bewilderment confirmed that this area received minimal fishing pressure from the locals. Keeping up with the Jones' didn't apply to me. The only statement I was trying to make was walk softly and carry a big stick, at the very least a 6 1/ 2 foot spinning one. I'm awfully certain that more than one person didn't understand my rationale for being dressed in an O/D (olive drab) pair of waders, tan fly/wading vest, beige T-shirt, and tiger striped bush... more

Now you've found em..... by Steve Huber

Last month, I talked about finding muskies, giving you some simple ideas on getting into a muskie's home range. Click here to read last month's article. As I said before, finding them is the tough part. It's real simple, if you can't find muskies, you're going to have a bugger of a time catching them. So, with the simple, easy, "Steve Huber's Open Your Eyes and Look" method of muskie locating, it now comes down to catching these swimming bags of attitude and teeth. One of my favorite winter past times is hanging out at the local DNR office and pestering the fisheries guys. I've said it before and I'll say it again, "TALK TO THESE PEOPLE", there's a wealth of information that they pos... more

Keeping A Fishing Log by Bill Schultz

Athletes in many sports keep a log of their training activity and performances in games or tournaments. They use this information to develop better techniques, make better use of their time while training, and to perform better in competition. Many serious anglers find the same benefits from keeping a fishing log. Fishing has become a more important part of my activities during the past ten years. To enhance my efforts and have a record of those efforts, I've kept a log of my activity. Recently, I became curious about the logs that other fishermen and women keep. How do they keep their log? What type of information do they keep? How do they use this information? Also, I think it's... more

Toothy Critters Made Easy by Steve Huber

Can you picture this? An early morning sun peeking through the trees, the sound of water gently burbling over rocks, the rhythmic flow of a fly rod as it weaves patterns in the air.......if you can, you won't be fishing with me! Come with me for the day, fire up the 175 horsepower Mercury outboard, blast off, cruise down the lake for a little while. Drop the trolling motor, grab a rod and start casting, talking, laughing, pick the occasional backlash and cast some more. Look down into the water behind your lure as you crank it back, "OH MY GOD, There it is"...... A hulking shadow cruises behind your lure, maybe disappearing in a flash, making you wonder if it was even there, maybe it ... more

Angling Etiquette: 101 by Steve Huber

This article is somewhat of a departure from my normal monthly ramblings. What I'd like to discuss is etiquette. Not what fork you use for the salad or what to do with the finger bowl, but trailering, boat launch and fishing etiquette. I fish quite a bit, some ten months (or more) each year. What I see every year, on the roads, on the lakes and at the landings is quite often nothing short of appalling. First of all, BEFORE you ever take the trailer out of the driveway, please make sure that your trailer lights are working. I don't know how many times I've seen boats going down the road, with not a single light working. Now I don't know if they forgot to plug in the lights but I've... more

Cranking for Bluegills by Bill Schultz

In my article, "Smallmouths by Foot", I talked extensively about the Rebel Teeny Wee-Crawfish. What I didn't tell you was that I originally purchased this little crankbait to fish for bluegills in a pond I have access to. To this day, I remember my first cast with this little fish magnet. I caught two bluegills and knew I had a winner. Since that day in 1992, even though I've fished it more for smallmouth bass, I've caught many bluegills and other panfish with a number of additional doubles. EQUIPMENT AND TACKLE You already know the lure I use most often, but there are a number of others I've tried and had good luck with. These include Rebel's Crickhopper, Teeny-Wee Frog, Hell... more

Jigging Spoons by Roger Brown

Carolina Rig, Tubes, etc. you will Through out the past several years while fishing with co-anglers, charter clients, and some of my bass fishing school students, I have noticed that most of the fisherman and women don’t carry jigging spoons in their boxes, in fact when I ask them if they’ve ever used one they usually reply that they have never used one or they wouldn’t know the first thing about using them. Well, let me suggest to you that a jigging spoon is a very "Highly Productive" type of lure that you need to learn if you plan to do a variety of bass fishing. There are many different brands of jigging spoons on the market today to choose from and most of them work as well as any o... more

Get Ready for Spring Flyfishing by Robert Piorkowski

All I have been hearing lately is "You're flyfishing at this time of year?" My reply has been, "Yes I am". Its been cold out, but there are plenty of places to go flyfishing around northern Illinois and Wisconsin, and probably your town. There might be snow and ice on the driveway, but some of the rivers are clear and fishable. Spring fishing will be here this month, and now is the time to get ready. I managed to get out several times recently to flyfish on the Fox River at Batavia and on the Des Plaines River. Wading was relatively easy, especially on the Fox. Depending upon the temperatures prior to fishing, water flows are the focus of even trying to go wading. B... more

Our Dad Took Us Fishing by Brian Athern

The Klein brothers ascended our stairs with dad's long lost, green Coleman cooler. The suspense was killing me. What did they bring back!? The drama ended uneventfully with melted ice and canned pop being salvaged. "No keepers in there?" I asked. "Nope" Tom Klein responded. The trip began as a quest to become outdoorsmen, the first fishing trip with the men for my brother and me. Our dad said "You boys can't go fishing without your poles". My brother and I were both stupified. "We don't have fishing poles" bounced around our heads though we dared not utter those words and make dad look bad. Dad reached in the front hall closet as if he'd read our minds, "You better take these then... more

Panfish on Really Small Water by Noel Vick

From coast to coast, panfish anglers embrace the arrival of spring. Unsafe black ice has vanished and our beloved bluegills and crappies frolic in predictable places. Classic shallow and stained-water locations host much of the activity. Wind protected bays and river backwaters rank high. Many of these venues are considered “community spots", where boats pile up and shore-casters line the banks. But if you don’t enjoy running with the Jones’, some fine-tuning is necessary to find that “spot on the spot", away from the masses. In the spring of the year, panfish chasers focus on the shallowest of shallows and the darkest water Mother Nature affords. They understand that stai... more

Silver Run - Lake Michigan coho migration by Ted Jarosh

As the days begin to lengthen and warm, something stirs in the souls of coho salmon. They have spent the frigid winter as far south on Lake Michigan as they can go, in the belly of the bowl off Indiana. But as the lake ice breaks up and drifts away and the angle of the sun allows more precious solar penetration into the blue-green water, coho mass together like an invading army intent on taking and holding Sheboygan, Wisconsin. They are the vanguard of the major Lake Michigan summer runs. First the coho march northwest, sweeping past the Illinois ports, breaking through the Illinois/Wisconsin border and marching through Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee as well as Port Washington, Wisconsin bef... more

Smallmouths By Foot by Bill Schultz

Like many of you I love getting into my boat and fishing. What I don't particularly enjoy are the crowds on the weekends, especially around major metropolitan areas. If the weather is descent, the launches are crowded and the lakes are packed with personal watercraft, water-skiers and pleasure boaters. So on weekends, my boots replace my boat as a means of locomotion. My favorite fish is the smallmouth bass. Here in the Midwest, we have many rivers loaded with this bronze bomber. For instance, there are a number of great rivers within an easy drive of my Milwaukee home. With a bit of exploring, you can find similar areas near your home no matter where you live. EQUIPMENT AND TACK... more

Spring Fling!!! by Steve Huber

Hooray, even though Old Man Winter is still desperately hanging on here in northern Wisconsin, recently I saw signs that his grip was slipping. Even though people are still driving on local lakes, I was happily singing (all right, slightly off-key) along with the radio in my truck, the mighty ProCraft in tow. I was going fishing and I wasn't going to have to drill a single hole in ice. I'd checked the local landings on the Wisconsin River and found one open. That was enough for me, enough to get the boat out of storage, put fresh line on several reels and risk hypothermia. You see, I'm quite passionate about fishing, my wife says that I'm obsessed, I say that there's a slight differen... more

Early Season Equals Cold Bass by Brian Athern

As I continued retrieving the #1 sized Vibrax, the bait's motion was disrupted by a mean THUMP! I jerked back on my light action spinning combo to find a pretty angry bass attached to my lure. I allowed him to wear himself out by peeling line from my ultralight Gold Max unit. The 13 inch combatant didn't pose a real threat to my 4# test but he got an "A" for effort. After lipping the vermin, I unhooked the plain nickel in-line from his jaw and sent him on his way. This month could prove to be a character builder or ego booster depending on the stability of our weather. If you've ever heard the old "If you don't like the weather in Chicago, wait a day and it'll change!" line, y... more

Hardwater and Sonar… Inseparable by Noel Vick

"If there's a single piece of ice fishing equipment that will double your catch, it's portable sonar." Good stories make good lead-ins. And during a recent interview with On Ice Tour's Chip Leer and Tommy Skarlis, Chip broke into the following… "I was winter guiding on little northern Minnesota lake. Our crew was after crappies and it didn't take us long to find fish suspended in 35-feet of water. While unpacking the gear I noticed we were short a flasher. Being the guide, I volunteered to go flasher-less. But one of my guests demanded that I use a flasher and that he would go without. After some discussion, I agreed. The crappies were on fire! Everyone in the group, aside ... more

Once Upon a Winter Dreary.... by Steve Huber

Wisconsin winters don't excite me as much as they used to. In my younger days, I used to look forward to winter. The snow, the cold, sledding, icefishing, crosscountry skiing, I lived for these. Now that I'm older, cold is just plain cold, sledding involves walking uphill waaay too much (and I'm probably going to hear the howls all the way up here), but icefishing isn't as much fun as it once was. So when the opportunity presented itself to leave frosty, frigid Rhinelander, I jumped at the chance. Janet, the girls and I needed a getaway, something that wasn't winter, cold and gray. A search of the Internet showed us so many choices that it boggled the mind. The travel agents weren'... more

‘Eyes Up High by Noel Vick

On Ice Tour cofounder Chip Leer recounts a valuable ice fishing experience… "I was running fish houses for a resort on Lake of the Woods’ Oak Island…way up north. And I’ll never forget how this kid who worked at a neighboring resort proved that there’s no such thing as too shallow for winter walleyes. The kid headed out to catch a meal of walleyes one evening. Short on time, he took to the nearest piece of structure around, which happened to be a rock reef. This particular reef was so shallow across the top that warning buoys marked it during the summer…two feet deep, tops. On that very evening my fishing party was working deeper breaks off the same reef, with some success... more

Angling 101: Getting Started in Fishing by Steve Huber

With the Internet, the flow of information that is passed back and forth is absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, the amount of misinformation is equally amazing. I spend a great deal of time on various fishing message groups and I'm constantly astonished at the amount of misinformation that is being passed as the gospel according to Bubba. Equally amazing is some of the equipment that clients show up with when they hire me. Mis-matched or unsuited for the task at hand would be an understatement. Now, the kids have been pestering you to take them fishing, you'd really like to get everyone involved in a wholesome, family oriented sport. You decide, "What the heck, let's do it!" Everyone... more

STOP Ice Fishing - START Angling On Ice - Part 3 by Dan Anderson

For maximum success, there are four fishing styles that should be used throughout a winter season. They are jigging with an ice rod, tip-up fishing, fishing out of a shanty, and remote monitoring. An angler on ice is equipped for and will use all through a season, while an ice fisherman only utilizes one or two of these styles. An angler on ice selects a style during advance planning and one based upon the species they are fishing, along with physical and environmental factors. The physical and environmental factors weighed include the time of the ice fishing season, the body of water they are going on, and the weather they are facing for a specific outing. This strategy leads to more s... more

A Guide Secret Revealed!! by Steve Huber

People constantly are asking me. "How do you produce results for your clients, day after day? What are you using? How are you getting all of these fish?" Well, some days I just smile, other days, I'm a little more informative. Today is one of those informative days to file away for future use. I could make this a real short article and sum it up in one word...But it's cold, snowing and I'm bored so I'll expand on that one word. The word is... Are you ready??? Here it comes... Spinnerbaits! That's right. Spinnerbaits. Those goofy looking lures that don't look anything like something swimming in any lake, river or stream. When you think about it, while it's true that they d... more

Beginning Ice Fishing - Grass Roots by Brian Athern

From an onlooker's point of view, how should the quest to become an ice fisherman start? There are some basics to keep in mind, including who, where, and what to begin with. I began my quest asking people that I'd spent time with during the open water season. Sifting through those who had any experience, one mechanic I worked with in Berwyn invited me to go out with him. Next, I began to inquire about the necessities; how to dress, what to bring, and the tackle we'd be using. Since he enjoyed the Fox Chain O' Lakes action in the winter, yellow bass (stripers), crappie, bluegill, and perch would be our primary targets. I needed only to spool on 2# Trilene C... more

STOP Ice Fishing - START Angling On Ice - Part 2 by Dan Anderson

For maximum success, there are four fishing styles that should be used throughout a winter season. They are jigging with an ice rod, tip-up fishing, fishing out of a shanty, and remote monitoring. An angler on ice is equipped for and will use all through a season, while an ice fisherman only utilizes one or two of these styles. A specific style is selected during advance planning, based upon the species being fished, along with physical and environmental factors. The physical and environmental factors weighed include time of the ice fishing season, features of the body of water, and the weather for a specific outing. Using a planned strategy leads to more success and enjoyment as the an... more