Jason Halfen's Articles
April 2021
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Chasing Early Season Panfish Using Underwater Video
by JASON HALFENUnderwater video is an incredibly powerful tool for any angler. In this video, The Technological Angler explains why two Aqua-Vu cameras are particularly useful when chasing early season panfish. Cameras featured in this video: Aqua-Vu Micro Revolution 5.0 Aqua-Vu HD7i Pro Gen 2...
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Power Fishing For Early Season Walleye
by JASON HALFENFor many anglers, walleye fishing is synonymous with finesse: long rods, light line and leader, small hooks and lively natural baits. Theres little doubt that a slow, methodical approach will put walleye in the boat or on the ice all season long. However, all anglers will benefit from recent trends...
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Tech Tips for Early Season Multispecies Success
by JASON HALFENThe natural world bristles with life in the spring. Your lawn's formerly brown grass transitions to a lush, vibrant green. Bare branches on trees and shrubs become dressed with wardrobes of blossoms and leaves. And beneath the water's surface, once dormant shallows now teem with life, from the small...
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March 2021
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A Northern Recipe For Southern Smallies
by JASON HALFEN"I've been waiting a long time to be able to do this in a tournament down here," was the phrase repeated many times by Shimano Pro Jeff "Gussy" Gustafson as he described a decidedly Canadian approach to chasing smallmouth bass. "This is something we do back home all the time, especially as smallies ...
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Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging
by JASON HALFENHumminbird MEGA 360 Imaging is an incredibly powerful tool, providing an all-encompassing, 360-degree view of the underwater world with unprecedented levels of clarity and detail. With the new Universal Mount for the 360 Imaging device, we can now add the power of MEGA 360 Imaging to just about any ...
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Read The Water For More Walleyes
by JASON HALFENOne of the fundamental skills of a good river walleye angler is the ability to read water and determine where fish are likely to hold. Chief among these fishy locations are current seams - places where fast flowing water meets slower water. Whenever flows are moderate or high - like when the snow me...
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February 2021
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Pound Sand For More Jumbos
by JASON HALFENFew fish captivate me like jumbo perch. I love chasing tigers in early summer as they gorge on emerging mayflies. I structure my fall vacations around peak cold water perch bites as schools of jumbos corral unsuspecting shiners in skinny water. But nothing - and I mean nothing - beats the thrill of ...
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What do fish look like?
by JASON HALFENContemporary anglers are blessed with a dazzling array of sonar and imaging tools to help them find success on the water. At the same time, we need to know what we're looking for when using tools like Humminbird Side Imaging, Down Imaging, and traditional 2D sonar to locate fish. In this video, Dr. ...
January 2021
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For Love Of Hardwater Trout
by JASON HALFENTrout represent one of the most unique ice fishing opportunities throughout the ice belt. Unlike most of the typical hardwater targets - especially walleye, pike, and panfish - trout sustain very high activity levels beneath the ice. Indeed, as a group of coldwater species, trout thrive in chilly wa...
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Proven Patterns For Hardwater Largemouth
by JASON HALFENWhen most anglers think about largemouth bass, their thoughts turn to the warmth of summer, lush green growth above the water's surface and below, bone-jarring strikes and tail-walking fights. Yet, as snow blankets the landscape and open water recedes to a distant memory, those same finned adversari...
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December 2020
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First Ice is Panfish Prime Time
by JASON HALFENThe first few weeks of walkable ice encompass some of the best action of the entire hardwater season. For now, many panfish linger in relatively shallow water, where remnant green weeds provide cover and ample forage. Dissolved oxygen levels beneath the ice remain high, promoting elevated levels of ...
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November 2020
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Advanced Vertical Jigging For Late Fall Walleyes
by JASON HALFENAs walleye collect below dams and in deeper holes along river bends, there are few presentations that will produce big numbers, not to mention wall-hangers, like the time-tested method of vertical jigging. But modern vertical jigging is not the same "minnows-and-mono" game played for decades by gene...
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It's Sauger Time!
by JASON HALFENOn major rivers across the Midwest, the cooling waters of fall translate into bountiful fishing opportunities, particularly for sauger. These turbid water-loving cousins of the walleye really pack on the pounds as the leaves start to fall, concentrating in deep holes, along main channel edges, and b...
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October 2020
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Catch More Jumbo Perch This Fall
by JASON HALFENFall is a great time to target the biggest panfish in your favorite lake, river, or reservoir. Jumbo perch, slab crappies, and bull gills are all packing on the pounds before cold north winds convert the colorful autumn landscape to shades of brown, and eventually, white. Here are three tips to hel...
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Prime Time For Night Walleyes
by JASON HALFENThe cooling waters of October draw large numbers of walleye into the shallows to feast on bountiful baitfish in advance of winter's arrival. One of the most enjoyable and productive ways to target these toothy predators is by trolling shallow-running crankbaits under the light of the moon. Here are ...
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September 2020
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The Trophy Crappies of Fall
by JASON HALFENFall is a time of incredible angling abundance. Across the northland, musky hunters are buying every large sucker in sight, walleye anglers are testing headlamps and respooling trolling reels, and salmon specialists are trolling crankbaits in Great Lakes harbors for four-year old kings. Crappies, ho...
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October 2018
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Trophy Walleye Time Has Arrived
by JASON HALFENCooling waters brings fast action on North America's river systems You must have noticed it. Summer's familiar clear blue skies have turned turn angry and gray. Gentle southern winds have evolved into frigid northerly gales. Bright leaves of crimson and gold now hang perilously from branches,...
August 2018
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Late Summer Walleyes in the Weeds
by JASON HALFENHit the salad bar for consistent summer walleye action Conventional wisdom calls for walleyes to be found in cool, shallow water during spring and fall, and lurking in deeper water during the heat of summer and the dead of winter. However, this binary distribution of walleye locations is fa...
May 2018
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Hard Bait Strategies for Post-Spawn Walleyes
by JASON HALFENJerkbaits and Rattlebaits prove potent on aggressive, actively feeding fish One of the hallmarks of spring is the predictable movement of walleyes. On inland lakes, walleye slide into shallow waters along rocky, windblown shorelines to spawn. Major rivers see mass upstream migrations of...
April 2018
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Dissecting the Pre-Spawn Bass Bite
by JASON HALFENA trifecta of tips from a Bassmaster Elite Pro The bass pre-spawn period is a time of anticipation and transition. Largemouth and spotted bass slide out of their deeper,n thermally-stable wintering holes and begin a systematic movement toward the warming shallows, where they will binge ...
October 2017
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Time-tested Fall Fishing Pattern
by JASON HALFENThe arrival of fall announces some of the best smallmouth bass fishing of the year. Image by the author. Head to your nearest river, because Mother Nature's clock is ticking and smallmouth are smackings Our experiences as anglers are coupled to the rhythms of Mother Nature. When the l...
April 2017
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Enjoy All-Season Success from Shore
by JASON HALFENThe author hoists a hefty pre-spawn walleye, taken from shore along a medium sized river. These five tips will help you to enjoy more consistent catches from shore, no matter which species of fish you pursue. Five ways for the shore-bound angler to enjoy more consistent catches ...
January 2017
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Horizontal Options for Hardwater Success
by JASON HALFENThe unique design and swimming action of the Fin-Wing is irresistible to apex predators that have grown accustomed to the simple yo-yo motion of simple, vertical presentations. Photo by Bill Lindner Philosophies borrowed from the boat prove highly effective on the ice ...
December 2016
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Sleeper Strategy for Shallow Hardwater Walleyes
by JASON HALFENWith the arrival of hardwater across the northland, the much-anticipated ice fishing season has finally begun. Intrepid anglers, with ice picks draped over their shoulders and lightweight gear in tow, are now creeping across the shallows of their favorite lakes in search of the season's first frozen...
October 2016
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Hard (and Soft) Strategies for Late Fall Walleyes
by JASON HALFENThe signs of impending change are all around us. The last dry maple leaves are falling from the trees. Frost covers the windshield as the truck warms in the crisp morning air. Boat lifts and docks are high and dry, adorning the shorelines in anticipation of winter's arrival. This is also a time ...
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Three Ways to Catch More Harvest Moon Walleyes
by JASON HALFENOversized walleyes crash the shallows in the fall, and are targeted by fervent anglers pulling crankbaits near shorelines and decaying weed beds. Photo by the author Fall is here, and in a matter of days, the Harvest Moon will be upon us. This is a magical time of year for fervent walleye ...
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Fall River Walleyes
by JASON HALFENAcross the Midwest many anglers are putting their open water fishing gear away. Some are going hunting, others are getting ready to go ice-fishing. However, there are some, probably more than you would think, that look forward to this time of year for open water fishing. They know that right now,...
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November 2010
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Gear Up For First Ice
by JASON HALFENThe bountiful first ice period will be arriving soon. Indeed, the first weeks of walkable ice encompass some of the best action of the entire hardwater season. It is during this period that many panfish and gamefish linger in relatively shallow water, where remnant green weeds provide cover and ampl...
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