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Pan Fish on Ice

January 21, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Have you ever gone out ice fishing in or around a group of guys to see one guy pulling up fish after fish while everyone else struggles to get a bite? If you watch closely most guys are hanging around watching the show like they’re watching a production.Â

ice-fly1Â

 Don’t’ get me wrong there are a good number of anglers that can’t stand it and try everything their experience tells them to try until they have nothing left. The balance are people that just don’t have the experience to know that every little think can make a difference.  Â

In my opinion ice fishing more than any other time of the year the key is finesse. What other time of the year do fish get a chance to stare at you’re bait for long periods of time with out any interruption.

A couple of week ago I was fishing Muskegon Lake for Bluegills  and had it going on. Not only was I catching fish the size of the fisher were significantly larger than most others had. Even though I look for any attention I can get as a Fishing guide it can be a bit awkward.  I would love to tell the guy next to me exactly what to do but I had to come off as boasting.

   I can tell the people around me were frustrated . I thought to myself why are these guys just  keep doing the same thing if it’s not working. Even though I knew it all along it really hit me. These guys just don’t realize how many things they can do to try and get these fish to bite.

For me one key was my Vexilar. The second thing was  the fishing rod I was using.  With my flasher I knew when I had my bait close to a fish and how it responded to my presentation.

With my longer 51 inch rod I couldn’t  keep a jigging pattern consistent so I switched to my 30  inch.  The longer rod had to much swaying movement. Sustaining the jigging pattern that they liked and not breaking it  was key.

 As a serious fisherman I don’t know of anything that gives you a better feeling than knowing you got the bite figured out. I knew my program was working but it wasn’t until my brother in-law came up to me to ask what I was doing that it became hardwired into my bag of tricks .

I had been under dressed that day . I had a shiver on and off the whole time I was there. The longer rod really pronounced my shiver and lake of stability. As I began to explain along with show  him what the pattern was I couldn’t hold the shiver back. As I talked though my presentation I couldn’t catch a fish and I knew what was wrong.

 I couldn’t control my jig. He often makes fun of my theories and this was no exception so the pressure was on. That was until I held my pole against my knee for stability. As soon as knew I was under control again I said “watch this”. I pulled four nice gills out as fast as I could go through the motions of un-hooking them.

 Many things plaid a factor that day even the fish made me look good. When it comes down to it it’s never just one thing. And it’s never as easy as someone puts on paper.

However from my experience jigging patterns are always one variable that makes a difference when ice fishing. Sometimes it’s as easy as jig or not jig and sometimes it’s not.

The picture above shows the flies I used that day. I made by myself. They dont’ work all of the time nor do they work eveyrwhere. They sure shine on Muskegon lake on  specific days.

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What is the best braided line for bass fishing

March 26, 2009 By admin 2 Comments

With all of the different braided lines out there where do you start. Most poeple don’t realize just how different the braided lines are. Keep in mind that braid lines have mulitple advantages. The most common mistake fisherman make is only using braid line for their no stretch advantages. Â

 In terms of the amount of stretch between braids I haven’t seen much difference from one to another.The fact of the matter braided line is more sensitive than mono overall. The biggest opportunity I see is understanding that some braid lines are much more sensitive than others.

From what I see if you can find the most sesitive braided line that is the best line to use. Ther is one line manufacture that from what I have seen is by far the most sensitive braid line out thereand that’s Power Pro braided line is by far more sensitive than any other. There is one reason for it and that’s Spectra. Spectra is one of the worlds lights and strongest materials in the world.

This line is so sensitive paired up with a high quality rod graphite fishing pole it’s like electricity when fish bit. This stuff works so well I use it when I’m Perch fishing in lake Michigan In mid summer we find perch in areas up to 100 feet of water. With a tyical set up using mono it’s hard to find bottom with 1 once of weight.Â

Using a reel spooled with 2 lb diameter 8 pound test Power Pro not only can I feel bottom with a 1/2 ounce weight I can tell how hard the bottom is. I can even tell if the bottom is sand , clay and especiallyrock.  Spectra is so sesitive I can feel perch bite and never see a bite. Most of the time I fish two rods and ust put my finger on the rod blank and never watch my tips.

If your looking for the best braid this is it. If your thinking that if this was true why aren’t more braided lines made of Spectra Fibers   ? I hink I might knwo why . I believe the material is hard to work with. Spider Wire was the first braided line made of Spectra but the smaller diameters were fourty dollars for a filler spool.

If you look at any of the Spider Wire braid nowit says nothing about Spectra. I don’t believe they could come up with a cost effective way to process their lines with Spectra. I believe Innovative Textiles who makes Power Pro has found a unique and cost effective way to manufacture their braided lines using Spectra which is their competitive advantage.

If your looking for the best braided line for Bass fishing , verticle jigging or deep water fishing you should try Power Pro.

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fish finder/gps combos for bass fishing

March 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Are you looking for the best fish finder /gps combo ? I have several and I’m a bit partial to Lowrance units. The main reason for that is for years they were the leader with no real compettion. There are now several companies putting out great units with similar features. I’ve stuck with Lowrance for several reasons. The main reason is the support they give to current and past models.

The second reason is they continue to use the same windows format. As I continue to upgrade units I don’t have to start over form scratch to get going on a new unit. Instead of pointing in the dirreciton of a specific unit here are a few things to consider when picking out a unit. The size of the screen is the first thing I consider. I like the biggest screen possible.

The larger the screen the more detail I can capture. I can zoom in on a small area and it’s easier to tell how close I am to a given way point. This is critical no mater what you’re fishing for. The second main thing to consider is pick a unit that is compatible with the latest maping features. It’s common to find that the contour lines aren’t exact to what you see on your depth finder.

 You can usually count on the purportions to be correct. If your ten feet away from a point on the west side while your your map says your on more times than not you can follow that point around and you will be the same distance off all the way around.   Get a mapping program with contour lines and you can now reference which depth line makes the most sense. Usign a depth line that states the wrong depth can be confusing . Once you get use to it it’s an invaluable tool.

You can’t really go wrong with any of the units today. I would suggest once you buy a certain brand try to stick with it. As often as fish finders change most fisherman end up upgrading. Sticking to a brand name will help you in the long run.

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Buy Walleye Fingerlings

March 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Have you ever thought about getting into stocking walleye’s . I was suprised that i didn’t see more information on buying walleye fingerlings. Here is a link for buying all kinds of fingerlings.

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Whats the biggest walleye ever caught

March 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

The biggest walleye ever caught is the world record walleye caught in tennesee . It is a 25 pounder from Old Hickory Lake, Tennessee caught in 1960.

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Huge Michigan Walleye

March 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

I’ve fished around the state of michigan . Saginaw Bay, Saginaw River, Detorit Riverand lake Erie. I thought I’ve seen some big walleye until I saw this one. Check out the tennessee record walleye.

tennessee record walleye

tennessee record walleye

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How to drop shot live bait

March 8, 2009 By admin 2 Comments

Most people that use drop shot rigs use artificial baits. For good reason their durable, have great action and look great. Drop shot rigs with soft plastics do work well  especially when fishing drop off’s or area with structure. The hook above the weight keeping your bait suspended off bottom I believe is the main reason why.

I’ve had several clients ask me if I use live bait with drop shot rigs. The answer is yes and boy does it work well.It’s effective for the same reasons it works when using soft plastics . With live bait you have a highly effective and versitle presentation with the obvious advantages of live bait. Here are a few things to keep in mind when drop shotting live bait.Â

I tyically use a wide gap hook made for drop shot rigs. Even though I use Standout style hooks with plastics I don’t with live bait. When I”m fishing with live bait on these rigs I’m using minnows or leaches. Simply hook the minnow by the head and leach by the succer . Both are farely durrable and very rarely do you have to deal with smaller fish stealing your bait with either of these baits.Â

The exception to this is when I’m using drop shot rigs for for deep water panfish. I often find bluegills in 20 feet of water in early fall. The clear lakes tend to have a bit of weed grows on the bottom and this keeps your bait just out of the weeds when casting or drifting. We also use a drop shot rig for deep water perch in lake michigan. The thing to keep in mind when fishing drop shot rigs for these smaller fish is to use a bait that isn’t hanging off the hook.

When fishing panfish we use a number 6 True Turn hook .When the fish want minnows we typicaly go with minnow heads most of the time, two at a time . The heads are short and if a fish hits quickly they are into the barb of the hook. When were fishing bluegills we often use crickets of worms. Both are hooked several times to leave very little hanging off. This works great for crickets . Crickets are fragile and this keeps bottom structure from tearing them off.

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