Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i In-Fisherman

JUNE 4 Radically Fine-Tuned Tactics > Brown Down Bluegills > Grass Pigging Pike > Tubing Shallow Largemouths JUNE 11 North America’s Hottest Tactics Happening > Big Water Walleye Patterns > Spider-Rigging Crappies > Top Smallmouth Softbaits of All Time JUNE 15 Prime Time Opportunities > Options for Mountain Lakers > White Sturgeon Beasts of Current > Cranking Postspawn Largemouths JUNE 25 Slay Them with Sleight of Hand > Retro Trick Worm Largemouths > Cree Lakers Big Time > Hair Jigging Smallmouths in-fisherman.com THE LARGEST SOURCE OF FISHING INFORMATION ANYWHERE! ■ EXCLUSIVE ONLINE COLUMNS ■ HUGE VIDEO LIBRARY ■ MASTER ANGLER ■ SOLUNAR TABLES ■ ADVENTURES ■ MOBILE FRIENDLY ■ SPECIES LANDING PAGES ■ AND MUCH MORE! COMING NEXT ISSUE » Deep Cranking Largemouths; Thin Line Smallmouths; Walleye Trolling Tactics; Big…

Feature articles in In-Fisherman take the reader well down a road to understanding subjects about specific fish species. The largemouth bass article in this issue, for example, digs deep into options for connecting with bass by using a new generation of topwater lures. As we so often say, a little tweak here, a little trick there, and soon enough you’re fishing better than you have before. Topics in a column such as those in Bits and Pieces take a different route to enlightenment about more diverse topics. Many puzzling issues have been addressed in the 37 years the column has run. Like how much weight fish lose by being out of water or not being weighed promptly. As in, “The fish would have been a record if the angler hadn’t…

Color Me Walleye Ten hot “walleye colors” like Pink Banana, Green Banana, and Purple Bumble Bee are available in four Bagley crankbait designs: a stickbait, the Minnow B; and diving baits, the Rumble B, Deep Diving Minnow B, and Deep Diving Shad—check pricing at bagleybait.com Tether Tool Built like a tiny tank (anodized aluminum), the Gerber Defender Large Tether keeps tools—pliers, camera, line cutter—close at hand with a tip-control carabiner one easily manipulates with a finger, allowing the release of up to 48 inches of Dyneema cable—$37, check more features at gerber.com DryFins Shorts For kayaking or wet wading, DryFins are light and comfortable, with a smooth liner to avoid chafing and rashes from fishing in wet shorts. In men’s and boy’s sizes and three colors—$39 to $47, dryfins.com New…

Paddletail or thumper-style swimbaits are a fundamental walleye lure category on par with crankbaits, livebait rigs, and other classic presentations. In-Fisherman has long championed paddletails, chronicling the latest baits, applications, and benefits of these hard-thumping, versatile softbaits. ¶ In the May issue, we looked at the paddletail’s rise to prominence. The lure’s storied history sets the stage for this discussion with top anglers on how they’re using them to catch more and bigger walleyes. Northern Exposure In-Fisherman contributor and guide Jeff Matity says he’s been following In-Fisherman Editor In Chief Doug Stange’s swimbait teachings for nearly two decades. “It’s paid off,” he says. “What began as Stange’s summertime weedline patterns has evolved into an all-season, open-water quest with a cast of different baits that possess varying qualities that best suit…

I wanted to throw him overboard and head to the house. His complaining and arguing with his brothers and I had reached an all-time high. The disrespect coming from the mouth of my 10-year-old son was more than I could bear as I tried to keep the peace in the little 16-foot flat-bottom boat. As I try to keep worms on hooks for his little brothers, he demands I untangle his line, rolling his eyes as I try to explain to him that he’s not my only child. My anxiety builds with his impatience as he continues to start arguments with his brothers and the turmoil builds. Billy rolls his eyes as his brother misses another bite. “Zack! How could you miss that fish? He’s going to swallow the hook!”…

Crayfish Connections Life History Lessons— Many studies and practical experience suggest that various fish species often prefer to feed on fish instead of crayfish, probably because crayfish may be harder to catch and eat at times. Crayfish also are less nutritional. Still, they remain an important forage in some waters during some periods, so it pays to understand a bit about crayfish location in the waters we fish. This varies by species and habitat. In Fisherman Distribution, Life Cycle, and Reproductive Condition Young-of-the-year crayfish may molt 10 times before reaching sexual maturity. Females generally molt once after the young disperse, males usually twice, once in spring and again in late summer. Seasonal Distribution Crayfish distribution is influenced by habitat, which includes the availability of hiding places like woodcover, rocks, and…

Surface lures get old but they never die. From wood whittlers of yore to the high tech CAD men and 3 D printers of today, lures that scratch the water’s surface have received plenty of attention. ¶ In part, that’s because it’s hard to design a topwater lure that won’t catch fish. I’ve seen videos of bass slurping old wine corks, cigarettes, and other trash floating above. As opportunistic predators, they’re attracted to things that look vulnerable on top of the water. ¶ While some anglers cling to old favorites, novel designs have come on the scene, offering new levels of attraction. The one that’s received the largest notoriety is River2Sea’s Whopper Plopper, designed by former TV producer, host of the TV Show “Hunt for Big Fish,” and inveterate lure…

 Northern pike are an early-summer gift to anglers. Part of that generosity has to do with their abundance and general willingness to strike many presentations. Larger specimens grow more particular in their feeding habits but remain susceptible to a handful of exciting techniques that rarely fail. “TO CATCH PIKE ON SHALLOW FLATS, FEW LURES PERFORM BETTER OR GENERATE MORE EXCITEMENT THAN PROP-STYLE LURES” All the Buzz Daylight hours reach their peak during the summer solstice and water temperatures are on a steady climb. Shallow vegetation expands and shoreline grasses flood during high water years. Pike enter these shallow flats to prey on anything that scurries, swims, or slithers within striking distance. On lakes and rivers, there’s no magical water temperature that draws pike to shallow backwater bays. They arrive prior…