Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January/February 2018-19 i In-Fisherman

Recently inducted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, Matt Straw, Brainerd, Minnesota, was an In-Fisherman Staff Editor from 1991 to 2012. Matt continues to work with In-Fisherman as a Field Editor, writing with passion and insight on just about every possible fishing topic, including conservation issues. He’s one of fishing’s most accomplished resources on topics concerning steelhead, smallmouth bass, and panfish. Matt has also appeared on numerous In-Fisherman television shows and radio broadcasts. Also inducted this year is Chip Leer, Walker, Minnesota, a well-known and passionate industry promoter, tackle consultant, television host, and tournament MC. He for many years helped direct the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail tournament series. He also served as a cohost for In-Fisherman’s Ice Fishing Guide television series.…

It’s important when you’re pre-baiting a spot in deep water to place the bait directly beneath your hole. If you just drop it in the water, lake currents often carry it a considerable distance away. The best tactic I’ve found is to cut off one end of a large juice can. Then punch a small hole through the center of the other end. Tie a small knot at the end of a length of strong string or braided fishing line and thread it through the hole. Fill the can with salted minnows or cut-bait, cover the open end with a sheet of newspaper, seal it tightly with an elastic band, and lower the container until it is 5 to 10 feet off the bottom. Let the newspaper soak for a…

IN-FISHERMAN TV > In each show we take you to three different parts of North America to fish for three different fish species—everything from bass and walleyes, to catfish and carp, sturgeon, muskies, pike, trout, salmon, and panfish like white bass, perch, and crappies, along with near-shore saltwater species like redfish and tarpon. We hope to entertain as we offer solid how-to-fish tricks to help you catch more fish. FOR 2019 > There's timely treatment of show topics—26 shows that play every week of the year. The topics playing during the first quarter (first three months) of 2019 were shot during the January-through-March (winter) time frame in 2018. To capture the seasonal nature of winter fishing, there’s a blend of ice fishing, open-water fishing on rivers, and fishing in regions…

There’s rarely a bad time to fish a jig. Over the years, I’ve caught big largemouths on them in all 12 months. But if you live south of the Ice Belt, a jig becomes a top pick during the coldest times. One reason is that it’s deadly when fishing at a range of depths and speeds, but always scores high when the bite is slow and moderately deep, which generally describes the whereabouts of big largemouths now. Work it with patience, with an eye peeled for a slight bump in the line and be attentive to that mushy feeling that often signals a bite. Jigs today come in an amazing variety—swim jigs, hair jigs, bladed jigs, wobble-head jigs, and more. But for now, we refine the discussion to the classic…

Most pike waters are complex worlds with considerable diversity, from the aquatic equivalent of lush rainforests to hostile deserts; yet, unlike our world—where landforms and features are relatively static—the environment in which most pike live is more dynamic. The layout can, and often does, change dramatically from one season or calendar period to the next. A portion of the lake that was pike paradise in summer can be a nightmare in winter. “Pike in the winter are very poorly understood,” says Dr. John Casselman, former Senior Research Scientist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and a world-renowned pike specialist. “In fact, I’ve always said that we know less about what they do in the winter than any other time of the year. It is truly an unknown period of…

Many, if not most, black bass anglers value bigger and heavier fish, over the more numerous juvenile bass, but it’s important to also understand how size effects bass behavior, the quality of bass caught, and even how size relates to fishery management. Natural mortality is key. While large old bass may have a slightly greater natural mortality rate than younger adult bass, overall mortality rate of juvenile fish is greater. Most bass spawn between 5,000 and 12,000 eggs per nest. Of these, only two would need to survive to adult size to maintain the size of the adult population if each pair of bass spawned only once. Only one must survive per nest if adults spawn twice, and adult bass frequently spawn three or more times. Typically, egg, fry, and…

In June, when Doc returned from Canada after our annual fishing foray, his oncologist told him he had primary gastric lymphoma. In simpler terms, that’s a type of stomach cancer. While a relatively rare condition, if not remedied by chemo or radiation, surgery is recommended. After exhaustive tests, Doc’s doc decided to go with the latter. An aggressive diet brought Doc’s weight down to slightly shy of Air Force One, and the surgery was scheduled for the first of September. That evening when I got off the phone with Doc’s son, I poured myself a strong one to celebrate the good news. He told me the operation took six hours. The surgeon had to sort out healthy tissue from the bad stuff. A routine technique these days. Doc was in…

We met on the lake. JC and his brother sat stoically in a V-bottomed aluminum boat, sidled up against a small clump of cattails on an otherwise nondescript section of bank. A school of crappies must have noticed something we couldn’t, having nestled onto beds in front of their boat. Dad and I were trying to locate the school, trolling slowly past the two brothers who tried to act like they weren’t catching fish. At times, a crappie bed can seem like buried treasure; those who know where it lies don’t want to tip off anyone else. On one of our passes, JC tried heroically to hide the bend in his ultralight rod, yet was unable to since a largemouth with some heft had inhaled his small white crappie jig.…

Last issue in Inside Angles I mentioned the enlightening information in Dr. Keith Jones’s book Knowing Bass, The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish. With copies no longer available for purchase except through online sources like Amazon, I noted typical pricing running about $100. Reader David Berns wrote to say he checked Amazon Prime and found prices for the book varying from $99 up to $5,032.99. Wow. But then he also reminded me about borrowing the book through a local library—which costs nothing. It was via the Interlibrary Loan system that, in the 1970s, I borrowed many of the books being used to teach fishery science at Iowa State University, along with numerous published fishery papers from around North America. The information helped me start writing about fishery science connections…

■ SCOTT LAKE LODGE SASKATCHEWAN Pike & Lake Trout » Book early to reserve a spot at this fantastic destination for giant pike and lake trout (and grayling). Truly superlative meals and lodging, along with extensive fly out options, at one of the most popular and memorable fly in lodges in all of Canada. Contact: Scott Lake Lodge, 888/830-9525, scottlakelodge.com. Rob Neumann ■ CANEY FORK RIVER TENNESSEE Brown Trout » At Gordonsville, an hour east of Nashville, the picturesque Caney Fork offers the opportunity at browns in the 20- to 24-inch range, along with rainbow trout. Light spinning tackle prevails. Contact: Guide Mike Ernst, 615/879-5029, tnmovingwaters.com. Steve Ryan ■ HOUMA LOUISIANA Redfish » Light tackle fishing or fly-fishing for redfish and black drum on Bayou Dularge, near Theriot, just southwest…

Standing there coffee in hand, jig stick in the other, distracted by a distant deer walking across the ice, my pocket was picked, the rod about to go down the hole. Moment frozen in time, coffee sacrificed to the wind, I hit the ice like I was diving for a line-shot ground ball, found the handle, and just held on. Still pretty quick for an old boy, I told myself, although “pay attention, stupid” also came to mind. Along with lake trout and whitefish, pike can be one of the most aggressive fish under ice, so it’s natural to jig for them in some situations. It’s my favorite way to catch them, although I try to let conditions dictate what kind of approach to take on any given day. I’ve…

Pre-baiting an ice-fishing spot to attract walleyes, sauger, lake trout, pike, yellow perch, and whitefish, and chumming your hole while you’re fishing, may be the most overlooked facet of the sport. It is akin to setting up a tree stand or ground blind next to a food plot or bait station when you hunt for bear or deer. Where it’s legal, it can be effective. As a kid growing up ice fishing on southern Ontario’s famous Lake Simcoe, it was standard to place half a bushel of salted shiners on the bottom of the lake beneath your permanent shanty when you first put it out in the winter, and then to refresh it every outing with an apple juice can full of salties. The bait attracted whitefish, the intended target,…

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685). 1. Publication Title: In-Fisherman. 2. Publication Number: 0276-9905. 3. Filing Date: October 1, 2018. 4. Issue Frequency: 7 times a year, one double issue: Dec/Jan/Feb; Mar/Apr; May; June; July; Aug/ Sep; Oct/Nov. 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 7. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $16.00. 7. Complete mailing address of known office of publication (Street, City, County, State and ZIP+4 Code) (not printer): Outdoor Sportsman Group, 1040 6th Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10018-3703. Contact Person: David Madrid. Telephone: 323-791-7190. 8. Complete mailing address of headquarters of general business office of the publisher (not printer): Outdoor Sportsman Group, 1040 6th Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10018-3703. 9. Full names and complete mailing addresses of publisher, editor, and managing…