Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January/February 2019-20 i In-Fisherman

Shimano Controlled Casting Shimano SLX DC150 baitcasting reels offer I-DC4 digital-control throughout each cast. Right- and left-handed low-profile reels a available in gear ratios of 6.2:1, 7.4:1, and 8.5:1. Check more featu and pricing at shimano.com Fusion19 Tungsten Berkley Fusion19 Tungsten Jigs are of high-density tungsten, allowing a smaller-profile jig that drops fast, while the needle-point hook insures instant penetration. Both vertical and horizontal presentation options are available in 10 different colors—$4.99, berkley-fishing.com Rod Carrier The Rod Vault ST is a vehicle-mounted rod-and-reel storage and carrier system, constructed of aircraft-grade anodized aluminum to hold up to six fully-rigged spinning or casting combos on a roof-mounted rack. The mounting system fits most vehicles—$399, denveroutfitters.com Eagle Eye Finesse Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp LV570 Pro-V Eagle Eye Jigs are American-made, of steel cold…

Lead meets rock. Some give there. Some tendency to stick—to wedge into cracks and crevices. Tungsten meets rock. More deflection. More “click.” Sound and feel are amplified. By now, most ice fishermen know that a 1/32-ounce tungsten panfish jig is smaller in size than a lead jig that weighs the same. The density and hardness of tungsten are greater. The tungsten alloys used in jigs are about 40 to 60 percent denser than lead. That means a tungsten jig of the same weight as a lead one falls faster, because it has less surface area and less water resistance as it drops. Lead is toxic. It also “dusts.” That white substance on old, unpainted jigs is sometimes called “dross.” Who knows how much lead is inhaled, ingested, or smeared on…

Options abound for anglers willing to stay one step ahead of Old Man Winter’s grip as freezing temperatures lay waste to more northern fisheries first and then slowly plunge southward. The dreaded process of being frozen out of key muskie locations begins in Canada, typically around mid-November. Muskie die-hards like Mike Grant, who guides out of Andy Meyer’s Lodge on Eagle Lake, find ways to remain on the water until the bitter end. During warm falls, the muskie season can be extended through the end of November on fish that can top 50 inches and 40 pounds. Once the launches lock up in ice on Eagle Lake , Grant switches to Lake of the Woods and squeezes every last drop out of the season. He keeps track of prevailing winds…

The tug on my line was as gentle as a butterfly landing on a bluebell. I lowered the rod tip. Took up half a crank of slack. There it was again. Just the slightest tickle. Could be a good one. A monster walleye taking its time. What if I would tease it some? Nah. Hold my horses. Be patient, and... “Would you, for Pete’s sake, just set the hook already?” Doc yelled. “Pete? Who’s Pete.” “The grandkids asked me to clean up my language.” We were sitting in one of Knobby Clark’s 14-foot Lunds under a clear blue sky, in a gorgeous lake about an hour by floatplane due north of Sioux Lookout, Ontario. “Let’s try another spot,” Doc said, reeling in. “Hey! I’m fishing here,” I said. “Is that…

Pike Movement and Habitat: Summer vs. Winter Select Science— Do pike under ice cover choose the same types of habitats they use in summer? Are daily activity periods similar between these two seasons? Research conducted in a German lake contrasted movements and habitat choice of pike, using the same tagged individual fish radio-tracked during four 24-hour periods in midsummer and midwinter.* The study was conducted on a 62-acre lake about 50 miles northeast of Berlin. The natural lake, Kleiner Döllnsee, has an average depth of 13 feet and a maximum depth of about 25 feet. About 14 percent of its surface area was covered by emergent vegetation such as Phragmites , or common reed, and cattails, and 27 percent of the lake bottom contained submergent vegetation such as pondweed and…

On Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota, angler effort targeted at smallmouth bass has increased ten-fold since 2000 and more than tripled since 2012. On Lake St. Clair, charter-boat (includes all guides) trips have increased five-fold in the last 10 years. The charter trips target multiple species, but angler effort for walleye and yellow perch has been low during this time, suggesting much of the increase in effort is directed at smallmouth bass. Throughout the Great Lakes and inland waters, guides specializing in smallmouths stay busy and their numbers are expanding. If angler interest in smallmouth bass fishing is growing, and I think it’s safe to conclude that it is, maybe it’s time to take a close look at smallmouth-specific management. The smallmouth bass is the state fish in Tennessee, and Tennessee…

Tickling or thumping or dancing bottom for walleyes was covered in In-Fisherman in the 1980s, as well as in Ice Fishing Secrets, the first comprehensive book about ice fishing, released in 1991. With a lure like the Jigging Rap, start with the lure from 3 to 12 inches above the bottom. Lift the Rap sharply about 1.5 feet and let it swim and fall all the way back to the bottom, causing bottom material to puff up when it lands. Keeping a tight line to the lure right on bottom, nod your rod tip to quiver the lure in place—or be more aggressive and shake the lure in place. A bite is noted by line movement as a walleye touches the line as it eats the lure on the bottom;…

Both lead (Pb) and tungsten (W) are elements found on the Periodic Table. Lead is described as a “transition metal” with 82 protons. Tungsten is “post transition” and has 74 protons in its atomic structure. As far as known history is concerned, tungsten was not discovered until 1781. Lead was first used by people in the Middle East over 9,000 years ago. Lead is soft, melts at 327.5°C, and can be cut with a pair of pliers or a pocket knife. Tungsten is very hard, can be cut with a hacksaw with the proper blade, and melts at 3,410°C, making it good for high-temperature applications like welding rods. Tungsten is a super conductor, while lead is a poor conductor. Lead has a density of 11.34 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3…

Some people are born with a desire to go ice fishing. For others it is an acquired taste. Either way ice fishing, like revenge, is a dish best served cold. I was five years old when my dad introduced me to ice fishing. No tent, no shack, no propane heater, just us out in the glorious elements that God has given. Back then our biggest challenge wasn’t catching fish. Not to say that we would catch a lot of fish, because we usually wouldn’t. My biggest challenge was trying to stay warm. My dad’s biggest challenge was trying to keep me warm. The longer he kept me warm, the longer we could stay out fishing. Of course warm is a relative term. There is normal warm and then there is…

Gord Pyzer: I’ve searched for more than 40 years to find a winter pike spot that is the equal of the one I’ve illustrated for this article. Some come close, but they’ve never been on par. Why? It is as Aristotle noted 2,000 years ago—the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. What distinguishes the location is, firstly, the inflowing river at the northeastern end of the bay. It’s big enough that you could canoe it and each year it deposits mud, sand, and detritus from upstream to fertilize a lush 20-acre bed of green cabbage growing at the delta. Cabbage growth is significant, as other weed species like milfoil don’t hold the same pike-attracting qualities. The river also hosts annual spring runs of walleyes and, in particular,…

Zakk Royce remembers the day, 17 years ago, when mega blue catfish first registered on his fishing radar. “That September, we’d had a lot of rain and flooding and a big hurricane,” says Royce, an exceptional catfish angler and guide on Lake Gaston, North Carolina. “The Kerr Lake dam was running non-stop, pumping huge volumes of water. Piles of big stripers and cats had migrated up into the tailrace to feed. In December 2015, Royce pulled off an unthinkable accomplishment, boating two mega blue catfish in one 18-hour period. Known for his 72-hour catfish benders on Lake Gaston, North Carolina, he hooked a 91-pound blue while controlled-drifting with a chunk of white perch. Having weighed the fish on a certified scale, he released the new North Carolina state record back…

Wheelhouse anglers are the first to defend how seriously they fish. It’s a point that seems lost on push-button hydraulic house-lifts, twin flat-screen TVs, and tongue-and-groove cedar-studded houses that fill the roadways on wintry Friday afternoons. All the comforts involved in modern fish-house design would seem to point more toward leisure over line stretching. Still, a great deal of innovation in these ice fishing shelters have made them every bit the angling battleship as they are luxury yacht. Mobility e many years ago, and it still holds that each hole e is equivalent to a single cast on soft water. Which is why many discerning ice anglers are using modern wheelhouses with drop-down rear cargo doors to haul their mobility gear, while giving them a place to sleep that’s closer…