Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i In-Fisherman

A schematic drawing based on an X-ray photo from a cross section of pike in the 27- to 35-inch range from Bursell and Arlinghaus’s study. Smaller hooks often get a grip with the barb in the soft tissue (A) above the hard jawbones (B), but hooks larger than this size have too long of points for the barb to sink into the soft tissue. *Bursell, J. J., and R. Arlinghaus. 2018. Citizen science data suggest that a novel rig improves landing rate and reduces injury and handling time in recreational angling with artificial lures in Baltic pike ( Esox lucius ). PeerJ6:e4744 https //doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4744.…

Charles Dickens famously wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” He could have been talking about fishing for channel catfish, particularly during the Prespawn Period. For anglers who understand the movements and motivations of channel catfish, springtime can provide best-of-the-year fishing. But it’s not always easy. A few years ago, I got skunked on my favorite small midwestern river in early May. It was a late spring, and I rationalized that I had the wrong bait and, ultimately, that the cats just weren’t biting that day. That evening I went online and visited Spencer Bauer’s “River Certified” website and watched a video he had posted about hammering big channel cats earlier that day—from the same river where I had been skunked. Bauer had been…

Lars walked out to meet us as we pulled into the lot at Knobby’s Fly-In Fishing headquarters in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. Way down south in Iowa it had been a long, cold winter followed by a windy, wet spring, and we were ready to trade all those months of cabin fever for ... another week in a cabin. But this time, the fever would be for fishing. “What’s the walleye bite?” Doc asked. “Never better,” Lars said. “Lots over 20 inches, and some trophy pike, too.” “Just what we wanted to hear,” Doc said. “Your party’s next in,” Lars said. “Unload your gear in the staging area, and when the turboprop brings another party out, we’ll get your stuff on board.” The policeman and attorney were already in the office…

Among the most parroted advice in fishing is that we need to “match the hatch,” or make lure choices that resemble the forage our target fish are eating. I don’t deny that this is worthy of consideration. But we should also consider that abundant forage fish may not actually be preferred—and, therefore, matching the hatch may not always be the best approach. Many studies have clarified how fish make food choices. Pike in one study were given a choice of yellow perch, dace, sticklebacks, and fathead minnows. The pike ate the minnows first, then switched to sticklebacks and dace. Perch were least often targeted. Yet perch are the predominant prey in many North American waters. Apparently, pike and other predators can create their own prey environment, selectively eating prey species…

Catfish Special With distinctive custom color and graphics, the Abu Garcia Catfish Special is part of the C3 round-reel family. The workhorse 6500 size has three stainless-steel ball bearings and one roller bearing, plus a smooth and powerful Carbon Matrix drag. Centrifugal braking delivers controlled casts, while an extended bent handle with a power knob provides torque for big fish. A 7000 size also is available—$149.95 (6500), $174.95 (7000), abugarcia.com Wobbler Kits William’s famous Wobbler is offered in two new four-piece kits, one for pike and walleyes, the other for trout, each with distinctive high-vis UV reactive colors and species-specific sizing—pricing set by individual retailers, williams.ca Hook, Line, and Supper New Techniques and Master Recipes for Everything Caught in Lakes, Rivers and Streams, and at Sea, says author Hank Shaw…

In-Fisherman Editor In Chief Doug Stange is an old hand at just about everything that has anything to do with cat-fishing, so we asked him about some of the early season patterns he keys on. “One of my favorite waters near our office, other than the Upper Mississippi River, which is about 80 yards out our back door, is a smaller river that runs into a series of small reservoirs (river-run reservoirs),” he says. “I start right at ice-out, which can be as early as late March. The fishing isn’t fast, but I can always catch a few from open water even before the ice is totally off those reservoirs. “Key spots are any necked-down areas, like many of the bridge areas between various portions of those reservoirs. A little…

Traditional sonar sends out a series of “pings.” The electronic sounds bounce off bottom, fish, and cover, sending a two-dimensional “picture” back to the transducer. A mark that is already in the (very recent) past is displayed on screen. CHIRP sends out a more rapid string of pings through different frequencies, clearing the picture considerably. More data, better resolution—but still a view of what just happened, not what’s currently taking place. But real-time, live-image sonar sends a constant, unrelenting surge or wave of sounds of different frequencies all at once. A computer reassembles the returning data into a three-dimensional image of cover and fish—fish that can be seen moving, feeding, and chasing lures in real time. The profiles of fish isolated from cover are displayed in 3-D, allowing the viewer…

Small outboards have been mounted alongside main motors for many years now, and for good reason. Especially in remote waters, the Great Lakes, and other big systems, they serve dual purpose—trolling propulsion and a backup plan if your big motor fails. At least those have always been the traditional arguments for owning one in the first place, but they are questions worth revisiting when considering modern strides in equipment and rigging. Enter Troy Peterson, pro angler and guide in Wisconsin waters ranging from Green Bay to Poygan and beyond. “I run a kicker motor for safety when fishing the Great Lakes, and it’s a critical part of my trolling program on both rivers and lakes,” he says, addressing both facets of the kicker debate. “With clients on big water, it’s…

I was in high school in a small town in northwestern Illinois in the late 1950s. One afternoon in mid-May, I was in the science classroom for the last period of the day. A green and white 1956 Ford Ranch Wagon pulled up and parked in front of the school. I knew it was my father’s first new car; there were none like it in Mount Carroll, population 2,000. Dad was 42 years old when he bought that car, and he had an auto body shop add the green to make it special. A Mercury 235-hp engine was not standard for that vehicle, but that was the motor it had. Luckily I was not a teenager who craved speed, because that motor could go fast, and there were no seat…

Anglers often are resistant to wholesale changes in fishing presentations. I first wrote about breakaway rigs, or lift-off rigs, several years ago. It’s an ingenious system used extensively by European anglers to catch pike, some of them surpassing 40 pounds. It relies on smaller hooks, often rigged in tandem but sometimes as singles, that break free from softbaits quickly and set into flesh securely to increase hooking and landing percentages. The small hooks create less hook damage to fish. The system starts with an unrigged softbait—any size, style, or brand. The objective is to customize them with screw-in weights and treble-hook harnesses. One option for attaching them is with a screw-in keeper at the head of hook harness. Some designs also break totally free to ride on the mainline. Custom…

Hot lures have come and gone, sometimes reemerging to find a new generation of believers. It’s a phenomenon inspired both by the desire of anglers for something that looks and acts in a novel way, and the fact that bass become conditioned to presentations they repeatedly see. The bladed jig, one of the hottest options today for spring fishing, fits this model, riding high after an early struggle. Bladed Jig Beginnings When Ron Davis Sr. patented the use of a free-swinging blade to increase a jig’s vibration in 2006, it was no serendipitous discovery. He told me he’d been obsessed with this concept for several decades and had experimented widely with designs until he found one that worked as he’d envisioned, which he called a ChatterBait. He had no idea…

In a flash a solid 5-pound bass closes the distance on my popper. Wading in crystal clear water, the scene plays out in front of me as though broadcast on a panoramic stadium screen. In slow motion, the fish engulfs the Rapala Skitter Pop. As it retreats with its newfound toy, the hooks set into its upper jaw and the fish explodes skyward. Then the predictable bulldogging antics ensue, until the fish finally tires and comes to the net. It’s roughly fish number 50 for the day. There are no dinks in the mix. These are all stout prespawn Great Lakes small-mouths running 3 to 6 pounds. I should be exhausted, but I’m riding a euphoric high. With this bass released, the sun dips closer to the horizon with each…

I own a bass boat, and I love it. The first time I saw a fishing kayak about a decade ago, I swore I’d never eat the proverbial community granola and climb on top of one to cast a line. Plus, I’m a rather large man and maybe I shouldn’t risk losing gear because I overloaded the topside of a fishing kayak. Frankly, there’s a lot I was wrong about. Now I own an entire fleet of fishing kayaks, and I love cutting through near inaccessible, glass-calm waters with my fishing gear conveniently stowed within arm’s reach. Today’s fishing kayaks are engineered to the hilt and are more than capable of delivering an experience different from any gas-powered boat. It’s worth trying and worth the investment but let me warn…