Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2021 i In-Fisherman

Instead of a slow steady grind with that lipless lure, we made long casts, let the lure sink, and then got a rhythm going, rippin’ it up off the bottom with a snap of the rod tip to 11 o’clock, letting it drop on a slack line, before rippin’ it again as it just touches down. It never sits still for more than a millisecond. You attract attention, then play keep-away with the fish, often small-mouths, driving them crazy until they just have to bite. They’re just there on the next rip. This also works well (almost magically at times) for walleyes and largemouth bass. Other times, the experiments are attempts to characterize, or put into better perspective, a common technique for a specific fish species. That was to have…

Food Science— The flavor of catfish is partially determined by their diet and the quality of water where they’re caught. Fish absorb chemical compounds in their fat layers from the food they eat. Veteran anglers remove the yellow fat and red meat that, when cooked, gives the fillet an unpleasant flavor. In some polluted waters, anglers may endanger their health by not removing this fat before cooking. Even where the water appears unpolluted, catfish sometimes take on “off-flavors.” Scientists have isolated chemicals in catfish ponds that causes these off-flavors. According to the Southern Regional Aquaculture Center (SRAC), off-flavors are commonly described as “earthy,” “muddy,” “moldy,” and “musty,” among other disagreeable tastes.* According to SRAC, metabolites produced by blue-green algae are a common cause of off-flavors in pond-raised catfish, the most…

At every juncture where weeds gave way to rock or vice versa, a pod of smallmouths lay in wait, ready to ambush swimming jigs with bad intent. Action was always hottest at these rock-to-weed transitions. An occasional smallmouth could be plucked from the larger boulders in the rock fields, and a rare specimen was hooked along the weedines. But transitions rocked. Having spent only a day there (so far), it’s impossible to say whether smallmouths primarily positioned on rock or weed away from those transitions at times. Rock-to-weed transitions should never be overlooked, but experiences on other lakes strongly indicate they do split time over different types of cover, including various species of weeds. That doesn’t mean they like it. “They’re in there to eat,” says Chris Beeksma, owner of…

In smaller tributary environs where seasonal low-water periods, farm crop runoff, or periodic springtime flooding can occur, channel catfish reproduction and population numbers can be at risk. Throw in increased angling pressure and many smaller catfish waters remain in a delicate balance due to these factors. One of my favorite catfish rivers has seen multiple-year periods where fish were plentiful only to suffer from angler overharvest or various climatic events that reduced numbers to dangerously low levels. The long spawning progression of channel catfish often makes them vulnerable to poor recruitment when flooding and high-water events limit reproductive success. Some Back East rivers have “gaps” in size structure where there seems to be a few high-quality 8- to 15-pound fish, some 2- to 4-pounders, and nothing in between. These gaps…

“See this?” Doc said, pointing at the fish measuring sticker on the inside of the aluminum boat hull. “Once upon a time we’d dig in our tackle boxes to unspool a tape to measure a fish.” “Those decals have been around for decades. At least since slot limits became mandatory,” I said. “So, what’s your point?” “My point is, why didn’t I invent that?” “Probably because you were too busy cashing checks for drilling teenagers’ teeth, and didn’t need the extra income.” If Doc heard me, he didn’t let on like it. “I bet the companies that make those things sell thousands at bait shops and sports shows for a few bucks apiece. You know, smart marketers would much rather sell a dollar item to a million people than a…

Management in Action— Muskellunge are stocked into lakes by many state fishery agencies throughout North America to create trophy fishing opportunities. As muskie stocking expands and muskie fishing becomes more popular, more concerns arise among the public regarding the effects of muskie introductions on fish communities. These effects, however, are generally poorly understood. Minnesota DNR fishery biologists recently published a study examining the effects of muskies on fish communities where they have been introduced.* They discuss that in Minnesota, the potential impact of stocked muskies on resident fish communities is the most common concern in comments from the public regarding muskie stocking in new waters. Other concerns by some in the public include fear of attacks on swimmers, introductions of invasive species by anglers, declining property values, overcrowding, and others.…

■ LAKE MICHIGAN STURGEON BAY, WISCONSIN King Salmon » Upper-end fish of 34 po ds and many larger freight-train fish all aro nd should be the norm from mid-June through August, with 6- to 15-fish trips of salmon and bonus steelhead and lake trout, often during low-light periods, morning and evening. Contact: Capt. Spenser Samplawski, 952/797 3841 bigbiteadventures.com. In F sherman with Spenser Samplawski ■ COWLITZ RIVER TOLEDO, WASHINGTON Steelhead » For an enjoyable day on the wa te with lots of action, this is the place to be in Southwest Washington. Summer-run steelhead. Drift-fishing at its finest. Fish surpassing 10 pounds. Contact: Guide Jon Huston, 360/608-8605. ■ FLAMING GORGE RESERVOIR WYOMING Kokanee Salmon » July is prime time for salmon that typically r n abo t 3 pounds, with…

» In front and around the snout of each bass is a space called a strike window. A bass can be reasonably sure of a successful attack on preyfish or lures that move into this window. The size of the window varies with the activity state of the bass. Inactive bass have a small window, neutral bass have a larger window, and active bass have an even larger window. To catch a bass, you must place a lure within its window or tempt it to move so the lure is in its windows.…

in their superline offerings. For this application, steer away from unifilament lines, which are incredible in their own right when finessing small light offerings. Instead, choose an extremely thin, round-bodied braided line such as Sufix 131 that is extremely castable and durable yet thin. In deep-water settings, the finely woven nature of Sufix 131 makes it more manageable than flatter lines, even in windy conditions, and holds up to constant contact with bottom structure. To the mainline of 6-pound-test Sufix 131, attach a size #6 VMC Spin-shot Drop Shot hook. The beauty of the Spinshot hook design is the free-spinning nature of the hook. Plus, the Spinshot has two separate closed wire loops to securely tie knots from both the mainline and dropper line. Directly joining thin, slick braid to…

2020 marked the 44th year of In-Fisherman's Master Angler Awards Program, begun in the early years of the magazine's existence to reward anglers on their angling achievements, and as a way to let readers know about productive fisheries throughout North America. Master Angler Awards are available for 29 fish species or hybrids and anglers can apply for fish caught within six geographic regions. Awards are available for both released and kept fish, based on length and weight criteria, respectively. Anglers who enter a qualifying fish receive a Master Angler patch and species chevron patch. In each region, anglers who enter the largest fish of a species also receive a Master Angler certificate. Detailed rules and the Master Angler Award application can be found online at in-fisherman.com and in most issues…

The Nature of Fish— No fish species has a single temperature that it seeks, but each does have a range within which it can excel. This chart offers a single optimum temperature—a sort of “average” temperature-based on our perusal of various science documents that list temperature ranges. The larger individuals of a given species often seek colder temperatures than the optimums suggested in the chart. Colder temperatures also play a role during fall, when fish are feeding more heavily to stock up for what may be at least a partial winter fast. Larger fish also often feed more effectively than smaller fish during fall—one reason it’s considered a peak period for trophy fish.…

TOP VIEW Only the top view is shown, because the side profiles of the windows of moving bass are similar to the top-view profiles. » The strike windows of active bass change shape and dimension as bass swim faster. With greater speed, bass gain forward range, but lose the ability to turn to either side A bass at cruising speed extends its forward range to about 6 feet. One dashing after prey may be able to capture prey or lures that come within its window at ranges of more than 10 feet…

Pick a peck of pickled pike. July’s the perfect month for just that—harvesting a limit of so-called “snot rockets”—at least where In-Fisherman’s office sits in the center of Minnesota. Hereabouts, we’ll hitch the boat and be on the verge of a 20-pike afternoon. Most of the fish will be little ones from 1 to 2 feet long. But they’re perfect picklers. No need to remove the Y-bones. Just throw each thumb-sized chunk into the brine—a combination of cider vinegar, water, kosher salt, red onion slices, brown sugar, and a handful of pickling seasoning. There’s a great recipe on the In-Fisherman website, in-fisherman.com . Bones be softened up in about a week. Munch the sweet, white, pleasantly acerbic flesh all by itself, or on a cracker with pickled onions. The preponderance…

Getting a Grip—Boat Flooring & More What you stand on could well be the last consideration you have as a prospective boat owner. “I can’t get no respect” would be the Rodney Dangerfield-like response of carpet and vinyl everywhere. Truth be told, there are far more options than those two these days, especially outside the world of fishing-style boats, though it wasn’t that long ago that AstroTurf was a big upgrade to your basic fishing rig. These days, carpet remains the gold standard for most boats, at least on casting decks and back platforms. It’s more plush than it ever used to be, quicker drying, and more stain resistant, though there are still some major drawbacks. From a traction perspective, carpet isn’t bad, but there can be better options. Most…