Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January/February 2021 i In-Fisherman

In-Fisherman has been, from the beginning, a Communications Network—the first in the outdoor industry to produce, in combination, magazines, radio, books, videos, and television. We celebrate more than 40 years on the air and the production of 500 television episodes and counting, starting the first week of January 2022. In-Fisherman TV is all about multispecies fishing, a reflection of what’s covered in this magazine, which continues to focus on teaching anglers how to catch more fish. We might take a quick trip through time. The first In-Fisherman Television Specials, as they are called at the time, play in early 1979, as four 1-hour Specials on select broadcast stations around North America. The primary fish species are North Country fish—walleyes, pike, largemouth bass, smallmouths, muskies, and panfish. These shows are shot…

Power on Ice An Amped lithium battery powers the 30-Ah Ice Hole Powerbox, convenient and long-lasting power for your ice-fishing accessories. Box features three rocker switches or latching-switch upgrade, USB-C and USB 3.0 ports, battery-condition voltmeter, 12-V socket, two 12-V lights, SAE port for charging or for powering two additional accessories, and a Glow Cup for charging glow-lures. Battery charger included—$334.97, check other models and pricing at iceholepower.com Bajio Sunglasses The newest sunglasses company on the scene (Bajio is pronounced bah-HEE-oh, which translates “the shallows”) offers lenses with exceptional clarity, based on a proprietary technology that reduces blue light transmission, which means less eye strain. The lenses also reduce blur, glare, and haze, while enhancing color. Choose either glass or polycarbonate lenses, plus one of many frame styles, and lens…

I was fishing in a remote corner of Lake of the Woods when I boated through a narrow channel between two islands and was given a front row seat to a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. A bald eagle had swooped down from atop a towering white pine tree and had driven its talons into the back of an unsuspecting fish. But the eagle had apparently misjudged the size and strength of the pike, and with its eight talons firmly embedded into the back of the fish, it was towing the raptor, flapping and screaming out into deeper water. Eight pounds is generally regarded to be the maximum weight an eagle can carry and this fish was definitely heavier. It was a battle of the ages. What was never in doubt, however, was…

Fishing Participation & Trends Survey results— The Outdoor Foundation and the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation report that 54.7 million Americans fished at least once in either freshwater or saltwater during 2020, the highest number recorded since participation tracking began in 2007, based on annual online surveys.* Participation rose to 18 percent of the U.S. population, the highest rate in over a decade and a nearly 9-percent gain over 2019. Despite higher angler numbers and increased participation rate, the number of fishing trips per participant continued its long-term decline to an average 18 trips in 2020, down from 22 in 2008. According to the report, a “COVID bounce” brought total outings to 969 million, the highest number of outings since 2012 and a 10 percent increase from 2019. There was…

C Cody Mullennix raised eyebrows in early January of 2004 when he set a new world record for blue catfish. Anglers across the United States were impressed with the sheer size of the 121-pound trophy, but many veteran blue catfish anglers were surprised when they learned Mullennix caught the fish from shore. For the last several decades, common wisdom has been that winter is a good time to catch blue catfish, and that the best place to catch them in winter is in deep water. The tradition is that starting in mid-December, baitfish move to deeper water where temperature is consistent and possibly a few degrees warmer than shallow waters that are easily chilled by north winds and cold fronts. Since their food supply moves deep, so do blue catfish.…

There was a time, when looking to purchase a cell phone or any other major piece of consumer electronics, the advertisements proudly called out “lithium” somewhere in the description. Now, it’s just assumed that anything with a battery is already lithium powered. The same is becoming true in the fishing space for both ice and open water as the advantages of different lithium technologies have trickled down from cell phones to sonar. Yet, as anglers, we’re often both reluctant to rid ourselves of something that already works, while also being leery of anything new until it can withstand a few seasons of rigor on choppy ice or heavy waves. Experience has been a worthy instructor when comparing the latest technologies, especially as fads rise and fade over the years in…

■ FORT PECK RESERVOIR FORT PECK, MONTANA Multispecies » New accommodations, a new tackle shop, and more guide-service options make a trip to fish this exceptional water for lake trout, walleyes, pike, and catfish, a superb and comfortable experience. Contact: Lake Ridge Motel and Tackle, 406/526-3597, lakeridgefortpeck.com; Howe’s Fishing, 406/257-5214, howesfishing.com. David Harrison ■ LAKE OF THE WOODS KENORA, ONTARIO Multispecies » From Whitefish Bay at Sioux Narrows, north to portions of the lake near Kenora, and to the west, there’s fine fishing for walleyes, pike, and lake trout, along with an expanding population of big perch. Crawford’s Camp on Whitefish Bay is a great headquarters for lake trout. Contact: Guide Dave Bennett, 807/466-2140, davebennettoutdoors.com; Crawford’s Camp, crawfordscamp.com. Jeff Gustafson ■ CEDAR CREEK LAKE GUN BARREL CITY, TEXAS Crappies »…

For about a decade on the stretches of the Mississippi I haunt, Storm Wiggle Warts ruled. We had extraordinary days on the water—throwing Warts all day, never bothering to go back through with plastics or hair, never changing baits, covering water, and catching dozens of bulging bronzebacks. Something happened. The effectiveness of the Wart faded away. But a Bomber 6A became unbeatable. Catches were phenomenal. For 5 or 6 years, smallmouths inhaled the brown-back craw pattern like a kid eating french fries. Then, as if somebody threw a switch, bass wouldn’t touch the brown-back but readily crushed the green-back craw 6A. Changes in the forage base? Maybe. But that’s not the strange thing. Over a decade ago, Mississippi smallies stopped eating the 6A with any kind of consistency at all—for…

In-Fisherman Editor in Chief Doug Stange says he likely first suggested the idea for a deadstick somewhere around 1992. “The concept surely grew out of the need to properly anchor livebait, in order to tempt fish to bite,” he says. “It had to be lively, but not so lively or wild as to intimidate or be able to escape a fish easily. This was best done with a jig-head, hook riding parallel to the dorsal fin, hook shank pointed toward the bait’s head in perfect position to catch flesh when a predator took the minnow head or side first. This was first shown to me by Mille Lacs guide Ivan Burandt in the early 1980s.” In a winter 1995 issue of In-Fisherman , Stange first suggested the need for such…