Innholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2022 i In-Fisherman

Heading upstream, the motor tilted up to negotiate the shallow water, skeg and prop grinding and grudging through gravel and sand, rounding one riverbend and then another, the trees and brush along the bank becoming dense—sense of immediate time begins to fade. Jack Curtis had it right when he wrote about feeling the hot breath of civilization on the back of one’s neck and the need to find a place to fish away from the crowd. Curtis, though, was just as stuck as most of us. We can’t simply climb on a plane and chase a fly-in dream, because the time and the money aren’t there. So we get away close to home. I’ve known such places for more than half a century and they are almost the same today…

Form Meets Function Costa Del Mar introduces Lido, a stylish sunglasses option with performance features like vented adjustable nose pads to reduce fogging and provide a custom fit. Sweat channel drains reduce problems with perspiration. Top shields and side hooding minimize light leak, while spring hinges allow flexibility in fit—$277, costadelmar.com Catfish Specials Rods legendary for their strength and durability, based on combination graphite and fiberglass construction, Ugly Stik Catfish Special Spinning and Casting rods are just that, plus handsome in hand. One-piece stainless-steel guides. Ultra-tough rubberized handles and a 7-year warranty. Enough to make a catfish cry—$59.99, purefishing.com Finesse Cover Neko Hook Consisting of a shiner-style straight-eye hook with an attached swivel to prevent line twist, the Gamakatsu G-Finesse Cover Neko Hook also has a strong 90-degree wire keeper…

Wood and plastic baitfish; hooks, nets, and cradles; pliers, hook cutters, and grubby fingers under the jaw; cameras, flash bulbs, and smiling faces. Who needs this? Muskies become wary, refusing to respond to the status quo, sometimes moving away from it all, slipping into lake areas mostly unknown. On some waters it gets even worse, with this “wary fish response” pattern coinciding with a decline in the quality of the habitat. Crisp green weeds turn into slimy mush. Algae blooms set in, covering the water with a blue-green oil slick. Dog days. Dead fishing. Muskie season has its ups and downs. In northern-tier states and Ontario, most lakes have that obvious summer peak followed by a dog-days lull. Eventually, fall brings another obvious peak. The mushy weeds die down, the…

I eventually made my way into his good graces and got an invitation to spend time with him. My goal was to learn from him, if not the locations of his secret fishing holes, then to at least pick up ideas on what sort of areas were most productive for him. He told me to meet him at a public access near Belleview, Iowa. I found him sitting on the tailgate of his 1980s-era Ford F-150. The butts of a couple battered Ugly Stik rods with Abu Garcia baitcasting reels were nested in one of two white plastic 5-gallon buckets at his feet. We exchanged pleasantries and he eventually said, “Let’s go fishing.” I stepped toward the passenger side of his truck, but he picked up his buckets and ambled…

Angler Choices & Walleye Fishing Success Select Science— The potential for fishing success starts with understanding the nature of the fish we seek, being in the right area on the right waterbody at the right time, and using an effective presentation for the species at hand. This is the foundation of In-Fisherman’s formula for fishing success: F (Fish) + L (Location) + P (Presentation) = S (Success). Finding a waterbody with good numbers (and sizes) of fish is the fundamental starting point. Beyond that, where on the water we choose to fish, when we fish, and what presentation we choose to use ultimately affect our fishing outcomes. Along these lines, researchers at Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources determined factors that drive fishing success in a…

Tim Dawidiuk and I were pre-fishing for the Sturgeon Bay Open on Riley’s Bay, where the tournament is often won despite being bumper-boat city. Deploring crowds, we avoided it like plague during the tournament, but decided to finally experience the madness. Dozens of boats threaded across each other’s paths. And while they struggled to get bit, we caught small-mouths right under their hulls all morning long. We were pitching green-smoke Persuader Curly Tail Worms on 1/16-ounce Gopher Tackle Mushroom Heads right behind, ahead of, or alongside passing boats, then slowly swimming them back in. Other anglers were doing similar things, but not with 4-pound mono and 8-foot rods. Two days later, fishing right next to a team of former tournament champions, we used the same technique to pull in the…

We’ve all seen movies where a military detachment carries out a night raid. Armed soldiers, donning what seem to be a set of binoculars glued to their heads, function as if it were daylight, seeing anything and everything in their path. Navy SEAL teams have been using “night-vision goggles” of various builds now for decades in marine environments, but what if we gave the boat its own set of eyes? Along with other industries and applications, night-vision equipment manufacturers have been pondering that point now for years. SIONYX Digital Night Vision’s Giovanni Lepore explains that the technology isn’t just a dream of the future, but that there are several models available to anglers today. “Night vision on watercraft began more than a decade ago, but back then, these units were…

■ BIG TRAVERSE BAY LAKE OF THE WOODS, MINNESOTA Walleyes » Midway between the famous fishing communities of Baudette and Warroad, the Rocky Point area is walleye central for fish roaming the basin in the southern portion of the big lake. Big catches are common with some fish weighing 10 pounds. Contact: Arnesen’s Rocky Point Resort, 218/442-7215, arnesens.com. Doug Stange ■ RAINY LAKE FORT FRANCES, ONTARIO Walleyes » The walleye bite on the Ontario side of Rainy Lake—the North Arm—is excellent for numbers and some fish surpassing 10 pounds. Plentiful smallmouths and pike, too. Contact: Sunset Country Outfitters, 807/275-9833, sunsetcountryoutfitters. com; Camp Narrows Lodge, 866/294-5067, campnarrows.com. Jeff Gustafson ■ BOYSEN RESERVOIR THERMOPOLIS, WYOMING Trout » Wyoming continues to be one of the premier places to catch quality rainbow and brown…

Predators like edges, vantage points where they can’t be seen by prey, where they can stalk into the shaded backyards of baitfish while observing long stretches of open water beyond. It’s like a horror movie for spawning perch: Pairs of reflective eyes appear in the darkness. Perch begin to drape strands of eggs on weedgrowth. They get distracted. They get eaten. That’s one reason walleyes favor vegetation, beginning soon after ice-out. “Eyes are your most valuable equipment when vegetation first appears,” says famous Wisconsin guide Greg Bohn. “Cabbage is one of the first to appear in shallow water. You may spot a lot of walleyes while looking for cabbage. They’re not big clumps—just one here, one there. Many anglers would be amazed at how many big walleyes move into such…

Forward-facing sonar helps “shine a flashlight” through standing timber, and is a slow way to find groups of fish. Like other panfish, large groups of crappies pop out on side-imaging. It takes confidence and a few technological tricks to quickly dissect a hedgerow. Looking for fish dots within the mess of limbs requires the use of every possible pixel, so set the image to show only the side toward the timber and use the full screen. Recording the sonar history on the water and then playing it back at home is a good way to learn by seeing what you might have missed. These days, most sonar units connect with trolling motors, so putting a waypoint on fish also means the motor can take you right to the spot. If…