Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2025 i In-Fisherman

Lifelike or flashy finishes catch the eye of anglers looking for a few new crankbaits to add for the season. And a shake or two defines its sound production. But folks often overlook the key to its effectiveness in various situations. That plastic protrusion on its nose mars its smooth lines, but defines its action, whether that bill is short or long, wide or narrow, or at any angle from 0 to 90 degrees. A crankbait’s lip rules its moves. The angler is the engine that makes it go by winding the reel. But the size, shape, and position of its bill create all the wiggling, rolling, and diving actions we find in today’s vast array. The creativity of garage whittlers and CAD machine operators has gifted us with crankbait…

When Leonardo da Vinci was polishing up his pike presentations, he said, “Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail.” Okay, so the Renaissance man wasn’t really honing his pike fishing skills when he muttered that magisterial observation. But it’s still true. As avid pike anglers know, there are few presentations—jerkbaits, swimbaits, glidebaits, spoons, and deadbaits—that we don’t already know about. We can say the same thing, too, about the best locations to fish for pike over the course of the season. So what sets apart the anglers who consistently haul the biggest brutes from tough-to-catch-pike waters, from the local Joes who rely on wishing, hoping, and dreaming to score similar rewards? In a word, it’s details. Slow and Steady Wins the Race Early in the season, for example,…

Ah, the quest for a 12-inch 2-pound bluegill, or what most anglers refer to as a northern bluegill, scientific name Lepomis macrochirus macrochirus, not to be confused with coppernose, redear, pumpkinseed, longear, green, or any hybrid sunfish. These other sunfish often are broadly referred to as bluegills or bream, but they are their own subspecies, species, or hybrid. A little perspective: More 55-inch muskies, 7-pound smallmouth bass, and 13-pound walleyes are caught each year than 2-pound bluegills. So we’re about to discuss a near mythical creature even though we all have a friend, co-worker, cousin, or neighbor who claims to have caught such a fish. They exist but in miniscule numbers and most exaggerated size claims would quickly be debunked with a ruler, a scale, and a camera. Genetic testing…

Occupying waters from southern Canada south to the Tennessee River and from the Ozarks to the Appalachians, smallmouth bass provide abundant fishing opportunities in lakes and rivers throughout a vast swath of North America. This broad range presents bronzeback anglers with large differences among the waters that support them—rocky glacial shield lakes in the North, natural lakes formed by advancing and receding glaciers in the upper Midwest, and reservoirs created by impoundment of numerous rivers to the south. Common to many smallmouth waters is rocky habitat and usually rather clear water. Yet many excellent smallmouth fisheries have little rock but abundant aquatic vegetation. Accompanying these differences in habitat are differences in the types and relative abundances of forage that smallmouths rely on. Are there commonalities to catching smallmouth bass across…

Long lines testing 8 pounds trailed behind the boat on Pickwick. The boat was pulling live shad—big ones—impaled on Kahle hooks. The line was weighted with one large split shot, and the pace was painstakingly slow. The setting was late February—early pre-spawn in Tennessee. The sonar screen displayed the water temperature—50°F. The rod tip bent down. The hook was set. A deep bend in the rod painted pictures of a gargantuan fish in my mind. The tip slashed down 2 feet at a time. Big head shakes. It was extremely heavy, like a living boulder. It boiled on top, disturbing an area the size of a tractor tire. And suddenly it was gone. My partner was a pro whose name will be omitted to protect the innocent. He was trying…

The good old days, fishing for crappies at the northern edge of their range, are right now, as more lakes, rivers, reservoirs, pits, and ponds are hosting the wonderful sportfish. And the crappies are big and plentiful. “If you had mentioned crappies to most anglers around here 25 years ago, they’d have looked at you as though you had two heads,” says southeastern Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources biologist Scott Smithers. “But crappies are expanding their range and exploiting new ecological niches—and anglers are enjoying unbelievable fishing.” Of course, there’s another reason that crappie populations are swelling across the North Country. It’s because most anglers can’t get their fill of walleyes, bass, muskies, pike, and trout, so beyond a few brief weeks in the spring when the fish are up…

Largely, I go fishing to escape. To decompress and disconnect from the demands of a busy personal and professional lifestyle. I’m grateful to be busy—it beats the alternative. But the last thing I want to do is stare at my phone while in my boat on a beautiful fish-filled lake. We’ve spent two years producing this column to discuss all the cool technology that gets rigged inside your boat and how to apply it. In this particular article I write about valuable technology that exists outside of your boat—things to consider before you ever hook up and head to the launch. It’s irrefutable that smartphones have changed our ability to garner useful information for almost anything, and quickly—and they’re wonderful for garnering fishing information, as well. Below are some cool…

Field Research—The use of increasingly advanced sonar systems has been a controversial topic among anglers of varying philosophies, as well as a source of concern for fishery managers charged with safe harvest oversight. Over the past five years, “live action” and “forward-facing” units have increased the ability of anglers to locate and target fish, particularly those in deeper open water. To evaluate these effects in real-world situations, a team of biologists studied angler behavior, success, and fishing satisfaction on nine lakes in southern Wisconsin (Dane County) and 18 lakes in the sparsely populated northern part of the state (Vilas County) in 2022.* They conducted a creel survey, talking to anglers both before their trip and after they were done, during ice-fishing and summer seasons. Pre-trip data included target species, expected…

Hobie Hull Float Highlighting 75 years of sunglasses design innovation, Hobie offers Hull Float with eco-frame construction from 100 percent “upcycled” materials from their legendary kayaks. The polarized lenses offer supreme clarity and UV protection and a stylish design with two lens color options. They float—$119.99, hobieeyewear.com Rage Hawk Joining an extensive Strike King Rage product line is the Rage Hawk, with two arms extending from the sides of the body, producing vibratory movement to get fish to bite once they’re drawn in close. The sleek body tipping a skirted jig creates a visually appealing compact package that slides easily through cover. Check options in 2.75- and 3-inch sizes and 12 colors—$6.99 (9 count), strikeking.com Next Gen Veritas Abu Garcia Veritas LTD casting and spinning rods have a new look…

There’s some reason and a little rhyme for what’s set to paper here with the end target being keeping it starkly simple to catch walleyes, having fun, filleting a few, and tinkering with a recipe or two that’s caught your eye the past while. First, a story. Earl the Pearl he was at first blush, so named on one of our first nights shorecasting in a spot that became our most famous fish-catching spot of all time (another story). Before long the “Earl the Pearl” moniker gave way to “Paddleboat Earl.” As we stood there in waders, starting in mid-September and lasting until late October in fall—after dark, of course—and at the Minnesota walleye opener and for the next couple weeks in May some years, the Mighty Earl would appear…

There are times and places when flatheads prefer fresh, bloody cutbait to traditional livebaits. Many flathead catfish anglers put out a spread of rods baited with live green sunfish, bullheads, or small carp, start a campfire, and wait for things to happen. Other flathead enthusiasts take a more aggressive approach to catching flatheads. “I don’t fish for flatheads,” says Iowa angler James Love. “I hunt for flatheads. I tell people who want to fish with me, be sure to bring heavy tackle ‘cause we’re going after a rhinoceros. A pool cue would work well as a fishing rod for the way I horse them out of structure. This isn’t like fishing for bluegills and crappies; this is combat fishing, and I use fresh, bloody cutbait to make it happen.” Meanwhile,…

They chatter. They clatter. They vibrate and juke. They bang off cover and hunt for more. They rule the grass and have their place among rocks and docks. Since their inception, blade-jigs have been a favorite among tournament anglers for producing better-than-average bass. Making a resurgence with several newer models, they’re ready to plow through all forms of cover with a whole new effectiveness. Seth Feider is an expert at all things bass fishing and leans heavily on bladejigs during much of the early season. “The Z-Man JackHammer has fished well for me across the country in a range of situations. It really shines in the Prespawn to Postspawn periods and anywhere bass are relating to grass. In clear water, I tend to work them closer to docks and wood…