With ice fishing season right around the corner, and lots of changes for the better in my life over the past year, I am hoping to get this Blog up and running again this winter with more updates than ever. Stay tuned and I will have some new content as soon as the ice peaks its shimmering face.

Winter On Its Way

Well its seems as though winter is on its way again. Been getting some teasing lately but hopefully things will turn the corner soon. Lots of of ice shows and seminars coming up the next few weeks to get people in the Ice Fishing spirit. Looking forward to first ice and get out there before the communities show their faces. Had a terrible end of the season last year with early ice out, hope to get out a lot more this season and do a lot more postings.

Good luck out there and most importantly, BE SAFE. No fish is worth your life.

1/22/12 Fishing Report

Headed up to Pokegama this afternoon with my neighbor Kyle. Drilled out an area with the new Strikemaster Solo that I had fished earlier in the year with little luck, 1 keeper crappie and 1 keeper gill was all we could muster from that area. We made a move about 3:30 and found an area that held some fish in 16 FOW. Unfortunately most of those fish were small, ended up with 5 more sunfish 8.5-9.5 inches for the pan and a bunch of small gills and crappies. Not a great trip fishing wise, but had a good time anyway.

1/8/11 Report

  Headed north tonight with my dad and did some fishing. Found the fishing to be much slower then previous trips. Finicky fish was the story of the night. Ended up with some decent fish but for sure not what it had been. Found a consistent 11-12" of ice. Was a few cars on the lake. Left my main tackle box at home next to my lighter so we couldnt stay long after dark and I didnt have much choice for switching jigs .Of course I set the hook into a nice fish about 30 mins into fishing and lost the only fatboy I had with..... Biggest crappie was around 11 and biggest gill about 9. Caught a ton of 6-7" gills, the kids would have had a blast.

4 Tips for Picking Off Plump Pannies

4 Tips for Picking Off Plump Pannies By Travis Schloer

          Panfish are the target of many anglers during the cold water season, especially after the game fish season closes here in Minnesota. While panfish are relatively easy to catch—and often used as just a fish to keep children entertained— it’s targeting those bigger fish while avoiding the smaller fish that can be the true test. One thing that is guaranteed, you will know when you have a bull on!

After many hours on the ice, I have found a few things that can help you target these slabs more effectively. Below are a few things an angler can do to try and target the larger fish, while catching fewer of the smaller, nuisance fish in the school.

1.    Big Marks.

A flasher is a crucial tool when targeting big panfish through the ice. It gives us anglers the ability to size-up a fish before it even comes through the hole. Learning how to properly use and read your flasher is very important, but that’s another day’s study.

 When targeting larger panfish, look for the larger red marks on your graph. These larger marks represent the larger fish in the school. By trying to target these larger marks you can try and pick off the larger fish and avoid the smaller ones. Paying close attention to your flasher is pivotal in trying to realize this goal.

2.    Go Big.

Upsizing lures can often be the trick to catching these larger fish. You may still get some nibbling from the smaller fish, but a quick jig can often spook the smaller fish and draw the attention of some of the larger fish in the school. Don’t hesitate to go larger than what you think these fish want, you will be surprised.

Switching up from jigs to a spoon can also be rewarding. They provide more action and have a larger profile than your standard panfish jig. Lures like the Lindy Rattlin Flyer, Northland Buckshot and Forage Minnow, and the Custom Jigs and Spins Slender Spoons are all great options when targeting large panfish.

3.    Big Bait.

Instead of tipping your lures with a couple maggots, upsize your bait and add 4-5 maggots, or even eliminate the maggots and go up to a few wax worms or a minnow head—this can help your cause. This goes the same for the plastics junkies, upsizing that plastic will often result in catching the larger fish.

There are also a lot of what I call “fake baits” on the market nowadays as well. Things like Gulp! Minnows, waxies and other products can increase the life of your bait and thus get you back down quicker since you won’t have to rebait after almost every caught or missed fish.

4.    Go Deep

Not necessarily deeper water, but deeper in the particular water column you are fishing. I have found that often times the larger fish are camping out on the bottom of the schools. The smaller scavenger fish—as I like to call them—tend to be the first to react to your offerings. If a person can keep that lure going down through the school he can see what rewards may be lurking below.

This is area where the heavier jigs and spoons can come into play. Trying to get that bait down below the school before a smaller fish can snag it off is much easier with a lure that’s going to get you down there quickly. Most spoons on the market today will do just that.

So, there are the 4 tips to try to help you catch bigger, badder panfish this hardwater season. Some of them may work for you; some of them may not, but give them a try and see what works. Until then keep your lines tight and your tips up!

12/31/11 Fishing Report

Hit the lake this morning with my grandpa, dad and brother. The bite wasnt what it had been but we all caught fish and were able to spend some time together. Ended up icing a few dozen gills and also a few dozen crappies with a mix of small fish and some pretty decent fish. Biggest crappie today was only 10 1/2 and a few gills touching 9 1/2. Overall not a bad trip with some memories made. They stuck to the houses while I spent most of the morning hole hopping and was rewarded for my efforts catching about 2/3rds of the fish on the day.

Ice was 10-11" and there were wheelers and sleds everywhere with a few cars in the mix as well.

12/27/11 Fishing Report

My brother and I hit the ice today for a half day of fishing. Arrived at the lake about 10:30 and things started off pretty slow. Made a few moves and caught a few fish but nothing consistent. Finally made a final move about 2pm that paid off, ended up catching a ton of fish and kept 10 crappies for the 2 of us and 5 gills. Big Crappie of the day was a 12" white and quite a few around 11". Big gill was 9". Crappies we kept were all around 10".

All fish today were caught on fatboys in Pink/White and Blue/White