The Spot Off the Spot

The Spot Off The Spot

By: Bob Bohland

            I have always been a big proponent of finding your own spots to fish on a lake. The advantages of exploring new ground are numerous; including being able to fish unpressured fish, finding new secret spots, and having a little bit of privacy on the lake. There are, however, some occassions where it is beneficial to fish near the crowd. On many smaller lakes there really isnt any way to get around fishing near the crowd, and even on some of the bigger lakes there may only be a few small pieces of structure available that will hold fish. So when you cant get away from the crowd, use the crowd to your advantage.

            The first step to take when you find yourself stuck near a crowd of “sheeple” (so named because they seem to enjoy herding up onto small areas on a lake), is to look at a good lakemap. Crowds generally setup over deep holes where inactive fish will suspend thinking that a lot of fish on their flasher means they are going to catch a lot of fish. The problem with this is that when you are stacked up with a large group of people, fish get wise to seeing the same lures presented the same way and often get turned off by the commotion caused by the sheeple above them.

            The trick to catching fish near these groups is to use a bait that is totally different than what the other anglers are fishing. I generally upsize in these instances, but just going from a waxworm to a minnow is not enough. Grab a big aggressive search bait like the Lindy Darter, the flash from the holographic baitfish patterns will give the fish a totally different look than they are seeing from the masses drowning waxworms on small teardrop jigs. The internal rattles on the bait will also call the aggressive fish in from a distance, something a waxworm just can’t seem to do.

            Often times these groups will be set up on basins that have very good mid-depth flats near them that often remain overlooked. When you can find one of these mid-depth flats that has a fair amount of green weeds it will hold a lot more active fish than the schools the crowds are parked over. The reason for this is two-fold. One, the fish will be pushed onto these flats by the commotion caused by the crowds; and two, the green weeds on these flats will hold baitfish and aquatic insects. When I talk about baitfish, I am not only talking about small minnows in the lake. Many anglers don’t seem to understand how much panfish, especially big crappies, will feed on young of the year bluegills and perch, so two of my favorite colors are the chartreuse perch and bluegill patterns of the Darter.

              Another very effective way to fish crowds is to ‘edge” the group. Edging involves drilling holes around large groups of fisherman. It works because the commotion caused by the group, everything from generators to pickup trucks to people just out there to party will push the fish out from underneath the crowd. There really isnt a set distance for doing this and it can vary from 10 feet from the crowd to 100 yards, so don’t be afraid to drill a lot of holes. A good auger is a must, and it can often mean the difference between a bad day on the ice and actually finding active fish. The Strikemaster Solo is my first pick, it will outdrill anything else on the market and is light enough to make a day of drilling holes nothing but a minor affair. I often get a little overboard with mine because it makes drilling holes actually fun.

            I like to consider groups of fish houses as another form of structure. If you use the crowds properly, you can look at a group and be able to tell which way the fish will move due to the commotion. Next time you head out on the ice don’t automatically shy away from the crowds, there can be some great fishing to be had in those areas.  

Early Ice Crappie Fishing

Was able to make it out for a few hours after work today to chase some crappies. Found 3-4" clear black ice all the way out to where we wanted to fish. Wasnt long after getting the heater going and we had the first crappie on the ice. I love fishing early ice, especially when it is clear enough to see your fish fighting through the ice. Got a few more fish but all went back. The size structure was all over the place, but we did get a few over 11". Didn't have time to stop and pick up any bait but a glow plastic tipped on a Lindy Bug was all we needed tonight. It sure felt nice to be pulling some fish through the ice again, and man was the lake making some noise tonight!

Pine to Prairie Panfish

Pine to Prairie Panfish

By: Bob Bohland

            Big fish live in big fish waters. Most seasoned anglers know this. While a fluke trophy can be caught out of almost any waters; the best way to catch big fish consistently remains to travel to big fish waters. For panfish anglers in Minnesota, you need to simply pick up a road map and follow the Panfish Corridor to find your best chance at trophy panfish. This belt across the state has some of the best growing conditions for panfish, and due to the types of lakes in this region; panfish often survive even the harshest of winters that would otherwise decimate a lake in the southern tier of the state, but can still withstand the fishing pressure they often see.

Why Here?

Some of you are probably thinking that the northern lakes in the state provide better fisheries for panfish than the middle tier of lakes. But the problem with the lakes in much of the northern parts of the state is their trophic classification. Trophic classification is determined by several variables, but the one most focus on is the total weight of biomass in the given body of water (think bugs as food for the fish). The lakes in the northern tier of the state are generally either oligotrophic or mesotrophic. This means that they have fewer nutrients to support fast growing populations of fish and in the instance of panfish, their populations of large fish can be quickly depleted by over harvest and may take long periods of time to recover. So while these northern lakes can often have amazing fisheries, any amount of pressure can quickly dampen the chance at quality fish.

            The southern tier lakes in the state have the exact opposite problem. Many of these lakes are often in the eutrophic or hypereutrophic range. There is tons of food available for panfish to get big and get big quick. So while it may take only 4-6 years to grow a trophy bluegill or crappie in these lakes, they often will not live longer than that due to lack of oxygen in the lakes during harsh winters. Lakes in this area freeze out very regularly, so while an angler may find an amazing fishery for one or two years, it can just as easily die off during a long winter.

            Lakes along the Pine to Prairie Corridor are right in the middle of the two extremes. Classified along the line of mesotrophic and eutrophic, they mostly have abundant food sources, and are big and deep enough to provide ample oxygen during a long winter to ensure the survival of a fishery. So these fish can grow fast and have the ability to live for a long time without the occurrence of winter kill. The majority of these lakes fall within a corridor of where the big north woods meets the prairies of southern Minnesota, essentially following Interstate 94. The best areas to target can  be found by looking at the Minnesota DNR's ecological provinces map, as they all fall in the Eastern Broadleaf Forest section.

Narrow It Down

            Now this doesn’t mean that all lakes in this region will pump out trophy bluegills and crappies by the bucket load. It may take some homework to narrow down the best waters in the area. While many smaller lakes in this region can kick out some very nice panfish, small lakes are susceptible to over harvest just as much as the big northern lakes. Your major focus should be on lakes that are at least 250 acres in size and are known to produce quality fish, as it won’t do any good to go fish a lake that doesn’t even have a panfish population. Bigger lakes also have the added benefit of offering areas that hold fish that have often been overlooked by the masses. Although that isn’t to say that you won’t find a tiny little hidden gem from time to time, but they are more the exception than the rule, as this strip of lakes also has a large amount of human population in the area.

            A good lake map is your best friend when it comes time to find these plethoras of panfish and if the map shows bottom composition, it’s even better. These fish get big fast because of the amount of aquatic invertebrates in the water. They will consume these insects in mass amounts while packing on the pounds. Many anglers don’t understand how to incorporate lake maps with the type of insects the fish are keying on. For instance, if the fish in the lake you are fishing generally eat daphnia or freshwater shrimp, shallow to mid-depth flats with green weeds are the best spots to key on. Pelican Lake in Albertville, Mn is a good example of this type of lake. It is a shallow bowl that seems to pump out ridiculous numbers of big panfish every year due in large part to the overwhelming numbers of freshwater shrimp  and other invertebrates in the lake. By keying in on green weeds on this lake you can find the bigger fish as they chase these insects and other prey around.

In deeper lakes with thick mud bottoms often times the fish will tend to key on insects that spend more time in deeper water such as mayfly larvae and bloodworms. Areas to concentrate on in these lakes include mud to sand/rock transition areas and any area that you can find with the stickiest bottom possible. On your Marcum, these areas will show up as a very thin band that indicates limited sonar read back. You can test the stickiness of the bottom further by putting a depth bomb on your hook and sending it down. The harder it is to pull the weight out of the bottom, the better the fishing will often be. One great example of this is Lake Osakis in Douglas County, the panfish tend to sit on sticky bottom areas gorging themselves on invertebrates, often even going down into the substrate to fan the bugs up off the bottom.

The Payoff

Many lakes in this corridor will have both shallow and deep water species of insects, so by meticulously going through a good lake map you can pick and choose how you want to target the fish. For fish in shallow water, anything less than 15-20 feet, baits that can get down into the weeds quickly and stir things up work really well. For fishing shallow lakes for panfish such as Pelican, I like to go with the Lindy Toad. It fishes heavy, like a bait 3 times it's size, and has the weight needed to punch through any aquatic vegetation. This extra weight is really helpful on lakes that receive a lot of pressure as the fish can often be reluctant to come up out of the weeds to eat when there are plenty of bugs available near the bottom.

Color selection is a variable many anglers simply don’t pay enough attention to, especially in shallow water, it can make all the difference in the world. Even in dark or stained waters, fish can see variations in colors a lot better than anglers give them credit for. In stained waters, such as those found on Pelican Lake, I prefer dark colors. The Viking and Coach Dog colors available on the Toad are great for this application, as they stand out far more than lighter or bright colors in muddy water.

When fishing for panfish in deeper lakes such as Osakis, the best areas to key in on are those with a “sticky bottom”. This so called sticky bottom generally provides the best breeding grounds for aquatic insects, and where there is food, the fish are sure to follow. While many anglers prefer to deadstick with waxworms or minnows in these areas, to really trigger the bigger, more aggressive fish, I prefer to dance a bait around above the fish. This is when I tie on the new Lindy Bug. With bulging eyes and a wide body, the Bug will glide out and around and quiver in place when pounded, and with eyes facing downward the fish can actually see the bait as it imitates the larvae of aquatic insects. By watching your flasher, you can see if the fish want the bait presented on the bottom or higher in the water column. If the fish prefer to eat something closer to the bottom, the new smaller sizes in the Slick Jig are my go to. Loaded with waxworms and pounded into the bottom, the Slick Jig looks exactly like a struggling insect hatching off of the bottom and can be very hard for a fish to resist.

If your goal this winter is to catch some giant panfish, either for the wall, or just to make your buddies jealous, grab yourself a map and follow it to Minnesota's Panfish Belt. These lakes have no problem producing big panfish through the years, and you may discover a few new hotspots that you simply had no clue about.

Big Water Panfish

Big Water Panfish

By: Bob Bohland

            It should come as no surprise that most trophy panfish come from bigger waters. They have more forage, more habitat, and just more room for numbers of panfish to grow larger. Yet, many anglers only fish panfish on small to medium sized waters. Whether it is not realizing that there are fishable populations of good sized panfish in the bigger lakes, or whether it is just being hesitant about trying to find them amidst thousands of acres of water, they are missing out on some of the best trophy panfishing available. But with a little hard work, and a couple of tricks up your sleeve you can have all the panfish to yourself on big bodies of water.

            While most anglers on smaller waters tend to go right towards weedy shorelines or bays, there can often be too much of this type of structure in a large lake for an angler to efficiently dissect. Many savvy big-water panfisherman don’t bother with near-shore structure. They know that it is easier to dissect the off-shore structure in a lake, leaving them less area they have to search. There are two different types of off-shore structure that produce good-sized panfish: Mud depressions, also known as “sticky-bottom areas” and humps or “sunken islands”.

            Mud depressions can be in almost any depth of water, but the best areas to panfish generally occur between ten and twenty-five feet of water, and this is where you should focus your search. A lot of mud depressions can be very easy to find with a good lake map, there are many that will even show bottom content, though there can be many that will not be found without drilling a lot of holes. Knowing how to read a quality flasher like the new Marcum LX-7 will also help you find soft bottom areas. One of the most common places for mud to be is near the base of a dropoff where the bottom begins to level off into a flat. A large majority of the fish feeding in these muddy areas will be suspended as they chase around the aquatic invertebrates that hatch out of these areas. So you will need a bait that imitates these insects swimming around. The Lindy Bug is perfectly suited for this purpose, with large downward facing eyes that the fish can actually see, the Bug will dance around above the fish in ways that they can't resist.

            Humps are an entirely different animal altogether though. They are easily found with even the most basic lake map. There are two main types of structure on humps, weeds and rocks. Most fisherman will tend towards the weeds, which will hold a lot of fish, but they will also hold smaller fish. Panfish that tend to feed on the rock humps will be larger and more aggressive. While the Bug works great in the weeds, when it is time to find the bigger fish on the rocks, tie on one of the new smaller sizes of the Lindy Slick Jig. Load a couple of larvae or a minnow head on it and pound it into the rocks, this will create a commotion that can bring panfish in from quite a distance.

            Don't confine yourself to fishing smaller bodies of water this winter. Big lakes may take a little more work to narrow down a good pattern, but they are well worth the hassle for the size of the fish you will catch. Also since the majority of anglers who do fish big bodies of water are after walleyes and perch, you can have some amazing panfish spots to yourself all winter long.

Rattl’N In Pannies

            There comes a time when you just have to get demolished on the ice by a veteran angler to believe what they are telling you about a certain lure. My humble-pie was served to me last winter. I was out fishing bluegills with a couple of guys, one of them being an older, experienced ice fisherman. I was making fun of him for using bait, using a jigging spoon for bluegills, and sitting in one spot on a five gallon bucket while I was hole hopping around with jigs and plastics constantly searching for big aggressive fish. I thought I was doing pretty well with some quality fish until I looked into his bucket. Wow, was I wrong! Not only did he have more fish, he had much bigger fish than I had caught.

            His weapon of choice was a 1/16^th oz Lindy Rattl’N Flyer Spoon. After we were done fishing he took the time to explain to me why he was able to outfish me on the ice. The biggest thing was the rattles, he told me. While I was jumping around everywhere drilling a ton of holes and wearing myself out, he was able to sit in one spot and make the fish come to him with the sound of the rattles. The main reason for this is that sound is travelling four times faster underwater than it is above it, and with that added speed comes distance; the sound is able to travel much further because it won’t dissipate as quickly. So because the spoon has a rattle built into it, he was able to bring fish in from all over the area we were fishing.

            I have never been a big fan of livebait for panfish. It has always seemed to attract smaller fish that only seem to sit and steal the bait off my hook. But he showed me a way to hook the bait on a jigging spoon so that it would not be succeptible to theft from little panfish. The trick is to put the head of a wax worm on one treble and the tail on another. Do this with two waxworms and then dangle a third. The bigger bluegills which aren’t afraid of the larger size of the spoon will grab the first waxie and then be forced to bring their mouth over the trebles to get the rest of them, while the sound of the smaller bluegills trying to get the dangling wax worm will bring in the bigger territorial fish.

            He went on to explain to me that while rattles on a bait will call the fish in, you need more from a bait than just the ability to make noise. I was shown a few his top colors for attracting big bluegills and triggering them to bite. He preferred brighter colors such as the firetiger, rainbow, and orange perch patterns offered on the spoon. This has the added effect of a lot of flash to bring the fish in in stained water, but even in clearer lakes the holographic baitfish image on the spoons mimic what the fish are used to eating; so just a couple of colors in the 1/16^th oz size can cover a variety of lakes.

            Next time you run into one of those grizzled old outdoorsmen on the ice, don’t be afraid to ask for a little advice from them. They have seen gimmicks in baits come and go and they know what works and won’t be afraid to tell you their opinions about them. You will learn a lot in just a few minutes of talking, and you will become a better angler.

Congrats!!

Congrats to Brad Hawthorne and Bob Carlson on their 2nd place finish at the MTT Walleye Championship on LOW. This article sums it up nicely: http://lindyfishingtackle.blogspot.com/2011/09/goofy-is-good.html

Was up in the Crosby area to chase some grouse this weekend. Brittany was all excited cuz she had a new gun to shoot, but I was more excited to see how quickly the new pup figured out what was going on. I didnt have the chance to get her on live birds yet so this was gonna be a make or break weekend. We must have walked close to 15 miles on Saturday with only one flush, that we never had a shot at. The two dogs seemed to get birdy quite a bit but with the wind I think more birds were running away than wanting to get up. Coolest photo of the day was a dragonfly that decided he liked my hat and did not wanna leave.

Woke up on Sunday to a heavy drizzle that according to the rain wasnt going to end until late in the day. Hit a couple trails close to the cabin with nothing to show for it. So we decided to make a run up north to some other trails that Jesse from Oars N Mine had been talking about. First trail was a little short as we ran into a guy hunting on his own that we didnt want to interrupt so we turned around and started to head back. Within 50 yards we had a black squirrel run across the trail that the two dogs promptly treed. Brittany finally saw it in the tree tops and dropped it with a single shot. He is in great condition and in the freezer right now, waiting to go on the wall.

Drove a little further north to another trail (saw a woodcock sitting on the side of highway 6, first one I have seen in 2 years). Started walking the trail, and within 200 yards the little pup got excited and ran into the woods, I was excited thinking she smelled a bird, but she quickly came running back out with a fish jaw in her mouth!! Sure was an interesting find more than a 1/2 mile from the nearest water. took it away from her and we kept going up the trail. Another 2-300 yards up they both took off into the woods and flushed a bird (alright, she is getting it!) the bird flew 10 feet up into a pine and I showed Brittany where it was and she took it down!! Her first grouse! It was very cool seeing her get so excited aboot it. I went in with the dogs to retrieve it and see how the pup did, when two more birds got up, I started to swing my gun to get one of the birds in my sights and thud, barrel right into a tree. Oh well, we have one. Walked further up the trail and jumped another cover of 3 birds but never got a shot. But both dogs were very excited aboot the birds we found. I think we may have a good hunter on our hands, cant wait to get out again!

Hunting Recruitment

DNR Takes Aim at Hunter Recruitment

By: Bob Bohland

                Hunting license sales are seeing a sharp decline. Not just in the State of Minnesota, but nationwide. This is causing quite a stir among those in charge of managing wildlife and wildlife lands due to the majority of their funds coming from the sale of licenses. While not a new problem, it is one that has seen a lot of focus from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as of late.

                In the spring of 2003 the Minnesota DNR, headed by Commissioner Gene Merriam, recognizing the trends and wanting to be proactive took steps towards slowing the decline of hunting and fishing license sales by forming a Hunter Recruitment and Retention Program and hired a full-time coordinator. In 2005, a group of DNR staffers met for an advisory committee. During this meeting they developed a plan for the long-term retention and recruitment of hunters. This plan identified several factors that the DNR felt were barriers for hunters to start or continue the tradition of the sport such as: access to hunting lands, lack of time, lack of outreach, etc. All told, 11 major impediments were found.

                The group also addressed goals and strategies for the program and set priorities for how to market the program. Their major goal is to: “Sustain and increase participation in hunting by recruiting new and former hunters and retaining current hunters and maintain an annual hunting population of 570,000 individual license holders.” They plan to do this with six objectives:

1) Increase the recruitment rate of youth

2) Increase the recruitment rate of adults, including non-traditional groups (females, minorities, urbanites)

3) Increase the retention rate of current hunters

4) Increase the number of hunters participating in multiple hunting disciplines

5) Reintegrate former hunters

6) Create a positive image of hunters and hunting among the general public

                Since their inception in 2003, the group has seen success. Their biggest gains have been through the Becoming an Outdoors Woman (B.O.W.) program. Due in large part to this program, the number of female deer license holder numbers has risen from 44,349 in 2003 to 54,433 in 2008. From 2003 to 2008 firearm deer license sales rose from 644,751 to a record high of 791,715.

                Another program that has seen success has been the Hunter Apprentice Validation program. According to Minnesota law, a hunter born after December 31, 1979 must have completed a firearms safety course prior to purchasing a license. In 2007, the DNR introduced the Hunter Apprentice Validation to allow new hunters to try out the sport before deciding if they would like to go through with the class. After purchasing the apprentice validation, the new hunter must be under the supervision a licensed adult hunter. Originally this validation was only good for one year, but for 2011 the DNR has extended it to two years in a lifetime.

                But their work is not done. Their recent focus has been on grouse, ducks, pheasant, and other small game. Normally small game license sales rise and fall depending on the population outlooks for pheasant and grouse. But Minnesota small game sales have remained stagnant in recent years, so this year they have started a push to introduce more hunters to small game.

                Other programs that the DNR offers are: Becoming an Outdoors Family, Mentored Youth Spring Turkey Hunts, Mentored Youth Waterfowl Hunts, Mentored Youth/Women Upland Bird Hunts, National Archery in the Schools, the Scholastic Clay Target Program, Take-A-Kid Hunting Weekend, among many others.

                Many of these programs are always looking for volunteers and mentors to help. If you are interested in participating, contact the Minnesota DNR through their website (www.dnr.state.mn.us). To keep hunting and fishing available and to increase availability of funds for management, we as stewards of the outdoors need to do our part to help; bring a kid out hunting with you, introduce others to the sport, or just spend a day helping out at one of the DNR’s programs. And remember, the most important thing you can give is your time.

Tip-up Fishing For Carp

This has always been one of my favorites out of all the stories I have written, really gets me pumped for ice fishing.

You’re Catching WHAT!?!

Late Ice Carp Tactics ….Yeah Really!!

            Everyone has found themselves carp fishing at some time or another. And although most people don’t really pursue them too actively, or even admit that they liked catching them, they sure can put up a fight. Ask anyone who has tied into one while crappie fishing with light tackle, you had better have a good drag or they will put a bruising on your equipment. I have always been a sucker for just about anything that will tug at the other end of the line. On days when I couldn’t get on the water I have even been known to play tug-o-war with my dog by tying one of her chew toys to the end of my musky rod (yeah, I have a problem). So when my brother and I found ourselves trying to sight fish shallow gills this past February and all we kept seeing when looking down the holes were huge carp, we knew precisely what needed to be done. Luckily I had left a couple of tip-ups in my truck from a previous outing.

            Lacking traditional carp gear (although I am not sure what technically constitutes traditional carp gear, nor does anyone else on this side of the Atlantic ocean); we took a couple of tip-ups and improvised. All my tip-ups were pre-rigged with 50 lb Power Pro line, but this being gin-clear water we added a Spro swivel and 6-7 feet of 20 lb fluorocarbon to the end of each. My brother added a size 6 circle hook to his with no weight and baited it with as many wax worms as he could squeeze onto it. I took a slightly different approach. Some of the fish were cruising and from the looks of it they were picking off aquatic insects as they swam around. So I took a size 12 Lindy Genz Bug and loaded it with waxies. It didn’t take more than 5 minutes before a flag was flying. The first fish came on my brothers circle hook rig, and he made the mistake of taking his gloves off before trying to land the fish. Well that first fish gave him several line burns on his fingers to make him think better of taking his gloves off the next time. It also weighed in at only 4 lbs on his digital scale, and man was I excited to see what one of the bigger ones we had seen swimming around could do.

            The commotion from the fish (and my brother’s squeals of pain as he got burned from the line) attracted some attention from a group of people crappie fishing not too far from where we were. Two of them came over to talk to us about what we were catching, and thought we were either stupid for fishing for carp, or lying through our teeth and had found either some big northerns or walleyes in the shallows (supposed "real fish"). Luckily they didn’t have to wait around long to see it with their own eyes as my brother’s tip-up went off again. This time he left his gloves on, and when the slush cleared and we managed to squeeze it up the hole we has holding a beautiful (they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder) 7lb carp. By the end of the day we were able to ice 6 beautiful (c’mon, they are cooler looking than walleyes) carp, the biggest being a 10 lb brute that took a little extra effort to squeeze up the hole. All while catching bluegills not 50 yards away.

Now We’re Prepared, Whatever That Means

            We decided to be a little more prepared the next time we went out to that spot. This was going to be a serious attempt at fishing for only carp. We even took the time to make dough balls out of Wheaties and vanilla extract, which have always been a killer for us when open water carp fishing. The fishing really seemed to pick up from the previous day, or maybe it was just because we were “serious carp fisherman” now. Try calling yourself that without laughing. The action was split between dough balls on the bottom and wax worms about 1 foot off of the bottom, and we ended up icing around 15 fish, although it did seem as though our bigger fish were caught on dough balls lying on the bottom. I also decided it would be a good idea to rig up a tip-down, which is like a tip up except it allows you to fight the fish with a rod and reel. My reasoning was that it would be a lot more fun to fight the fish on a rod and reel, and it would help me avoid burns from the line and the girlish squealing that would ensue. The one down-side to the tip-down is that the moment the fish felt any resistance they would drop the bait, so I had to open the bail and just constantly check to see if I had a fish. Luckily we were using circle hooks so I didn’t have to worry about gut hooking any of these gorgeous fish (they really aren’t that ugly)

            We took a look around the area in between flags and found out a little more about the area we were catching these fish. We were getting the majority of our fish in 9-10 feet of water over a sandy/weedy bottom at the entrance to a small bay. This particular area came up out of a 22 foot mud flat very quickly. The back of the bay was very muddy and had a stream that connected to several other lakes. Although we never checked the temp of the water we figured that was a big reason why the fish were in that area, as well as the bug hatches that we could see coming up our holes.

            As the snow cover began to diminish near the end of this ice season we found that the fish became a lot spookier and would take longer to move back into an area after we had drilled holes. They also began to move back further into the bay over the dark bottomed areas. They were still biting, but if there was any commotion going on above them they would vacate the area, so there have been fewer doubles on the tip-ups.

Why? Because They are Fish!

            I have received almost the same reaction out of everyone I have told about this bite so far, “Why?” And all I can really say in response is that you have to try it, if for no other reason than it gives you an excuse to still have a tip-up out while you are out fishing for panfish. So dust off those tip-ups, grab yourself a pack of circle hooks and some canned corn or dough balls and make an excuse to fish carp for a day, or don’t tell anyone if you feel embarrassed. This is one fish that will quickly win you over, if not for its looks (although I still say they are way better looking than walleyes), than for its sheer brute strength and willingness to eat almost anything. Hook up with a carp on a tip-up (but leave your gloves on) and try and wipe the smile off of your face, I dare you.

Bob Bohland

"Serious Carp Angler"

First Ice: A Love Affair

           “No, it’s not even fall yet” the voice in my head keeps telling me. Yet as I sit here sorting ice fishing gear and playing with different setups I can’t help but notice a slight twitching in my jigging hand. The leaves on the trees have not even begun to change, but I swear I can almost smell the ice starting to form. If I close my eyes and concentrate real hard the sound of the cracking and popping of first ice can be heard. Yep, I have a problem. But I am ok with that, I just need to make it a few more months….

            There is nothing quite like that first fix of the season. Driving around for days hoping to see the edges starting to lock up. Then the feeling of your heart beating in your throat as you slowly work your way out onto iffy ice “just to check” with your ice picks around your neck and your chisel tapping ahead of you. Depending on the year this period of “ice tease” can go on for a week or more. But it all leads up to that glorious day when you finally can make it out to a fishable depth, pop your Marcum in the hole and lose yourself in the colors as work on icing those first few fish. First ice! It should be a holiday in the northern states.

            What really makes that first ice so enjoyable is the peace you get out there. It’s too early to need a power auger, there are no idiots on snowmobiles buzzing within feet of your location, and you don’t have to squeeze in door to door over this years hotspot listening to a bunch of people partying next door. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. If you wanna drag your house filled with all sorts of goodies out, it’s easy pulling with little to no snow on the ice yet. Or you can simply throw on a pair of cleats and grab a Lazer hand auger and a bucket of gear.

            It’s almost here! Well, maybe not, but a guy can daydream. If you have the itch starting around mid-august like I do then you understand. If you don’t, well then you don’t really understand what you are missing, have fun hibernating.

Blades for Bull Bluegills

Blades for Bull GillsBy: Bob Bohland



Bluegills by their very nature are both curious and vicious. They are comparable to piranhas in the way they will seemingly attack and chase everything that moves, regardless of size. How many times have you had a small pack of bluegills attacking your big bass or muskie bait boatside just because it had a little extra flash to it? Many assume that this is just something little bluegills do out of curiosity, but the big bulls will do it as well, they are just a little more selective about what they attack.

Enter the Lindy Rig, a perennial favorite for targeting walleyes and saugers everywhere from the sand and mud flats of Mille Lacs to the open spaces of Lake of the Woods, but few have ever thought to use it for catching bull bluegills. Yet it is the perfect lure for finding big bluegills in the summer and fall when they become nomads. The reason a Lindy Rig works so well is the multitude of ways in which it can be fished. Speed is only a factor as long as you can keep the blade spinning, and depth is no factor as it can be fished up at the surface to as deep as you are willing to send it.

Lindy Rigs don't necessarily have to pulled behind a bottom bouncing/walking sinker. One of my favorite way to fish them for bluegills is to put a small split shot one to two feet above the spinner with a twister tail on the hook and cast it along weed edges. You can skip the weight if you want to fish the inside edge of the weeds, or add a small rubber core sinker if you want to fish a really deep weed edge. The great thing about casting a Lindy Rig into the weeds is that the spinning of the blade will make the rig semi-weedless. If you are getting bites that aren't holding on, swap out the twister tail for a leech, small worm, or even a minnow, but generally, staying with plastics will deter the smaller bluegills in an area from attacking.

When the water warms above that 75 degree mark, the big bluegills often separate themselves from the rest and go deep to off-shore structure. This is when it becomes time to fish a Lindy Rig like you would for walleyes. Depending on the body of water you are on, the bluegills could be sitting on mud flats or they could be near sunken islands, or rock bars. The fish often will not want to travel too far to get to their summer and fall haunts, so look towards structure that resides near where you found them while spawning. Speed is good for locating a pod of active bluegills. When you have a lot of water, it helps to go through it quickly. Bluegills are not shy this time of year, so going as fast as 2 mph isn't out of the question. When you find a pod of fish, mark them on your GPS and refine your tactic by going back and forth through the school at different angles. This will help you determine the size and location of the school with each pass/fish caught. It also helps to change out colors during each pass until you find that one magic color that will slay them. With the quick change clevis on Lindy's new spinner, it is very easy to just snap a new color or size on, and since there are 12 different color combinations you can match the forage type on any body of water.

When the late-summer and fall panfish doldrums come to call, take a page out of a walleye angler's playbook and put a blade on your line. You will be able to target for the biggest bluegills in your lake at almost any depth you desire, and who knows, you may even get a bonus roughfish such as a walleye.