Saving some Gas

With the ever rising gas prices that are affecting everyone across the nation, this is also cutting into our favorite past times. Fishing is a sport that is shared by many from young to old alike and is not gender based at all. But with the expensive gas prices that we are paying these days, many anglers are not taking to the waters as much as they use to. One thing that can be done to help conserve gas when boating on our waters is running the motor at lower RPM's instead of wide open all of the time. By bringing the throttle back halfway or more, the fuel savings is greatly enhanced as running the throttle wide open you are literally able to watch the gas gauge move in front of your eyes. It is fun to go across the water a little faster but in these days, taking your time and going slower is much easier on the pocket book. We are all feeling these pains with rising costs but don't let that stop you from enjoying a day on the water with family and friends. Slow down, take your time and get out on the water and enjoy the day.

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Eye to the Sky

New England's weather patterns as of late have been very unpredictable from nice to a dangerous situation. We are in a pattern that the mornings are very nice and as the day progresses, thunder and lightning forms for a wild afternoon. Since these patterns can come out of no where, the angler that is on the water needs to keep their eye on the sky at all times. These systems have been forming very quickly and come in upon you fast as well. There has been numbers of lightning bolts, high winds and heavy rain associated with these systems. By keeping your eyes on the sky, you will be able to get out of a bad situation fast and when these come through being on the water is not a good thing. If there are numbers of boats on the water as well plan a little ahead as at a point everyone is going to be heading to the landing at the same time. Be careful when fishing in these charged scenarios as the graphite rods that we fish with are lightning rods looking for trouble. Stay low in the boat and get off of the water as you will be the highest point in the area and this could turn into a dangerous situation. Enjoy these days coming out on the water but always keep in the back of your mind that we are in a pattern these days that can turn ugly fast.

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Fishing June 24 2008

With the ongoing rain storms coming through you never know how much time you are going to have to get to a fishing spot before the next lightning bolts start flying. Since there was a lull happening I decided that I might as well take a hike to my panfish pond and see if the fish are still frequenting the shallows or not. Upon arriving at my destination I was taking a moment and tying on T.H.E. Jig since I lost my last one on a carp or something like that, I was mesmerized as I looked into the shoreline waters. Normally I will see a small school of minnows swimming along the shoreline but today was different. As I gazed into the waters, there were thousands of minnows continually swimming past my spot and they just kept coming and coming and I have never seen anything like this before. Then things started to happen to my surprise as all around the area the waters were bubbling and exploding and there were fish everywhere chasing these minnows. This whole bay area was loaded with these minnows and the ones that were swimming near the shoreline were the only safe ones. I stood there and watch as you could see where there were others out in deeper water and the fish were schooling them and chasing these minnows while gorging themselves on the feast in front of them. The fishing action that I encountered after this was basically nonstop as the panfish were scattered everywhere and in a very hungry mood today. There were a few smaller sunfish caught but most were the colorful bull sunfish. I am noticing though that their colors are starting to fade and this means that the spawn is starting to wind down here and things are going to be changing soon. The bait of choice for this adventure was an all yellow T.H.E. Jig fished a foot under a float. More fish were caught out in the open water versus relating to the wood and overhangs of the last trip. Watching anywhere that the fish were chasing these minnows you could cast to that spot and get a bite on almost every occasion. Mostly sunfish were caught but a bass and also a decent crappie came to the hook as well. I don’t think that in all of my years have I seen such a feeding frenzy going on and it was something that I found myself a number of times just standing there watching. These are rare occurrences and if I were to go back there tomorrow none of this may appear ever again. Pending on the weather conditions tomorrow will dictate if I will be chasing panfish or if I feel that the bass are going to be cooperating that may be what I will do.

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Kids Safety Courses

As we involve more and more of our youth into the outdoors and the equipment that comes along with those activities, we as parents need to keep in mind that our kids need the proper training at home as well as from outside sources. Many states offer safety courses in the areas of hunting, boating, atv, snowmobile, fishing as well as other areas. We owe it to our children to get them involved in these training courses so that they have a clear understanding as to how to act and operate in the proper way. These courses fill fairly quickly so make sure to continue checking the schedule and when you find a course that works with your schedule get your kids signed up for that. We here at BWS OutDoors try our best to keep the "OutDoors for Kids" page as current as possible and list the upcoming courses in their respective states. Our children are the future of where the outdoors is going to go and with the proper training and hands on experience, this will keep them safe, others safe and make for a very enjoyable outing into the outdoors.

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Fishing June 21 2008

Finally have my major projects done that have been consuming all of my time for the last 4-5 weeks and seems like so long ago since I had the boat out in search of fish. Decided to get up early and head to the lake and my son wasn’t happy with that but with vacation coming soon, he is going to have a load of water time coming to him soon. Arrived at the lake to only find a few boats at the landing with the calm winds and sunny skies that had greeted me when I arrived I was pumped for the day ahead. The first thing that I wanted to do was check out and see if the crappies were schooling on the waters surface as they normally do on calm days as this. I wasn’t able to find any of those pods of crappies as they may still be doing their thing or recovering from the spawn that has recently passed. So I continued on to my best spot for nice bass that I catch on this lake. The area that I concentrate the most on is a flat that is in the mouth of a creek that goes quite a ways back. The water depths in this area range from 8 feet up to around 3 feet of water and there is a variety of different grass types as well. What I have found in the past in this area is that there are clumps of vegetation and then clear sandy areas mixed in and around these clumps. The fish are relating to these clear areas and when you bring your bait through these areas the fish are sitting in ambush and grab your bait at that time. There was a bait fisherman that had come into this area and was fishing shiners under a bobber. Was fun watching him as the floats would disappear and looked like he was catching a few pickerel over there and doing fairly well at that. I was fishing a few different bait presentations that consisted of crankbaits, jig/plastic, floating plastic jerkbait and also a Carolina rig. My confidence presentation that you will almost always find on my deck is the Carolina rig and this was the presentation that paid dividends for me again this day. I had a BearPaw Grizzly Jerk on this presentation and this is a type of bait that you usually throw weightless as the plastic jerk baits are catching fish all over the place. Last year I started fishing this bait on the Carolina rig and it has been paying off very well. I had been working this presentation through these areas and felt like there were some weeds on my bait. I kept feeling and feeling to tell when it was through the weeds but it had that weird feeling that it wasn’t a weed and proceeded to set the hook. The rod bent over and the fish fought back and the drag was singing its tune but as fast as this was happening the fish came off and never got to see what it was. Anytime that I fish this lake I always seem to spend a lot of time in this area as there may not be a number of fish here but the ones that I have caught in the past, the quality is second to none. As I continued doing the same thing finally once again the line felt funny so I set the hook and there was good weight there and the fight was on. This was one of them fish that didn’t want to show itself but when it did, I definitely new that I had a good fish on the line. I couldn’t seem to get it to the boat and then that bad sign when they dive under the boat and go either towards the motor or trolling motor and you do everything that you can to get them back to the surface. Kept directing the fish to get it to come back and finally it came back to the surface and a couple of more runs and finally able to lip this fish. This is why I fish this area as the quality is always there, but you won’t catch a number of fish but like I said the ones you do catch are usually always nice. I worked a couple of more hours throughout this area and not much time left and the line felt weird once again. I set the hook and got a couple of reels of the reel but that fish came off once again and had to call it a day. The bait of the day was the BearPaw Grizzly Jerk fished on the Carolina rig and if you haven’t fished this rig you definitely need to give it a try. You are able to cover vast amounts of water with it as well as different plastic baits that can be put onto this rig...

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Fishing June 20 2008

I had decided to head over to a pond that has some decent bluegill in it with a bonus bass and such. When I arrived there, there were a number of anglers out fishing in blow up boats and I really couldn’t tell if they were catching anything or not. This pond is a very off colored and looks like coffee with cream added to it. The weeds have grown in very quickly this year and I was hoping to see the bluegill spawning but with the color of the water you couldn’t see any fish at all. Wasn’t long and the first fish was nibbling as the bobber started dancing. Went to set the hook and wasn’t a crank of the handle and the bass came flying out of the water and through the bait. Then the sunfish started taking over and catching these was a matter of keeping the bait moving so the fish could find it. I moved from location to location looking for fish and catching one here and one there. Time was winding down and I wanted to try one last spot as in the past have done well in this particular area. Casting from spot to spot wasn’t really giving me what I was looking for and figured that I only had a few casts left and I had to head out. Landed the bait next to some weeds and the float went under, I reared back to set the hook and this fish took off like a mad man. This was not a bluegill as it didn’t cut and circle like they normally do and it wasn’t a bass as they generally take to the air fairly quickly. What could the fish be and seeing other commotion around this area I started having a suspicion as to what it maybe. I was fishing T.H.E. Jig on my ultralite with 2 lb line and there seemed to be no stopping this fish. It was barreling out into the lake and all I could do is stand there and listen to the drag rip off of my reel. Then that heart breaking feeling when your rod goes limp and the bobber floats to the surface some 25 yards away. The line had broken and the way that this fish was running I had made the conclusion that a carp had grabbed my T.H.E. Jig and was going to show the bait who was the boss. That fish had won that battle but there will be another day that I may be able to tangle once again with this fish and after spooling on some new line I will be ready to do it again...

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Fish are moving

With the weather warming up and this is increasing the temperatures of local lakes, this is getting the fish a little more active but in deeper water. The panfish are certainly into their spawning mode and are frequenting the shorelines just about every where. The bass have finished their duty and are in the transition phase as they are resting and moving to their summer haunts. This is where you are going to start finding the better quality fish these days and in this transition mode, you may have to work a little harder now to get those bites. But that hard work is going to pay off as the fish that you do catch are going to be of that nicer version. Work a little and get rewarded for that and this will make you a very happy angler.

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Fishing June 19 2008

Lately the fishing for bass has been very uneventful and believes that we are in that transition phase that they have left the shallows and are migrating out into their summer haunts. Since this had been a slow week I decided it was time to switch gears and go after some panfish that are swarming the shallow waters right now. The setup that I am using today is a short ultralite rod and micro spinning reel spooled with 2 lb test line. For bait selection I am going to use a bobber setup and below tie on T.H.E. Jig in a full yellow color pattern. Wasn’t after too many casts that the fish let me know they were hungry and ready to fight. Only sunfish were caught as the crappies have left the shallows already and are heading to deeper water. The sunfish that were biting were the male bull sunfish in deep dark brilliant colors. I was fishing a lake that I frequent quite often in the winter and there is a trail system around the whole lake and I was fishing from this trail as I walked. It didn’t take long to figure the pattern that these fish were relating to and that was the fish were positioned near tree over hangs that had some wood in the water. If you didn’t fish near these, you didn’t get a bite. Any place that I could find an opening in the shoreline brush I was able to catch fish but you had to get them out of there quickly as they would dig for the tree branches. Was a very fun lunchtime break and will have to do this a couple of more times before they start migrating away as well.

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors

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Fishing Equipment

I have been fortunate to be able to try out a new rod from a company that is very angler aware as to the anglers needs and wants in their equipment. The company is Acadia Sports and they make a couple of lines of fishing rods, line of spinning reels, baitcast reels and also fishing tackle. When Acadia releases new product to the market they go through a rigorous field test and the folks that they use for testing are your everyday angler and not a big name fisherman. The equipment that Acadia offers is more angler friendly when it comes to cost and I am finding that these items are very comparable to other items that I use but more easy on your pocket when the purchase price comes. Fishing rods to me are very compatable to others that I am using and have been holding up very well to the fish that I have caught this spring. If you are in the need for some new equipment take a look at Acadia Sports and see if their items are something that fits into your style and financial area as well. http://www.acadiasports.com/


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Start moving out

As summer is fast approaching, this means that the fish for the most part have finished their spring spawn season. The fish are going to start moving out towards deeper water as the temps are rising and their comfort zones are in a little deeper water. A good place to start the search for these fish is on the inside weed line. As you are leaving the shore and heading out, watch your electronics and also over the side of the boat and you will come to the shallow side of the weed line. Fish are going to position themselves here in ambush for an easy meal as the panfish are moving around in this type of an area in the warming waters. Finding any type of an irregular feature or piece of structure along this inside line is an extra bonus as these areas attract fish and usually better quality fish at that. Fish may not be out in the deep water quite yet but give this inside weed line a try and this may surprise you.

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Fishing June 11 2008

The weather in New England has been perfect temperature wise for the fish, but not so much for us anglers. As the near 100 degree temps have finally vacated this region, this should have helped warm the shallows very nicely. Have been noticing the sunfish are moving in and staking their territory and moving into their spawn phase now. The bass fishing has been fairly slow and I still haven’t figured out yet if we are still getting into spawn or if we are into full post spawn already. From my previous records when the sunfish start showing in the shallows that is when the bass are in full swing of their spawn so we will have to see how this pans out.

The end of last week and the beginning days of this week, I had tried a variety of depths to see what mode these bass are in. The efforts were uneventful to say the least with no action shallow or deep. Today the weather finally was a little cooler so I made my hike back to the flat that I had been fishing most of this spring. The wind was blowing into this area and made casting a little tough but watching and gauging the wind gusts for that perfect time to cast made all the difference. Was fishing water 2-3 feet deep and using a Texas rigged tube bait, wasn’t long and the line started moving. Set the hook and a decent smallmouth came flying out of the water a number of times and the fight was on. Was nice to finally catch a decent fish once again and after a couple of photos gently put the fish back in the water to fight another day. Moved around this area and picked up another smaller largemouth that was cruising through the area. Those were the only two fish that were caught but now this has me thinking that maybe they are finally starting to move in and time will only tell.

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Hot Weather Fishing

Seems like summer came flying in with a vengeance over the past weekend and there are some very hot conditions out there. Fishing in these types of conditions can be very trying and also hazardous to the angler as well. There wasn't much wind to keep the air moving around and air conditions are not the best as well. The main thing to do if you are going to be out fishing is keep hydrated with plenty of water. Water is your best friend in this type of weather and make sure to always have plenty of it with you at all times. Also dump some over your head to cool yourself down some as well. Take many breaks if you are doing any type of activity in this type of heat. Keep in mind that you need to drink plenty of fluids and more the merrier.

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Search the Shore

With the warming days of summer taking over from the spring weather, now is another time to start exploring the waters edges. Since the waters have been warming they are starting to teem with new life as creatures are being born or hatched on a daily basis. What the young angler will see is the new minnows swimming along the shorelines, different types of bugs hatching and also new vegetation growing in the shallow waters. By watching the new minnows swimming along you will start getting an idea as to how they relate to their surroundings and if you think more about it, the fish that you seek are doing similar things out in deeper water. You may also see some big fish swimming along the shoreline that are either basking in the sun or searching for a spot to create a nest. Now is the time to take a walk along your favorite waters and see all of the new life that is forming.

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Bass Video

Video of a Largemouth Bass searching for that perfect spot...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGWeP6DIlBo

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Fishing June 2 2008

The last week or so has been fairly tough out there for me catching fish and it surely isn’t from lack of trying. After taking a look and thinking about the conditions that are happening, it isn’t so much weather related but the transition from spawn to summer patterns may be starting to shape up. Probably going to stay in this area that I have been fishing for this week yet and see if things change at all as the water warms, but I am starting to think about moving out to my deeper water spots in search of fish. Today I went back to the spot that I have been fishing recently and decided to change from the tube bait that I had been fishing and put on a BearPaws B-Bug in the watermelon color. I have been doing the same thing all along and by putting on the heavier ¼ oz slip sinker to get some distance in my casts out to around 3 feet of water. Seems that there is a general area that the bites have been coming from and today was no different as the fish picked up my bait and the fight was on. This was a fat largemouth bass and really was reluctant to come into shore but after a good fight I lipped the fish and took some pictures and back in the water to fight another day. Probably only going to spend a few more days in this area as the bites have been getting less and less and start going to my deeper water areas and see if anything is going on there.

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Fishing May 27-30 2008

After the holiday weekend, and doing a number of projects around the house, tried a few times during the week from shore. The weather was very cooperative as well as the winds were working in my favor as well. This location that I have been fishing lately the fish are not moving in like they had in the past. I am not certain as to what stage the fish are even in and this time last year the smallmouth bass were on fire. This is not the case this season and only had one outing that brought nice smallmouth to my hook and have been somewhat struggling this spring. I did catch a couple of bass during the week but they were small male largemouth and all were caught on the tube bait. Did try one day in the deeper summer places but was nothing going on there either. Will probably spend another week in this area and then start transitioning out to deeper water and locations that the fish congregate in for the summer months. Keep checking a couple panfish spots as well but have not seen any activity at all in these locations either. Hope that the panfish are still coming because I would like to try a few outings catching them.

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Shop Around

With the cost of everything sky rocketing lately this is hampering anglers from spending money on new equipment. Lately there has been somewhat a swing of products that are appearing at your favorite tackle supply store. There are companies out there that have the angler in mind when designing and manufacturing their latest products. These products as well as any other product will need to be looked at in the anglers’ hands to see if they will perform to that angler likes. Some will never make the grade but others will and at times surpass the big named companies as well. With money tight these days, the angler owes it to themselves to do a little shopping and comparing to the products that are out there and see what fits their abilities as well as budget at a given time.

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Fishing May 21 2008

This has been a very tough week for me fishing wise as the shoreline fishing was hampered quite a bit from the prevailing winds. Since air temperatures are not rising very much, this is not warming the waters very quickly and with the nights are staying cool as well not sure yet if the fish are through their spring duties yet. Over the last week I had been out 4-5 times and today was the first day that a nice fish was finally caught. Towards the end of last week there was one outing that I had caught a couple of male bass but that was it. Finally today a nice chunky 2.5 pound largemouth fell victim to my presentation. The area that I am fishing is a shallow flat in a cove and ranges from 1-3 feet as far as I am able to cast. Working a Texas rigged tube bait crawled slowly along the bottom has been the pattern as long as there are fish in the area. These are hard fighting fish and are a blast to catch and always wanting more whenever I am able to get out there. Unfortunately at this time I am restricted to a little time during my lunch time and if I were able to find a few hours I think that more fish could be caught. Just before leaving another male largemouth was caught and capped off the outing and finally felt good once again to have that tug on the line.

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Fishing May 14 2008

Today was shaping up to be a better day than the last two and I was hoping that the winds would have died down from what they were...the winds were considerably lower in speeds but was enough and also blowing into this area once again...the sun was bright with air temps in the mid 60's and hopes of the smallmouth moving back up were on my mind...the lunch trip was going to be short and only 20 minutes or so as I have a hot project at work that needs to get done...fishing with a tube bait once again and making long casts into the wind was the tactic today and fishing in 2-3 feet of water and I was telling myself that I need to get going and figured three more casts will be it...two casts later this largemouth latched on and definitely gave the WaveSpin reel a workout and also had the drag system screaming as well...this was the only fish caught on this shortened trip and we are going to be having rain coming in again tomorrow and the next few days as well...I have been checking to see if the panfish have moved in yet as well but the waters are a little cool for them in the usual places and no signs of them yet...

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors

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Fishing May 13 2008

With the cold fronts blowing through and dropping the temperatures all around New England this is not helping the bass with their spring ritual...the last two days we have been experiencing gale force winds once again and the area that I have been concentrating on was getting a beating from the wind...at least spring like weather has come back and the sun was shining but the white caps were tough to fish through from shore...under these conditions it seems from past experience that the smallmouth will vacate these areas until calmer weather comes around...so my plan was not to spend to much time there and fan cast to see if any fish were cruising the area...was just about done and threw my tube into the cove on my left and under the windy conditions I was still able to feel the tap and set the hook...the fish was jumping out of the water and could see that it was a nicer fish and figured that it may be a smallmouth as it was jumping quite a bit...when it finally had gotten closer I could see that it was a very nice largemouth bass...biggest of the spring so far and definitely made my day under these wind conditions...tried four other spots going back to the truck but nothing going on at any of these...chalk this one up as another productive lunch and looking forward to tomorrow...

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors

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Fishing May 9 2008

Was fortunate to be able to get out fishing during my lunch time once again and really had to watch the clock this time as I had another appointment right after...made the trip back to my usual spot to see if the smallmouth were going to be home...weather conditions were drastically different than the previous day as the temps were 15 degrees cooler, stronger wind blowing into this area, cloudy skies as well as rain spitting a little...made many casts and definitely could tell that this coming weather was playing a role in not getting bit...but was fortunate to at least catch one largemouth bass that was around a 1.5 pounds...this fish came on the tube bait and was cruising the shallows checking things out...this was the only fish caught and tried a few other areas before pulling the plug...didn't get out at all over the weekend and we have weather fronts coming through for most of the week so this will definitely be an interesting week of fishing...

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors

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Fishing May 8 2008

Was only a couple of days ago that I was wondering what was going on with my spring fishing this year...usually I am into fish and this year isn't the case...but within the last two days I can say that my thoughts of a crummy spring have left my head and we are into fish and now let's keep that line in the water...

Yesterday I was able to catch a nice largemouth bass...today I went back to the same spot during lunch and the smallmouth bass are taking residence of the area...since the topwater bait wasn't doing anything yesterday, I used the tube today and they were liking that...wasn't long and the first of three smallmouth was coming in...at a 1-1.5 pound fish this was a great start and this fish had gotten my blood pumping for more...kept casting and a tap on the line and his brother was coming in for a look see as well...I could definitely see that the male fish were moving in and wasn't sure if the females were in suit yet or not...only a few more casts and that question was answered with a 2.5-3 pound smally battling my WaveSpin reel and tube combination...

Conditions were the same as yesterday with mid 70's air temps, sun bright, but there was more wind today versus yesterday but this area was still protected and the water is warming...fishing a tube bait with a 1/4 or 3/8 oz bullet weight and this heavier weight is allowing me to make very long casts and also able to work more water by doing this...tried a couple of other deeper spots on the walk back to the truck but no takers there...I had taken a shortcut through a part of the woods to get to my spot but the deer ticks have let me know who the ruler of those woods are...hoping to get back out there again tomorrow but will have to see where the coming storm is at when lunch time rolls around...in two days my dreary spring has started on fire and tomorrow and the day after that can't come soon enough...

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors

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Fishing May 7 2008

My early season spot is a good walk around part of the lake and has a nice sand and rock flat that the bass seem to use for their spring time activities...so far I have only been able to catch a pickerel or two off of this area but today my first nice largemouth bass has appeared...the last few days have been gorgeous with temps right around 70 degrees and bright sun with little wind...I started fishing this area with a jointed floating jerk bait and there wasn't any activity that the fish wanted with this presentation...after grabbing the other rod that that I carry with me there is a tube bait tied on it and on the second cast I caught a nice 2.5 pound largemouth bass...this area usually holds numbers of smallmouth bass in the spring time and the way this fish was jumping, I thought for sure that I had a big smallmouth on...my WaveSpin spinning reel showed this fish who was going to win and it was finally nice to be able to catch a good fish again...hopefully this is now a sign that things are turning around and good things are coming going forward...I have been having a very tough spring this year compared to others and this fish will hopefully turn this around...

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Quick Release

As the weather warms and the fish are into their spring activities, this is a great time to get kids involved in fishing. The fish can be found in the shallow waters of our lakes and ponds and there will be times that catching them will be fairly easy. But we also need to remember that these fish are in the shallow water for a reason and we don’t want to disturb them to much. If we keep a few for a meal that is fine but a majority of these fish are going to be released back into the water. Quickness of this release is the name of the game to ensure that they are not injured to go back about their spring ritual. Quickly unhooking the fish and placing them back into the water gently allows them to go back to what they were doing and you are able to cast and catch another fish. By being quick about the release this will ensure that they survive for another day of battle and also instills the catch and release philosophy into the kids as well.

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Time to fish

Since the last two days have been very wet for a majority of New England, the clear blue skies, light winds and crisp air, only means it is time to get back out there chasing fish. Depending on which part of New England you reside, the rainfalls were varied as some areas received over 3 inches of rain and the lakes and rivers should be getting into great shape about now. Water temps are hovering in the high 50's and spawn is happening in different parts of the area. I am going to go to our crappie hole and see if the panfish are moving in and check to see if I can see the crappies sitting on their beds yet. With the rising waters, this water has standing brush along the shoreline and the panfish move right in there and you are literally standing 12 inches away from them. It is a lot of fun watching their movements and what they are doing and will try and get some video of them as well.

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Match the Hatch

Spring is the time of year that we need to concentrate on what the fish want and what they are showing us in their feeding choices or habits. The creatures that fish are feeding on these days are small and this is what the angler needs to offer these fish in their bait presentations. This is called “matching the hatch” and it is exactly what it sounds like. The baits we present need to be of the same size and to a point same color as the forage the fish are feeding on. By doing this, we are increasing our odds in catching fish when other anglers are not. This spring has been a cool and wet one as well and by offering similar sized baits, or even smaller baits will put the favor in our presentations. Try “matching the hatch” as best you can and you may surprise yourself and have a very productive day versus the other anglers that are fishing right next to you.

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Report April 24 2008

With the beautiful weather New England has been experiencing, we would think that the fish would be on fire. There are many reports around the area that the fish are on fire but we haven’t been able to experience this yet. We went fishing on a small local pond in hopes of finding some bigger females getting ready to spawn. I have been diligent in fishing with a jig/pig combination and flipping to every piece of structure searching for these fish. So far this combination has not been working for me and need to start venturing to other bait combinations. With the winds blowing fairly persistent and keeping the boat under control, fishing the shoreline was a fairly quick and power fishing approach. Before leaving I pulled out a spinning rod with a BearPaw Grizzly Jerk and started casting the shoreline with this. Wasn’t long and my first bass of the season came to the boat and was a whopping 9 inches. Kept moving down the shoreline and casting and working the plastic jerkbait and wasn’t long and the next fish hit. Could tell that this was a little nicer fish and when it approached the boat we could see that there was another fish behind it. Couldn’t tell what the other fish was but could see that it was much bigger and my son put his bait down there to try and catch it. But the wind was blowing too much and the fish was gone and I lifted the 1.5 pound bass out of the water to see a set of teeth marks on both sides and tells me that other fish was a big pike. That would have given my son quite a fight if he would have hooked that but unfortunately that was not the case.

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Report April 22 2008

Weather has been beautiful and this is warming the waters of our lakes and ponds very nicely. Water temps this last weekend showed mid 50’s and this is going to get the fish starting to move shallow with the spawn not far behind. Our fishing has not proved very well lately and we haven’t had a bass come into the boat yet. Been catching our share of pickerel, as they are cruising the shorelines quite regularly seeking the warmer water. Have not seen any panfish utilizing the warming waters of the shore yet and that would be the case that the smallmouth bass haven’t come shallow either. Many reports of big bass being caught in different parts of the state, but the lakes we fish have not turned on for us yet. Will be trying again here in a day or so and will have to see if our luck is better.

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Kids and Fishing

With the warming days of spring, getting Kids interested in fishing is not that hard to get them there to try their hand at fishing. Kids are fascinated with the idea of catching a fish and reeling it in to say “look at what I caught”. That excitement keeps them interested in going fishing another day to see if they can catch something bigger than the last time out. But there are going to be those days that the fish aren’t going to be as easy to catch as the previous outings. These days are the ones that you need to think of other things to do to pass the time or if the kids are really getting bored, go home or to the park. There is no need to sit there and wait for the fish to come around if they are not biting because kids will remember these days and the next time you want to take them, they will say that they are not biting and are not willing to go. By not forcing them to stay if they are not biting, or making them sit through some bad weather, they will ask to go more often and by picking local areas that have a good panfish population, makes for a very enjoyable day as well as memories.

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Line Re-Spool

As we get ready and excited about the upcoming open water season, one item that many anglers seem to forget about is their fishing line. A good rule of thumb is to replace the old line from the year before each spring, before starting the open water season. Having the line sit on our reels over the long winter season, many times the line takes on the memory of the spool and may cause problems when it comes time to start fishing. Another issue is that depending on where the reels were stored, the line may also start breaking down as well. If an angler uses the old line the next season, there is a good chance that when you hook that trophy fish, the line may snap and say good bye to that fish. Spooling on fresh line each spring gives you that security that on that next hook-set you are going to get that fish into the boat.

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Report April 13 2008

What another wild weekend of New England weather at its finest. Nice weather all week long and as usual when the weekend comes everything goes downhill very quickly. The weather consisted of coolness, dampness, wind as well as hot humid sun at one point.

We made our maiden voyage out with the boat and gave it a good run in the cool, windy and rainy conditions. But you don’t notice some of those things now that we are back on open water and able to start our fishing season once again. Cranked up the motor and idle around some and also made a few runs around the lake to make sure that everything was working and sounding the way that it is suppose to.

After doing that I had decided that might as well fish for a little while since we are there and see if the bass are in the cooperating mood. Reports of late have fish biting mainly on jigs and jerkbaits so I was going to concentrate on jig fishing any and all wood in the water that I could find. Wasn’t a productive day at all and only had one pickup that was detected and missed as well. It was just nice being out there and working the shoreline once again and can only get better as the season goes along. Did notice that the Rainbow Trout were starting to jump around the surface of the water and must be going after the bugs that are hatching.

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Fishing Report April 4-7 2008

New England is playing its weather game as usual and this is making the fishing somewhat tough to start this open water season. With the winds, sun, cold temps and rain at times, fishing is fair at best as the water temps are not raising that quickly to get these fish fired up. So far we have caught a few pickerel and that has been it. The bass have not started their move towards shallow water so far at least where we have fished. I am hoping that the panfish start soon as well as my son want to get out there and can’t wait to wet his line. I have a couple little things left to do on the boat as the major things have been done and it will be ready to hit the water soon. Soon the reports should start showing some nice fish as the waters continue to warm and get ready to start their spawning ritual. It will get better and keep checking back as the reports will start getting more frequent as I get more opportunities to fish New England waters.

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Spring and Kids

Spring time is a great time to introduce kids to the sport of fishing and usually the weather is much more acceptable to them as well. As the shallow waters start to warm and the panfish start to move towards those shallow waters, this opens up an opportunity for getting kids hooked on fishing. The shallow waters are warming quickly with the stronger sun and this brings fish there sunning and warming themselves from the long cold winter. Finding a pond or lake that has easy shoreline access for fishing shouldn’t be that hard and this is where you will need to start them fishing. Getting them setup with a rod and reel is fairly simple as many stores offer packages just for this purpose and built for kids. Get yourself some live bait, small hair jigs or micro plastics and get them rigged up with this and you are all set for a day of fishing. When that first fish is caught, you will see all of the excitement that kids have and they will want to do it again and again. If they are not biting, just keep moving along the shoreline and you will find an area that they will be. This time of year is some of the easiest times to catch fish and why not spend an afternoon introducing a kid to fishing.

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Reel Maintenance

Open water is here in New England and time to get the open water gear out of storage and ready to catch some fish. Now is the time to take a look at all of your fishing reels and get them cleaned up. Cleaning all of the old grease, oil and gunk from the inside is very important as we put these reels through a great deal of punishment. Clean grease and oil will make these reels last a long time and with the cost of news ones these days, a little work and maintenance will make them go a long ways. It should only take 10 minutes or so a reel and in one evening you can have them all cleaned and lubed so that when that first open water outing comes, they will be ready. Don’t forget new line as well as the old line has been sitting all winter and has taken on spool memory and also lost some of its characteristics and may cost you a big fish.

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Fishing Mar 31-Apr 1 2008

Now that our lakes and ponds are getting void of ice, I am able to start doing some fishing during my lunch hour once again. I am very fortunate to have a reservoir about 10 minutes from work and this gives me 30-40 minutes to fish every noon day. This particular reservoir is loaded with fish, some say there aren’t any fish there, but from the ones that I have caught there, I continue to fish there quite a bit.

This reservoir is fairly good sized and apparently is a flooded golf course with the raised tees, roads, trees and the New England stone fence as structure under the surface of the water. The fish that I have caught here so far are sunfish, perch, pickerel, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. The bass population is doing very well and this reservoir has a very good population of large smallmouth bass. Topwater and also deepwater tactics have worked here and nothing better than watching a smallmouth fly out of the water after a topwater bait.

Mar 31: I started in my deep water spot and this area has some weeds mixed in and there are a few shelves that I work my bait up and through. The wind was blowing fairly briskly with snow/sleet/rain falling and with the water level very high right now, there wasn’t much action going on. Was nice to be able to start casting and throw tubes and jerkbaits once again after the long winter season.

Apr 1: Since the wind was much stronger than the day before and the deep water wasn’t doing anything thought that I would make my walk to my shallow cove flat area and see if anything was cruising and searching these shallower waters. Stopped at one area that has a gradual drop towards deeper water with a lot of broken stone but there were no takers there. Made my way to a large flat area that has some mixed weeds, wood and broken rocks throughout. The wind wasn’t blowing near as hard here and casting the jerkbait was a little easier and I started fan casting this cove. After a few casts and doing the repeated jerking motion of the jerkbait back towards me, the line got heavy and started screaming off to my right. Wasn’t long and the fishes tail was splashing out of the water and I could seeing that this was a nice fish. Working it back towards shore it was a nice pickerel in the 2-3 pound range and a nice way to start off the season.

Cast a couple of other areas on the way back towards the truck but there wasn’t any action that I could find. I haven’t ice fish this lake or been out there in a boat yet, kayak lake only, but with the structure that is there this could make for a very enjoyable day. I am planning on doing the work of getting my kayak up and into this water this coming weekend as from reports that I have heard over the past, there are a few fish that I need to search for. The crappies are known to get up to 2 pounds there, the perch that have been caught have been over a pound, and the bass population that I have caught there makes me come back as often as possible.

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Video Mar 30 2008

Here is a video of our last adventure March 30 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSrKx2i5-EM

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Fishing Mar 30 2008

Winter is fading away and spring is definitely here and open water comes along with that as well and that is where we headed. Very nice to be on open water once again and we took the kayak out to our favorite crappie pond. The air temp was 39 degrees and throw in a light breeze, but just being on open water kept me warm as the excitement of catching fish again had taken hold.

When fishing out of the kayak I generally fish ice style while using the flasher over the side. I use my ice fishing rods and fish vertically underneath the kayak and watch the flasher for when the fish go through. Generally I paddle around the area that I am going to fish and watch the flasher until I start marking fish. Drop the anchor to hold my position but the wind always plays games with me as it will turn the kayak around the anchor so one minute you are over fish and the next you are off again.

Started fishing where we had left off from the ice season, but wasn’t marking too many fish and would keep moving after a few minutes. There was some activity near the bottom of the lake but after catching a few perch that was all that was down that low. Really wasn’t marking many suspended fish, until one of my moves the screen on the flasher lit up. Quickly dropped the anchor and lowered my bait and a couple of jiggles later and the first crappie was in the boat. The school of fish hung there for a few seconds longer and they left and were never seen again.

Moved around the lake to try and get out of the wind but the winds on this lake are always switching directions and this makes it tough. All said and done I had caught a handful of perch and that one crappie. The bait that was used was the Loby Baits Maki in a bubble gum color and the durability of this bait allows you to catch numbers of fish on that one bait. Since the wind was picking up I decided that I might as well head home as the fish were not in the cooperating mood. Once the temperatures raise the water temps some more, we will be back to search the shorelines for these big crappies that live in this lake.

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Battery check

Many anglers across the north are beginning to pull their boats out of hibernation and getting them ready for the open water season. Hopefully most anglers keep up with checking and charging their boat batteries throughout the winter season and that way they don't have battery issues come spring time. By trickle charging those batteries throughout the winter months, this prolongs the life of these batteries and makes spring start up so much easier. If your batteries take water, now is the time to check their levels and make sure that the water is at the level that it is suppose to be at. Water levels to low, will strain the battery and dramatically shorten the life of that battery. If they were stored in the basement or garage, make sure to wipe them down as a battery with a lot of dust and dirt on it will shorten the life as well. Make sure that when storing the battery that never put it onto a concrete floor as this is another thing that takes the power out of the battery. Spring is here and by checking these little things, that first outing onto open water is made a bit easier.

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Tackle Inventory

As most anglers are gearing up for the upcoming open water season, now is the time to pull out all of your gear and start going through it. Rods/reels need to be taken apart and lubed and oiled as well as the old line stripped off of the reels. Tackle needs to be gone through to see what is missing from your usual items that need replenishing. Also with the crankbaits, take a look at the treble hooks as there are times they are rusting and if that is the case, they need to be replaced. If you go through your stuff now, the stores are being stocked and your favorite items are all there as once the weather warms up, the shelves will definitely be picked over. As you are going through your tackle as well, that excitement of open water fishing over whelms you and gets you pumped for another great season of fishing.

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Life Jacket Time

As the waters in New England are opening and anglers and families start pulling out their canoes and kayaks, now is the time to check those life jackets to make sure that they properly fit your children. Make sure that the zippers and buckles are all functional as well as verifying that the weight limitations are still being met. In Massachusetts, canoe and kayak users are required to wear their life jackets at all times through May. The waters are just coming off of ice conditions and very cold and hypothermia is still very possible if in the water for any length of time. Children should be wearing their life jackets at all times no matter what the season as it only takes a second for them to fall off of the boat into the water and if they have their life jacket on, getting them back safely into the boat is made much simpler. Every year the manufacturers come out with nicer gear and make them more comfortable for the kids to wear. Set a good example and teach your kids that wearing a life jacket is a good thing and the adults should be wearing theirs as well. Life jackets do save lives but only if they are worn so dig them out and make sure that your kids have the properly fitted life jacket so that they may enjoy their times on the water.

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07/08 Ice Fishing Season Recap

Here is our recap of the 07/08 ice fishing season



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHvUpg5T2d8



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A new season is born

Here in New England we are in that limbo mode right in between ice fishing and open water fishing but this coming weekend we will be back on open water chasing crappies once again. This is allowing us time to catch up on things and get ice gear put away while getting the open water gear ready for another season approaching. Our first trip is going to be in the kayak and we will be fishing with our ice gear as this is a simple way of catching fish and with the kayak we will be fishing over the top of fish that we find. We use this approach in the fall as well as the spring and have paid off very well for us. This type of fishing is just like ice fishing as we have the flasher transducer hanging over the side and paddle until we find the fish. Then anchor up and lower the bait down to the fish and the rest is history after that. Since the weather hasn’t warmed the shallows much yet we target deeper water and the schools of fish are in search of food and getting ready for the upcoming spawn. We will be targeting our big crappie pond first and see if I can continue on with the size that we had left off with a couple of weeks ago. As more ice melts on other area lakes and ponds we will start using the big boat to get out there and chase after multiple species of fish. Panfish will be the target first and as the water starts to warm we will switch over to bass and start searching for smallmouth and largemouth and try to beat last years sizes. I have a few things up my sleeves to try this season and hopefully things pan out and we will definitely be doing videos as we go along as well. For the videos this open water season, I will be concentrating quite a bit on a bait per outing type of theme and this is going to force me to stay with that particular bait and adapt to what is going on at that time. I know that I am looking forward to getting back on the open water and sad to see the ice go, but now is time to start fishing a whole new world again and see what is working and not working. I am excited to get my son out there again as he is pumped to get on the water and keeps asking when we are going to get the big boat out. So stay tuned and hopefully we will be showing you some of these beautiful big New England fish and try a little saltwater as well…

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Open Water Soon

Since this spring has finally come and the lakes and ponds are on their way to being open water once again, time to go through the fishing gear and get ready for another season of fishing. Many of us haven’t looked at our fishing rods and reels since last fall and now is the time to get them out and clean them up. Stripping all of the old line off and getting ready to load new line is always on the list as fishing with old line could cost you that fish of a lifetime. Also the reels need to be taken apart, cleaned and lubed as the gears and moving mechanisms need this to prolong their life and for them to work properly. Rods need to be looked at for nicks and possible areas that are potential for breakage and the eyes definitely need to be looked at and replaced if they are worn out. By going through our equipment and making sure everything is clean and in working order, then when that day comes that we are on open water, we know that our equipment is going to function the way it is suppose to and this doesn’t cost us that fish that we have been waiting all winter for.

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Exploring Spring

In the New England area we have spring trying to show itself but snow keeps creeping in to prolong the start of spring. But if you were to take a look around you will definitely see the signs that spring is coming and won’t be long before it is finally here. By letting your kids explore around the yard and taking walks in the parks and woods, they will get a good idea as to what spring is like and about. While watching the animals and birds going about their busy day while getting ready in making nests and searching for food is an exciting time. Looking around one is able to see new growth in the flowers that may be starting to come up as well as the new buds on the trees and bushes are getting fully formed. Spring is like a new beginning and letting your kids do some exploring and searching will give them a greater satisfaction of what it is like to see things starting all over again for the new season coming ahead.

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Fishing Mar 16 2008

I wanted to get out and fish our best crappie lake and we had checked the ice on Friday and there was 6-7 inches at that time. Upon arriving there on Sunday I noticed that there was an open water channel through the middle of the pond and wasn’t about to try getting out on that. I checked two other lakes in that area and they were in the same condition, unsafe.

Finally made it back to our backup pond and there was around 9 inches of ice there but the first 4 inches is all honeycombed and soft. Hoping that the bite was going to be better because of the late season I had punched a number of holes in varying depths and proceeded to fish. First hole produced a nice sunfish right away and figured that this was going to be the way the day was going to go. Well it didn’t take long and a number of holes later I was right back to having to really work at getting the bites going.

Over the course of a few hours I had drilled at least 60 holes over a good 1/3 of the lake and varying the water depths from 8 feet out to 19 feet. The best action was in the shallower waters but the size was nothing to write home about. Anything of size was in the deeper water and ended up going back to where I had started to see if I could find anything better. The baits that were used were CKOutdoors T.H.E. Jig and also used the Loby Baits Maki. The bite was somewhat of a light bite and a number of times you didn’t even known that they had the bait in their mouth.

I was hoping that this was going to be one of those days that the bigger fish start showing themselves as we are getting towards spring and their activity will start picking up. But, lately this seems to be the norm and working to catch fish is getting to be a regular thing. This ice season is now in the books as the next outing will be on open water. We had a great season and one of the longest ones that I can remember and I was fortunate to be able to travel to MN and ice fish there as well. I have learned a lot over the course of this ice season and I am already pumped for next ice season as I am not ready to give it up yet.

Check out the latest accompanying video on the home page at:

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New Sponsor

We welcome CKOutdoors as our latest sponsor

CKO is the home to T.H.E. Jig

T.H.E. stands for Totally Hot Everyday. We've been tying this quality downsized hair jig for over a decade. Because finesse fishing is so deadly T.H.E. Jig is one of those go to baits the discerning fisherman have in their tackle box that they hold in high regard for when those pannies are tight lipped. Go to the link for T.H.E. Jig to see the stories that have been documented from several fishing forums. T.H.E. Jig........if it's wet.....it's catch'n fish!

http://www.ckoutdoors.com/

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New release baits from BearPaws Hand Poured Baits

New for 2008 Bearpaws Football, Pigskin Shakee and Tilt & Shakee Jigs. Made of the finest quality hooks gives you the punching power required for a solid hookset. Many sizes are available to match all conditions.

All our jigs are painted with the most durable powder paint and heat cured for that extra paint strength.

Check these new baits as well as the full lineup of BearPaws Hand Poured Baits at:

http://www.bearpawshandpouredbaits.com/


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Kids - OutDoors - what a combo

As the ice season starts to wrap up, depending in which part of the country you are located, there will be a little lag time before open water season takes hold. During this time and to keep your kids interested in the outdoors, spend some time walking through the woods either in the many park systems that our country offers or the woods behind the house. By exploring the woods and prairies that are all around us, this gives our kids another appreciation as to what the outdoors has to offer them. By looking at animals, birds, bugs, plants and trees, there is a vast amount of curiosity as well as learning that can come from these adventures. By bringing a compass along with us this is another exercise in learning how to use tools to find our ways through the outdoors. As spring develops in all areas of the outdoors, so does new life and with that a new beginning for all that Mother Nature has to offer us. Always keep an eye on our kids while in the outdoors as these areas are vast and the little ones can get lost very quickly. By showing and telling those about the dos and don’ts of being in the outdoors this will make them a well rounded person and also a person that can appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.

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Fishing Mar 7 2008

March 7, 2008

The weekend was coming fast and making the decision as to when to hit the ice again was going to be a tough one. Friday looked to be the best day as there was little wind, sunny skies and low 40’s for temps. Friday night and all day Saturday was going to be heavy rains and local flooding coming through and Sunday after the storm we had 40mph plus winds all day. So by going on Friday we had picked the better day weather wise.

My son had half a day at school and I left work early to pick him up. I had recently ordered an Austin Custom Rod for him since he is getting heavy into ice fishing and low and behold we got home and there on the doorstep was his new rod. Couldn’t have timed that better and after seeing his new rod he was ready to get to the lake and see how this rod works against the fish.

After our walk through the woods to get to this particular pond, we were greeted with open water on this shoreline and had to make our usual walk around a good part of the lake to get to the shoreline that is in the shade. One thing about this pond is that the times that I have fished there this winter there hasn’t been one other angler out there and this day was no exception. We get to our first spot and notice that the surface ice is honeycombing and drilled a hole and we had 2 inches of this honeycomb and 4-5 inches of clear solid ice under that.

Wasn’t long and my son had his first fish on his new Austin Custom Rod and the bait that was tied on was T.H.E. Jig in the char/black combination. This color combination for this lake has been very good for us so I usually have that tied on his rod. After that fish it went back to normal for this lake as they don’t congregate in a certain hole and you have to keep moving and looking for active fish. Luckily the ice isn’t that thick anymore and I am able to drill numbers of holes in our search.

We moved out to 20 feet of water and this seemed to be much more productive than the 16 feet that we were trying. Wasn’t long and the Vexilar screen lit up and my son’s rod started to jiggle a little, he reared back on that new Austin Rod and I could tell right away that he had a good one on. He was reeling as hard as he could and then as the sinker came out of the hole and right after that a 14 inch slab crappie followed. This thing was huge and I had never seen one that big out of this lake and for him to catch it, that just made my day and watching his excitement was priceless.

We kept moving around and we would catch one here and one there but I couldn’t catch anything of size and this day was his day for catching nice fish. Baits that we used were Loby Baits and T.H.E. Jig. We kept a few for a meal and these cold water fish taste so good at this time of year. The bite definitely died off after the few hours that we were out there and we had decided to call it a day. Unfortunately I have a feeling that this may be our last trip to this lake as the shoreline on a good portion of it was open and with the few inches of rain we had with very high winds that followed, I think that this lake is on its way to opening up. We have one other lake that I am hoping we get out on once more and within a week or two I am figuring that all ice will be unsafe to venture out on and then look forward to the open water season.

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BWS OutDoors latest video Ice Fishing March 7 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsK2TRGCmIA

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If you have an outdoor related question that you would like to "Ask BackWoods Sportsman Outdoors", send those inquiries to the following e-mail address and we will be glad to post a response for you:
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