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When Spring Has Sprung
When Spring Has Sprung By Ben Leal Spring in Iowa, and for that matter anywhere in the country, is a pretty active time for our fishy friends that reside in area lakes. Warming water temps are a signal for walleye, crappie, and bass that it’s time to start moving to shallow spring haunts. Walleye are the first to make that transition to shallow water for the spawn. And I do mean shallow! Walleye can be found in a foot of water at times, especially at night. Crappies are not far behind, they will also start their transition from their deep wintering holes to shallow cover. Bass will soon follow as water temps continue to warm giving them the signal that [...]
Geographical Whitetail Hideouts and Travel Corridors (Part 1)
Geographical Whitetail Hideouts and Travel Corridors (Part 1) By Jason Smith It’s late-September. You’ve got all of your hunting gear organized and ready to go. Your clothes are clean and scent free, and your boots are well broken in and waterproofed. You’ve spent hours upon hours dialing in your bow and honing your shooting skills through countless sessions of off-season practice. Tags have been purchased. Stands have been hung. Trail cameras have been set and checked. Deer have been located and patterned. You’re just waiting for opening day. Then you receive ‘THE CALL’. For whatever reason, you just lost permission to hunt land that you’ve hunted for years. Your world has been thrown into an absolute tailspin. You’re scrambling to [...]
Trolling for Walleyes over the Weeds
Trolling for Walleyes over the Weeds By Steve Weisman Last August, I had the chance to listen to Jon Thelen, walleye guide and host of Lindy’s Fish Ed Television Series, give a fishing seminar at the Okoboji Blue Water Festival. His topic was “Walleyes in the Weeds,” and I was excited to hear what his thoughts were on that topic. I had my own ideas for fishing weeds in the Iowa Great Lakes, but I wondered if his tactics were similar in the walleye lakes he fishes. In addition to the seminar, I had the chance to just sit down with Thelen and talk more about the topic “Walleyes in the Weeds.” You know what excites me the most? Thelen [...]
Identifying Catfish Locations From Shore
Identifying Catfish Locations From Shore By Brad Durick These days, as catfishing gets more and more press, and more and more technical, it seems that some of the conversation has shifted from the traditional way of doing things. We read about drifting vast lake flats for giant blue cats or using high end side imaging to find mid river channel catfish. Still today a lot more people who chase the beloved catfish, fish them from shore rather than from boats. These shore anglers are no longer sidelined with a lack of technology and knowledge as they once were. Even the shore comes with high end tactics these days. It is true that many catfish anglers will go down to the [...]
Top 9 Channel Catfish Baits
Top 9 Channel Catfish Baits By Brad Durick I was once told by a great catfish tournament angler that the best bait collectors are often times the best catfish anglers. I had to ponder that one for a while but in the end I believe he is spot on with that statement. So what is the best channel catfish bait? Well, I know one thing is for sure, this is a question that is capable of starting a fight. In fact, when I am speaking to cat anglers from all over the Midwest I say, “Let’s start a fight. What is the best catfish bait?” Ok, no fight actually breaks out but it gets a good laugh. In all truth, [...]
Hunting and Habitat Equipment on a Budget
Hunting and Habitat Equipment on a Budget By Tom Peplinski This month I am responding to a question about buying equipment on a budget. Paul from central Iowa asks, “I recently just bought some land for hunting whitetails. My daughter and nephew will be hunting with me. They have been hunting for some time, but I am relatively new to the sport. I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can about hunting whitetails but with so much stuff out there I don’t know where to start. Should I buy good hunting equipment, or should I be spending my money on stuff for food plots. I only have about $500 to $1000 a year to spend but I also [...]
5 Summer Key’s to Fall Success
5 Summer Key’s to Fall Success By Kevin Sturm Over the years my wife may have mentioned to me a time or two that hunting season seems to never end, and after some reflection I would have to say she is exactly right. I have learned over the years, there is a huge difference in my hunting success when I work through the summer in preparation for the fall hunting season, rather than going out and blindly hunting on opening day. I can tell you I honestly do not have all the answers, nor will I ever, regardless of how many hours I spend hunting. But what I can do is give you some information that has worked for me [...]
Catch’em Right Now
Catch'em Right Now By Bob Jensen Early summer can provide some of the best fishing action of the year for many species of fish found in the Midwest. In fact, many very successful anglers consider June to be the best time of the year to go fishing. Walleyes and bass are particularly susceptible to an angler’s presentation right now. If you want to catch more fish in the next few weeks, consider these ideas. Weather can play a role in where the fish are found this time of year. Depending on when the fish spawned, they might be shallow or at mid-depths. The earlier they spawned, the earlier they’ll move to deeper water. Also, you might find that, early in [...]
Clear Line for Clear Water? Maybe Not
Clear Line for Clear Water? Maybe Not By Bob Jensen The line that we put on our reels when we go fishing is a very important consideration. Your line is the only connection between you and the fish. If your line doesn’t do the job, you don’t land the fish. But the line you choose, in the minds of many, will also play a role in getting a fish to bite the bait attached to your line. I spent a couple of days on the waters of Sturgeon Bay in Wisconsin with my friend Mike Gottheardt recently. Mike can catch smallmouth bass with the best of’em. His tournament successes prove that. Mike spends a lot of time on Sturgeon Bay [...]
Summertime Coyotes
Summertime Coyotes Does anyone miss hunting yet now that most of our favorite game seasons have been closed for quite some time? It seems that as soon as a hunting season ends for the year we are already dreaming of opening morning of the next season’s first march through the fields to bag another rooster, the view of the sun’s first rays silhouetting the first flock of ducks setting their wings over your spread or for the calendar to hit the day when you can finally climb into the treestand for the first time with stick and string in hand. If only there was something to fill the time between turkey season and fall? Wait a second, there is! Usually [...]
