Musky/Pike

Ice Fishing Gear – Getting Your Combo On

Ice Fishing Gear – Getting Your Combo On By Ben Leal When I first started ice fishing it was literally a foreign language to me. Moving to the mid-west and experiencing days of temperatures below zero was quite the eye-opener. Long before my first adventure out on the ice, I had visions of a guy […]

Pre-Ice Ice Preparation

Pre-Ice Ice Preparation By Rod Woten It’s hard to believe that we could legitimately be walking on water in a handful of weeks. As I write this, it is 90 degrees outside and it feels more like ice fishing season is months away instead of weeks. Eventually, Mother Nature will get with the program and […]

REAP Funding Benefits All Iowans

REAP Funding Benefits All Iowans By Steve Weisman A program that doesn’t get enough credit for the benefits that come from it is the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program. Since its beginning in 1989, REAP has helped fund the protection of Iowa’s beautiful and important resources. Each year REAP funds these areas: Clean water […]

Camouflaged Conservation – Podcast

When the bite is on

When the bite is on By Ben Leal September…ahhhhhh…cooling temps, well at least we hope they start cooling off. We’ve just wandered through the heat of July and August and it was in a word, hot! Fishing, for the most part, was an early morning or late afternoon evening event. Two reasons really; you want […]

Fishing Myth Busters

Fishing Myth Busters By Todd Reed No matter how often you fish, or don’t fish there are many people that have certain beliefs about fishing.  What makes fishing better…what you can’t do when you fish.  There are many myths about fishing that the common public say and truly believe in.  Perhaps Grandpa said these things […]

Tackle Talk: Go-To Lures for Multi-Species Angling

Tackle Talk: Go-To Lures for Multi-Species Angling By Nick Johnson How many lures does one angler need? I would venture to guess than many of you reading this have a stockpile of options to choose from and yet each season make repeated pilgrimages to the tackle store to increase personal inventory with new and improved […]

Pontoon’s As Fishing Boats?

Pontoon’s As Fishing Boats? By Steve Weisman Ever since I purchased my first boat over 40 years ago, nothing has been more exciting, time consuming and, yes, even exasperating as it has been to narrow down the list to my final choice. Back in 1972, I began with a 14-year-old 14-foot Crestliner and a 10 […]

Avoiding Boating Mistakes

Avoiding Boating Mistakes By Steve Weisman I’ve been a boat owner for over 40 years and for the most part have enjoyed my boating experiences. At the same time, along the way I have witnessed and been part of mistakes that have certainly affected those experiences. Some have been laughable, some what I would call […]

Iowa’s State Record Fish: Part II

Iowa’s State Record Fish: Part II By Ben Leal Last month we took a look at the current State records for perch, walleye, northern pike and muskellunge or musky as they are known. We also noted some areas where an angler might have a chance at landing that next record. With warming waters we’ll start […]