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Snowmobiles: The New Rage?
Snowmobiles: The New Rage? I am amazed how far snowmobiles and the sport of snowmobiling have come in the 40-ish years since I first threw a leg over one. I remember our old Ski-Doo and Rupp sleds fondly. At the time they seemed powerful, comfortable and agile. Fast forward 40 years and the performance improvements […]
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Early Tactics for Full Buckets
Early Tactics for Full Buckets Once the calendar turns to November, anglers in the Ice Belt begin praying for several sub-freezing days and nights to get that first sold ice on fishable waters. Here on the Iowa Great Lakes that can be early as Thanksgiving but most usually around the middle of December. Now that […]
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Horsin’ Around With Redhorse
Horsin’ Around With Redhorse By Nick Johnson I can remember it like yesterday, sitting along the bank of a creek with my friend Dave drowning worms in pursuit of anything, really. We were young kids at the time, enjoying our freedom, not yet feeling the obligations of a summer job. The dry heat was enough […]
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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 […]
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Hacks Every Angler Should Know
Hacks Every Angler Should Know By Todd Reed Each and every angler that makes a cast wants to accomplish the same thing, to catch a fish. Some anglers are quite serious about this task, while others fish to catch a fresh meal, or to unwind from the busy day. No matter what reason you go […]
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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 […]
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Chasing Nighttime Fish
Chasing Nighttime Fish How’s this for fishing the first night of this past Walleye Opener on West Okoboji? Six walleyes 15-16 inches, another 12 walleyes in the slot from 17-22 inches, 5 walleyes over the slot with the largest at 25 inches. Oh, and a 22.5-inch/7-pound 4-ounce trophy smallmouth! Not a bad night’s work, I’d […]
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Tips for Fishing in Hot Temps
Tips for Fishing in Hot Temps The average summertime temperatures in Iowa are between 82°F and 87°F, and mid-day temperatures often touch 90° to 100°F throughout the state. Not to terrible…right? With humidity levels easily reaching over 70 percent, it can make an outdoor enthusiast think twice before heading to the open water. Even worse, […]
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A Day in the Life of a Northeast Iowa Trout
A Day in the Life of a Northeast Iowa Trout By Rod Woten Trout are absolutely fascinating to me. Whether it’s their ability to live in the smallest streams or the largest lakes, their sheer strength and survivability, their ability to see and intercept even the smallest aquatic insects rushing by in the current or […]
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Troutin’ About in Iowa
Troutin’ About in Iowa Use the word “trout” and “Iowa” in the same sentence and you’ll definitely get some funny looks. Trout are rarely the first fish that comes to mind when most think of Iowa. Fish more typically thought of, as “Iowa fish” are bluegills, catfish, largemouth bass, white bass and crappies. I never […]
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