Fishing

Best of Both Worlds

When Van Halen released their 1986 hit song “Best of Both Worlds”, I highly doubt they had fly fishing in mind. That’s unfortunate because my favorite fly fishing rig, the “hopper-dropper”, gives me exactly what they’re talking about in their song. It allows me to catch Northeast Iowa trout in the two worlds that their […]

Hot Weather Whiskers

By Nick Johnson In my early cattin’ days I struggled like any beginner trying to succeed. Summer, hot weather catfish would sometimes find their way to my hook but the bites were few and the bigger fish substantially fewer. I found myself pursuing the same tired out presentations and locations with nothing to show. One […]

High Water Channel Catfish Magic

High water in rivers is one of the scariest situations many catfish anglers have to deal with. Not just water that is higher than normal but water that is near or above flood stage. Many catfish anglers choose to stay home and wait for a better day. Only a few understand the magic that awaits […]

Flatheads: Beyond Traditional

By Nick Johnson When one talks beyond traditional methods for catching fish, your mind will conjure up ideas of a new trick or an innovative tactic. A tactic that may be guarded secretly by those who practice the technique with wild success. When the words – flathead catfish – are mixed in with this talk, […]

Fall Flatheads: Coming Out of the Woodwork

By Nick Johnson The fall cool water period is argued by many hard core cat anglers as the best time of year to catch numbers of big flatheads. Daily movements increase and a virtual feeding binge takes place in the flathead community. Simply put, any cat angler looking to catch a plus sized mudcat should […]

Cooling Water Channel Cats

Catfishing during late summer and into fall can be some of the most amazing fishing of the year. It can also be one of the more head scratching times of the season. Why is it that some days can be so great and others so bad? To answer this question you first must understand how […]

Catfish in the Mainstream

By Brad Durick It is human nature to notice things that interest you. In the world of advertising this is called a hot button. You would not even raise an eyebrow to a radio ad about eye glasses unless you were in the market for a pair. You don’t notice that blue F-150 until you […]

Bank Poling for Cats

By Josh Bruegge It’s after dark and my friends and I have joined the creatures of the night. Our simple camp is set up on a sandbar and my friends are shining our spotlight up and down the banks of the river, hoping to spy the movement of a PVC pole bouncing frantically. A quick […]

Gold On Ice: Tactics for Winter Carp

By: Nick Johnson Pound for pound, not many North American fish in fresh water fight harder than the Common Carp. There is no question that many, if not most of our bodies of water in the state contain them and plenty of anglers have had their hardware tested by the brute fight of one of […]

Fly Fishing for Stream Carp: Iowa’s Bonefish

By: Nick Johnson Arguably the hardest fight I have ever experienced on a fly rod did not come from a 4lb smallmouth bass, or a 20″ cutthroat trout, or even a pike, all of which I have landed on fly gear. No, the hardest fight came from an average sized common carp a few miles […]

« Newer 1 … 48 49 50 Older »