Panfish

Early Spring Fishing – Crappie

Early Spring Fishing – Crappie By Ben Leal Crappie… animals that forage for discrete, isolated resources are often characterized as either “ambush” (sit-and-wait) or “cruise” (active) searchers. Juvenile white crappie, Pomix annularis, search for zooplankton prey using a salutatory search (SS) strategy. Unlike ambush and cruise, SS involves… Had all you readers going there for […]

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Supercharged Shore Fishing

Supercharged Shore Fishing By Kent Boucher I imagine your first fishing experience was similar to my own. You most likely were equipped with a button cast reel already spooled with cheap, monofilament line that was better suited for hog tying your tackle box or twisting itself into an impossible knot than it was for helping […]

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Spring Ritual: Spawning Crappies

Spring Ritual: Spawning Crappies By Rod Woten Spring is finally in the air! Ice has finally decided to release its grip on our lakes, the sun is starting to feel warmer, and the days are getting longer. Surely gobbling turkeys and popping morels can’t be too far behind? Ever since becoming a fly fishing guide, […]

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Hardwater To Open Water

Hardwater To Open Water By Ben Leal As March approaches there are quite a few anglers that start looking at their boats, rods and reels, thinking about the open water season. February is the time of year when in Iowa, most of the outdoor sports and recreation shows are taking place giving reason for thoughts […]

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Why You’re Not Catching Fish Through The Ice

Why You’re Not Catching Fish Through The Ice By Rod Woten Even the best of us have a day when we just can’t seem to catch fish. Either we can’t get them to bite, or we just plain can’t find them. This is especially frustrating with ice fishing because we can get right on top […]

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Plan A, B and C when the Fish Disappear

Plan A, B and C when the Fish Disappear By Todd Reed The ice fishing season is well underway and anglers are having success all around the state of Iowa.  The fish have had ample time to get in their winter patterns and can become pretty predictable this time of year.  Typically that is a […]

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A Trip Down Memory Lane

A Trip Down Memory Lane By Steve Weisman In late September, my wife and I traveled to her hometown of Redfield, SD for her 50th year class reunion. The kids of ’69 were now in their late 60s, and as a friend of mine and I watched the Redfield homecoming parade, we cheered as the […]

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Introduce Someone New To Fishing

Introduce Someone New To Fishing By Ben Leal Most of us probably have someone in our lives that took the time to introduce us to fishing. It may have been a grandparent, your Dad or your Mom, or even just a friend that invited you out one day. So the seed was planted, and you’re […]

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Iowa Ice Hotspots for Crappie

Iowa Ice Hotspots for Crappie By Ben Leal November of 2019 will be remembered by the sudden blast of cold that blew into the State early in the month…Anglers across Iowa, especially those in the central portions of the state were talking about being on the ice by Thanksgiving. As I sit and hammer out […]

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First Ice Checklist

First Ice Checklist By Todd Reed The ice around the state of Iowa has locked up nicely this year and has provided anglers an escape to nature during these cold months.  I have loved ice fishing for about three decades and with each winter a new excitement comes over me. It isn’t really about the […]

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