Panfish

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 […]

Summer Fishing Strategy – Podcast

Iowa Great Lakes Grand Slam: Part 1

Iowa Great Lakes Grand Slam: Part 1 By Steve Weisman In baseball terms, a grand slam is the greatest hit of all, and a second grand slam in a two-day period is even more incredible. Many hitters never hit one in their career, let alone two in a two-day period. Now let’s take the grand […]

Iowa Sportsman Fishing Trip: Lake Rathbun

Iowa Sportsman Fishing Trip: Lake Rathbun By Clayton Will However you say it; Rathbun Lake or Lake Rathbun, it’s a must see Iowa Family Fishing Trip Destination. At 11,000 acres Lake Rathbun is easily Iowa’s largest body of water not called a river or stream. Nestled in Appanoose County Lake Rathbun is a popular spot […]

How to make your Farm Pond a Fish Haven

How to make your Farm Pond a Fish Haven By Ben Leal The song of birds in the meadows and fields greet a cool Iowa morning. The family car is loaded up and ready to make the short drive to Grandpa’s house for a day of family fun. Pulling up to the house, the kids […]

Disappearing Act: Finding Post-Spawn Crappies

Disappearing Act: Finding Post-Spawn Crappies By Rod Woten It absolutely boggles my mind! How can the same crappies that were so bunched up and easy to catch during the spawn be so scattered and elusive after the spawn? How can they just disappear? It’s not like they grew legs and walked to another lake. They’re […]

Getting A New Boat Without Getting Hooked

Getting a new Boat without Getting Hooked For many of us, one of our prized possessions is our fishing boat. And you know what? It really doesn’t matter how old or how much we paid for it. The fishing rig we currently have is the one we have worked so hard to own. Just as […]

Avoid the Bust: Select the Right Outfitter

Avoid the Bust: Select the Right Outfitter By Ryan Eder Sometimes as a writer I struggle to find new topics to discuss in an article. This month, however, my inspiration came easily as I had arguably the worst waterfowl hunting experience with an outfitter this season. Selecting an outfitter can be difficult; there are several […]

Stewardship… On Ice

Stewardship… On Ice By Rod Woten It’s amazing how far ice fishing has come in the past several years. Devices like portable sonar systems, underwater cameras, fully rigged ATV’s and snowmobiles, efficient gas augers and even the internet, have helped all of us to become fish catching machines when the hardwater months set in. We’ve […]