Panfish

Winter Panfish Preview on the Iowa Great Lakes

Winter Panfish Preview on the Iowa Great Lakes By Steve Weisman With the entire open water panfishing so outstanding on the Iowa Great Lakes, ice fishermen can hardly wait to see what the hard water season will bring. Big Spirit, East Okoboji, Upper Gar, Minnewashta and West Okoboji consistently produced excellent panfishing action all summer. […]

Become a Better Hardwater Angler

Become a Better Hardwater Angler By Rod Woten Are you new to ice fishing and want to shorten the learning curve? Are you a seasoned angler that wants to take your game to the next level? Are you frustrated with catching few or small fish…want to catch more and bigger fish? When I first started […]

Early Ice Crappies

Ahhhh…nothing like your first trip out to the ice. Days prior to your first trip you go through the list, Vexilar battery…check; auger…check; load new line on your ice rods…check; ice jigs and bait…check; ice shack…check; lantern and heater tested…check; everything seems to be in order and ready to go. Reports are coming in that […]

Let’s Go Ice Fishing w/ Rod Woten – Podcast

Late Fall Strategies for Cold Water

The bite of cold has overcome Iowa by now, whitetail bucks are in rut and waterfowl hunting is picking up. With so many outdoor related distractions the thought of fishing takes a back burner to many. Even I find myself trading the rods for a shotgun at this point and celebrate the excitement of ice […]

Early Season Ice Tactics that will Fill your Bucket

Early Season Ice Tactics that will Fill your Bucket Anglers throughout Iowa keep a keen eye on the calendar each year, especially those anglers affectionately known as “ice heads”. Iowa’s average temperatures begin to dip in October and continue the downward trend throughout the month. Halloween paves the way for November to roll in and […]

It is Never to Late to Start Ice Fishing

It is Never to Late to Start Ice Fishing I have been ice fishing since junior high school, or let’s just say, a long time ago.  I can still remember that first time stepping onto the river backwater, it was an eerie feeling, but the feeling of anticipation and excitement soon overtook that eeriness.  Dreams […]

End of Fishing Season Things To Do

End of Fishing Season Things To Do How quickly our fishing seasons come and go. Spring and summer are gone, and fall is coming to a close. Sure enough, soon the ice will be on lakes, and we’ll be heading into ice fishing season. However, there are some end of the open water season things […]

Reasons why you Should Still be Fishing

Reasons why you Should Still be Fishing The fall months in Iowa are very special for those that love the outdoors.  Hunting seasons have begun and more will soon open for different species. However, as an Iowa Sportsman I turn to the water just as much or more during these late season months to fish.  […]

Streamer Madness

As a fly fisherman, I have mixed emotions as I watch summer slowly fade into fall. Gone are the insect hatches that were so plentiful all spring and summer and along with that the heyday of dry fishing in Iowa’s trout country. Always a silver lining type of guy, I also realize that even though […]