Panfish
When the going gets Tough on the Ice
When the going gets Tough on the Ice The weekend is upon us and we have the green light for a trip to the ice. The feeling can be magical on a Friday afternoon. As you drift off in your mind you can see the bluegills piled up beside your bucket, and those big crappies […]
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Fishing Late Season Ice
Fishing Late Season Ice February is the time of year when, in Iowa, most outdoor sports and recreation shows are taking place, giving reason for the thoughts of open water. Reality soon sets in as you peer out the window and see a blanket of snow covering much of the ground and fishing boats remain […]
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Primetime for Panfish
Primetime for Panfish March is a wonderful time of the year that can bring warm weather and with it, thoughts of open water. This leads most anglers to begin preparing for open water leaving many opportunities to fish areas with limited pressure. Some of the biggest bluegills and crappies that swim in systems are caught […]
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What is a Trophy Fish
Trophy Fish What Makes Em’ Grow As a lifelong angler I have had the thrill of catching some genuine trophy fish. As a boy, a trophy was anything bigger than the last fish I caught. And in one case it was one that never took the bait, but one I could clearly see as […]
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Iowa’s State Parks
Iowa’s State Parks In the last 25 years of technological advancements, I have watched our culture advance at a tremendous pace that, I worry, will never slow down. Phones, computers, iPods, iPads, GPS, electric cars, automatic vacuums, auto lawnmowers, and more! We are certainly making things easier for our lifestyles, but we are also creating […]
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Best Crappie Baits
Best Crappie Baits 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 you readers going there for a moment didn’t I… Well lucky […]
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Raising an Outdoors Child
Train Up A Child When I was a child I had my life, and my parents had theirs; they did not try to weave their lives into my life; we were not best friends. I did what was normal for a nine-year-old boy, while my parents worked, mowed the yard, went to church suppers, […]
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Three Panfish Lures for Iowa Ice
Three Panfish Lures for Iowa Ice Ice fishing is not just a hobby for me, but a passion and a challenge. I enjoy testing different techniques, baits, and locations to find the best way to catch fish in any condition. One of the ways I have improved my ice fishing skills is by talking to […]
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2024 Boating Accessories
2024 Boating Accessories Boat: a device that allows a person to float on water. That is a simple definition of a boat, and one that I do not think of when speaking about boats. Depending on the day I may think of a boat as a shiny, fast moving bass boat, and on other days […]
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Minnesota Ice Fishing Nothing Like it
Minnesota Ice Fishing… It’s Like No Other What happens when you combine over 10,000 lakes loaded with fish in a state that produces consistent below freezing temps? You have the recipe for ice fishing of epic proportion. Throw in a myriad of full service resorts, outfitters and sleeper fish house businesses that cater to ice […]
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