crappie

Tips for Sight Fishing Success

Tips for Sight Fishing Success By Steve Weisman I still remember when I moved to northwest Iowa in 1978. I saw the chain of lakes called the Iowa Great Lakes, and I knew this was where I wanted to be. Although I have had great fishing on all of these lakes, it is West Okoboji […]

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Tip Up Fishing 101

Tip Up Fishing 101 By Nick Johnson When you break ice fishing down to a minimal level, a tip-up is about as simple and straightforward as it gets. This style of fishing dates back an awful long time and has, if anything, gained in popularity over the past two decades. Tip-ups come in a wide […]

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Ice Fishing The Unknown: Exploring New Ice

Ice Fishing The Unknown: Exploring New Ice By Nick Johnson As ice fisherman we all love the thrill of ice fishing new waters. It might be a new body of water never fished or perhaps a stretch of uncharted water on something you have already explored. When success is had in this instance the sheer […]

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Method to the Madness

Method to the Madness: Drilling Patterns for Successful Ice Anglers By Rod Woten Ice augers have come a long way in the past 20 years. From the old hand-crank spoon augers to today’s lightweight ice eating machines, making holes in the ice has continued to get easier and easier. Along with that progression, the way […]

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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. […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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Basic Fishing Rigs Every Angler Should Know!

The State of Iowa is a diverse region offering anglers across the area a wide range of opportunities to chase after their favorite quarry. Whether you chase after bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, catfish or any of the other 148 known species in Iowa, there are times when a special or specific fishing rig can help […]

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I.O.W.A. (Ice-fisherman Out Wandering Around)

Even though most Iowans don’t realize it, Iowa is on the doorstep to the ice belt. It’s hard to say that we’re the center of the ice belt, but head anywhere in a northerly direction out of the state and you’re going to run into world-class ice fishing destinations. After traveling to fish in the […]

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Sight For Sore Eyes….

Iowans have a lot to be thankful for. Of course, being a native Iowan, I may be a little biased. Even as ice anglers, Iowans have lots to be thankful for. While Iowa isn’t the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, we do definitely have some great hardwater fisheries. Probably at the top of my list is […]

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