The Windy Midwest

When I was a kid I could always remember cool wet springs, hot calm summers, warm falls that slowly turn into cold, cold winters with a lot of snow. Never was there a green Christmas to talk about or how nice the 40 degree winter day was. Now it seems like abnormal temps and high winds are the norm. This winter of course a green Christmas it was not a lot of snow to even make me nervous on a drive. Ice is in high demand because there is not much to find on local lakes. A trip up north is in order to find any bit of ice to drive on with a truck. That’s what led us to the Big Pond for a weekend with Perch and Walleyes on our minds. What we didn’t expect to find was a great wind blowing across the lake. That’s what we found. We made the journey up on Friday night and were eager to hear what the reports were. Last time we were up we found lots of fish more than willing to bite. This time was a little different. ...

New Year’s in Northern Minnesota – by Chris Barlage

With surviving Christmas and all the mess cleaned up the New Year approaches. Sitting in my chair and knowing the weekend is approaching I turn to my wife and ask what the plans are for the weekend were. I nearly fell out of the chair when I heard the answer. “I though you would be gone fishing”. “Yes I will be” I answered with a great big smile on my face. That very second I was on the phone calling the boys telling them I had a free pass for the weekend and it would be a 3 day since we were off on Monday from work. Everyone was in and so it was at 5:00pm on Friday we were all northern bound. Arriving a little late it was time to brain storm. What would the game plan for the morning be? We wanted to hit big water, but soon we would see our spot would not be fishable. It was time to rethink. With Walleyes and Perch on our brain we would find a spot. To bed we went only to wake and realize that we had over ...

Big Water Panfish – by Bob Bohland

It should come as no surprise that most trophy panfish come from bigger waters. They have more forage, more habitat, and just more room for numbers of panfish to grow larger. Yet, many anglers only fish panfish on small to medium sized waters. Whether it is not realizing that there are fishable populations of good sized panfish in the bigger lakes, or whether it is just being hesitant about trying to find them amidst thousands of acres of water, they are missing out on some of the best trophy panfishing available. But with a little hard work, and a couple of tricks up your sleeve you can have all the panfish to yourself on big bodies of water. While most anglers on smaller waters tend to go right towards weedy shorelines or bays, there can often be too much of this type of structure in a large lake for an angler to efficiently dissect. Many savvy big-water panfisherman don’t bother with near-shore structure. They know that it is easier to dissect the off-shore structure in a lake, leaving them less area they have to search. There are two different types of off-shore structure that produce good-sized panfish: Mud depressions, also known ...

First Ice in Northern Minnesota – By Chris Barlage

With some cold weather and reports of people fishing north of Mille Lacs there is only one thing for an ice fisherman to do. Get a few days off of work and get the guys together and hit the ice. So that was our plans. After work on Wednesday we loaded up the trucks and we were northern bound. We hit the hotel early evening and asked about ice in the area. Our plan A lake was told to be wide open earlier in the week. After hearing that we soon came up with a plan B just in case we found open water in our first spot. So feeling a little disappointed to bed we went. Just after sunup we set out to the lake to see if there would be fishable ice. Sure enough there we saw our bay froze over. So paring up into twos and ice picks in hand we walked the shore until we found the point that we wanted to go out from. Drilling many holes along the way to check the ice we found a nice clear 6 inches. So we drilled the ...

Backyard Ice Fishing… Metro Area Lakes – by Matt Johnson

When thinking about the Metro Area, MN, we oftentimes assume that we’re dealing with small fish and pressured lakes. While both assumptions can (at times) be true, you’re only cheating yourself by pushing the Metro lakes aside. Not only do our Metro lakes hold quality fish, but at times they will hold high numbers of these quality fish. The trick to uncovering these gems comes with some effort, but with vast rewards and short trips you will see that fishing in your backyard is more than worth it. The most important key to fishing Metro lakes is being adventurous. To put it simple: don’t fish where the crowds are. We are too quick to join the shanty town when we should be out searching for our own fish. So many times have I found quality fish in lakes where others complain about the fishing pressure. How does this happen? Well, let’s just say it involves a few tanks of auger gas and sore legs, but when you get a glimpse at the pot of gold you forget about the pain. The pot of gold in this story means giant panfish and trophy walleye… and yes, right in your backyard. I’m a firm ...

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Iowa Fishing Reports
DES MOINES IA - The weekly Iowa fishing reports 1/26/12 is gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys, and county and state parks staff. NORTHWEST IOWA FISHING REPORTS Yellow Smoke Park Lake The ice is reported to be 5 to 7 inches thick from the handicapped fishing dock on west. Anglers s
DNR Program Pays Landowners of 40 Acres or More
MANKATO MN - Landowners in 21 southwestern Minnesota counties can earn money by allowing public hunting on their private land through the Walk-In Access (WIA) program, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). WIA, which is entering its second year as a pilot program, target
Wolf Hunting Season Proposed
ST PAUL MN - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is proposing an inaugural gray wolf hunting and trapping season this fall that calls for a conservative harvest quota of 400 animals. Wolf research indicates Minnesota's wolf population could sustain a higher quota, but DNR officials
Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Survey Sets Record
BISMARCK ND - The annual mid-winter bald eagle survey conducted Jan. 13 along the Missouri River stretching from Bismarck to the Garrison Dam showed a record number of bald eagles, according to Patrick T. Isakson, conservation biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. A total of 108
Teen Angler Catches New State-Record Walleye
ROCKFORD, IL – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Division of Fisheries salutes 15 year old Nick Tassoni of Rockford for catching a new state-record walleye. The fish was caught on Jan. 7, 2012 on the Pecatonica River between Rockton and Harrison in Winnebago County. Nick Tasson

In Depth Ice Fishing

Lizard vs brush hog
Actually, about the only time I use lizards anymore is on jigworms, when I really want to slow down the fall more than a ribbontail worm will allow - or I'm on pressured water where fish see a lot of jigworms. Other than that, in clear water I'm way more likely to use a straight tailed worm or tube
Bye Skeet R. Revo. Hello Chronarch!!!
I picked up a 51 last year and its my favorite reel......
Larva, Waxies, or Plastics?
I like plastics around here on certain lakes but once i go up north strick live bait ecspecially when fishing for slabs and gills.
Fly fishing for carp?
You are in for some of the best, and sometimes most frustrating, fishing to be had in the metro area. During the spring, just as ice off occurs to slightly after, they will flock to any area where current runs into a lake. Storm sewers, creeks, inlets to other lakes, they will attract fish.
kabetogama
[i][/i]Im going up to Kabetogama this weekend, looking for jumbo perch. Any suggestions?

In Depth Hunting

Thoughts On 220's
[quote] Won't less trappers/harvest end up with more demand and higher prices? Maybe end up with same or close to $$ coming in? [/quote] It would be nice if it worked that way, but it really doesn't. Wild fur is dependent on market conditions and demand - mostly from foreign markets, and the c
Why keep baiting illegal for deer? Read this article!
But...who are "they"?? The Proactive ones? The ones that felt they needed to pass a law to protect us from ourselves because we didn't have a clue,(or degree), how the methods we used to harvest a game animal would totaly ruin what "should be" the definition of "ethical&qu
Spring snow goose hunt
Bryce, can you elaborate on your statement? :confused:
More trapping of dogs...
I have never trapped. I have been hunting for 30 years and have owned dogs. I am on the side of Jonny P and other trappers. Don’t outlaw the 220. My father has been pheasant hunting for 55 year and my brother for about 25. In all of the years of hunting, we’ve never had a dog get injured by
Trail cam mystery?
[quote=Scoot]Lots of theories, but no clear answers... tough to tell! [b]Just curious- when and where did you get the pic[/b]?[/quote] I think I know where you're going with this. I think I saw this picture on another hunting site at one point?

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The Windy Midwest

New Year’s in Northern Minnesota – by Chris Barlage

Big Water Panfish – by Bob Bohland

First Ice in Northern Minnesota – By Chris Barlage

Backyard Ice Fishing… Metro Area Lakes – by Matt Johnson

Ice Fishing – At The Leading Edge!

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