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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
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ICE FISHING CONTINUES TO EVOLVE Wow! Have there been a lot of fishing changes over the last 60 years or so. However, I don’t think anything has changed more than ice fishing. With all of the changes since the 1950s, we have gone from what I would call the “dark ages” into the “new age!” Let’s take a look. Growing up I have been ice fishing since the late 1950s, when I was a kid growing up in north central South Dakota. It was pretty rudimentary in those days, and we pretty STEVE WEISMAN much stood around a chis‐ OUTDOOR EDITOR eled ice hole watching a big bobber. The first challenge was simply getting a hole through the ice. At that time, I wit‐ nessed people try their hand at everything from an axe to a spud bar. Needless to say, I was a little concerned about safety with an axe, so my dad and I always used a spud bar. However, if the ice was thicker than a foot, we would do one hole for each of us and be done. The hole always started about 12” in diameter and by the time I had completed the hole with a spud bar, it had become a 5‐6” hole (if I was lucky). No matter how I tried, the longer I would spud, the narrower the hole would become. Of course, at least a couple of times, I lost control of the spud bar, and it went down the hole. After losing two spud bars, my dad put a rope on the end and made me wrap the rope around my hand. I still have that red spud bar with the nylon rope attached in my garage. We had no rod and reel combos. No, we used braided line, a plain hook and a bobber with a minnow for bait. The line wrapped around two pegs on a long stick that had a metal point to stick into the ice. Then we would watch the bobber – most of the time, since we had no shelter, we had to con‐ stantly skim the newly forming ice out of the hole. We didn’t jig; we’d just sit on a bucket and watch. Or as I began to shiv‐ er, I’d jump up and down and maybe run around the pickup to get the blood flowing. And why not? The clothes that we used were the same ones we used to keep warm when we did the farm chores. We’re not talking insulated anything! We certainly had no
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shelter of any sort, except for the pickup, which we used to for late ice action on West Okoboji. I would spend the day block the wind. Rudimentary, yes. Sure we with Dave as he and Denny Clark went around the bay caught some fish, but it was pretty much checking on how the teams were doing. I learned blind luck. No flashers in those days! so much simply by being around and listening Things begin to change as he talked with the teams. They came In the late 60s, I met my father‐in‐law, from several states to fish the gin clear who actually had a portable ice shack Okoboji waters. And they were good! Plus, that he hauled around on a snowmobile they were willing to share and didn’t hide trailer. It came in six parts, and we put it their techniques. together on the ice. Oh my, that Soon, my son Curt and I began fishing kerosene heater felt good on those the Trap Attacks, and in 2004 we quali‐ cold windy days (but oh did it stink!). fied for the National Championship. We actually used rods, reels and spooled With a lot of luck, we finished third in with 6‐pound test monofilament line. We’d the Championships. Plus, we had the still use the plain hook and minnow, but we best teachers in the world around us, downsized the bobber and even went to who shared with us some of their something called a tear drop tipped with wig‐ techniques for catching fish glers or wax worms! Now we were targeting all through the ice. kinds of fish: walleyes, northern pike and panfish. On the cutting edge We had even advanced to hand ice augers, The original Fish Trap paved Dave Genz has been on the cutting although the spoon auger seemed to only be the way for the wide variety edge of ice fishing for over 30 years. sharp for about two holes and then just spun on of portable shelters made In the industry, there are a couple of the ice! Mora came out with a regular hand today. initials used: B. G. It stands for Before auger that worked pretty well. However, my Photo submitted Genz! Now, there are two more ini‐ father‐in‐law had an electric one that hooked to a tials used that describe continued car battery. Of course, that added more weight and stuff to change: A. G. Obviously, that stands for After Genz! haul out – no big deal when the ice was thick enough to Here is just a quick list of his accomplishments: drive on. n Developed the Fish Trap Then in the late 1960s, my dad purchased a Jiffy power n Created the Winter Fishing System that included mobili‐ auger. It was heavy and kind of dangerous with only one arm ty, efficiency and the importance of a plan to control the tork of the drill when it came to the bottom of n Developed the Ice Box, known today as the Genz Box, the ice, but it was certainly something compared to a spud along with a system for adapting Vexilar flashers for use in bar! Soon my father‐in‐law had one, too, and we were set. ice fishing I continued to fish and refined my techniques somewhat, n Led in the development of quality sensitive short rods‐ and by the mid‐70s I had a homemade portable wooden ice comparable to open water rods shack with skis to pull across the ice. I could put everything n Helped design the modern “less bulky, yet warm” winter on top of the shack and away I would go. Still pretty rudi‐ clothing mentary, but moving slowly away from the dark ages. n Designed ice jigs that “fished heavy”‐but were still small‐ Times change to help with visibility on flashers Then in 1978 I moved to the Iowa Great Lakes and came n Developed the down viewing method for using under‐ “face to face” with the finicky bluegills of West Okoboji. I water cameras learned from some of the locals the need to down size and n Recently teamed up with Clam to design his new go light if I wanted to even come close to catching a fish. Tungsten Jigs Many the day that I caught only a handful or nothing. Still, I For all of his efforts, he has been inducted into both the had no idea what was going on beneath the ice. Minnesota Hall of Fame and the Fresh Water Hall of Fame. Then in the late 80s, I met an ice fisherman, who changed That pretty much says it all! not only my ice fishing ways but shaped the entire ice fishing Getting better industry: Dave Genz known as Mr. Ice Fishing. He truly revo‐ and better lutionized everything. Most amazing to me is that he would How else to describe ice fishing today. So much informa‐ give away his “secrets” to other anglers. He actually wanted tion out there. New technology and equipment coming others to succeed at the sport of ice fishing. He introduced along each year. There are lots of manufacturers now me to his fishing techniques and also to a way to see what designing and tweaking what has been done before, taking was going on beneath the ice: the Vexilar FL‐8 flasher. ice fishing more and more into the new world. His first big invention, of course, is the portable ice shelter, Television shows, Internet websites and You Tube videos… called the Fish Trap. The year was 1980, and in his garage they all take us to the latest and greatest in the ice fishing Dave, with the help of his wife, Patsy (she sewed the canvas world. I begin to wonder where will it all end? pieces together), built his first Fish Trap. It has become the It’s just a matter of taking the time to learn. Now, at my standard for all flip‐over ice shelters. Growth was slow, since age, it’s fun to help my grandson become part of the A. G. it was a two‐person process, but by 1992, Genz joined his movement. Even at age 14, I see him doing things so natural‐ Fish Trap with The Clam, and the new era began. Although ly and easily. He is so open to new ideas and wants to con‐ many ice shelter manufacturers have come on board over stantly experiment with lures and presentation methods. the years, I have stayed with Clam. I think it has to do with Still when I reflect on these 70 years of change, I’m glad I knowing the effort Dave put into his design and also a loyalty was a part of the dark ages and the ice revolution that has I felt for a guy who got started in his garage! occurred. It’s been quite a ride. I also have to give Mr. Ice Talking with Dave Fishing a tip‐of‐the‐hat for his foresightedness. I met Dave when he first began bringing the Trap Attack Ice fishing, it gets me excited just thinking about it. Time two‐person panfish tournaments to Emerson Bay on West for the season to begin! Lake in late February‐early March. This was the perfect time
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
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BRANSON From left, John Amick, Bill Elling and the author hold six nice trout during their trip to Lake Taneycomo. Photo by Mark DeVore
week until finally on Thursday it warmed into the midi‐40s (although the morning started at 22 BY STEVE WEISMAN degrees!). OUTDOOR EDITOR Our guide was to be a good friend, longtime Vacations are fun. Plain and simple, they give us a Branson educator and custom fishing rod builder time to relax, get away and explore new areas. One (www.larzangler.com), Mark DeVore. He spends a lot of the favorite trip destinations for my wife and me is of time on Lake Taneycomo and knows the best trout 10 hours south: Branson, MO. spots. We wanted to rent a boat for the day, and I We meet two couples, Bill and Diane Elling from knew just the place. Estherville and John and Joanne Amick from Oelwein, An assist from Lilleys’ Landing and spend several days enjoying a “dichotomy of Lilleys’ Landing Resort and Marina (www.lilleysland‐ trips,” so to speak. First there is all of the action of ing.com) is the perfect place for trout anglers. Lilleys’ the Branson Strip bustling with its fine music (over provides anglers with updated news, a complete fly 100 shows), dining, shopping and sight‐seeing. At the and tackle shop and boat rentals. They also offer same time, go just a few blocks off and Branson guided fishing trips with some of the area’s most becomes a “kick back and relax” resort destination accomplished anglers. Only five minutes from the for all ages, the perfect place to unwind and just Branson Strip, Lilleys’ Landing also offers great lodg‐ enjoy the scenery. ing ranging from one to four‐bedroom condo‐style Then there is Lake Taneycomo, one of the finest trout fisheries in the country, winding its way through units both lakefront and off‐lake. Guests staying at Lilleys’ Landing catch a lot of trout right from their the heart of Branson. Since water flows into Lake docks. There are also lake access areas that anglers Taneycomo from the 160‐foot depth of Table Rock can also fish from shore. Lake, the average water temperature is 48 degrees. It’s hard to believe that it can be so quiet and peace‐ That’s perfect for a trout fishery. ful at Lilleys’ Landing and so busy on the Strip. FISHING TANEYCOMO Working with Megan Cummings, Marketing Bill, John and I have returned to fish Lake Coordinator for Lilley’s Landing, we were able to rent Taneycomo several times, and this November was no the perfect boat for four of us: a fishing pontoon. different. With average temperatures in the mid to That gave us a long and wide platform perfect for upper 50s, we have found this to be a good time for both spin casting and fly casting. one more open water fishing trip before returning to The nice thing about Lake Taneycomo is that there the ice fishing of northwest Iowa. are trout located all along miles and miles of river. However, if you will remember, the week of DECEM‐ From the trophy (artificial bait only) area near the BER 66‐21 was extremely cold in northwest Iowa. The dam – all the way down toward downtown Branson, cold front followed us right down to Branson. there are trout. With over 700,000 trout stocked each Daytime highs were in the upper 20s to mid‐30s all year (11 inches or longer), the catch rate is awesome.
FISHING FOR TANEYCOMO’S RAINBOW TROUT
OUR DAY Mark had brought along fly rods for us to use, and we had also brought our own spin casting outfits with 2 and 4 pound mono. Mark likes to use a small cork (strike indicator) about 7‐8 feet above a small pink hair jig. He has perfected the roll cast from a boat, and he led the way showing us little cuts, and snags, and bars and drop‐offs that would hold fish. We tied tiny ice fishing jigs on the spin casting out‐ fits and put our bobbers at the depth Mark suggest‐ ed. John had brought a Trout Magnet package with him (dark red plastic threaded on a gold jig) that produced well. I chose to go with a 1/64‐ounce white Clam Drop jig tipped with either a pink or white Maki (Jamei) plas‐ tic. Our day of fishing started at 9 a.m. It was cold (22 degrees) and fishing was slow. The Corp of Engineers was letting out water at a pretty good clip, but then they stopped the flow, causing the current to stop. The lake dropped, and the fish quit biting. After four hours, the four of us had only caught half a dozen fish. As for me, I was a big goose egg at that point! Boy was I getting razzed! Then about 1:30, the trout came out of their dol‐ drums. All of the tactics that hadn’t worked for four hours began to work (isn’t that the way fishing is). Over the next hour and a half, we boated over 30 rainbows with several ranging from 15‐16 inches in length. We could have caught more, but Mark had to teach a late afternoon class, so we needed to leave. Thanks to Mark and Megan at Lilleys’ Landing, we had a great outing. You can bet we’ll be back in another year!
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014
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Observations on the ice walleye scene BY JASON MITCHELL
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Many trends and mindsets that originate over the open water sea‐ son eventually transform on to the ice scene. There was a time when walleye anglers had a hard time put‐ ting anything on a jig besides a shin‐ er. Today, soft plastic and water solu‐ ble soft baits have traction with the walleye crowd. The soft plastic replacing live bait trend has slowly gained a foothold on the ice walleye world. Just like open water, soft plastics will never replace live bait but they are a great compliment and with cer‐ tain situations and applications, work much better. For ice anglers, many of the produc‐ tive soft plastic options for walleye are merely tipping agents. Anglers are using lures where they tradition‐ ally tip the lure with either a minnow or minnow head. Now nothing smells or tastes as good as the real thing. What many ice anglers have discov‐ ered however is that tipping the lure with soft plastics in some cases adds a little flash, a little movement as the hook swings. If the lure is moving and the strikes are aggressive, anglers have discovered that the presentation doesn’t have to taste or smell good. The fish don’t get a chance to analyze. This is the key to fishing with soft plastics. Sticking a soft plastic perch eye or minnow head imitation below a slip bobber and letting the hook sit is not going to catch much. If you are going to just sit and wait, use live bait. If however you work the lure however and can analyze the response of the fish with electronics, soft plastics can work better than live bait. Heres why: Soft plastics are much more durable and in some cases have as good or better action. So often, I just use a pinched off minnow head below spoons or swim lures. Reason I like the pinched off head is because I feel like my batting average is higher on hook sets. The fish come in on the lure and hit the lure. With just a minnow head, the hook is in the mouth of a fish. There are times when a full minnow will flop more and trigger fish that are a bit tougher and there are also times
The author Jason Mitchell with a great walleye caught with a Salmo Zipper. Aggressive presentations that incorporate soft plastics or no bait continue to push the bar of winter walleye fishing. Photo submitted
when fish want the larger profile of a whole minnow so it pays to experi‐ ment. Situations where the fish want the lure pounded hard and want the lure moving are perfect situations to replace traditional live bait with soft plastics. When fish are smoking high lift fall flutter spoon presentations, when the walleyes are punching hor‐ izontal swim lures and spoons that are getting pounded, that is the time to experiment away from bait. Last winter, I had days on Devils Lake where I caught over twenty walleyes on one Impulse Perch Eye tipped
onto a Buckshot Rattle Spoon. A bag of Impulse lasts me a week. The reality is that these trends have been happening a long time in isolat‐ ed regions for both perch and wall‐ eye. Bead spoons for example have long had a following for aggressive, shallow water walleyes on Great Lakes fisheries. The bead is just a touch of color, a little flash and the concept is similar to tipping an Impulse Perch Eye on to a Buckshot Rattle Spoon. A mistake many anglers make is thinking that “their fish” on the lakes they fish are not
See WALLEYE, on Page 5
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
Why does the DNR cut those trees down? BY JOHN H. WILLS DICKINSON COUNTY CLEAN WATER ALLIANCE
Many have commented about the Iowa DNR cutting trees down on public property in Northwest Iowa. Trees have been considered, for years, to be the embodiment of con‐ servation; just ask Smokey the Bear. Then here comes a state agency cut‐ ting those symbols of conservation down. What is up with that? It comes down to the realization that trees are good conservation where trees were once growing and abun‐ dant and they are not as good for conservation where they were not once growing and abundant. Here in Northwest Iowa, trees were relatively rare because of the frequent prairie fires that stormed through the region every 3 or 4 years. What trees were here were sheltered by big bodies of water and were relatively fire resistant. Trees and shrubs such as Burr Oak and American Plums were found in areas that they could get established. The
Iowa Great Lakes had a number of oak trees on the East side of the lakes when settlers arrived. They were sparse in today’s standards and would be called savannah more than forest. One tree could inhabit ½ acre or more and were rather bushy compared to the burr oaks we have today that grow straight up and are tall. Today we see trees in some areas actually causing erosion and gullies because they are thick and prevent‐ ing ground cover from forming. This ground cover is vital to protecting the soil and keeping that soil intact. Think about it, where we see gullies and ravines around our lakes, what do we find? We find a thick growth of large mature trees that shelter the ground with relatively bare soil underneath those trees. Just ask a landscaper or someone who has been trying to grow a lawn how hard it is to get something to grow under that thick canopy of trees. This thick growth of trees causes
two problems. First, it causes ero‐ sion, which harms the water quality of our lakes. Second, it displaces many of our prairie loving and open space loving birds, animals, and plants. The harm of trees in regards to erosion is so extreme that in some places you can put an entire house in ravines and gullies around our lakes. The harm of trees in regards to wildlife is so extreme in some places that when woody cover exceeds 25%, according to IA DNR Wildlife Biologist, Doug Harr, “The area becomes entirely unsuitable for grassland loving species of birds”. The lesson learned is that trees are conservation measures and are needed but so is native prairie and grasses. They each serve a purpose and each provides conservation ben‐ efit based on where they are located and which wildlife species uses that area. In our area of Northwest Iowa, a sparsely wooded prairie or savan‐ nah is a much preferable landscape than a dense forest area.
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Aggressive response rare with passive presentations WALLEYE Continued from page 4 aggressive enough for these baitless presentations. I have heard all the reasons. “Our lakes are tougher.” “That is just a Saginaw Bay thing or the walleyes on Devils Lake are much more aggres‐ sive.” “Red Lake walleyes will eat anything but our fish are harder.” There are truths to certain fisheries and ecosystems having specific traits that make them more or less conduc‐ tive for certain presentations no doubt. Here is the other reality, however, that many anglers don’t understand. We often think of ourselves as adapt‐ ing to the fish but the truth is fish also adapt to us. If we fish with finesse and assume the bite is going to be tough and fish for nonaggres‐ sive fish, we will find the non aggres‐ sive tough biters. If you don’t fish aggressively or at least give the fish that option at times, you will not see aggressive fish. Very rarely do you ever see an aggressive response from fish with passive presentations.
There are so many times where the fish want the lure moving, they lose interest if you back off the tempo or cadence. Electronics have taught us that. A pretty solid game plan is to start out with an aggressive presen‐ tation especially during prime time windows like sunrise and sunset or when fishing new water. Assume that there will be some aggressive fish and cover water to find them. Soft plastic options shine for this. Not only do you cover more water by fishing multiple holes but you also cover more water below the hole by working the lure in a fashion where it can be seen, felt and heard from greater distances. Soft plastics stay on the hook during this process. There are times when these lures can and will catch fish without tip‐ ping at all. I have often had more luck with walleyes with Chubby Darters without tipping the lure. Rattle baits also work well without tipping. Traditional horizontal swim lures like Puppet Minnows and Jigging Raps can be fished with no bait. Spoons, especially flutter spoons can be worked without being tipped.
On some western reservoirs in Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, anglers are catching walleyes ripping large flutter spoons like the PK Flutter Fish. Fishing lures for ice time walleyes with no bait is a leap for some ice anglers. The soft plastic tipping options available to ice anglers today kind of bridge the two worlds. I think it is safe to say that most winter wall‐ eye anglers learned to fish with the traditional minnow and bobber rou‐ tine, eventually graduating to tipping a minnow onto a spoon. The next leap is using a lure and trusting in the action of that lure to trigger fish. Now don’t think that one mindset is better or more advanced because that is a mistake some anglers make. By getting confident however with these different fishing styles, you will have another arrow in your quiver. There will always be times when an angler has to break out live bait but what will surprise many anglers is how often you don’t need live bait. What also surprises some anglers is just how much fun these walleye bites can be.
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ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT PLANS BY CAROLE LOCHMILLER BIRD HAVEN
I don't know what the weather will be like when this column is pub‐ lished but for today‐‐‐ I Love It. The snow has been coming down all morning and it is so beautiful. Days like this, where I moved here from were rare. Today I viewed the weather from new eyes, as my guests last night were my niece and her husband from San Antonio. It started snowing last night so we were out watching and feeling it on our faces. This morning they had to take pictures out in the snow. Unfortunately, for me, they had to go back to Omaha today to be with their daughter and family and are driving in the snow. But for a couple that was raised in the south and rarely sees snow this was a perfect experience.
Christmas Bird Count Coming up is the 114th annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), which is sponsored by the National Audubon Society. Christmas Day 1900, Mr. Frank Chapman, gathered 26 birders from all across the country to count birds with 90 species recorded. Think about that a minute, as there were no cell phones or Internet. Mr. Chapman would be totally amazed
at the thousands of bird enthusiasts who participate each year. The National Audubon Society organizes the CBC each year with the entire country divided into count circles with a radius of 15 miles. Each circle has a leader who gathers all of the data and forwards the informa‐ tion to the National Audubon Society. This insures that birds in open spaces such as lakes and parks will be counted as well as birds in your yard and my yard. All of this data tells a story‐such as declining populations, come back populations such as the Bald Eagle, migrations such as the Eurasian Collared Dove which was in Florida a little more than 10 years ago and is now in Alaska and, of course, my favorite, the Northern Cardinal, which continually follow the nations river systems and fan out from there. That is exactly why, in the 13 + years I've lived here there have been more Cardinal populations in Estherville, Jackson and Spencer. Wendell continues to have breeding pairs here and we get to watch the young ones learn from their parents. The Northern Iowa Prairie Lakes Audubon Society will conduct the count for the circle, which includes the Iowa Great Lakes on Sunday,
December 14, 2014. Lee Schoenewe will organize the group, being sure that all who want to participate are includ‐ ed, compile all of the counts and is responsible for forward‐ ing the information to the National Audubon Society. The counting partici‐ pants who want to go out in the field will meet at the Hy‐ Vee Deli between 7:00 and 7:30 on Dec. 14. There will be expert birders to lead each group and we encourage all that are inter‐ ested to come and help no mat‐ ter your level of expertise. This is your chance to help the National Audubon Society and perhaps explore areas of the county where you've never been. The group will meet back at Hy‐Vee at noon to compare notes and reorganize for the after‐ noon. This schedule allows more to participate even if you have just a half‐day. Another option is to stay home and count the birds at the feeders in your yard. For example if you see two chickadees at 8 a.m., six at 9:30
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a.m., and seven at 1p.m., then use the highest count of seven for the offi‐ cial count for your yard. Use that example for the count of each species in your yard. You can either call Bird Haven (712‐
6 336‐2473) with your count numbers or come into the store. Wendell and I will compile and forward all of the numbers to Lee. Another option is to e‐mail Lee directly at lschoe@smunet.net. If you are located in a county that does not have a bird watching club, give me a call and I can give suggestions on how to get one started. Because this year our county is being counted on Sunday, it will allow me to get a more accurate count of the birds in my yard. Our Sunday hours are 12:00 to 4:00 or later if need be. I've been participat‐ ing in the Christmas Bird Count since 2001, and I always enjoy all that participate. Will this finally be the year I see Cardinals in the snow in my yard? For our customers in the Jackson, MN area ‐‐‐the CBC will be held on Saturday, December 20. Don Vrchota is the contact person. If you have any questions or need any help on either day please call Bird Haven (712‐336‐2473). There are so many more bird watchers in our area than those that participate in these official counts so be one who can say, " I participated in the 2014 official National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count."
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SNOWMOBILES AND BARBED-WIRE FENCES DON’T MIX By the date on the calendar and the position of the earth’s axis from the sun it’s not yet winter, but good luck trying to tell that to Mother Nature! Regardless, our winter recreation activities are in full swing. It’s important to remember some of the hazards that arise during this season and you’ll find some helpful hints how to avoid those along with some activities to keep you JENNA POLLOCK active during this joyfulE MMET COUNTY NATURALIST ly cold time of year! The river channel becomes a popular place for snowmobilers during the winter. In Emmet County, the river bed is owned by the landowner, but the water and ice is public domain. Landowners have the right to fence across the river and there is no law in place that they must mark the fence in any way. However, there is a law that landowners cannot impede travel on the ice. When snowmobilers travel along the iced river, it can be difficult to see fences that cross the river. Landowners can mark their fences with brightly colored flags or take fences down during the winter instead of risk lethally injuring another person. For those of us that want to enjoy the winterscape
without having to spend too much time outdoors, attend the annual Christmas on the Farm at the Historical Peterson Point Farmstead on Saturday, December 13th from 1-4pm. This year, Christmas on the Farm has been expanded to include Christmas at the Cabin. Join the Emmet County Conservation Foundation for hot cocoa, hot cider, treats, horsedrawn sleigh rides, a krumkake demonstration and tasting, and music at the Farm Cabin. Then stop by the Emmet County Nature Center for fun holiday crafts for all ages, and there will be Christmas stories read at the top of every hour. Get in the Holiday Spirit with friends and family by attending this merry event! If you are feeling adventurous, the Emmet County Nature Center’s annual Winter Survival Day has been scheduled for students in grades 4th-12th on Tuesday, December 30th from 10am until 2pm. This year’s challenge will include a hunt for lunch using geocaching strategies, shelter building, fire starting,
and much more. Call the Nature Center at 712.867.4422 to register today. We can’t wait to break-in our snowshoes. Join us on Sunday January 11th starting at 2pm for snowshoeing or Sunday, February 1st starting at 2pm. Call to reserve your snowshoes. All are welcome to attend these free events. Be sure to outlast cabin fever and give a little bit back to nature by attending our duck house workshop on Saturday, March 21st at 10am. Call the Nature Center to reserve your supplies. The workshop will supply all materials, tools, and instruction to craft a duck house for each participant to take home. We will also include helpful hints for routine maintenance and upkeep of your duck house. The fee per duck house is $20. Stay up-to-date on all of our upcoming events by visiting the Emmet County Conservation website, facebook page, or visiting the Nature Center. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year!
DOCKS BUILT TO ANY SIZE. . . • Tan and white • Section sizes available: •2x8 •4x8 •6x8 •4x10 •6x10 •4x16 •6x16
602 13th Street, Milford, IA
712.338.2565 2 blocks east of the Catholic Church
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DESIGN FOR. . . • Deep or shallow water • Rough water • Big boat tie ups DECKING. . . • Aluminum • Non-skid surface • No slivers • No warping • No sagging • Corrosion & heat resistant • No painting
DOCK ACCESSORIES. . . • Telescoping flag poles and holders • Sun umbrella holders • BENCHES, ANY SIZE • Ladders • Steps • Canoe racks • Lights • Reversible bumbers, single and corner • Fish cleaning table • NEW- VACUUMS FOR YOUR BOAT AND GARAGE!
POSTS. . . • Patented custum designed galvanized brackets • Lifetime warranty post brackets • 4x4 wooden posts and cross braces driven into the lake bottom for maximum dock strength and stability
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
8
TRUST YOUR DEPTH FINDER Gary Roach, known as Mr. Walleye, hefts a nice early ice walleye. Do what your depth-finder tells you to do and you will have more ice-fishing success.
BY BOB JENSEN
T
FISHING THE MIDWEST FISHING TEAM
he pond froze over early this year, at least two weeks early and in most years it would still be a month before ice comes to the small body of water that I see most days. Although the ice isn’t safe yet, if the weather stays like it has been the past few days, we’ll be walking on the ice within a week. This time of year, safety is the Number One consider‐ ation. There’s no need to take an icy bath just because you want to catch a few fish through the ice. There are a few things to keep in mind throughout the ice‐fishing season that will help you catch more fish from under the ice from now until ice‐out. The most important thing to do for ice‐fishing success in the mind of many of the most successful anglers is to trust your depth‐finder. Do what it tells you to do. Several years back I shared an ice‐house on Lake of the Woods with Mr. Walleye Gary Roach. We were after walleyes and were catching a few, but not as many as we wanted. We were fishing within a foot of the bottom in about 25 feet of water, right where walleyes are supposed to be. Quite often we would see on the depth‐finder a mark about halfway to the bottom. We assumed it was a whitefish or northern pike or crappie or some‐ thing like that: Walleyes usually don’t run that high on Lake of the Woods, or so we thought at the time. Once when Gary saw a fish up high, he raised his bait up just a bit over the mark. The fish hit the bait: It was a walleye For the rest of the day when we saw a mark up high, we brought our bait up to it and most of the time caught a walleye.
Good learning point! Also a few years ago when the crappie extravaganza was in full swing on Upper Red Lake: In the height of the boom, crappies would fill the sonar screen from just below the surface to the bottom. As the crappie numbers dwindled, they weren’t running up high as much. The remaining giants were right on the bottom and looked just like walleyes usually look on an ice‐ fishing depth‐finder screen. You had to make sure your sonar was tuned properly for maximum bottom separation to see and catch these crappies. Vexilar is the leader in ice‐fishing sonar. Check out the new FLX‐28. It provides all the features you need to be more successful on the ice. Something I learned while ice‐fishing for perch in South Dakota a year or two ago: When you can see a group of perch below your hole, if you catch a perch and plan on letting it go, put your bait back before you release the fish. It was proven pretty conclusively to me that if you release the fish first, the school might get spooked, or, if the released fish doesn’t go straight back down to the school, the rest of the perch may follow it somewhere else. A little thing, but it pays dividends. Last thought for now: When a school of fish is on the screen right below you and they won’t bite what you’re showing them, show them something else. Try a different color, try a different size, try a different action: Just try something different. There’s no need to keep showing them something that they don’t want to eat. And now really the last thought: Keep your bait above the fish. They will go up for a bait much more readily than they’ll go down for a bait. Trust your depth‐finder when you’re ice‐fishing. If you do, you’ll catch more fish from under the ice.
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