Just Fishing - Winter 2024 by JustFishing

VOL. XXXI No. 1

WINTER 2024

•28 BO&OGBUGEGSRS... •18 PANFISH

PANDEMONIUM

•3 THREE SEASONS ON THE ICE

•24 CATCH

& RELEASE PERSPECTIVE

Plus More Great “Stuff” Inside!

Make the most of your time this season! By: Jeff Gustafson

find the schools of crappie or the small rock piles on the flats that are going to attract perch and walleye than it is to do this kind of searching on the ice. I’ll mark these spots with a waypoint, then transfer them to a GPS on my snowmobile.

A A

My first trips on the ice are in December, so those are my target species early on. Lake trout season opens January 1 in Northwest Ontario and once that rolls around, I like to chase lakers just like everybody else. The walleye fishing is great early on because the fish on the well-known, obvious humps and points have had a good amount of time where they haven’t been getting pressured by anglers. Schools of crappies are bigger and tighter than they are after they receive pressure, which will reduce their numbers and break up the schools.

s I get older it seems like the open water seasons go by faster and faster. I spent more days in my boat this past year than I ever have, fishing right up until the end. I live for spending time on the water and while I love the time I get to spend in my Lund, I’m also a big fan of ice fishing. Always have been. Though I don’t get to spend as much time on the ice as I did before I pursued my professional bass tournament career, I still get out on the ice a bunch and have some fun. Here are some of my top tips As far as baits go, I keep it pretty simple with for fishing early season, mid-season and late old standbys like a Northland Buck-Shot season on the ice this year.

EARLY SEASON SUCCESS While the late ice time frame is probably my favourite time to be on the ice – we’ll get to that more later, early ice offers us some great opportunity to get out there and catch a bunch of fish. During a normal season, the first few weeks of safe ice usually give us easy access because we don’t have to deal with deep snow, extreme cold and slush. It’s much easier to get around and the fishing is good. Most schools of walleye, crappie and perch haven’t seen a lure in a couple of months so they are typically Early in the season less snow on the ice makes it easier to fish & get around. eager to bite. Spending time in my boat late in the fall gives me the upper hand when we can start getting out on the ice because most fish can be found in the same locations. It’s much more efficient to idle around in a boat to Winter 2024

A Rattling Spoon tipped with a minnow head is my top bait for perch & walleye. sometimes you need to add a little bit of finesse with the small jigs.

I am always willing to try the new baits that hit the market each winter and because the fishing is so good around Lake of the Woods, most of them work. There have been great advancements with the baits we have access too, especially jigs made from tungsten, which are smaller and heavier than traditional lead. Paint jobs are getting more realistic and better as well. The one aspect that trumps the bait you choose to drop down the hole and everything else, is that you have to find the fish. You can have the magic lure but if there are no fish around, you’re probably not going to be bending your rod a lot. (Continued on page 4.)

Spoon for the walleyes and perch, while the combination of a small spoon or a tungsten jig tipped with plastic works for me on the crappies. I like the spoons because they get down to fish on the electronics quickly but Just Fishing . 3

A Li ne From “Big” Ji m

I can’t remember the last time ice fishing was so in limbo this far into the season. Safe ice certainly is not near the heavily populated areas, but a good bit farther north. There are far too many photos of vehicles, trailers, huts, and anglers through the ice, many with no safety equipment. Safety needs to be at the very top of everyone’s list.. especially in a year like this! So, I take a break from writing for dinner and there’a another story on the evening news of two young lads in their teens having drowned on the Rideau River after falling through the ice. Just a couple of days before, a full family perished while out for a four-wheeler ride – the list is far too long... Please, please, take extra care when outdoors. These tragedies are all preventable! While waiting for safe ice, we have you covered big time. Our lineup of guys don’t just write about ice fishing – they get out there and do it. Some even make their living within the industry, making them super qualified to contribute content. Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson helps you make the most of your season, Gordon Pyzer goes over what is still working for lake trout. Good buddy Dave Chong has all your panfish needs covered in Panfish Pandemonium. There is also Luc LaRochelle with Dr. Steven Cooke with a Catch & Release Perspective on Ice. Plus there is more from... Matt Johnson, Tim Allard, Brian “Bro” Brosdahl, Daniel Notarianni and features from Target Walleye & Chef Tait will keep us satisfied with a great recipe, should we choose to harvest a few fish... At the risk of sounding repetitive – when we do get ice, please be extra careful! The warmer than seasonal temperatures really do require extra caution... Fish Safe! I look forward to meeting many of you at the various sports shows this winter. Be sure to stop by and say hi if you see me! “Big” Jim Unsolicited articles are accepted and will be considered for publication provided they are original and have not appeared in other publications.

Publisher “Big” Jim McLaughlin Managing Editor Tammy Wight Digital Marketing RYP.Media Contributors Gord Pyzer, David Chong Tim Allard, Cameron Tait Jeff Gustafson, Jeff Matity Dr. Steven J. Cooke & Luc LaRochelle Matt Johnson, Brian Brosdahl Brett McComas Daniel Notarianni Box 214 Seeley’s Bay, ON K0H 2N0 Email: info@justfishing.ca

IN THIS ISSUE SPECIAL FEATURES 3 Seasons On The Ice................................3 Still Working for Lake Trout....................8 Panfish Pandemonium............................18 A Catch & Release Perspective...............24 Booggers & Bugs... A Kids Love Affair....28 Get Aggressive! – Stick & Move....................34 Strategies for Success......................................36 Day Bites on the Ice.......................................46 The Day I Never Had...................................48

DEPARTMENTS A Line From “Big” Jim ...........................4 For the Love of Cooking.........................17 Tubman’s Tips & Techniques ..................42 Target Walleye Report...........................44

On the Cover: Main photo – Gord Pyzer, Still Working for Lake Trout, Photo – Dave Chong & Ashley Rae, Panfish Panemonium, Photo – Luc LaRochelle, A Catch & Release Perspective, Photo – Jeff Gustafson, 3 Seasons on the Ice, photo – Benjamin Matity, Booggers & Bugs... Just Fishing . 4

(3 Seasons on the Ice continued from page 2.)

MID-WINTER DOLDRUMS Because of my Bassmaster tournament schedule that typically starts in February, I’m often able to get away during my least favourite period for ice fishing, from mid January through early March. When I was younger and guiding on the ice all winter, I spent hundreds of days on the Crappies can be found in their biggest ice during this period. schools of the year early in the ice seaso n. I have been stuck in the slush with snowmobiles, had to get my truck pulled out of deep snow many times and broken every piece of equipment you can think of from sleds to augers to flashers because of extreme cold. It’s just not as fun to fish during the middle of the winter. All that being said, there are still fish to catch and we will get some nice days mixed in during this period. It’s during this time that shelters and shacks become mandatory on some days to stay comfortable out there. I like to fish new water or at least new spots whenever I go, so I typically pull a portable shelter behind my snowmobile. It opens up a lot of options for places to fish. If you don’t have access to a snowmobile, many of our waters have ice roads right to permanent shelters, many that are available to rent. By this time, a lot of the popular, obvious spots have been fished hard so it’s time to study the map a little bit and look for those sneaky, out of the way spots that aren’t as obvious, like a Being mobile on my snowmobile gives us the small rock pile access to the best waters. on a large flat. The new Humminbird VX cards offer high detailed mapping on many waters in central Canada and they are super accurate so these sneaky spots are easy to find. I fish mostly on Lake of the Woods and there are so many little stick-outs and bumps on that map, I can fish a new spot every day. LATE SEASON LAST STAND As we roll into the second part of March, I get fired up to hit the ice. The improved weather, the longer days and great fishing have me looking forward to the last few weeks of ice fishing every year. When I was younger there were some years when I would be on the ice every day during the last stand on the ice. Spring spawning fish like walleye and pike show up in predictable locations, in front of the shallow bays where many of these fish will spawn. (Continued on page 6.) Winter 2024

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Just Fishing . 12

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www.JBraid.com Just Fishing 48 Spring 36 18 32 28 26 20 22 Just Fishing .. 36 38 (Time to 2019 Weed Out Walleye continued (3 Seasons on the Ice continued from from pagepage 4.) 42.) Just Fishing . 7

IColour love fishing where you get walleye trophy pike makeslocations a big difference andcan walleyes tend toand have different out of the same Often, I’llI jig with a patterns Buck-Shot preferences fromholes. lake to lake so willfor usewalleye bright colour on Spoon andare fordark mystained secondand line,natural I’ll soak a bigincisco tip-up lakes that colours clearunder lakes. aRippin’ for On sometend waterbodies we even lakewarmer trout inwater these jigspike. and plastics to work better withrun 70into degree when jigging the rippin’ jig through vegetation, so be prepared for shallower areas. crushing strikes from walleyes. They have to hit hard to catch it! The last couple of years I’ve been heading north to the Red Lake Anglers should also try cranking in plastics: Just pitch out let it area for a late season ice trip and the fishing has been excellent with sink and crank it back. Northland Fishing Tackle’s Mimic Minnow plenty of walleyes and pike. I’m forwardtail to making is big arguable thelooking best paddle plasticit laterhasthis I have used on thehappen market.again The tail a season. I love jumping light, fast wag that looks like a fleeing baitfish on my and – it was definitely one snowmobile of my go-to getting in the remote baits last summer. I have tried larger is seemingly paddletails with less water successthat – walleyes don’t up there. want to be kicked ineverywhere the face when theyI’ve are topeating. In terms of jigexperienced head size forsome Minnesota and the Dakotas, 1/4notch oz iswalleye a great and sizelake for most target depths. You can tip it with a chunk of crawler trout fishing but or thesmall pike minnow, but I don’t usually have to in northern Minnesota. fishing is as good as I’ve ever seen on a number of In terms of invasive species, you should be on the alert that some waters. is simplytoa lakes are changing and becoming clear due to theThere introduction of water to fish zebra mussels. These are filter feeders thatton make the lake clearand anda of bigweed pike.growth I think fish spookier, while other lakes are gettingbunch a lot more justinvasive far enough than normal due to Eurasian Water Milfoil.it’s This weednorth can that the fish just grow fast to the surface in mats, pushing out existing weedsdon’t suchget as a lot of pressure and it’s cabbage. Milfoil weed edges change and expand on a weekly basis. the right type of water But it’s not the end of the world! Walleyes lovethem milfoil andbig. seem to pike. for to get Late March is prime time for big thrive on the clear, zebra mussel-infested lakes. As anglers we just

Just Fishing . 6

Winter 2020 Just Fishing . 43 Spring 2018 Winter Summer Fall 2019 2023 Winter 2022

Fall 2021 2019 Lake trout and whitefish, fish longer that suspend need adapt. For lines, during fartherthe winter, usually Justto Fishing . 20 36 example, 18 get a lotand more active as the snow melts more lights starts to casting, fishing in low light hours. Or and finding apenetrate broken edge in late the milfoil or clearing the ice in the season. Thesecaused fish arebysight feeders and if hard bottom. they can see better, they’re going to eat better.

Lastly, don’t forget to bring your Frabill Obviously, the ice conditions can change quickly late in the season Conservation Series net as there are some hog when they really starts warm pay attention to the walleyes onweather the weed edges. Gettothe one up, withsothe ice conditions and when it’s time to to lose your telescoping handle. You don’t want stop going there,ofdon’t take any spouse’s bigout walleye the year! chances. Sun protection is also vitallytoimportant – save The equipment available ice your skin with a Fish anglers today is as good as ever. face guard and stubby Over the past twentyMonkey years performance the guide gloves. improvements in mapping, sonar, tackle and even snowmobiles to getRipping and Rigging walleye Good Luck around, have made it easier to find from the weeds! and catch more fish under the ice. Have a great season out And there!don’t forget to follow my fishing adventures on social media! Editor’s Note: Jeff Gustafson grew up on the shores of Lake of the Woods in the Kenora, Ontario.Brian He has“Bro” About Author: made his living in the fishing community Brosdahl, is a fishing guide and promoter.since he was a teenager asofa the tournament angler,and guide, outdoor writer and fishing One most recognized respected promotor. 2019 he America is competing the Bassmaster Elite Series anglers in InNorth – onBro, to competing events in Ontario. You can find as in addition he’s known, is ain several multispecies angler known his influence and on his website at: him onbest social media for at @gussyoutdoors on www.gussyoutdoors.com. the sport of ice fishing. He can be booked for guided trips at: bbro@paulbunyan.net or brosguideservice.com.

Winter 2024

OUT

DOORS

Still Working for

After All These Years... By: Gord Pyzer

caught my first lake trout through a hole in the ice almost 60 years ago, and I remember it as clearly now as the day it happened. I walked out from Willow Beach on the eastern shore of southern Ontario’s Lake Simcoe, a backpack full of ice fishing gear slung over my shoulder and a long handled axe in my hand. I had been ice fishing for walleyes and yellow perch for years using a hand auger – my school buddy’s parents had emigrated from Finland and I had one of the first Rapala hand driven marvels – but a six-inch auger wasn’t going to cut it for lake trout. So I started swinging away with the axe.

eight or ten inch opening, you have to start with a much wider aperture. Think of a funnel or tornado that is broad up top and narrow as you reach the spout. It was a brilliant strategy, too, right up to the point when I pierced through the last

unwrapped a foot of line so I knew the precise depth. What? Where was my sonar? Are you kidding?

Now, if you’ve never chopped a hole through two feet of blue ice, you have to realize that if you want to end up with an

inch or so of ice and watched the lake water fill the kid-size swimming pool. In order to increase the opening at the bottom now, I had to chop through two feet of water. By the time I’d chiseled away enough ice to create a jagged six inch orifice, I was drenched to the bone. But I was lake trout fishing. I grabbed a homemade plywood ice rod from the pack that was 2 1/2-inches wide and precisely one foot long, with half moon-shaped ends around, which I had coiled my monofilament line. I tied on a genuine silver Russian spoon — also courtesy of my Finnish school buddy – that had a red bead at the hook. I tipped it with an emerald shiner minnow and dropped it down the hole, carefully counting how many times I

I remember jigging the minnow draped spoon – it remains to this day, one of the deadliest walleye lures – and suddenly feeling a whack. I set the hook, fought the trout and brought it up to the bottom of the hole. But I couldn’t fit its head through the serrated opening. So I let it run, holding the line in my left hand, while I chopped away frantically with my right. How I managed not to sever the line is a mystery I will never understand: nonetheless, with the hole marginally bigger, I pulled the trout’s head into the opening where it got wedged like a gill net. Then I plunged both arms and my upper body into the frigid water, grabbed the fish behind the gills and hauled it onto the ice. Where it immediately froze into a three foot long shape that resembled a slab of rough cut lumber that, a few hours later, I popped over my shoulder and proudly carried off the lake. Oh, boy, how ice fishing for lake trout has changed since then. Today, for example, we’re cruising at 60 miles-an-hour plus into the backcountry on snowmachines, quads (Continued on page 10.)

Just Fishing . 8

Winter 2024

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(The Mentee-Mentor Relationship continued from page 52.)

“Big” Jim says, “Fish Hit It Like It Owes Them Money!”

program isforLake important tofrom (The Cast Pike page 26.) (Food For Thought continued from page 18.) (Still Working for Trout continued from page 8.) 8.) (Giant Mid-Summer Pike continued from page 6.) (Strategies for Walleyes On Ice cont. page 16.) (Colouring continued from page 12.) (End Long Your Season with acontinued Bang continued from page

me. Many ladies don't side-by-sides equipped with heaters and handle bar finned prey in the 12” – 24” range in to reach maximum Iand know my local lakes Here, I stretch speed quite asize. bit. has put countless walleyes Instead, they kept coming back with an eagerness to expand their crawler became popular several years back. Iorder hadthe caught abarrier couple ofwarmers, small shorter game of cat-and-mouse. know where to well. start, pulling pop-over ice shelters that we can set up and heat in seconds. As schools of suckers complete their spring spawn in the shallows In shallow water, as deep as 10-15 feet, I actually get my boat up onto into the boat. Ditto, a firetiger knowledge and meet other women anglers. Friendships and mentor- bass it inshows practice but on the second day of the three day tournament Ifwhat a on fish interest, keep equipment to use We are ice fishing for lake trout in and velvet. and retreat to relatively Rap or Acme HyperGlide. plane and hold it at its lowest planning speed... In mentee relationships developed in time and in 2019, we started a Jigging tweaking things until they Mike threw it out on aEven windy point caughtaround a pair 13-14 of fourmph. pound or where to go. 2012 “Best New Walleye Lure” Two weeks later, on the other hand, deeper water, their #1 deep water I drop from plane down to 9 mph Speed-mapping is best chew. formal mentorship program for members ofbythe organization. smallmouths atmay the same time, it was incredible. We caught several worse, they never Gordon Pyzer when the perch decide it is now time when the water is flat and there is of bow to then jostle predator follows them. The days of whacking away with anbouncing axe – thank goodness – have other bigexperienced fish in the tournament onno an umbrella rigthe and since I have the for them to nest, they relocate in the the transducer from its optimal, parallel angle with the bottom. I can’t Suckers make a great given way to silently drilling dozens of ten-inch holes using lithium If a walleye is still hesitant, always have one tied on in the fall. thrill pick of catching a fish! adjacent warm, soft bottom, weedy always myless day, and mapping water is usually the norm. living among I useforaging even vertical powered battery packs. We’rein choppy also scanning beneath the ice I started mentoring as a bays, and the walleyes follow them For this, I adjust my tactics a bit taking a big “sausage shaped” bite the stalks and leaves movement. A slight flick now with better sonar than was outfitted on the destroyers and Drop from a Drop-Shot Our award winning lures just keep Girl Guide leader when in hot pursuit. As the movement out of a shoreline and working the perimeter inward. I still do the of the rod tip is deadly. It of cabbage weeds. submarines infrom the Second World War. And using GPS chartplotters (Bass Fishing continued page 32.) getting better - the proof is in the they had abait fishing badge. begins, you will notice that the shallow-water speed-run with the wind; the – At the other end of the spectrum is a steady drop-shot rig that can give asuckers, just enough catch. Without or presentation to put us on waypoints that mark the but, spothold where eightagainst boulders walleyes are spread out. When this So many girls learned to current. Wherever you are using them, – RICK OLSON © breeze, witherratic reduced speed for the deep-water stretch. speed and motion to will produce really well for bass species like walleye and of Prototype Spoons other plentiful forage ‘em –atouse balance oncontact the tipin ofbut another underwater point in 50-feet you should try make some with iscount the case, you will put your bait tie a knot, a bobber, photographic nderstanding the dreaded fall turnover, and knowing how to deal with stimulate awell. strike. Shaking crappie as Consisting ofoffa the weight tied toNeil the bottom of theand line species, such as ciscoes water. Itmore is more sophisticated than what Armstrong the the bottom. Crankbaits ricocheting front of far fish and catch them and put a worm on a 4: Map-Blemish Fix fish patterns it, can the difference between a lure for aspell couple seconds, and then a hook tied into the line about 12”-24” above the weight or smaller lake trout, bottom is one of the top triggering functions Apollo 11 crew used to land on the moon. faster trolling a bottom bouncer and w/ UV finish success and empty livewell. Walleyes hook. It'sbean the same for any newbie as just of gettingplastics startedtocan be then itno briefly is also (with abaits. palomar knot). We will attach variety the there will pike. of thesepausing PROTOTYPE SERIES™ During your learning curve, you will endaand up “washing out” on acoloured turn or crawler harness with a blend of chartreuse, orange, redsoft and green ® are directly affected by this naturally tough. Mentors share knowledge enthusiasm and mentees deadly. This makes Still, the pike-suckerhook butblades if youWhat prefer usesee live you can to PROTOTYPE SERIES™ – Fergie Specials HOT ROD MODS on a speed run. youtotipped will isbait amimic blemish thatattach lookssome like ameat “blackColorado and beads, that again perch. occurring, seasonal phenomenon, learn by doing. There's nothing like aaday on the water to relax My top crankbaits for bass around home are and treble hooks dance, activates cabbage connection is the hook as well. – Plane Jane hole” on your map. The fixtheis Balsa simple: pull up on any black-hole and can make for of toughest the Bagley Sunny Bsome and the Diving and enjoy the thrill of the anticipated call "got one!" rattles in noisy baits, adds flash, One of the most important lake trout fishing evolutions over a major predator/prey “hover” in the middle of it. The hole willice begin toweed shrink rapidly as thethe Trolling the same spinner combination along lines is aanother “New” 1/4-oz fishing conditions you’ll face during Rob Schulz & IN-FISHERMAN, Editor-in-Chief, Doug Stange with B1. These crankbaits run true every time and CLT 1, 3 & 5 and makes lures seductively sway past half century, however, is also the most overlooked, ignored and & 1/2 oz sizes relationship in North productive pattern asFish the weather, water and perch spawn heatsadjusting up. And if In the fall I’m going toseason. be using minnow imitating plastics, mapping continually truths the data and, finally, morphs into the the entire open water water will put fishunit in the boat. them on aAs seven 47” Last Mountain Lake monster pike. 3 sizes and pivot. Think of shaking a bait like jogging on the spot. There often disregarded by today’s ice anglers. It is the best rod length “New” Colours NATALIE HATHAWAY America. Pike asummer feeding strategy can and rely on size to fillof their temps reach their high, a they the cabbage bed is you’ll pinch yourself to make sure you’re colour of of the surrounding map… voila! the size the bait to the fish that I’m chasing the the foot crankbait rod (Ineed likeexpansive, the G. Loomis IMX6 colours inside lures would stall. Turning in the opposite direction snapped is dreaming movement happening, but the lure is not travelling very far.the This and action for hooking layering process occurs, with the end re-localized PRO 845C CBR) with 12 fish pound Seaguar not ifthink you remove the bouncer and trollbass the spinner rig without bellies. In mid-summer, their prey is and specific. forage that I the are focused on. For and big walleyes Gussy withthe Bass Fishing Legend motionless, suspended lures forward and brought moving lures to My grandpa introduced me to fishing when I was a wee little one keeps thean bait appealing while staying a small strike zone. fluorocarbon. Forupper fishing, I like sult being layer, and a in and landing the any weight over topswarmer of the Even more precise and deadly Rick might a tournament larger four orweeds. five inch jerk shad typeClunn bait butfish. foris BEFORE use AFTER aIlower sluggish crawl before stopping. SPIN DOCTORS itcooler until I met my Aaron Hathaway, 17 years tobut change my hooks to Gamakatsu G-Finesse Andwood not thisswim kind of Turnover! layer, separated by a husband, quickcasting awasn't perch-coloured original floating Rapala Minnow, Shad Rap or vegetation, jigstwo can to swim PRESENTATION WILL ULTIMATELY crappies or which pressured bass and walleye ISWITCH might use –aSEPARATE smaller ORIGINAL treble hooks, are extremely sharp, Tail Spinners™ MAKE A QUICK ly changing narrow band, known as the Rippin’ Rap bait. overenough the emerging tops. Theallkey is stuff adjusting the speed in the heydays, through ofBack this with ease, generating Rob imparted of thisweed stop-start-suspending presentation to three inch “New” Chrome Bringing SUCCESS FROM STRESS super strong, light wire hooks. – Fergie Special thermocline. This deeper, cooler, bottom layer, can quickly become totally (Continued on page 54.) you our ofthe your retrieve so that you scrape the tops and stalks of the vegetation reaction strikes with a quiet, subtle moving as I mentioned earlier, Switching from one bait to another can fool walleye. When jigging with lures that his fish were seeing the same triggering presentation void of oxygen, and will eliminate any use. Trying to pull fish from dead Original FLASHER JIGS Fergie Specials™ bait. Think about places whereany you might with the lure, then letwere itJigs suspend orwith floatrod up slowly, as a walleyes rush upuse Aas lot ofcan pike anglers on spinners (bucktails and tandem-spins) we used foot-long an attractor bait, like arely Rapala Rippin’ Rap, Northland Buck-Shot Rattle Roger and Gary doing and reel...without pause Try Swim I’m predominately using Z-Man Elaztech baits on my drop-shot rigs water be a complete waste of time. a frog, a swim jig might be a better option. Plane Jane Spoons™ and devour it. Furthermore, Try it this season, ascovered theSpoon sun sets atopristine late spring / minnow like Original Rapala minnows fish Ice weeds. Spoon, Sebile Vibrato, VMC Rattle oron Williams Jig, IThey always wooden jigging stocks for casting! Rob 10-20 times ORBD or because thebaits plastic isand buoyant causing it toapproximately sit horizontal in the water EasyJigs™ Twist-oﬀ Flasher early summer evening you will discover the meaning of delirious. Prior to the start of my fishing career However, I rigged personally do not like using spinners orfirst Rapalahave another rod with ainofboards finesse bait. This could bethe a cover small tube with curved ends The purpose of the program is to: A:) support new/newer anglers work! the water I did with the Some planer spreading his are set to an Fish finders display density of objects, well as changes in density, which My experience and look more realistic. myasfavourite baits Finesse & Lytle’s body Secrets™ the U.S. back in 2012, I had never used a style plugs that sport multiple, fish-damaging treble hooks. Why? jig, jig and finesse minnow, darter or a compact tungsten spoon. swath! Thus, ended the lesson! got my trolling & B:) provideTransparent new fishing Our opportunities to experienced anglers that enormous Award Winning makes up a40-foot thermocline. The upper warmer layer, isIless dense than with a swim jig the was ShadZ, 3.75” and the Jerk ShadZ baits. G. Loomis makes rods BIG OR GO HOME swim jig. They areSteakZ a skirtedGO jig but slightly so good ... Well, I’ve witnessed many fish hooked deep on these baits with back in 2013 at cooler bottom layer. It’s this change in density that will show up on a rear-end in gear and haven’t looked back since! would like toRed learn about aLures new type of fishing they notwould”! ©yet tried different than the flipping jigs that have just getting in all of theirfish line-ups designed for no drop-shotting withLake light actions Spoons “if keep fish could ask forhave itPrototype they Tail’s Aggressive frequently have qualms hitting a larger lure. Chickamauga, electronic graph, and it looks like a constant, narrow band. Some lakes are one, two or all three hooks of the treble hook in their throat or gills. photographic fish But I used have confess, as as I enjoy catching numbers of nice size or to target a new species. better – the proof is beenyou fortoyears. Swim jigsmuch typically so don’t tear thequickly small hooks out ofnever the fishes mouth. Ifthe I could patterns w/ UV finish where there was When fish hesitate, reel the one lure, then drop finesse so shallow and windswept they may thermocline. The big lakea Much damage is done, notthat when fish the bait from the walleyes, typically males, my idea ofupthe heaven isstrikes catching and releasing the Rob’s Rules: REELBAIT Tackle Co. have an eye positioned more towards the give you one tip for drop shot fishing, use a small, light wire hook spring shad spawn in the catch. circulates every time you get aand decent wind, and thespecial temperature remains bait.of Offering walleye ahook smaller snack can tease them intofeeling eating. almost female fish. There is something about side; but, a fish follows the lure, then lunges and engulfs the front the when jig,always a lighter wire Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic forced theSeward, suspension of the giant, 133 Seward Street, NE 68434 going on around 5: Hugging Curves that will help your presentation look more lifelike. I’m usually using relatively consistent from top to bottom, throughout the entire season. Where regulations allow, soaking a real minnow on a jig in one hole, they are designed to be swam through all awhole bite, setting the hook for a the treble hooks oftenshallow thing. When thisand happens, end upgrass. deep www.reelbait.com 402.643.4127 The program after only a few months BUT we are restarting it now! Periods of flat dead calm conditions, combined with the heat of summer, #1 or #2 hooks most of the time. These are small hooks which makes kinds of shallow cover. while jigging an aggressive bait in the other to attract fish is a great (Sidebar) split second thinking that you’ve in the soft throat/gill tissue. The general rule that I adhere to when mapping is to “run parallel” with bass were right in around, which we push surface temps into the range of bathwater. But that’s asand far as itdeadgoes, Especially following the passing of frequent weather systems on big the light action rods mandatory ifthe you want tomaps avoid losing fish. combination. The lure catches aggressive walleye, the NEW snagged a rock or log. Then you the grass, plucking Tournament the contours. Now, on the “sausage shaped” you cannot avoid CISCOE CONCERNS wound the line. Trust and will last until the next good windPosition mixes everything up. Getting involved Series in this sport and finding mentors can be challenging feel The effectiveness ofmoney swim comes Super Glow water, the smart is on trolling: stick mops-up the hesitant biters. the finesse bait a the foot or two the head shakes andjigs nothing off plentiful When fish come in with the hooks in their lip but are bleeding from “contour cutting”, which is slicing up and down changing water depths. Series from their ability to slide through all kinds me: you have never at times for women for a host of reasons. We are fortunate to have a budges offgills, bottom, or just above where you regularly mark fish on the sonar. We’re losing ciscoe populations Avoid the temptation shake the heck out of your rod when you’re shad. There aren’t except size ofto your eyes What transducer signal, finder-computer and mapping image will the this isthe what has happened. The gills tore and fish is now of cover that would give other lures a fish What happens then and do the experience thethe same negative felt athe more sensitive breadth of female fishers within Ontario Women Anglers who want and 1) In spring, use shallow running lures and fish from the surface at an alarming rate as the climate you know... this isn’t bottom! fishing a drop-shot. Get the bait to the bottom and drag it along, (Continued onare page 36) create is a Reeds, “dragging” effect of the image. I think ofnot! it like a not perfectly tough–time. lily pads, submerged bleeding out! For this reason, many conservation-minded outfitters (Continued on page 20.) effects that the fall turnover brings? Absolutely It’s just the rod especially when down; do not dredge messy, muddy bottoms. In summer use deeper warms, and the impact on the to help others. They are able to provide safe, supportive one-on- designating imparting some light shakes every once in a while. I almost always drawn water-colour contour map thatcauses youstrictly have dragged a wet paintbrush fact that a lake turnover, that tough fishing conditions, but theirwill top trophy waters as “single-barbless hook” you jigged heavy walleye populations thatdown feed on divers and make hard-bottom contact often. in the past, and itdropping one experiences for other women who may just be starting out I’ve use 3/8 oz weight that is heavy, but I want thetemperatures. bait toreplaced get to moreawritten likely due to so, the rapidly water Thewith body across and, in doing dragged clean contour lines out of sync waters. Now, all baits can have the trebles removed and with oneand two-ounce them is concerning. Losing their the map. case today, thatwaste theto Pro Staffer or just want to learn more and, hopefully instill the confidence remains temperature of aTo fish subject it’s environment, andcarefully rapid changes the bottom quickly and not any time. original fix,isand, return these “drag marks” and run athe single-barbless hook ofto–course, fish can be hooked deep on Jason Matity’s – principal food source in deeper, airplane jigs – or held 2) Use suspending lures all season long to achieve the ever-productive most overlooked – and cherished in water temp can shut fish down, and it may take some time for their in newer anglers to pay it forward as a mentor one day – Tanya single GetFishing.ca the contour. ByHowever, running the contourthat several times, you will “tighten up” hooks. anything increases the odds of a clean, cooler, main lake habitats Trophy Walleye early season trophy walleye pattern (i.e., Rob’s hard zig-zagging maneuver to work suspending stall a more deadly hook setting marvel. When you smacked a lake trout body to adjust. The turnover usually coincides with the first hard frost MacLean, the drag marks to accurately represent thethe true Fall offers some of thetobest fishing of year and we have aforced longIf of caught on aMentor, Ontario Women Anglers live-release of top-end, breeding-stock fish iscontour. worth your effort. means the walleyes are is being the first person fish the jerkbait gives his stop-and-go presentation that is so deadly). there was absolutely no give. You could literally feel the hooks fall, but not always. Some years, the change is so gradual that it becomes ReelBait Pulsating & fuller winter ahead ofbait us isso layer up, your confidence a spinner or minnow bait, that’s fine. Start by Short Shank to relocate to shallower warmer main lake structures that most difficult to pin down. One of the indicators to look for, is water sinking into the trout’s hardthere. bony mouth and never missed a bite. Flasher jig EQUIPMENT EXPECTATIONS To participate in the program, women must be a paid member of the folks dress warm and get out ohooks removing the trebles and replacing them with single Siwash to feed on less nutritious won’t visit for atthe least another temperature. When surface temperature drops between 10-15 Celcius, 3) By trolling a shoreline with a water spread oflet lures of known diving Then you dropped the rod to the ice and the line slip between club. A mentor may offer 1:1 or small group instruction. Mentors month. Trust your electronics to show you species yellow perch. Worse as seen on salmon spoons andtoturnover plugs. For me,like the swimbait isand the top you can figure in the zone. Walleye activity can range You will feel alone out A boat engine isyou’re not cheap operate. Over athe season of colouring curves, you are able to sample several depths simultaneously. Also, your fingers as you precisely controlled tension drag. and mentees are paired up depending on their fishing interests, here still, perch inhabit warm water so the fish and you will enjoy those from bad to good, depending on how severe, and how quickly water casting bait I use on all waters. For the record, I will state here that because everyone knows that sessions, I spend several hundred dollars on premium gas; as well planer boards, itlike favourite, Church In thiscool regard, wasRob’s identical to make the way we still land northern pike ® organizers the the walleyes are forced to turn up location and availability. All of the mentors and temps off. A gradual slide can for better fishing. last few trips in the boat. walleyes are still shallow. And Ias, feel the swimbait is universally more effective in fishing all pike 2+4gives Fuel Conditioner and Evinrude XD100 oil Tackle TX-6, impressive horizontal onbeEvinrude quick strike rigged deadbaits beneath tip ups.E-Tec their metabolic rates and expend involved in the program are volunteers. They are not guides and, to fair, most of them are, just situations, spring through fall, than any other bait. to keep my engine running perfectly. The way I look at it, my sport coverage. C 1 to 5 Much of the late summer and early fall action can occur after dark,upand much more energy catching not the big females that leave the although are they are not compensated for their time, there is an of choice is not free. However, the information that a lake gives 3 sizes With the advent of modern graphite iceless rods andwalleyes spinning even things tough. There still might be awholesome few thatreels much Editor’s Note: Jeff Gustafson areas quickly, migrating WHAT SIZE? WHAT TYPE? once Iwhen discover herget secret spots and the migration routes of the meals. fish iswill understanding that mentees should6 colours offer some assistance with spawning 4) Pike will follow lures for a long way. surrender toon anglers willing toattention give athat sleep. Another option, would ReelBait with drags, itcare wasofonly natural that wetodropped the wooden islittle aI losing battle, fisheries grewslick upaAlso, thetheshores Lake ofupIt Pro-Cure their deep water refugias where priceless! give my boatas and motor costs for fuel, boat launches, bait, etc. Mentees are expected to to Adding quality baitsand scent, like Pro Staffer be avoiding the negative effects of the turnover by trying to find a lake that managers are finding throughout My favourite, lure is a large swimbait in the 5” to 6.5” range. I prefer sticks to the ice for good and moved on. But, it is no coincidence devote energy they I put thecan Woods ininthe Kenora, Ontario. when mapping theone fallthat (before her toa week bed for the winter) ordown. in Pike/Musky Ice Gel or Anise-Plus Super Gel, bring their own equipment and tackleJefftoMatity outings, unless otherwise they – hasn't turned yet, or already has had or two to settle the southern walleye range. athe jig with an added swimbait tail such asawinter the largest 360GT that I’ve more iceher anglers loose more big STORM fish over theand and consume toseen production of He has made his living in the spring (when Igo wake up from her slumber) is time GetFishing.ca gives pike a the scent trigger that makes bigthey arranged with the mentor. The first ones tothe are the shallow lakes, as cool quicker than the Search bait and venerable Big Hammer swimbaits, fished on 1/2, more eggs. And they gain this control its long head shaking runs. You want the tip to remain with a Chunky fishing community since he was money well invested. difference over the course of aas day. CHBD deeper varieties. There may be much as two weeks difference. Walleye nourishment byand focussing almost solely on swimbait soft, when silvery, ciscoes, 3/4 1oz. Hammer These designs the bowed over recover too two quickly apelagic troutoffer runs and a orteenager as not a Heads. tournament To find out more information about this program, visit: https:// shiners and rainbow smelt. shape, texture, sizes and colours that combine to create a package throws into your DON’T’ TAKE WORD FOR SUPER-PRO angler, guide, outdoor andbut Medium depth The finalslack option is to not goline. at all, fun is that? Fishing isTIPS fun, even 5) Trolling with aMY hairwriter trigger on what youIT: GPS www.ontariowomenanglers.ca/mentorship AVAILABLE IN CANADA runner that closely imitates the prey big pike feed on. Namely, long slender fishing promotor. Inwww.bohonisenterprisesinc.ca, 2019 he when it’s tough. Dealing with theisfallwhere turnover to be a real chalbutton can reveal daily hotspots thecan provespecializes Darrin Bohonis, of in baitfish are sothe important that I look for them oncomplemented myrewarding. sonar screen To Find A Retail Outlet Near You Check Out Our Dealer Locator On Our Website The fish! Eluded toon earlier, staring through our polarized glasses, we often lenge, and overcoming tough conditions can be extremely Interestingly, too, monofilament line perfectly the competing Bassmaster pike are holding and help you visualize how pike are setting up on a LINDA GALLUS Humminbird products and has spent more time mapping than most more thancommon for rod the white walleye themselves. Now, two critical details: pay observe suckers and/or northern hog-nose suckers old wooden setup, stretching significantly when you fought Eliteof Series intoaddition toatcompeting insee several events ina suspending, Ontario. piece structure. This information helps you produce “milk run” experienced folks have spent fishing, period! logs 100’s special attention the depth which you theHe balls of bait in the cabbage beds. Tosocial imitate them, colours inannually browns oronwhitish Visit – – a big trout and thus, off setting the rod’s extra-heavy action. Sharing the joys of fishing has always been a passion of mine, and You can find him on media at @gussyoutdoors and his for casting, later. of hours behindare thenearest wheel, mapping.–Here his piles words of underwater wisdom: thenhues locate the structures reefs,are rock and grey terrific. website Signat: upwww.gussyoutdoors.com. to receive FREE Target Walleye/Ice emails which is why supporting the Ontario www.mepps.ca Women Anglers’ mentorship (Continued on page 29.) (Continued onon page 9.)12.) (Continued page (Continued on page 15.)

REPORT

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Just Fishing Just Fishing 10 Fall 28 18 Just2021 Fishing.....814 36 Just Fishing Just Fishing 20 10

Just Fishing . 34

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(Continued on page 21.) Summer Summer 2021 Winter 2024 Just Fishing .2021 53 2022 Spring 2020 Fall 2021 Spring 2021

(Still Working for Lake Trout continued from page 10.)

bait or jigging a spoon – usually dressed with a chunk of sucker or ciscoe – to attract and catch lake trout. Spoons still work well, in fact better than ever, thanks to the arrival of much stouter, heavier flash models like the Williams Bully. Any colour works, too, so long as it is silver, gold, or my favourite, half silver / half gold. Then tube jigs arrived and changed the lure landscape forever.

also told me that later iterations and product refinements allowed the Berkley scientists to remove the aroma that we smell, but sales of the baits quickly plummeted, so Berkley added them back in to keep anglers happy.

The original scented Power Tube was the first on the scene and like the Sluggo and Senko in the bass world, quickly became the gold standard against which every other tube jig was compared. It was a trifecta of unique colour, scent and tentacle movement that drove the lake trout crazy.

I’ll never forget dropping the first tubes down holes in the ice – usually with a 1/4-ounce jig head stuffed inside – and smashing so many lake trout that I thought the species was surely in trouble. If there was a secret back then, and today, it was using the first trout or two that appeared on the sonar screen to gauge how the fish wanted you to present it. Some days they fancy chasing it upward, like a terror-struck minnow. Other days you’ll catch far more

As a matter of fact, the very first Power Tube that was labelled as white was really a distinctive faded light beige colour. And when you opened a package of the baits the odour was overwhelming. Some years later, I was chatting with Dr. Keith Jones, who invented the power bait formula and he told me that the smell we detect has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the fish. Rather, it is the water soluble ingredients THE LAKE TROUT LURE LANDSCAPE baked into the baits they identify with their Fifty years ago, it was hard to find an ice olfactory organs, that attracts and triggers angler who wasn’t either fishing with live them to bite. With a hearty chuckle, Jones

(Continued on page 14.)

Today’s microdyneema gel spun and braided lines, however, are far superior matched to the graphite ice sticks. It is worth mentioning, too, that we nearly always fight winter lake trout in open water where there is nothing around which they can tangle, so lighter 10- to 14-pound test non-stretch super line is optimal for lure presentation. A three- to four-foot monofilament or fluorocarbon leader of the same strength completes the package perfectly, with a VMC ball bearing or bead chain swivel connecting the two lines and preventing twist.

Just Fishing . 12

Winter 2024

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(Still Working for Lake Trout continued from page 12.)

trout letting it plummet and smack into the bottom. When that is the case, I like to reposition the jighead inside the tube so there is an empty space at the nose that will cause it to spiral down in circles. But the most overlooked trout tube tactic is freezing it when a lake trout shoots up and circles it. Hold it steady and simply shake the bait subtly, so that you are only breathing life into the very tips of the tentacles. When the lake trout want it presented this way, you’ll drive your buddies crazy wondering what in the world you’re doing differently.

THE LAKE TROUT RAP SHEET I never go ice fishing for lake trout these days without a healthy supply of Rapala Jigging Raps in all of its iterations (Jigging Shad Rap, Snap Rap, Flat Rap and Shadow Rap). It is the one lure I think I could rely on all winter long for every species of fish.

DLY

MA IN

Last, but by no means least, I am experimenting more and more these days with three-, four-, five-inch and even six-inch long soft plastic swimbaits pinned to the realistic noggins of 2/7-, 3/7- and 5/7-ounce Nishine Lure Works Smeltheads. Swimbaits are forever getting

PROU

My grandson, Liam, who was only 14 or 15 years old at the time, used one to put the biggest lake trout I have ever seen on the dry side of the ice. It was over 30-pounds and walloped the tiny W3 Jigging Rap on four-pound test line he was using to catch yellow perch. The panfish action had been insane and for over an hour there had not

If there is a mistake anglers make jigging these lures for lake trout, however, it is overworking the heavy baits and not letting them circle and glide properly under controlled slack line. Most days, too, I don’t tip Jigging Raps when I am ice fishing for lake trout, but if I know there are trout around and the bite is tough, I’ll remove the treble hook and add a Fastach clip to the hanger. Then I’ll take a salted emerald shiner, nip off its head and run the shank of the hook through the minnow’s mouth and out the middle of the severed body, before reattaching it to the clip. Doug Stange forced me to reveal this trick on camera many years ago when we were filming an In-Fisherman television segment and it is the deadliest triggering tactic I have ever seen.

N A DA

softer and producing a more pronounced three-dimensional, tail thumping action that is driving trout berserk.

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/williamslures www.williams.ca Just Fishing . 14

been a moment that we couldn’t see at least three or four jumbo perch on our screens. Then, someone flipped a switch and our monitors went black. Out of the blue, I heard Liam holler, “There is a big red mark,” and I yelled to him to reel up to it quickly. The lake trout walloped the Jigging Rap so hard it bent his rod tip into the hole.

Sometimes I’ll fish the baits using the same lift-pause-fall-pause presentation I would with a spoon or tube jig, but most days I drop them all the way down to the bottom, creating a cloud-like puff of dirt and thud when they land. Then, I close the bail and reel them back up to the surface at a moderate pace, the same way I would if I were casting and retrieving the baits for walleyes in the summer. Big lakers will spot the slow swimming ciscoe, isolated in the middle of the crystal clear (Continued on page 16.)

Winter 2024

(Still Working for Lake Trout continued from page 14.)

water column, and chase it down so combatively it will often send a wall of water washing up through the hole and onto the ice. Just between you and me: Basstrix and Berkley hollow belly paddletails are my favourites because I can fill the body cavity with scent that spews out a vapour trail behind the bait and squirts into a trout’s mouth, like an squishy soft candy, the moment it wraps its jaws around it.

CONSERVATION CRITICAL While everything associated with ice fishing for lake trout has changed for the better over the past half century, there is one thing that has remained constant. There are no more trout. Although we can find them quicker, and catch them faster, our best waters still produce lake trout on a sustainable harvest basis, at a rate of only four-ounces per surface acre of water. Four-ounces. In the late 1980s, when I was working for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, our Conservation Officers and fisheries technicians would routinely see an entire year’s production of lake trout laying on the ice in a single day of checking anglers. In the northern sector of Lake of the Woods, we enacted special catch-and-release lake trout regulations when the harvest of trout (most heavily in the winter) exceeded the sustainable harvest by a factor of 300-percent. The limit, at the time, was three lake trout per angler and I remember accompanying staff on creel surveys and enforcement efforts and seeing three anglers with 8 lake trout over 18-pounds stuffed headfirst into the snowbank. Today, even with the nokill policy in effect, post release mortality accounts for the sustainable harvest. We know how to locate, catch and manage lake trout very well. Let’s hope we continue the tradition of doing so for at least another 60-years. So that a keen young angler will walk out from Willow Beach on Lake Simcoe this winter and catch a trout he will never forget.

rebates start mid september rebates start mid september

Just Fishing . 16

Just Fishing . 37

About the Author – Gord Pyzer: 2009 Inductee, Canadian, Angler Hall of Fame, Fishing Editor, Outdoor Canada Magazine, Field Editor, In-Fisherman Magazine & Television, Co-Host, In-Fisherman Ice Fishing Guide Television, Co-Host, The Real Fishing Radio Show, Host, Fish Talk with “The Doc”, Outdoor Journal Radio & President, Canadian Angling Adventures Ltd. Winter 2024

For the Love of COOKING

COOKING

Simple, fresh, and delicious… that’s how food should be. This straightforward creation is perfect for an everyday meal, it can be served with simmered rice or just on its own. Want to substitute perch, pike or even shrimp, go for it!

with Cameron Tait

In the rare possibility that there are leftovers, bring it on your next ice fishing trip, heat on the wood stove or propane heater, trust me, you won’t regret it!

MARITIME STEW Yield: 2+ Servings

INGREDIENTS:

60ml Butter Half Onion, diced

250gr Salmon or Trout, cut into 1” cubes

2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

250gr Walleye Fillets, cut into 1” cubes

3 Russet Potatoes, peeled & diced

Pinch of Chili Flakes

3 TBS flour

1 TSP Kosher Salt

1 Red Pepper, diced

GARNISH: Juice & Zest of 1/2 Lemon

700ml Chicken Stock, warmed 500ml heavy cream

5ml Dill, chopped

DIRECTIONS: In a large heavy bottomed pot set on medium heat, add butter, onion, garlic, and potatoes, cook for 5 minutes. Add flour to vegetables and combine completely, cook for two minutes, add warmed stock, and whisk so no clumps form. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat on low for 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed, add zest and juice from lemon and chopped dill. Happy Cooking! Editor’s Note: Avid outdoors person, competitive angler, 2-time gold medal winning chef at the Culinary World Olympics and educator Cameron Tait truly loves being in the outdoors. Cameron is an active member of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation, Walleye Anglers Assoc. of Manitoba, Central Walleye Trail and on the Pro Staff team for Alumacraft / Suzuki and Minn Kota / Humminbird. When not pursuing his passion for the outdoors, Certified Chef du Cuisine Cameron can be found surrounded by mouth watering food. Winter 2024

Just Fishing . 17

W W

hen it comes to ice fishing, I love catching all species but in particular I have a special place in my heart for panfish! Of course there are my Lake Simcoe Jumbo’s but treks into further inland lakes for crappies, bluegills, pumpkinseeds are lots of fun as well. I’ve always admired these diminutive members of the sunfish family for their fighting spirit! Their deep body physique gives them the ability to provide resistance & plenty of power when battling against your lightweight tackle. The most common panfish species in Ontario are bluegills, pumpkinseeds, rock bass and black crappies. Hybrids (Bluegill-pumpkinseed Cross) or often referred to as PumpkinGills are also quite common in bodies of water where these two species co-exist. pumpkinseeds and Hybrids are two of the most vibrantly coloured fish species that swim in freshwater. All these species are usually plentiful, relatively active and cooperative once our lakes have iced over! Other members of the sunfish family that exist in Ontario but are less common include the Warmouth (often mistaken for a rock bass), green sunfish, orangespotted sunfish, northern sunfish and white crappie. When venturing out in early & late seasons, always check ice conditions constantly!

By: David Chong

women’s models offer the fit & comfort that they require. Proper fitting cleats are also essential especially if there is a lack of snow covering on the ice. A spud bar and ice picks are other must-haves.

This PumpkinGill couldn’t resist this 1/16 oz. Ultra Tungsten Ice Jig!

The author and avid multi-species angler, Ashley Rae with a nice PumpkinGill (a Bluegill-Pumpkinseed Hybrid)

During the early and late ice seasons conditions can change drastically, while you are out on the ice! Depending on the weather where there was 5” of ice when you headed out in the morning could be 3” when heading back in late in the day. Ice thickness can also vary a great deal at these times. Remember ‘If in Doubt Don’t Go Out!’ but if you do, take the necessary Never go out without the proper safety safety precautions and gear. tools and gear. Ashley and I both trust and wear our Striker Ice Fishing As with many of our target species, the Suits whenever we’re out on the ice. key is location, location & location! The comfort, warmth & flotation security Ashley Rae, an extremely popular outdoor that they offer is unparalleled. For all of content creator as well as an avid multiour female ice fishing enthusiasts, the species angler offers the following advice Just Fishing . 18

on locating panfish beneath the ice. Early & late in the ice season, focus on weed flats and outside weed lines that would have the healthiest/ greenest standing vegetation. Panfish use these areas to feed as well as take cover from predators. Calling the Ottawa capital region her home, she typically focuses on depths from 5-15 feet of water when on bodies of water in that area. However, it largely depends on the water clarity of the given body of water! During the mid-season period, she typically focuses on fish relating to deeper basins which could be anywhere from 15 to 40 feet depending on the body of water that she is fishing on. “Look for basins adjacent to early/late season spots and I prefer those with a softer bottom like silt or mud which are typically teeming with invertebrates, which panfish like to feed on this time of year” Rae advises. Panfish will often suspend mid-water column and roam over these deeper areas. (Continued on page 19.)

Winter 2024

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(Panfish Pandemonium continued from page 18.)

FFS (Forward Facing Sonar) is a hot topic of discussion in Bass tournament circuits and Crappie fisheries. It is a very useful piece of technology on the hardwater as well. Rae is a huge fan of Garmin’s LiveScope as it provides so much information not only in terms of seeing fish and watching how they are reacting to her presentations in real-time, but it is also so helpful for getting a ‘lay of the land’ and locating likely-looking structure from a distance. LiveScope is a great tool that greatly cuts down the amount of time and effort to get on top of the fish. In the past you would have had to drill a whole bunch of holes to locate fish. Using LiveScope, which allows you look up to 100 feet out & 360 degrees around your location definitely makes you more efficient when you’re trying to locate fish. One of our favourite panfish species to target through the ice is the black crappie. Black crappie have a tendency to suspend and constantly move all over these main lake basins. Ashley likes to use her LiveScope Garmin’s LiveScope is invaluable in locating setup for tracking fish and judging their activity level as well! Just Fishing . 20

DARK GREEN

CHARTREUSE

ISLAND BLUE

down and intercepting those roaming schools of crappie. Staying mobile is often the key to staying on top of a school of crappies! The only drawbacks to an FFS unit are the cost, the size and the weight of them. If you are using a LiveScope unit or even a traditional Chirp sonar unit, always drill an extra hole for your unit’s transducer. If you’re going to fish out of the same hole as your transducer’s in, you’re just asking for trouble. Over the years, I’ve experienced and seen numerous trophy fish lost when they became tangled in the transducer.

Black Crappie are considered one of the finest eating fish that you could catch through the ice!

One way that you can make up for the extra weight of a LiveScope unit is to use an electric auger rather than a noisy, smelly & heavy gas auger. My auger setup consists of a Milwaukee drill on a Clam Auger Plate with a HT E-Drill. A K-Drill, RaZr Ultra or an Eskimo Pistol auger would work great with this setup as well. Rae uses a (Continued on page 21.)

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For more info visit: Daiwa.us

(Panfish Pandemonium continued from page 20.)

Strikemaster Lithium auger, which is a bit heavier but still a great alternate to a gas auger. I do like the Strikemaster 40V 10” auger when targeting lake trout, whitefish and northern pike. Light gear, line and tackle are the preferred setups when targeting panfish. Equipment-wise, I have a couple of go-to’s for panfishing. My Daiwa QG750TDIQ26L ice combo is spooled up with 5 lbs. test Siglon PEx4 hi-vis braid combined with a 4 lbs. test Sunline FC Ice leader. My other combo consisting of a Clam Gravity Elite in-line reel paired with Daiwa Kage KAG26L rod spooled up with straight 4 lbs. test Sunline FC Ice fluorocarbon. In-line reels are perfect for handling straight fluorocarbon setups on the ice and dealing the any memory issues that you might encounter. A 24”-28” light or ultra-light power rod will do the job for most panfish

Ashley Rae showing off a beautiful Bluegill! Winter 2024

fluorocarbon lines like Sunline Ice FC are designed with lower memory and manageability in extreme cold conditions, a line conditioner can only help. Even spray your guides to help prevent that dreaded ice buildup. Typically, I don’t go any lighter than 4 lbs. test on a leader or main line fluorocarbon but when the bite gets real tough dropping down to 2 or 3 lbs. test could be the answer for a few more bites.

Once the fish are located, both Ashley & I like to Check out the colours on this bull start off with slightly Bluegill that Daniel Notarianni is larger/more aggressive showing off! baits that incorporate flash, vibration, and sound, like micro rattle baits and spoons, that can both ‘call’ fish in and Spraying your line with some help to target the largest and/or most active fish in the school. KVD Line & Lure Conditioner A couple of Ashley’s favourites include: a Size 3 Rapala will help with the ice buildup Ultra Light Rippin’ Rap and a 1/16 oz Tungsten PK Predator and manageability. Although (Continued on page 22.) Just Fishing . 21

(Opening Day Walleye continued from page 2.) (The Fall Crappie Hunt continued (Panfish Pandemonium continuedfrom frompage page46.) 21.)

Once jig descends to the the desired strands depth, your rod tiplures up short cast away fromtip the string-like of grass. picked off a Flash.the she’ll often bottom treble hold hook on Ithese about the fish 10 o’clock position slowly swim the lure to the the first pitching the and Z-Man paddletail up to theback scrawny witheasy a single white or chartreuse-coloured Berkley Gulp! Alive! boat, occasionally ticking weed tops. Strikes can range from solid vegetation and swimming it back to boat. Then, when the fish got Waxies as she finds it can thumps from active fish, wise moving bait,toI barely floatedgetting heavy from less active ones yieldto athe few additional When you get on a hot area, use the Sassy Stingum beneath a the slipSpot-Lock feature on your Minn Kota bites even if the fish aren’t trolling motor to hover in place, making repeated casts to the key spot. float mopped up dinner. superand aggressive.

IfI the slowadown, or aren’t particularly active, switch to a bobbe wasfish using 7 1/2-foot long presentation that of vertically the jig below your float at the sam I have a bunch myspinning ownsuspends medium light action rod depth you caught fish previously. Cast slightly upwind and let the wind favourites, a 4-pound McGathy’s spooled with test Sufix and waves Dimpled slowly drift the with the waves imparting a lifelike action 1.25” Fanjig, and a two-foot Maxima toNanobraid the jig. If there’s no wind, cast past the spot, slowly bring it back with shaped Slab Grabber with fluorocarbon leader. I attached few slowchartreuse pulls, jiggles and apauses to make the lure appear alive. aa clear bobber stop to bead, the line, slid 1/16 oz. Clam Rattlin’ PT on a slip float and then tied on knot tends to slide on the hook eye When you hook and land a fish, your in reposition a Perch 1/16-ounce Moon finish Eye Jig and ifaSpoon you don’t the knot, your jig will hang tail-down below you and a 1/16 oz. Gold/ tipped itappearing with the lifeless. Sassy Stingum. bobber, Instead, grip the jig in one hand and the line Black Halo Clam Tikka toand the presentation was inThe the key other, pull to make the knot slide more toward the front of th not moving theproperly, bait at all, letting the float dangle it you in Mino. new addition hook eye.ADone yourbut jig rather, will now hang horizontally below front of the crappies’ eyes. bobber, live minnow. to thatimitating lineup a will be the recently introduced We to Tikka useimportant, light line and not tackle to effectively cast and rip fishthe these tiny ItClam islike always too, to set the hook hard little Flash. lures. 4-pound test Sufix NanoBraid line, or Advance monofilamen jig of a crappie’s soft So, when you see your float go I’mout looking forward to mouth.braided line, makes it easy to cast tiny lures longer distances, and the jigs tend to down, just tighten up on the line and you’ve got him. targeting panfish with this perform betterlure, withwhich light, flexible braid, addMcGa a short fluorocarbon Ifline. youWith thoug ht that diminutive is thy’s Slab leader between the jig and your main line for invisibility, to provide a Autumn is here folks... and the fall crappie hunt is in full swing. Grabb ers were only yellow perch, available in on 1/32 1/16 and avoid breaking little cushion theoz., hookset the light line, and to help guess again ! oz. and 3/16 oz. sizes. deflect the razor teeth of bait-stealing northern pike.

The and Perchormodels look rods, awesome to tome. We fishGold thesePerch baits on St.Glow Croix Avid Elite Panfish in 6’ 4” 7’ 0” The 1/32 Tikka Flash action, could for alsoa good play balance when the fish are lengths and oz. lightsize or medium-light of castability cushion absorb strikes andbecome sufficient strength to fish large panfishtoon in that to negative mood or finicky. This often happens light line. Teamed with a series 1000 Daiwa spinning reel, you’re rigged a school of fish once a and ready to tackle panfish all season long.few of their buddies have disappeared through that This pattern lasts about a month, with the fish moving farther mysterious hole out in toward the the drop-off as the weeds thicken. By summer peak conditions, when ice. A school’s mood may the weeds are at their peak of thickness and height, the crappies tend to and can change several school tighter and hide beneath the weeds during the day, coming out to timesmorning, throughout day. o the edges or rising over the tops to feed in early late the evening at night. When fish are more Sometimes crappies hit everything you throwfinicky at them;and otherwon’t times,hit youthe need to fine-tune your approach, lure size, colour,more speed,aggressive action, depth,baits, etc., to Ashley will her make theYellow magicPerch happen. In recent years, has been an downsize absolute crappi Icethere Tungsten Ultra The presentation toU.a S.small explosion in with southern Canadian Shield lakes just above the border takes Jamei XL a Clam Jig tipped tungsten jig tipped with ! The stained water grows lots of big fish. If you understand thei er victim anothreally seasonal movement, and how they relate toa micro plastic such as a 1/32 or 1/16 oz Acme Pro Grade Jig paired with a 13 developing habitat and forage sources,Tungsten you Fishing Tetrad. I will do the same with a 1/16 oz. Ultra Tungsten can stay on crappies all year long. Ice Jig in a yellow perch or hot purple colour, tipping it with Clam’s Jamei shrimp imitation. Scent can also help trigger those theLiquid Author: slow bitingAbout panfish, Mayhem is a gel scent, which will stay Al Lindner ranks among the most renowned on spoon and hard body baits for long periods of time as well as leaders in the fishing industry. Averaging plastics. about 180 days a year on the water, Al is hailed ascan one and of thedoworld’s all-around Plastics play abest huge role on the ice while panfishing. anglers. Al’s long and honoured career as their Micro Finesse lineup A year and a bit ago, Z-Man introduced an author, syndicated radio & TV fishing of ElaZtech plastics along fishing with their Micro ShroomZ jig show host, video producer, guide, tackleFinesse manufacturer, lecturer heads. These are perfect for ice fishing and this added and champion tournament angler has spanned 35 year yearsthey of the most revolutionary years in sportfishing. (Continued on page 23.) Just Fishing Fishing .. 22 48 Just

Fall 2024 2023 Winter

Traditions (Targeting Fall Walleyescontinued in Cdn. Lakes cont. from page 22) (Panfish (Ned This,Pandemonium Ned That! continued fromfrom pagepage 50.) 22.)

8-pound Sufix Fluorocarbon to minimize Heavy hair jigs jigheads tipped with Ashley will sometimes tip her spoons andorsmall jigspeople with live wax Z situation. When ask my r e line twist and prevent worms cut-offsor from ktoothy soft plastics provide lift-drop lure action n i Z spikes for more scent and flavour. If you’re carrying n a In the Spring rivers are traditional destinations to shake the postm outside the boulder zone, you can use an to the lineup with a couple Z whatalthough I think fish the helped coin the name of the lure in honour of critters his excellent friend, like pike. e in deep water, theirmistake increased a bait container wax worms, Maggots or spikes, keep that treuswith r e winter cabin fever out of your blood. Meet with friends and family upward flick of your wrist, followed by a p of new plastics, the Baby p Ned Rig for my response is,do‘I Ned, who has turned it into a lure of extreme value with a cult-like Co bulk to and water usually container somewhere close your bodyresistance so your body heat can for a remote northern onnotes” the water for walleyes. drop of the rod tip,always togetaway. make theGet lure jump BallerZ and Micro Goat. following. “We were comparing said Gord. “We would don’t care what they mistake Early to mid-fall is one ofthem my lively favourite not allow you covereffective water aspresentation quickly asit keep & wiggly! Often the most e z a Gather around the campfire and share stories. Many anglers have up a foot or two, then immediately plummet H alsotimes introduced newthe water each email back and forth 4-5 times a day, They for weeks on end,toover for, as long as they’re biting it’.” be amany, on Purpleyear. Jigging Experiment to when employing live when bait isusing to dead stick Raps. your lure and let the been fishingkicking here since they were kids because their families many years.” to bottom, up a cloud of sand/muck jighead, the Micro Shad HeadZ Gord best. added, “If we’re fishing the The air is crisp yet notlive cold, boating traffic see what works bait do its job! have hereoccurs. for generations. And and you angler never know everybeen timecoming contact This inreally black, pink, chartreuse and clear waters of Whitefish competition are at a minimum, “Outside of the little group Ned founded and Nature called, ‘The iftriggers Old Man Winter will stickthat around or if finishes. Mother has strikes from aggressive walleyes glow The Micro Bay on Lake of the andnearly big fish of all species bite,next feeding to So, the time that you’re out on the ice don’t ignore these Finesse Network’, it flew underthe the radar for 20 years”, something else in mind. trying News to clobber the lure before lure Shad HeadZ areupavailable in Woods, I like natural and stock energy reserves prior to a long, feisty members of the sunfish family, they’re a blast to catch! Gord toldon methe during conversation. “So, it is1/16 anything butoz. ‘new’, escapes next our jump. Be sure to1/32 try the oz., oz, 1/8 and That’s a combo you neutral colours versus cold northern winter. although the people fishing community is buzzing about the lure as the ‘hot Oh, and by the way, if you haven’t Inew have seen trying to launch boats that are frozen to their Rapala Jigging Shadow Rap as well 3/16 oz. sizes and are poured some of the brighter twoPerch Yellow of the pAs A closeu justbeing can beat anytime, anywhere! new a matter of fact, a lot of what are called Ned tried them before these are some boat trailers because the air temperature is in the single digits. I forUltra athing’. different fish-triggering action. on a 90-degree jig hook. tipped tone colours in Kenora’s Jig Ice ten Tungs Rigs these days are very far from accurate.” Gord further explained, of the tastiest fish that you’d catch have also seen summer-like weather and sunburned faces. Whether XL number Jamei any Oilcalling The location ofshaped the Rapalas linejigs tie on algae stained waters.” Clam Motorare with a companies Jigging youthe ice. to fish “Many of moon as allow through there is a snow squall or a heatwave, you will find Heather and I I like to use a 7’ 1” St. Croix Eyecon the top the jighead makes Ned jigs. Likewise, company after company hasofaggressively named (or renamed) beneath the boat in deep chasing that 30-incher on a river somewhere in April. Good luck! spinning rod, medium power with moderate FISH IT RIGHT: them ideal for a vertical presentation such as used in ice fishing. their smallest plastics as Ned this, or Ned that.”water, providing fish-triggering Until welure seeaction you out on the action, which is ideal for fishing Jigging and the ability to move quickly to locate RETRIEVES, RODS, hardwater, stay safe, Fish Hard Follow, like and share my fishing adventures on YouTube, TikTok, Raps. I team it with a Daiwa Fuego 2500 The StingerZ, Tiny TicklerZ, Baby REELS & LINE SO, WHAT EXACTLY IS THE NEDBallerZ, RIG? Micro andGoat, catchShad fish. FryZ & Dream Big!!!!! Gop reel spooled with 8-pound-test Advanced her Tac Twitter, Instagram and Facebook! kle and LarvaZ are all deadly on panfish whether rigged on a Micro Shad I don’t think the rig can be fished wrong. You can drag it, shake “The Ned was or theother rig type lures. Mushroo m Head SufixOriginal monofilament provide a actual littlejigging line HeadZ or tipped on Rig atospoon Coconut it, count it down and swim it. Just use a systematic method of you got from the Purple pairing of a Gopher Tackle Electric Chicken About stretch to Pearl, cushion hooksets, help maintain Ice Glow, Death, Space Guppy, andthe Author: Editor’s Note fishing it from top to bottom and cover the bases. And while on Mushroom Head jig weighing 3/32, 1/16, or the Author: “Bro” Brosdahl, aAbout taut line on fishthat and soften Bumble Bee arehooked allBrian colours I’ve usedlure with great success ranks in open David Chong widely recognized Al Lindner among the most renowned the subject of is presentation, Gord had some real gems of advice, 1/32 oz. with half of a 5” Yamamoto Senko is a fishing guidewater. and promoter. One of the action in cold water or on the hardwater! Again, please note that these are all made as one of Canada’s top competitive leaders in the fishing industry. Averaging “The most interesting retrieve that I’ve been writing about, where most recognized worm. That wasandtherespected originalanglers and in the tournament alsoinvolved an from same thatistheir their TRD180 Ned Finesse days a year on the water, Al anglers. issmallmouth hailed He is are Norththe America – Bro, as material he’s known, a famousabout crappies and is the “Bivins’ Bounce”. marriage of the ElaZtech two components and avid multi species angler and is Worms are made from, making them super tough and durable. During the warm water of summer, I might multispecies angler best known for his as one of the world’s best all-around anglers. Terry Bivins is a retired resulting characteristics is the rig. strong advocate for NASCAR affordable,driver from the states and he is an influence on the sport of ice fishing. opt for no-stretch superline to promote Al’s long and honouredacareer as an author, syndicated show host, accessible angling for all! Davidradio & TV fishing (Continued on page 52.) Hethecan be booked for guided trips at: If mood of the fish that you’re on ever goes super negative, extreme lure action, but when the water’s video producer, fishingloves guide, tacklehis manufacturer, lecturer and tournament “After that, the YUM Dinger expanded sharing vast fishing knowledge andchampion stories with anglers of bbro@paulbunyan.net or brosguideserthere are a few things to try before abandoning them to locate more cold, I prefer mono. To either setup, add a the lure persona with the comparatively angler has spanned 35 years of the most revolutionary years in sportfishing. all ages, beginners and pros alike! vice.com. aggressive If the are16 proving small barrel swivel and about inches to of be super tight-lipped, lighter, morefish. buoyant 5”fish YUM Dinger cut in half. It was about half the weight of the Senko, due to much less salt. Jason Matity & Jeff are helplessly, Many anglers thought that would make it Matity poorer. But, hopelessly addicted to the sport of salt once the YUM Dinger was fished and most of the remaining fishing. The only thing they like better dissolved, it has more buoyancy and the tail wiggled a bit. than catching big fish is helping others catch big fish. Whether it’s trolling for “Everything changed when Zman produced the Zero worm, made northern pike and walleyes, to jigging for from their proprietary ElaZtech material, King. After trout, burbotfor andStrike perch, pitching jigs to the Zero’s success, Zman made their own ZinkerZ under the Zman bass, or dunking crawlers for carp and banner. This super-buoyant, 10X toughmultiworm Zman catfish, they are Saskatchewan’s greatly improved the Ned Rig.” Finesse species fishing authority whether on ice ShroomZ or open water. Matitysgetfishing.com Jig Head “Finally, Zman tackle took the lead with their

YOU are invited to come along for the ride… ElaZtech ZinkerZ worms that are nearly

indestructible and have the greatest buoyance of all plastics. Ned catches as many as 180 bass Zman on a single Zman worm! Ned’s involvement in OG Mushroom the research and development of Ned products at Jig Head Zman resulted in the Zman Finesse T.R.D. Series (The Real Deal), the first pre-cut or pre-formed Ned Rig worms and finesse bodies. The Finesse Zman TRD eliminates the need to cut a 5” ZinkerZ in TT Lures half and comes poured in a 2 3/4” worm. Ready NedlockZ HD to go! No cutting needed!” So, I asked Gord, “IFHead IT SWIMS... WE“What FISH FOR IT...AND HELP the best all-round Jig would youWILL consider YOU CATCH IT! GetFishing Fishing’s Magic!” Ned Rig ‘Cuz today?” Jeff & Jason Matity

Zman came out with the ZinkerZ and, now, Visit our “When YouTube Channel the pre-cut Finesse T.R.D., that just perfected it to no end. When SUBSCRIBE you&fished it on any of the for ZmanFREE!! Shroom mushroom head jigs, it

was the Ned Rig personified. All of the colours and subtle hues that YOUTUBE.COM/MATITYSGETFISHING Zman and others have in their line-ups can cover any water clarity

Fall 2023 Winter 2024 Summer 2022

Just 35 Just Fishing Fishing .. 29

Just Fishing 23 JustFishing Fishing...51 23 Just

A CATCH &RELEASE By: Luc LaRochelle, PhD Student, Carleton University & Dr. Steven J. Cooke, Professor, Carleton University

M M

any anglers release some of their catch. During the open water period, you can often see fish swim away when they are released, but have you ever thought about what happens to fish during the ice fishing season when you release them down the hole? That same question has troubled researchers for years. Logistically it is much easier to track released fish during the open water season and therefore there is lots of information about fish injury, stress, and survival during the open water season, yet we know virtually nothing about what happens to released fish in the winter. Fortunately, in the last few years there have been some creative efforts that have allowed researchers to study catch-and-release in the winter. Here we provide an overview of what we have learned and what it means for anglers. We conclude with some key best fish handling practices catch-and-release during the winter. It goes without saying that wintertime brings challenges for fish, anglers, and researchers. Fishing in the winter requires some specialized tools to access the fish whether that be an auger, a spot to escape the cold (i.e., hut) or method of transportation to get out to fishing spots.

Harsh winter day on frozen lake with high winds and cold temperatures. Essential tissue of fish would freeze in a matter of seconds in these conditions.

Lake Trout caught ice fishing on the same day as the other picture by one of the authors (Luc LaRochelle). Fish inside a hut to block the wind and extreme cold weather to avoid freezing the essential tissues of the fish. Notice how the fish is dripping with water?

The sub-freezing temperatures during the ice fishing season are demanding on the fish, human body, fishing equipment, and research equipment. From a research point of view, it not easy to monitor and track released fish below the ice. Specialized equipment is needed to monitor fish released in the winter such as underwater drones to visually observe the fish and electronic tags that are attached to fish with sensors that measure swimming activity, depth, and temperature selection.

Catching fish from cold water can be advantageous for catch-and-release. There is generally less mortality for fish caught and released in colder water temperatures compared to warmer water temperatures present during the open water season. Fish are ectotherms meaning that their body temperatures are regulated by the surrounding environment. In the winter, the body temperatures of fish are reduced, leading to the reduction of their metabolic rate and demand for oxygen compared to the warm open-water season.

Although water temperatures are less problematic for fish in the winter, it is the air exposure period during hook removal, measurement or if you pause to take a picture of your prize catch when things can go poorly for fish in the winter. It is challenging to avoid air exposure when ice fishing – even to release fish down the hole properly (headfirst)! (Continued on page 26.)

Just Fishing . 24

Winter 2024

(A Catch-and-Release Perspective On Ice Fishing continued from page 24.)

Overall, the amount of time that fish are removed from the water, and if the fish are placed on the ice (or snow), can have a direct impact on the freezing of essential tissues and organs like the gills, skin, eyes, and fins. In particular, gills are very sensitive and if they are damaged from freezing temperatures it will impact their ability to respire, swim, and survive.

• Be even more cautious about air exposure period when the temperatures are really cold and windy.

• Using a hut can help keep fish out of the wind and in temperatures above freezing.

• Avoid putting fish directly on the ice or snow. If you need to

put the fish down, consider using a padded mat (yoga mats work Beyond that, wind speed, ambient air temperature, and the well!). interaction of the two (windchill) are the main environmental factors that further influence how quickly fish tissues will freeze. • The practice of #Keepfishwet still applies in the winter. If the When fish are air exposed to the wind (5km/h and more), they fish is not dripping wet then you have are prone to body heat and water loss –something to consider kept it out of the water for too long. all year-round. Not surprisingly, essential tissues are more likely to freeze with longer periods of time out of the water, and this • Fish inside a hut to block the wind and is even more evident when fish are placed on the ice (or snow). extreme cold weather to avoid freezing Freezing of the skin and eyes can happen rapidly when fish are the essential tissues of the fish. placed directly on the ice.

BEST PRACTICES FOR HANDLING FISH IN THE WINTER Based on our research and experiences as ice anglers, here are some best practices for fish handling in the winter:

• Keep fish in the water as long as possible before measuring or

taking photos – fish should not be from the water for more than 10 seconds!

About the Authors Both LaRochelle and Cooke are avid anglers and fisheries scientists. Although there are many “fair weather” biologists, for some reason LaRochelle and Cooke have taken up the challenge of studying fish in the winter. #Keepemwet Fishing.

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Just Fishing . 26

Winter 2024

BOOGGERS & BUGS... KIDS’ LOVE AFFAIR WITH WORMS

By: Jeff Matity GetFishing.ca

y son, Benjamin, has had a life-long fascination with fishing and the live baits we have always grown for fishing. He knows that when nothing else can get a fish to bite, one of our home-grown, superior live baits can often save the day. This has proven true many times during the ice fishing season. Unfortunately, live bait can be hard to find when you live in rural Saskatchewan. For that reason, I’ve learned to grow my own and, after 30 years of culturing my own supply, I have tried many methods for many species of invertebrates.

itself. Put about 4 inches of wheat bran in the bucket and add your mealworms. Purchase 4-5 dozen worms to get started.

PROPER HYDRATION – is the fundamental

key to the health and wellbeing of your colony: Most folks add a slice of potato or apple on top of the bedding and replace it ever week or so. With all due respect, I don’t like this option since this practice has been the single-greatest mistake I have made since this strategy has cost me the loss of entire colonies.

the Kingworm or Superworm; and Tenebrio molitor– yellow mealworm. Both are Darkling beetle species. The one you want is the Kingworm, commonly called, Superworm. Why? Well, simply put, they get big and are easy to grow. The yellow mealworm can be grown as well. However, Many times, seeing multiple failures. However, after decades of trial-and-error, the Superworm has a few life-cycle features I now can offer several tips that will make that make it a slam dunk for easy production. you a success in supplying yourself and your friends with a terrific, 4-season fishing UNDERSTAND THE LIFE CYCLE OF worm! Ben took advantage of his mealworm DARKLING BEETLE FAMILY know-how to successfully place very high in many Science Fair Projects when he was LARVAE – are your bait or worm phase just a little tyke, which I will share in the of the Superworm. This stage is what you want to buy in order to get your photos and verbiage within this article. colony started. They require a well Mealworm species have proven easy to aerated container with dry wheat bran domesticate, house and achieve successful and a moisture source. Many mealworm breeding. There are two main mealworms farmers use an ice cream bucket with you’ll find at the tackle pro shop or pet shop. holes in the top of the lid and, perhaps, These would be: Zophobus morio– aka around the periphery of the container

You see, the hydration protocol must actually err on the side of dryer than wetter and any excess moisture works directly to propagate mold, spoil your bedding and asphyxiate your worms. The absolute best method for hydration is the prudent use of WaterBeads, which I order online with little expense.

WaterBeads are used to hydrate worm colony with before hydration size (1 mm) & fully hydrated (12 mm)

If not eaten, the moisture of the WaterBead will evaporate into the air and shrink into a tiny, hard, dry bead. The wheat bran does not absorb any of the moisture and keeps from spoiling. With this TIP alone, you will be miles ahead on your own worm project! PUPAE – Healthy worms are vigorous and grow fast. They will get plump and shed their skin multiple times. These growing stages are called in intars and the number of instars in the larvae stage depends on (Continued on page 29.)

Just Fishing . 28

Winter 2024

(Booggers & Bugs from page 28.)page 38.) (Let’s Try Some Newcontinued Water (When Keep It Simole Shinescontinued continuedfrom from page 6.)

BEETLES – will

emerge from the the species and quality thetothe couple of practice days continuing explore X-Raps until afterthe one cast, I of ripped lure pupae in a few bedding/water/temperature of new water for untouched fish. down, pausedand for look a second or our two, ripped weeks and must farm. To then keep a healthy We’ll of the past good spots itworm downfish againsome and laid my rod against be given their own environment, all boat the worms during the of tournament but usually you will the gunnel the while I need poured a cup bucket or container is fresh bran about once never winwheat on the same places. You still of coffee. My rod almost flew out can of the with fresh wheat per use catchmonth fish off thethe old prudent spots, new, fresh boat when aand four-pound plusbut smallmouth bran and a few of Waterbeads. Nodead otherstill food is middle ones always the best. ate thearebait sitting in the necessary! Wa t e r B e a d s . of the water column. Now, I may have been They do not need One at of night, the best I get fishing born butfeelings it wasn’t lastinnight, so is I Eventually, yellow mealworms any food beyond when I figure out athe new bite or again, a new hotspot. quickly cast out jerkbait ripped will shed into a PUPAE on any given instar a tournament, it’s moisture. 50 darkling beetles are enough itWhen downI’m andprefishing then let itfor pause interminably. and remain dormant as it metamorphoses Another smallmouth destroyed it. to start a colony and the ratio of male-tointo another, a BEETLE. Once one yellow Then and another, and another until female sexes is random enough to expect mealworm pupates, the entire colony Doug shook his head in mock disgust –will or a 50:50 ratio. quickly follow. This is the perfect time maybe it was real – and made note of theto do a beddingProtracted change and Pregnant wait for thePyzer pupae After about a month, you can run your Painfully to become Several change, hundred exciting fingerstothrough theyou beetles’ to know that might bedding have found Pause. Butadult thatbeetles. one simple pupae will translate into an equal number see if there is any movement indicating facilitated by listening to the bass, turned the winning fish. When I’m around home and of adults. So, ho-hum you haveday to decide howinto much micro-tiny larvae. Most worm farmers an otherwise of fishing a away from the tournament scene, that rush you want to expand your operation. keep the beetles in with the larvae and let stellar success story. might come from catching a big musky in a them to fulfil a typical 6-8 month new areaexpire or finding a school of crappies in an SUPERWORMS – do something amazing Simple shines! life cycle. I do not! Larvae are eating that they weren’t known to pop up in. that makes your adult beetle numbers area machines and will eat other larvae, pupae predictable to the individual beetle! and will burrow into the adult beetles’ MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE it’s nice Larvae will not pupate unless they can Sometimes exoskeleton Of course, monitoring crawl the success of your to get out on and the kill them…eating them away and from the inside-out! favourite tournament hide anglerfrom is their fun, kin. but water and just pull isn’t as easy as grabbing whatever rod, reel, emulating a winning presentation can be up to the places we This is because line and lure and combination you need and SALVAGE YOUR BROODSTOCK! frustrating, because there is always more to know are good pupae will be eaten having at it. Spy baiting is a perfect example. it than first meets the eye. Gustafson fish but if youbeetles on a strict Remove adult byAslarvae. So,hasto catch Everyto serious bass angler knows 30-day about already told us, he spentget 20 years perfecting want up time limit. The will not be riddled breeder beetles it by now, but tobeetles bait well, and more the moping technique and tried it repeatedly with micro-tiny spy and will survive, you must take your importantly, ensurelarvae decent to excellent – and unsuccessfully – at different events thrive and producea 100’s of eggs the largest Superworms Editor’s Note: Gustafson grew up on the shores of have to spend landing ratio, you the in time and couldn’t makeJeff it produce... until he did. new with wheat isolateOntario. them in He Lake of the Woods inand Kenora, hasenvironment made required to dialhisthings in.fresh So use yourbran. fun While not perfectly enumerated, I have separate containers. living in the fishing community since he fishing was a days teenager to experiment with different rod “That is how you should spend your fun as a tournament angler, outdoor writer and found 50 healthy beetles will produce Refer toguide, HOT TIP and line is pairings to achieve greater fishing says Strub, who recent has over 200 actions fishingdays,” promotor. The section most highlight of his career winning the Bassmaster below for approximately 1,000 larvae per month. success.” top ten tournament finishes to his credit. of a find him on social media at @gussyoutdoors and on his website at: A real close upcan Classic.You my method. “But remember, superworms.anything new these days mass of (Continued (Continued on on page page 30.) 8.) www.gussyoutdoors.com.

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Just JustFishing Fishing..39 29

A container with good ventilation and Larvae will be considered full-grown strict use of WaterBeads for moisture is within 4-6 months and larvae between the way to go! 2-4 months would be bait-size for smaller WORMS FOR YOU... & lures and panfish.

(Booggers & Bugs continued from page 29.)

THE WHOLE NEIGHBOURHOOD MATITY’S METHODS FOR With this information you can be your MUCHO-MOGOMBO MEALWORMS own bait dealer in less than 3 months. THEIR HOME – Proper containers will make In fact, you can develop yourself into a

NIPIGON® Ideal for trolling, casting and jigging

PERCH

DLY

DE IN

PROU

Perch Silver back

N A DA

or break your mealworm efforts. Cheap is good and not hard to find. My rectangular, 6.4 litre, clear Snaptite containers with the blue lid cost me $1.50 at Dollarama and required only one modification. I cut the inner, center contour of the lid out with a razor and hot glued a section of course screen in its place. This guarantees abundant ventilation for the WaterBeads, bedding and critters.

small cottage industry! My worms get used for fishing and my local pet store gets super-jumbo Superworms from me by lots of 1,000. Now if I could just put together a few recipes for mealworm snack treats for the protein supplement industry... Seriously, I grow my worms strictly... Under the most cleanly conditions that I would not hesitate to make a meal of my mealies. But, that’s a story for another day!

To this, I add a full bag (450 grams) of Roger’s Wheat Bran. Brand of bran doesn’t matter and is, again, very inexpensive. This is absolutely the most critical element of their tiny universe. Bad bedding kills worms quick!

If you want to get started; but, are not sure of any of the above details, drop me an email at matityfish@gmail.com! I would love to guide you to success!!

HOT TIP – The clear container, with

COLOURED WORMS & EDIBLE PLASTICS

shallow bedding, reveals when bedding needs changing... When the lower half of bedding is pure white from ammonialaden waste buildup, its time to change the bedding. For example, 1000 worms in this Snaptite container shows the telltale white accumulation in the lower 2/3 of the container signalling a bedding change is needed... about once a month.

THEIR SUSTENENCE

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/williamslures www.williams.ca Just Fishing . 30

The wheat bran is their sustenance and is all they need to eat and grow from. Get curious and creative with what you add and you will pollute your bedding with pesky mites that will create havoc, spoil your bedding and potentially wipe out your worms through catastrophic infiltration of mold. MOISTURE – is the only requirement beyond the bran that they need added. Excess moisture will be your downfall if allowed to build and create mite infestation and mold infiltration.

BEN’S EXPERIMENTS…

Ben’s two Science Fair Projects involved the use of yellow mealworms. In his first Science Fair, Ben wanted to figure out if the amber coloured worms could be turned into a number of coloured varieties.

COLOURFUL WORMS METHOD ONE – was to put non-toxic food colouring onto a direct water/food source such as a slice of apple. This did produce some brilliantly coloured worms as the worms will always swarm their moisture source. However, the heavily-dyed apple proved toxic to the worms. Brightly colored blue, red and green worms were all dead within 24 hours.

METHOD TWO – was to use the same

non-toxic food colouring into their environment (bedding) which is their home and primary food source. It was tedious to use a spray bottle to misttoss-dry-repeat until the bran was fully coloured. It was a bit of trial-and-error (Continued on page 32.)

Winter 2024

at the right time, in the right free, he in then the nerve pick up the Ben havingto cultured a lipless larger lure population of location, thehad right way. by myself and Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson, aka the “Great Canadian mealworms for lift his up following Science Fair, rod, make another long cast, the rodyear’s tip just since any dampness to the bran would mold nearly Snow Leopard”!!! decided tothat test theand theory onhook manyinto different kinds “Ienough learnedtovery early onwobble, immediately and kill the worms. However, Ben was feel the bait set the man-made-waste drink are abomber top he had a success when green-bran-bedding the twin ofbaits the of bronze justcontainers. released. Styrofoam, On thehis Thursday evening leading up toproduced the Bassmaster Classic fluke-style cardboard and pop bottle plastic were all tested. smallmouth his best green-coloured worms. The in Knoxville Tennessee, I hadtransformation the honour of being the the choice It was for Groundhog Daybass all over again and I was The Styrofoam and cardboard where 100% eaten when they are focused of colour took into about days.Hall of Fame in Springfield Missouri. Canadian inducted the 10-14 Bass Fishing (Target Walleye Report continued fromon page 52.) shocked. thewater,” worms (albeit in different time frames for eating baitfish inby cold as presented with the Meritorious Service Award and became only the third for working shallow structure there is... perfect fish-attracting wiggle and the same mass of No surprise, the pop vidual to receive this award... totalmany honour!!!mealworm farms Belief continued from pageand 42.)product). DISCLAIMER: there aare says Gustafson. “The big some(Burbot great Beyond fall colours like ‘fire tiger’ ‘crawdad.’ And, I still am at what I saw unfold the rest the bottle wastheleft these untouched. Theof second part of that produce red coloured worm. Even though thing that we learned from I incorrectly categorized day.option, Itaswas a the kick-in-the-pants reminder too experiment was to seeeffects if that modifying the one-by “Another would avoiding the negative of the turnover e did Jeff andhow I knowtowhile at the event that in just burbot spawned-out or immature I know dositting it, since Ben chatting, has grown andover 72 hours Lindner’s, back inbethe early trying to find a lake that hasn’t turned yet, or one that already has and had would claim the title of Bassmaster Classic World Champion! Plus In doing so, he males. Finally, it became clear that piece bottle into smaller pieces would create more often when we they overwere finesse moved away from home, I seldom make batches of 2000s, winning a week or 2 to settle down. The first ones to go are the shallow lakes as these big burbot couldn’t be spawned ame the first Canadian to ever bring thatcoloured title home toSuperworm. Canada. You can find more the “edge effect”. It There worked andbeaasvery small mass fishFort withmass liveand baitcool and Frances Canadian they have less quicker... may much as 2 weeks out males. This group were fullboth these events later on in this issue beginning page thirtyto,(30).I consumed. If you ondecide difference –plastic or more –was as when all begins and ends.” Bass on RainyitBaffling, soft Championship lookalikes, grown fish, over 4 to pounds. suggest making your desired colour Lake is that they catching their gonads were tiny, pinkish, when we were should Spring issue features our incredible line up of writers and anglers, sharing vital Finally, after greatly increasing the edgesON of WATER the material by of bran (mist-toss-dry-repeat) well smallmouth ribbon-like, and under developed. on and around BASE YOUR FALL CRANKS be crankin’ up the rmation and experiences to hopefully make you a more informed and successful passing through an officethat shredder, Was this it the group of fish Sam Ben calculated an actual ahead of time and then add your structure, but theycaused weren’t ler this year and into the future. TEMPERATURE heat. Which also called males? I’m not sure; but, percentage-of-mass being reduced from the original mass of the desired number of mixed-sized letting their baits touch the about 80 percent of the fish son, buddy, “Big” one-piece pop isbottle bymost the that mealworms! Superworms andhimself, allowDave for Genz, about a bottom. That theJim ey fall trollers – water temps are finally starting to dip! Instead cently had a wondrous conversation with the “Ice Boss” Ben, and I harvested in 2008 were McLaughlin, publisher month to come to full colour affect. of tying on any ol’ crankbait, did you know you can use water important aspect of the o had called to congratulate me on my Hall of Fame Induction. Dave mentioned these, so called, “males”. This was as far as Ben took his experiments. However, the temp to tell you which exact styles to run. of Just Fishing!, mething during that conversation that really got me thinking. It was how he technique. Around the same above experiment was a real-life, worldEATING SUPERWORMS to laugh out loud when Dr. Vaughn Paragamian... Science Bridges the Gap spent most of his life teaching peoplePLASTIC how to catch more fish. But he finds time, electronics were getting Brad Hawthorne’s logged a zillion hours pulling cranks in the fall, so significant discovery as to the importance self now trying to teach those same anglers to let most of thier fish go... toldsothing himDr. about it fish better we could find II sought out Vaughn Paragamian from the Idaho Fish & in I remember decades ago,Ringing reading it’s the first I asked him about when I had the chance to hop of insects as our how friends inthis reduction and rue... It literally stopped me in my tracks. and then watch they Game Department who had to say: “Those fish are ‘nonheof hadhuman used the his boat: an article in Popular Science about because recycling Eelpout, waste products and breeders’. like sturgeon, do not all spawn every reacted to our baits. how Chicago’s Landfill began using same tactic twice to help superior fish-catching companions! servation of our fishery is very important – so when you’re out fishing this year, be year. Individuals rest on alternate spawning He seasons.” always starts early mealworms to eat Styrofoam and, him win the coveted e to keep that in mind… it really is all about the future!!! fall with #5 Rapala “hanging”, “moping”, “Damiki rigging” technique became therefore, reduce waste and space in “The So why are resting fish active on the spawning grounds, Canadian Bass BOOGGERS & Classic. BUGS, BABY!! Shad Raps ‘cuz they’ve their landfills. It was very used to win a lot of tournaments incaught Northwestern Ontario, I wondered? more fish than safe & when ever possible, take asuccessful. kid fishing!!! “Big” Jim widely any other bait infrom his the Author: Jeff Matitdy especially when we found smallmouth in deeper water “ThereAbout is only just something about using crankbaits “Eelpout rest as far as gamete production is concerned. Unlike boat…especially while August allthat the way through theactivity fall.nearly Over the their yearsresting I have year, caught A Fishing Industry 30 sturgeon avoidProfessional spawning during the to catch largemouth andfor smallmouth bass that you water temps are 60licited articles are accepted years as aofFishing Guideit.&But Promotional Staffer, hundreds basspopulation doing like any technique, the more you do it, 0 yearly will be considered for entire eelpout participates in the spawn, in one F. Bump up to a #6 65 can’t explain,” saysin McLaughlin. won’t catch with Bachelor’s Degrees Science are & “You cation provided they are form or another. malesboth and females mature non-spawning the more efficientMany you become understanding the ofreach the fish, or #7 asmood temps the SPECIAL FEATURES nal and have not appeared in Education, Jeff uses this training in them, his easily job as nearly asunderdeveloped many bass with butmistaken the ones you do fish with gonads, as spent lower end of that scale. publications. choosing the Professional right jig head and knowing when to put it away and tryor a Fisheries & Outdoor Educator immature when bigger. cleaned.And Only most under anglers a microscope slide, will be males so much fishing in Publisher When Keep It Simple SHINES.........................3 something else.” (specializing in fishing via family business, 0in the can oocytes be seen ovaries of females and spermatozoa in F – and theonto weather is cooperating – on he’ll OnceOntario, the waterrarely hits 57-62 (Continued pageput 6.) tie crankbaits their lines. “Big” Jim McLaughlin GetFishing.ca) to reach out to anyone interested in learning about fish. forfrom some time (Booggers & Bugsforgotten continued page 30.)to come. It will surely never be forgotten

H H

IN THIS ISSUE

Managing Editor Tammy Wight Contributors Gord Pyzer Al Lindner Tim Allard Jeff Gustafson Bernie Schultz David Chong Cameron Tait, Brian Brosdhal Jeff Matity

Box 214 Seeley’s Bay, ON K0H 2N0. Phone: (613) 387-8735 mail: info@justfishing.ca

www.justfishing.ca

males,” revealed Paragamian. Locating Post-Spawn Carappies................12on BIG ol’ bent-lip #9 Shallow Shad Raps. Everything is going shallow and putting the feedbag on, including perch this size…. Rigged & Ready for SPRING....................16 During our conversation I shared that many of these non-breeders wereJointed very emaciated with and shrunken, Minnows aresunken one ofeyes, his reduced favouritegirth overlooked fall Swimbaits Old & New..........................20Original 0 pale-coloured livers. “Although an individual non-breeder will eat trolling baits when temps are in the 50-57 F range and fish are on the on bottom, for example, without any available food on the The Best ‘Jumbo” Pearch Fishing........22chew.chum They run 5-7’ outta the package, but Brad will pinch on a small splitshot up above the bait to get ’em down to the 8-10’ range. Staying Current on River Walleyes........28 Pike & Walleye Mashup!......................32Frigid temps: Original Floaters are tough to beat. Brad’s caught fish on ’em in water as cold as 42 degrees. #PolarPlungeStatus More details Swimbaits – Tough on Walleyes..............40straight from Mr. Fall Cranky himself in this video. (https://www. Designed for Detroit River Anglers.....46youtube.com/watch?v=RLYu8tPpv8U)

DEPARTMENTS

FALL WALLEYES LOVE SAND

A Line From “Big” Jim ..........................4 In The News............................................30 his can be a frustrating time of year to track down a limit of tasties. Fish are on the move, but they’ll be migrating to predictable areas Target Walleye........................................52and eventually schooling up hard. Tubman’s Tips & Techniques .................53

Ted Takasaki, Scott Richardson and Greg Bohn combined forces to give us and Yoda some fall-transition secrets. Full write-up archived The Cover: Main – Bassmaster Classic Champion Jeff Gustafson,here, few excerpts below:

oto – Cody Rubner, The Best Jumbo Perch Fishing photo – David “Baitfish will only stay in weeds as long as they’re very green. Once ong, When Keeping it Simple Shines photo – Derek Strub, Current on weeds start to die off... baitfish and walleyes start to leave those er Walleyes photo – Brian Brosdhal, In the News photo – “Big” Jimshallow-water weed areas.

t Just Fishing . 4 . 32 Fishing

Just Fishing 2023 . 20 FallWinter 2020

Spring Winter 2023 2024

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By: Matt Johnson – Ice Team Manager

he modern age of ice fishing has trained us to be mobile (we can thank Dave Genz for that) and we’ve been taught to move until you find fish. We have gear that allows us to be mobile… lighter augers, lighter portable fish houses, lighter batteries for your Vexilar, better clothing – you name it, we’ve got it. However, many anglers oftentimes forget about the most important piece of a “fish catching” puzzle… and that’s what you present to the fish. We are in the mobile age of ice fishing, but we need to focus on the mobile age of presentations and baits, too.

bluegill, perch, or any species can resist. Then when you incorporate the Pinhead Pro you have a slenderbodied speed spoon allowing you to quickly present a darting and dancing minnow bait into the school of fish, and with a sequence of subtle quivers and shakes you can entice just about any fish to bite. Tag-team these two presentations (depending on the mood of the fish) and you have yourself a very deadly one-two punch for aggressively targeting fish with the right size presentation to get Clam Pro Tackle the job done!

You’re probably thinking, “Matt, what the heck are you talking about?! Mobile presentations?!” Well, I’m referring to the aggressive nature in which we fish. Lure size, action, weight… the fall-rate, how much it moves, darts, dances… how much is creates commotion, noise, vibration, appeal… generally simple things we just tend to not think about.

As far as the rod, reel, and line setup to complete the entire package… I prefer a longer noodle rod, an inline reel (if not too deep, otherwise a quality spinning reel for deeper applications), and then a 3-pound test ice line. Some of my favourite rod options are the Clam Outdoors Katana 34” Noodle, the Straight Drop 34” Noodle, and the Scepter 35” Noodle.

So, for me, we’re talking fast-moving presentations that get down to roaming (oftentimes cruising) fish, and then also attract AND trigger them to bite. This is where I lean heavily on smaller swimming baits and spoons – namely the Clam Pro Tackle Tikka Flash and the ever-popular Pinhead Pro jigging spoon.

(Continued on page 36.)

Pinhead Pro

See, both presentations allow me to get aggressive, staying on top of active schools of fish and getting down quick. I can also trigger these fish into biting once I’m down there – and many times, these presentations capture the fish’s attention as they drop into the strike zone. The Tikka Flash darts and glides as it falls into place, then when ripped or jigged it kicks out a ton of pulse and vibration with its tail-spin blade. You couple that with its small profile, and you have Clam Pro Tackle Tikka Flash a presentation that no crappie, Just Fishing . 34

Winter 2024

(Get Aggressive | Stick & Move continued from page 34)

I prefer the longer noodle options as I’m oftentimes standing up as I move from hole to hole and I can keep the rod tip closer to the ground, as well as relying on the longer rod for more forgiveness when fighting and landing larger fish. Then for reels, I’m a huge fan of the Clam Outdoors Spooler Elite, which is a 2.3:1 inline reel that requires the angler to strip the line my hand, but I feel that forces us to focus more on the entire water column without bombing the lure down to the fish. We want to be quick, but not always lightning quick. The Spooler Elite also has a smooth drag, oversize spool arbor (so you don’t need to use as much line to fill it up), soft-touch handle, and a few cool colours to choose from!

Line in 3-pound monofilament… with my favourite colours being the metered red, metered orange, and gold. These setups will work with both the Tikka Flash and the Pinhead Pro. When it comes down to it, we just need to complete the mobile angler package – which means the way we fish and the gear we fish. We need to stick and move until we find the school of fish we want to stay on, then we need to intercept and catch the fish to round out a successful day on the ice. So, the next time you hit the ice and this pattern seems to come into play, remember to incorporate the mobile presentation along with your mobile approach and you’ll catch more and bigger fish!

Editor’s Note: Matt Johnson is the Ice And then for the fishing line, I lean Team Manager and also guides in Central, heavily on the Clam Pro Tackle Frost Ice MN. Just Fishing . 16

Winter 2024

Just Fishing . 35

STRATEGIES FOR STRATEGIES FOR

enWhen Fishing Popular WaterPopular Systems Water Systems Fishing

By: Tim Allard

atching fish from water systems receiving The latest angling tech is making it easier to C steady angling pressure will test one’s find secondary spots. Lake map contours are resolve and skills. Success often requires increasingly detailed. Garmin, Humminbird, legwork, different presentation strategies, and attention to detail. Here are some reliable tactics for catching more walleye, lake trout, whitefish, panfish, and stocked trout from community holes and waterbodies receiving heavy angling pressure.

GET AWAY FROM THE CROWD Breaking away from the crowd and exploring surrounding water can lead you to less popular, but fruitful fishing spots. My experience is these zones tend to be smaller or more subtle. They may not hold as many fish as the prime area, but they can be more willing to bite. Keeping my distance from others on small lakes when fishing flats, bays, and shorelines has worked well for walleye, crappie, and perch. Finding less popular humps, reefs, and saddles in deep, lake basins helped catch lake trout, whitefish, and walleye.

and other brands also offer software allowing anglers to make their own maps. Features can include depth contours, aquatic vegetation, and changing bottom hardness. Mapping can be done when hole-hoping, but it’s more efficient to do it from a boat and then transfer data to an ice unit.

TRY SOMETHING NEW Showing fish something different is a reliable way to get bites on pressured waters. Looking edible, yet unfamiliar can make fish drop their guard and be more willing to strike. Each year new baits come to market. These are certainly worth trying to present fish with something distinct. This winter I’m particularly excited about using the new Rattling Roach Spoon from VMC. It’s got a lot of things going for it, and reminds me a little bit of an older, discontinued Blue Fox spoon that I used to catch a lot of fish on when ice fishing.

VMC’s Rattling Roach Spoon is high on the author’s list of new baits to try on pressured waters this winter.

Another approach is doing research to learn what anglers in different areas are using to catch your favourite species. Visiting online community groups and watching videos offer insight into regionally popular lures and tactics. Trying an effective bait that isn’t popular where you’re fishing can intrigue pressured fish.

Soaking a minnow midway down in the water column fooled this lake trout for Ray Allard. Just Fishing . 36

Here’s an example. Years ago I found myself in Minnesota, listening to Joe Balog, who was living in Michigan at the time, talk about catching perch on beaded spoons. Back then, I hadn’t used these baits much. I took the

There’s something about the erratic, flashy & flutter of Slab Grabbers that drives perch wild.

hint and got some McGathy’s Slab Grabber beaded spoons. I see and hear more about them each ice season, and know these have long been popular baits on Simcoe and in the Kawartha region, they’ve been dynamite for big perch and crappie from pressured waters out my way in southeastern Ontario. Tungsten ice flies are other baits gaining wider popularity. VMC’s Tungsten Bullfly Jig is one example. Such compact jigs deliver subtle, natural movements, replicating bloodworms, shrimp, copepods, and other buggy edibles panfish and stocked trout can’t resist. Flutter spoons, like the Mepps Syclops Lite, are another bait category some walleye anglers overlook. These light, high-action spoons are worth trying if you haven’t yet already.

DOWNSIZE Dropping down to a smaller lure is a textbook play for tricking fickle fish. I often use perchsized jigging minnows, darter baits, and spoons for fooling mid-winter walleye from community holes on inland lakes. I’ve also had success with 1- and 1.5-inch twister tail grubs, finesse worms, and Berkley Atomic Tubes for rainbows, brook trout, and splake from easily accessible, popular lakes around Calabogie and Westport. These same tubes saved me years ago on (Continued on page 38.)

Winter 2024

.CA

2411 Barton St. E. Hamilton, ON Phone: (905) 573-2288 or 1-888-258-0564

(Strategies For Success When Fishing Popular Water Systems cont. from page 36.)

Lake Temagami while fishing from an outfitter’s shack. It took forever for the 1/16-oz jig to reach bottom in deep water but whitefish of unnatural resistance that up would cause andany small lake trout scarfed them when nothing else was working. Downsizing regularly tricks pressured panfish. your bait to be rejected. The HT Wind Jigger, A tiny, lead teardrop jig is Big likeEye a skeleton lock-jawed perch. with Rod is key my for favorite gear. sunfish, crappie, and HT Tungsten ice jigs are compact without sacrificing weight when you Wind Jigger need to fish deep. HT WIND JIGGER PROGRAM

being used out there right now... here’s why: A) Dropping baited hooks to bottom and free-spool reels until each can be set means all baits are fishing sooner. B) After each caught fish, “resetting” is very fast. The rod and reel means no wet hands and the bobber or tape on the line is simple and easy. C) The long, fiberglass rod can bow, pop or rattle so an angler can “read” pike attitude. D) The free spooling reel indicates fish movement, obviously, and hard anyone? It’s Maggotsbaitrunner offers the gently, measured TIGHT-LINE ‘EM There are 3 reasons why I have converted jigs withamount of resistance to the swimming tipping to go wrong fish. E)live-ba A stiff drag setsred the hook with a simple fast, intentional pressu 100% of my tip-up setsistoimportant Wind Jigger it on fresh, Detecting light bites on set-ups: pressured waters when strikes reeling cadence followed by a smooth lift once the rod is loaded. waterways. 1) 2) Comfort, and most areSpeed; hard-earned. Tight-lining is importantly; a popular strike-detection method F) The Ripple Puck keeps the hole ice free. It chews at the water OKUMA 3) forDeadly panfisheffectiveness. in pockets across the ice belt, including on the Great using for the a water’s more aggressive own thermal energy to keep the surface active Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. It involves looking down into and presentations. Wiggling the dead center in the hole in order to ice free. (TIP: rig line The components of the high-vis set up are as for follows: the water and studying line signs of a bite. rod tip sends coils and other keep the Puck from pushing it to one side of the hole and having A) an HT Wind Jigger; B) an HT 42” Big down the line, itirregularities stick and freeze.) The following a description of Okuma the method, according to providing a better visual EYE fiberglass isrod with; C) an Tony Boshold, two-time North American Ice Fishing Champion. G) forThe detecting strikes thanin the corner-of-the-mouth – will lead ABF-4000 baitrunner spinning reel; D) SUFIX ABF-4000 circle hook – stuck While the focus is panfish, the fundamentals of line-watching and straight-hanging. Boshold #30 Ice Braid; E) a 4’ SUFIX #30 Fluorocarbon Baitrunner the fish sideways and turn her head up into the hole. Keep the fish’s the rod-tip-drop shares are worthSpinning trying;Reel I use these eyes usesand 2- gills to 4-pound, neon leader; F) a tip-upmaneuver bobber orhepiece of flagging in the water while you use your free hand to pop out regularly with longer rods for light-biting stocked trout, walleye, orange Sufix Ice Magic the hook (pliers are very seldom needed). H) The Wind Jigger is tape, and last but Not Least... a Lakco and whitefish. Sitting close to the iceRipple hole gives the best vantage for panfish. Stren Original simple mechanics done right. The large rod tube handles any rod Puck puck. point brand when vibrating tight-lining andKeep whyitawarm shortand rod is preferred. Boshold gold monofilament is also and the coil spring arm with incrementally adjustable neck in a safe beforeAvid and Glass after use swap uses a 18”place St. Croix Ice and model. A HT Blue rod cut down handle popular. inexpensive Storepopular alkaline batteries to 18” to 20”Dollar is another option. A level-wind reel, such as allows for perfect alignment of rod-to-hole orientation. Position Parallel to line the ice. The rodfortipheavier can bow to the andslowing still a Schooley, Every trip! are popular as they’re low-cost and prevent line twist. rod “The heavier is not just cover, butice (for) spill line from the baitrunner reel without the fish spitting the bait. Spinning reels also work. things down... especially on pressured water,” Boshold said. “(It) I)will When a Wind foldsand in half the reelthan starts screaming slow that Rigger bait down can and be better a lighter line.” It has taken a few years to develop; but, I do line, there is No rushing/sprinting/hurrying of any kind. I believe Tight-liners jigupbyiswiggling line. Waving a jig’s sink rate keeps it in the strike zone longer. It also believe this set superior tothe anything else the rod tip side-to- Slowing pike drop a bait they adonatural not completely have in their side slightly delivers a subtle presentation. Making circles is done many gives a tiny presentation action. On tough bites,mouths Boshold when everybody comes galloping across the ice. Shhhh! uses small vertical, teardrop ice jigs or 45-degree tungstenBe jigs, stealthy! You want that pike to have the bait completely in her like a Fiskas Wolfram 2.5mm or 5mm. Heavier 5mm to 7mm mouth away and fromperch. you before pull the trigger. jigs areand formoving deep crappie These you are tipped with finesse This distance is critical in orderTungsten to get the right Jig angle and pullfor plastics. The previously noted Bullfly a favourite point that lands the hook in the corner of her mouth. pressured bluegills. (Leave Only Footprints continued from page 32.)

Lake Nipissing Ice Fishing Bungalows

Ice fishing bungalow vacation packages are usually available from January 1 until March 15th. Typically we catch walleye (pickerel), perch, pike and whitefish. The Ice Bungalows are equipped to prepare and cook meals and have washroom facilities. The Ice Bungalows are equipped with propane direct vent furnaces and 1 has a cozy wood stove for those who prefer the ambiance of a wood fire! Other services include taxi services and ice hut towing are also available across Lake Nipissing in the winter months.

(705) 840-3435 – bamstours.ca bamstours@outlook.com Just Fishing Fishing .. 34 38 Just

FUNthe AND SUCCESS A strike isMAXIMUM revealed when lineRELEASE suddenly slides to the side, which IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT is caused by a fish swimming with the bait. Slack line or expanding aremy anHT upward common crappie. Now than comes Icoils admit, Windbite, Jigger methodfrom is more expensive thethe important part. Atprogram. the sign of a strike, ayou tight-liner the rod straight-up tip-up Whichever choose,lowers the Circle tip a few Thissuited determines whether a fish has the bait or Hook Rig inches. is perfectly any dead bait application. In fact, not, and avoids an unsuccessful hook-set (aka a whiff), which Rob Wilson has a well-travelled arsenal of tip-ups that work forcan spook pressured fish. him. For me, I hate freezing my hands (too much nerve damage over the years) and winding frozen dacron onto a small, tip-up Whenisano fish has the will curl or slacken when the rod spool longer mybait, idea the of aline good time! tip is few lowered. When theand high vis line straightens out. Also, anglers can they resistdon’t, the fun Boshold frequently hybridizes effectiveness of fighting a trophy pike a tight-lining approach by using with rod and reel. Light Line a Legend Black ice rod with a While a thicker diameter About the Author: Jeff line Matitdyspring bobber. He, along with others, like a spring’s give helps with tight-lining, lighter many A Fishing Industry Professional for and take, whereas a straight line also30has merits pres-Guide nearly years as a for Fishing & rod tip has less cushioning. Promotional Staffer, with Bachelor’s sured fish. Some believe light“When they’re tentative and in bothfor Science Education, erDegrees line is harder fish to&deJeffThinner uses this training in less his job they as a just slurp the bait a little tect. line also puts Fisheries Professional & Outdoor bit, the spring moves a couple resistance a bait, enhancEducator on (specializing in fishing inches, so it gives them a lot of ing subtle business, action andGetFishing.ca) strikeviaitsfamily leeway to not feel the rod tip,” triggering to reach properties. out to anyone interested in Boshold said. learning about fish.

(Continued on page 40.)

Winter Fall 20232024

(The Magnificent Leprechaun continued from page 48.) (Strategies For Success When Fishing Popular Water Systems continued from page 38.)

That trolling. Be itthe power trolling to cover water quickly or fish ismeans not overworking plastic. finesseful trolling, methodically scratching fish-after-fish from a small Therefore, the biggest females get huge. They can and will be eating Less is definitely more with this The tradeoff is imparting circles is tricker with a thin wire spring. area, Rob finds the fish and then makes them bite. full grown ciscoes and suckers approaching 20” in length. These female finesse soft bait. Care must to beasts avoid tangling line– in the hardware. walleye arebe thetaken titanic surpassingthe30” 10-lbs. – that anglers Methods: Here are two examples of flock to LML to cross paths with. Any missing link in the food chain, Mythical It’s also a good idea to alwaysforward, have finely BET ON LIVE-BAIT simple genius, straight or hardship during yearly growth spurts, seriously impedes maximum Rob’s sometrolling sort of scent-loaded baits in tactics that aresoft easily repeatable for growth potential. genetics of aside, trophy are not tuned The scent, taste, Therefore, and “real appeal” live-bait canwalleye get pressured your tackle bag. Tipping spoons and maximum success. Like Rob, my rods are longborn, theybite. are created... By their environment! fish to When back-lake rainbows and brook trout snub handled, jigs withgraphite/composite the Berkley Gulp!rods Minnow, with Cabela’s finesse plastics, I’ve soaked a piece of nightcrawler on a set-line 20-Series Gulp! Maggots, andreelspieces of DepthMaster and 20 pound test The Golden Treasure: Rob has been fishing lake forice 60-plus and to catch them. Adding some maggots tothe a finesse jig isyears as close It’s basic but tools. MaxScent is an easy way to amplify it works. A piece has outfitting for over 3 decades. knows lake, fishery and Sufix 832 line. These are quality, affordable, invaluable to abeen foolproof presentation you’reHe going tohis find forhispersnickety of worm fish interest in your presentation. can be deadly on ice. the daily, monthly and yearly patterns of his walleye. His aura is infectious bluegills, crappie, and perch. A dead-stick rod soaking a live Just rebait This simple strategyWaters: has saved my secret, trollingoften to keep Over Unfished A trade planer boards, the and time spent around him is good medicine! No lie – Rob has never Plane minnow is tough to beat for pressured walleye, whitefish, perch, scent trail flowin multiply the efficiency of a trolling spread by taking lures off to the bacon numerous times when fishing g “zeroed” with a guided group of guests in over 30 years! That’s right! No (and and crappie. Use sonar to determine the feeding depth of the fish don’t let worms freeze). of lakes the boat. Fish are whitefish, spooked into their path.theConsequently, popular for walleye, no “banana curse”, no “wieners for supper”! He must be a magician... sides and then position the minnow accordingly. Check the rig at least trollers can effectively fish three different depths simultaneously by crappie, perch, and other species. Right? No... He’s The Magnificent German Leprechaun, remember!! setting out a shallow, medium depth and deep diving Rapala lure every 20 minutesWell, or so,if and put on a fresh minnow to maximize Not convinced? it takes a “school of hard knocks” storythe to on the shallow-set board,inhand-held behindisthe boateasy. and rig’s drawing power and appeal. Getting bites fromplaner fish living pressuredrodwaters rarely convince you, please oblige me, here... deep-set planer board out deeper from the boat, respectively. At the very least, giving the above tactics a try will get you Monitor Weather GAIN CONFIDENCE IN The Lesson: Back in 2008, I hosted my first G&S headed in the right direction and, to subtle SOFT BAITS Pay attent guided group.ion Having guided in some of the best lakes hopefully, able to convert G&S strikes from Tactics: Rob pulls Rapala Exclusive es. Sunny I was eager to tame some er chang weath in Northern Saskatchewan, the more reluctant fish this winter. crankbaits behind the smallest Offshore Soft plastics have a long history of g cloud conditions prairie giantsturnin for my guests.y,However, it took me a week Tackle or Church TX-6 planer boards. We catching fish throughout a some n arriva or the sudde scratching, gouging andl of even gnashing-of-teeth to the ice belt. these little 6” boards indispensable in A Custom & Spins Wedgee Editor’s Note: Tim Allardfind of Ottawa, late fish l, can squal keep up to Rob andstimu his group’s numbers Jigs and size. snow a micro leadin ormytungsten ice jig Ontario is a hard-water exploring expert andthe hangout of giant, lethargic y. day on in fish Iactivit I was obsessed. ran each over-and-over bursts walleye lounging in “no man’s land”. author /photographer of the multihas caught countless crappie lizing of Rob’s g & capita mind,gnizin to pinpoint the source success.me Then, it Reco “near-edge” is the often-ignored, award winning book, ICE The FISHING – and bluegills tunitie hiton me... Roboppor operates onsone primary principalover to all-the years. This these limited open water immediately out from The Ultimate Guide, available at fine plastic has a wispy fishisfrom season What the secret?ultra-thin It is “magnificently” ice more helpssuccess. theshops top edge book stores, select outdoor & of a drop off – out over the that panfish findfish irresistible. The s. waterfishes” simple. Rob “power to locate and catch ured press internet retailers. biggest (Continued on page 51.) during the whole open water season. You challenge guessed it...with pressured

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Fall 2021 Winter 2024

REALITY TV.

A gar and crappie suspended in a fallen tree.

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PRESENTS

TIPS &

TECHNIQUES

Location... Location... Where to Find Early IceLocation... Walleyes

your spots in open water. If you have a portable GPS, even better.

simply because you will need The same waypoints you stored in your unit during late-fall to start someplace. The more fishing forays should be good places to start ice fishing now. you learn by fishing, the more If you don’t have prelocated, pre-programmed hot spots, use a GPS you can refine the rules that mappingthe screen walkare outon to potential areas indicated on a lake map. govern laketoyou that day. Don’t bother trying to locate little secret spots at first ice. Stick to

or walleyes, the best spots are usually located well out into big, prominent, obvious, classic spots that attract numbers of early walleyes due to their sheer size. Then look for walleyes along T Fthe basin, as opposed to pike and panfish spots, which may iceconcentration points along their edges. he steps to follow in locating fish under the ice is no easy task. Anglers heading out on lakes with little or no ice fishing pressure are in for some plain oldand hardoffer work.earlier Few anglers relish the fishing challenge be more bay-oriented safe ice. Start in of finding fish on a new lake. Most prefer “following the crowds” and the same areas you last contacted walleyes let theiropen eyes be their namely fish finders. To some,main going from one group of in late water: prominent anglers to another is their form of “recon”. If you ice fish, you may lake structures with steep drops to the basin. not want to joindeep the crowd some time you Major points, humpsor–atsomewhere thatwill be faced with the challenge of being the only angler on the ice, deep water swings up tight against a sharpso here are a few tips to remember the nextmodest time it happens you and you want to find fish. drop off, within walkingtodistance

(a mile or so) off shore.

Your first step is to understand the kind of water you are going to fish. This will mean a lake and looking at the types of structure Tip-toe your getting way out to map a potential area, you have available time spud of year.bar Remember, your ability tap-tap-tapping theto you end atofthisyour to travel on a lake may be limited to foot power atop the ice as you walk along, probing andor poor ice conditions may limitthe the worthiness areas you can safely. It is always a good idea to testing of reach the ice surface. know the roads and the various winter access If the bar pokes through, slowly back up, and points that surround any given lake. reconsider your plan of attack. Wait a day or two and try again.

Or switch to an area with firmer and safer footing.

When it comes to finding fish, every time you try to make rules as to With 5you inches of clear, you should be able tosunfish creep where SHOULD findsafe fish,ice, thethough, rules change. Like catching out to nearby spots. When you get close, use familiar rifle sights at night, many would agree that sunfish don’t bite at night, but in some on shore up a tree and a big house or perhaps lakes, youlining don’t catch the really onesover untilthis theway, sun goes down…a flagfigure. pole Here and aarebig treegood overguidelines there – the same way you go a few to use to begin yourrelocate search,

Just Fishing . 42

Walleyes love deep, hard bottom areas. Crappies and perch love waters of over 30 feet with a super softSplash bottom, a little water from your minnow bucket and sunfish love atop to hang the ice, rest your transducer atop the off steep weedy break lines.and see if you can send a signal through surface, Finding the right fish holding to get a good depth reading of the bottom. elements for the fishBrush you are away light snow cover if necessary. after is fairly easy with a lake Repeat the process in 20-foot increments in all map. If the lake has directions, one deep reading the depths to establish the hole, then you would startbelow. Then drill some holes in likely contour there for crappie. places If a lake and get ready to fish. is a maze of structure, then it is best to breakIfthe youlake can’t get a good bottom reading through into small regions that youstart can drilling work without getting too in confused. the ice, or chopping holes a swissYour first goal on most lakes is to establish the edge of the weed cheese pattern. Scoop the remnant ice out ofline. the Most lakesthe gettransducer far clearerinto thenthethey do to in establish the summer, and holes winter and lower water a depth some of the biggesta sunfish in the lake move intothe theice, oldreach weeddown line reading. If there’s little light snow cover atop for from finger predators. the edge of theinweed is withprotection your gloved and Checking simply draw the depth feet line in the even better if you are near a point or inside turn where the deep water snow crust: 23, 18, 21, 37 – hey, there’s the drop off. Now drill more comes closest adjacent holestotoshore. establish the contour, and prepare for action.

Courtesy of Angling Buzz

Courtesy of: www.vexilar.com

Winter 2024

TACKLE: Any light rod combo will work – the key is a bite indicator, like a spring bobber or noodle rod: “You have to be able to see the bite, because 90% of the time, you won’t feel it with gloves on.”

REPORT 1

HOW JOHN HOYER TRACKS DOWN TROPHY BLUEGILLS (EARLY-ICE)

BY: BRETT MCCOMAS

irst ice might be your best opportunity of the year to catch truly huuuuge bluegills. Here’s how (and where!) big-fish junkie John Hoyer targets ’em when things lock up, and it’s likely not where you’d think:

Hoyer fishes 3-lb Berkley Trilene Micro Ice Mono, switching to fluoro (which sinks) in deeper water to boost the bait’s drop rate. And here’s why he says 3-lb is the deal: “4-lb is too thick, and 2-lb will lead to heartbreak on a hookset, guaranteed.” Lure selection isn’t as meticulous as it can get later in the season: “I usually go with a 1/16-oz tungsten jig or a 1/16-oz spoon. I’ll tip it with a red Berkley PowerBait Whipworm or Mayfly, and I’ll always have a bait puck of Euro larvae on hand, too. The key is getting it down in front of their face fast when the bite is on.”

Berkley PowerBait Whipworm & Mayfly

LOCATION: Most folks zip straight off to the weeds… while Hoyer runs with the bulls in 15-30’, focusing on soft-bottom basins that flatten out at the base of a saddle or shelf:

Leaning towards dark colours for bluegill, including red, black and motor oil. He’s also partial to lures outfitted with a razor-sharp Berkley Fusion19 hook. TACTICS: Hungry bluegills often suspend low in the water column.

“You’ll see them 2-5’ off the bottom. Sometimes, you can watch Hoyer: “They’re out on them compete for your lure on the flasher – that’s when you can deep flats that have bug life really wail on them.” going on – especially the trophy-sized fish. They’re Once he marks a fish, he moves his bait 12-18’ upward while following the food and not quickening his jig cadence to mimic fleeing prey. really holding to structure.” “Then you let them catch up to it and eat it.” When drilling holes, he starts Using a flasher also helps visualize the way bluegills feed using in deep water at the base of lateral line vibration. a drop-off and moves OUT from there: “A 1/16-oz lure will be a thick red mark, like a fish. If I’m getting

denied, the first thing I’ll do is downsize jigs. The smaller jig shows TIMING: Bluegills are picky when a lake first caps. Hoyer says, up as a thinner, green line, and that lighter frequency is the same “they’re crabby” and “it takes a week-ish for them to adjust to it.” thing that happens on a bluegill’s face. When the bite is tough, less When fish start actively feeding again, time of day is crucial: is more.” “Big bluegills will shut off completely for long stretches – you have And if you’re lucky, to hit the feeding windows, which are usually at first light and then you might just hit a dusk into nightfall.” dusk plankton bloom on some lakes, and Saying you can NOT rule out a lake for big ‘gills until you’ve spent then: time trying to locate fish at lowlight dusk. He’s also a big believer in overcast days with a falling barometer = fish are more likely to feed “It’s go-time. It gets so all day: thick you can’t even mark your jig, but “That’s when we’ll make a long run to a known trophy lake. that’s their food source. If you hit one of those hatches, the bite is Other than that, it’s basically the 2 feeding windows.” usually good as late as you want to stay.”

(Continued on page 45.)

Just Fishing . 44

Winter 2024

(Target Walleye continued from page 44.)

ICE FISHING FOR BURBOT BY: BRETT MCCOMAS

erocious, aggressive and awkwardly flexible, burbot are remarkable predators that have become one of my favourite species to target through the ice. The fight was what first got me hooked on this misunderstood water dragon – hook into just a schmedium-sized ‘pout and you’d swear you were pulling up a 27”+ walleye. The combination of their hefty guts and the rockstar-esque head banging is sure to slap a smile on even the burliest of beards. FOR THE LOVE OF BURBOT: With a single whisker under its chin – just like I had up until my mid-twenties – I can’t see myself connecting with any other species of fish on a more personal level. I mean look how they rock that big belly with pride! If I could share bunk beds with one, I would – swapping stories until we fell asleep, both dreaming of that next bacon cheeseburger... Even our sleep schedules would line up as they’re the night owls of the fish community.

raised up and placed in front of their face. I’ve also noticed that on (Beyond Witching Hour continued from page 37.) lakes thatThehave a healthy population of tullibees, Another skinny water area to explore is the inside edge of a I’m seeing more depth and my only be two or three feet but big weed line. Water more burbot suspended fish have no problem hunting the shallows under the cover of indarkness. the middle theand shorelines are grocery stores for big Insideof edges water colum. And usually predators. On the shield waters that Dewson fishes, points at the those cisco-eaters mouths of bays that are taper into the main basin are often magnets waaaay bigger than for big fish after dark. average fish.

KEY NIGHT TIME BITE TIMES

RESPECT THE ‘POUT: It used to be very common to see the random Anderson, and other wise build their burbot lyingDewson slaughtered on the ice,musky frozenanglers and wasted. This is an night fishing program around the same natural occurrences as with illegal act, one of which is very ignorant and frowned upon they do during daylight are hours. Peaks, moon phases, in any species, and eelpout no different. Never leaveshifts a man/woman wind direction and velocity, and approaching fronts find them behind. on their best locations knowing that fish activity levels can spike.

They provide exceptional table fare! Boiled or deep fried, burbot are ef Author’s known as the man’s lobster” you’re notChoic going A major bite“poor window opens with for a reason. IfNight Time Musky G tofalse take dawn the time clean what andtolasts until justyou pastcatch, let it go for another person tosunrise. enjoy the battle of thata new ‘poutday offer. I realize thereo is (at the timeShim or 9 foot SKIXX 9 Foot Shiman Theepic beginning ofbrings writing limit on change burbot,inbut let’s practice selective harvest. thethis) firstno significant Tranx 400, Calcutta Conquest 400 o Keep males if possible light the oversmaller an extended time span. and let those big ladies swim. Never eat right before Approximately 80 pound tro her Maxcuato Consider first 20% lightofasa big a reverse females weight thanks eggs.test PowerisPro going to bed? Burbot That’s sunset. some circles a lotKnown of babyin burbs! Musky Factory Baits leaders ignore the advice from as the witching hour, sunset has all of those fancy Inconsistently produced biga fish my opinion... burbot are rare,for special critter. and I’d LOVE to see nutrition magazines, folks decades. practice catch-and-release fishing and send ’em all back. Is that Prote regularly opting for the greedy of me? Sure. But I’m not sure there’s a single fish out there (Pike & Walleye Mashup! continued. from page 36.) The more same vulnerable is true on during the flipthe side. There’s an added benefit to sungl late-night snack run that’s spawn... being on one your most spots before the minnowbaits sun reaches const Walleye andof pike can productive also be caught trolling and instead. While you can gear, the treetops. The water has been undisturbed by other boats or catch the occasional Respect crankbaits. ThisYou’re includes running aa bait over the top of weeds, along the ‘pout. sure to gain newfound appreciation for these towar anglers for hours. Big predators throughout Nature, including ‘pout during the day, the leopard-printed a deep weedline, or through water just beyond the weed edge. hand bags with shoulders after hooking up with one. gargantuan muskies, are on the prowl in these conditions. can b prime bite occurs after dark and well into the night. Sit back, enjoy the ride, and hope your drag is set accordingly. GETTING ’EM TO BITE: Completely depends on the lake, but often times burbot are primarily feed tight to bottom (especially when crayfish or even small perch are the primary forage). Skip the “5-second rule,” they don’t mind picking their dinner right up off the lake floor. I like to pound bottom several times to stir things up, then lift my spoon 6-12” off bottom and dance it in place for several seconds. This makes the glob of shiners do a tantalizing dance as they disperse scent and vibration into the water. Then I’ll do a larger lift of the rod tip at the end of the dance and let the bait crash back down into bottom before starting over.

SAFETYFlats TIPS

Visit – www.targetwalleye.com –

I’ve hadfor some incredible fishing pike Ifand Fishing muskies after darkdays comes with flats risks. where Sleepiness you and stretches of inactivity can be a dangerous combination. walleye on yellow perch Walleye/Ice and other emails baitfish. boat Consider were signingfeeding up to receive FREE Target Safety first has to be front of mind.

You won’t always graph ‘em, often times your rod will load up as you go to lift your presentation off bottom. Still, you NEED to make sure to keep a close eye on your flasher. Some of your bigger bites could come through as a large, active blob 3-6’ off bottom, and would pounce on a glob of shiners Winter 2024

Just Fishing . 38

Just Fishing . 45

my AFTCO Samurai hoodie and Fish Monkey Stealth dry- tech mitten gloves. It’s all I need to stay warm and sweat-free on the ice while hole hopping.

Day Bite

on the

By: Brian “Bro” Brosdahl

he early stages of ice have begun in most of the northern parts of the ice belt. While many large lakes need longer to freeze due to their size or deep water, shallow lakes are developing ice quickly due to the cooler water temperatures and lack of venting. Lakes such as Prairie lakes and shallow sloughs already have developed a sheet of ice and the ice thickens every night. This early season is the time of year when ice fishing requires a little more work than mid-winter, like RAZRing holes, measuring and testing the ice all the way out to the desired spot. The reality is that if there is less than four inches of solid clear ice, don’t go. Many resorts provide ice reports that detail ice thickness, foot travel and ATV travel funded by an access fee. If you are unsure about ice, there is a wealth of ice fishing safety tips online.

As winter progresses, large lakes will be filled with wheel houses camping overnight. Some will catch fish during the night and a handful will catch lots of fish during the night. I have fished at night many times, but I prefer fishing during the day up until “the hour of power” at sunset. There is a lot of fishing action to be had during the day on most lakes. There are bite windows where the fish get active and shut off based on weather, barometer fluctuations and sun/moon phases. Water clarity is a given. Dark water is consistent during the daytime and there are large lake destinations that are known to have banker-hour walleye bites, such as Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods. Most of the lakes I fish have super clear water. If you are not seeing or catching fish during open water season in the boat, you move until you find them. On the ice, you RAZR holes until you locate fish. Today’s technology makes it easier in both fishing seasons. Humminbird has a two-pronged approach for finding fish under the ice. MEGA 360 gives a photo-like image of the landscape as well as fish shadows in a complete 360-degrees around you without moving the downrod. MEGA Live shows bottom solid objects and fish as they are swimming around you; turn the downrod with the supplied handle and slowly scan in a circle until you spot fish. I leave a distance chart on the screen. This gives me an immediate place to drill. You can set the distances you like to scan with forward-viewing in the menu screen. After you find the fish, drill your holes in a straight line and place the MEGA Live in down-view to monitor multiple lines at the same time. This is perfect for anglers to share the same screen – either inside a house or outside – and see all their lines. (Continued on page 47.)

Let It Slide Now that I’m hitting the ice, I never forget the most important tools of the journey. My Otter Utility Sled is loaded with ice tools of the trade: RAZR Synthetic Lite ice auger with a lithium drill and a few extra batteries in a bucket, Humminbird Helix MEGA Live ice bundle with Lakemaster Maps on the GPS facing forward towards me, Otter Rod Case with a variety of St. Croix Custom Ice Rods, A couple of boxes of perch/panfish jigs as well as walleye spoons, Northland Tungsten Flat Fry Jigs, Bro Bug Spoons and Mud Bugs to name a few. For walleyes, Glass Buckshots, Puppet Minnows, Coffin Spoons, Flutter Spoons, a variety of different-sized Gamakatsu Octopus and walleye wide-gap live bait hooks and split shots. A couple spools of Sunline Fluoro-Ice 4-7lb for leader material, Two Otter Pro Jump seats to throw on top of the buckets when not kneeling on the ice. All this fits on the Otter Utility Sled and pulls with ease. It also easily loads and unloads from the truck bed. I pack an Otter Vortex Hub if it is cold and windy. When you have walkable ice, minimal gear keeps you mobile. I rarely wear more than a pair of bibs and Just Fishing . 46

Winter 2024

(Day Bites On The Ice continued from page 46.)

Flash, Rattle or Deadstick lesson in Upunderstanding that ( Cranking The Heat continued from page 18.) “Most folks don’t lures are simply toolsWeeds you use In the Whether I am targeting walleye orknow perch, this, I always start either, he nonchalantly landed the bruiser and set it atAfter the right time, in the right by dropping a Glass Buckshot orbut Coffin whenSpoon I wonwith thea After aright school of active walleye or lipless lure free,locating he in then the nerve to pick up the location, thehad way. minnow head. If you are fishing open water, keep note Pro Bass Classic jumbo perch,another you have to make them rod, make long cast, lift upbite. the rod tip just on where fish were located on your screen. onHumminbird Lake Simcoe, I The challenge to bait figure out colour and “I learned early onwobble, that enough tovery feelisthe and set the hook into If they are swimming through 20 feet below the ice, I jig jigging cadence. The give clues with was struggling on the fluke-style are fish abomber top the twin ofbaits the bronze he had just released. at 17 or 18 feet if they are active. If fish are swimming achoice follow, or a short bite, or by staying day to get a bite, for smallmouth bass lethargically, I jig at from 19 feet – justfinal always slightly up to It was Groundhog Day allWeeds over again and I was (Rigged & Ready for Spring continued page 18.) static and not moving at all. are a just like you were when they are focused on draw their attention. the17.) Glass Buckshot give a rgetshocked. Walleye Report continued from page 52.) “If you’re fishing summer (10 Mistakes You Need to Fix continued from The second bait for me isDrop a page Ned rig,with which I and can useitto saving grace under thewater,” ice, just as they are Liam. Ifollowed mean, eating baitfish in cold two-foot sweep with your St. Croix rod, spots and they aren’t working shallow structure there is... perfect pitch to specific targets like on a boulder, a log orand fish that are in open water. Fish feel comfort and safetyfish-attracting wiggle and there, How you set the hook depends its size, diameter thickness an Beyond Belief continued from pageand 42.) ‘crawdad.’ says Gustafson. “The big I was floundering. start fishing the by some short jigging motions and then a pause. spawning shoal, itself, these guardian fish fasttip i me(Burbot great fall colours like ‘fire tiger’ located closer to the bottom. I almost always use a green when it is small, thin and razor sharp, a smart sweep of the rod (What’s Hot On Ice continued from page 37.) in the weeds and are more active at times. And,that I still at what saw these unfold the rest of the sand. As the transition is thing we am learned fromIthe for weeks andfish. weeks, never eggs,” Butleaving thenthe picked up I incorrectly categorized Walleyes generally will inspect bait before pumpkin Z-Man Hula StickZ, rigged on aI the Northland all that isBB required to fish nab every The only problem is that good vegetation FLX-30 flasher/ finder featuring – 7 frequencies from 160 getting underway, it’s still day.option, Itaswas a kick-in-the-pants reminder that oftoo nother would the negative effects the turnover by explained Paragamian. burbot spawned-out or immature Lindner’s, back inbetheavoiding early they grabwhich it. rejection On features top ofoptions, themy pound theto crankbait rod and Elite Ned jig, astructures, Gamakatsu hook. to 300 Series kHz, 140 interference target ID down to find walleyes summer winter asor most ngdwindles to findwe a from lake that hasn’ttoturned one that already has and had common males. Finally, it finesse became clearyet, that often over 2000s, when they were winning I catch more fish on those two baits than anything else bottom and then rip it up shaking the rattles of the depthWHATEVER displat, Day & display settings, Battery proceeded to catch 30 15’ orDigital less. FOR week or dies 2 toburbot settle down. The first ones to go are the shallow lakes as in1/4”, FISH IS Night BITING of it off. There are always surviving weeds these big couldn’t be spawned “So, non-spawning guardian fish stay on the throughout the year. fishFort withmass liveand baitcool andquicker... There may be as much as 2 weeks status Frances Canadian & low-battery alert, 3 power settings & zoom zones. Glass Buckshot. Liftlevel up two feet and pause. y the have less or 40 “of out some males. This group were than full-others. and vegetation iswhen stronger shoal,broad defend territory, and fastsmallmouth. to the & point Plus Vexiar’s exc;usive band Ice-Ducer transducer float, 12 ference – or more – as to it all begins and ends.” Bass Championship on Rainy “They start to move out to I received a message from a reader last fall about catching bi soft plastic lookalikes, grown fish, over 4 pounds. Baffling, near starvation. Why?”I fully Ilike wondered out charger, loud. volt, 9 amp-hour, Vexilar Lithium battery, automatic a medium action more open-water areas at smallmouth, largemouth and northern pike. He had been unsuccessfu Lake is that they were catching Meanwhile, a deadstick rod power set feetthe off their gonads were tiny,choice. pinkish, when we be should “Well, whyI have do most organisms on 1-2 earth do Chara would my first It is actually a “I wore out Soft carry adjustable rod holder, external posts for spinning rod for each first... sliding out around in hisPack efforts andcase, asked if I’d help him zero in on the key depth. IDead flippe ribbon-like, and under developed. smallmouth on and around the bottom. This is my St. Croix Custom Ice BASE YOUR FALL CRANKS ONonWATER outrageous things in box. thebait, name of procreation?” accessories and aasking custom Vexilar tackle For more information, be of crankin’ uplines the form algae that the hard bottom areas deep water: sandbars that my preference him back a note what species, in particular, he was targeting. H largemouth that day Was this the group of fish that Sam Eye rod with 6lb. Sunline FC Ice, Gamakatsu retorted Paragamian. “One word: hormones. It’s structure, but they weren’t visit: https://www.vexilar.com come out from shore and TEMPERATURE replied .... “All of them.” being a G. Loomis some lakes. It has no roots so it can get pilled up in heat.called Which caused on Simcoe, too,light fishing a crankbait along a other deepor also males? I’m not but, primarily andhook temperature, as well as octopus-style size 4872, with a7’3” rainbow letting their baits touch thesure; drop to deeper water,Red sand NRX a rod that summer wind storms giving it a pillow-like look with little clearings about 80 percent of the fish that son, buddy, That “Big” Jimmost Northland’s Glo-Shot are aof killer on crappies, perch, weedline in Spoons 12-that to 15-feet water. I was using braid environmental cues that begin the cascade of fathead lightly dorsal-hooked with a split shot above. I set it in a I Fish flats, sand points andquestion sand bottom. is the Now, there is no when you are fishing for walleye, ey fall trollers – water temps are finally starting to dip! Instead is a work of the art. IS-curve like as a Ben, and I This harvested in 2008 in between. is a perfect placewere for perch and walleye to conceal humps. walleyes, pike and trout. Cast or vertically jig... hormones causing this behavior. There must be McLaughlin, publisher and casting up to the ofhave the grass. Once I got casetip-up; in point, that youa may catch aedge bonus smallmouth, largemouth o of tying onaspect any “males”. ol’ crankbait, did you know you can use water Pro even from distance, I know I a bite when the flag important of the 3000 sized spinning reel these, so called, design and light, lead-free construction themselves as theyexact hunt for minnows that hide in its skeletal body. northern pike. Maybe a mechanism by But which they ‘know’ it is time to even several. is it a huge mistake to assum walleye. StickZ Hula mptechnique. to tellJust youAround which styles to run. of Fishing!, down, I’d feelwith it contact thea vegetation, I’d goes up. I setthe thelure I Fish Proexcels tip-ups 40-80 feet away from meand tosocover like Shimano Vanford, twitches, liftscompletely. falls. the same leave before bodies give out “Walleyes beginand to move deeper astheir water temps drop toward turnover it will Setting happen thus, goGlo-Shot fishing without aspooled specific species in10-lb. mind. ® Sticks boost fish attraction up with to laugh out loud when water. your deadsticks in lightly-drifted snow areas on clear Dr. Vaughn Paragamian... Science Bridges the Gap myso). lineInstead go line, slack theaslure would sliponin off the time, electronics were ato getting 0 Bottom long the fish fat reserves their F or ofasand looking for to be top of (begins at 62let weedslogged seem die, however there are always a few adCabbage Hawthorne’s zillion hours pulling cranks in the fall,areas so in low-visibility situations. Change Power Pro yellow braid ice will help you get more walleye and jumbo perch bites on the ice. I told him about it weeds. I tuckered out the largemouth that day.” better so we could find fish liver hold up, they can stay.” structures, look deeper. I use to accompany the Conservation Officers and fisheries technician I sought out Dr. Vaughn from Idaho Fish & hold that arething green and healthy (orwhen sometimes half dead) s the first I asked himParagamian about I hadthe the chance tothat hop in Stick colours match and a 10-lb. fluorocarbonGlo-Shot leader, attached by anto FG knot.conditions. I like the ® a cree who worked for me and we would pull alongside anglers and do and then how they Game Department who this to say: fish arelots ‘nonbecause hewatch had used thehad Tip with live bait or IMPULSE soft boat: fish. Eurasian watermilfoil degrades but“Those Ihis have found of green yellow Northland Glo-Shot braid because it’s easy toice see, so IDuty can watch it.Bark I’ll notice “They will be in spots like the sharper breaks or on mid-lake humps survey. I was always amazed when the folks in the boats were aske Have fun, be safe and good luck fishing! Non-Breeders On – More breeders’. Eelpout, like sturgeon, do not all spawn every plastics. Glo-Shot Spoons are available in Spoon reacted to ourtwice baits. You’ll out bass help insame theirtactic weed beds to and every fish in the lake loves it, too. Much of that bites and when mytucker jig hits the bottom. top out at perhaps 20’, rather than 15’, or in holes in soft-bottom what they were fishing for and they replied .... whatever bites. 1/16-, 1/8and 1/4-ounce weights, with year. Individuals rest on alternate spawning seasons.” Than Bite always starts early this on light penetration through He the ice. Last winter, there flats withdrops a crankbait, too, himdepends win the coveted depth from 15’ to Road 20’. red where treble hooks in #12, #10 and #8 sizes, respectively. are fall with #5 Rapala Follow my adventures on the Bro Show podcast andHooks at store Finally, knowing the purpose of guys non-breeders’ Do the work now and get “The “hanging”, “moping”, “Damiki rigging” technique became was a lot less good vegetation than I have seen in previous years attached via dual split rings for added action and fewer lost fish. on your next fishing To be successful, you have to focus in on a specific species, learn a So why are resting fish active on the spawning grounds, Canadian Bass Classic. Shad Raps ‘cuz they’ve visits, seminars and shows. You can also find me on YouTube, TikTok, presence territorial egg guarding – explains ready for the new season so when it Glo-Shot Sticks are non-toxic, easy to activate and glow in vivid “Walleyes become more selective about where they stage. They much as possible about its lifestyle, habits, behaviour and seasona due to used deep to snow If you search for fish around weed widely win and a lotslush. of tournaments incaught Northwestern Ontario, I wondered? more fish than adventure. I individuals can enough Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! colour forlocate eight hours. They are not affect lureshun action why, as starts or as a to mob, you spend asthey’re much time on ayou spot-on-a-spot. For example, if on a preferences. Then need tolight use thecan information tothey select prim edges and when clearings, you willsmallmouth bump yourany success. ofhisthe generally other Outside bait infrom especially we found in deeper water tell you that from firsthand and are also great for lighting up a variety of bobbers, hooks and jigs. every living creature that dares invade their claim. Ciscoes “There is just something about using crankbaits mid-lake hump with scattered boulders, they will be on the boulders. as possible out on the water. I hope locations, the best lures and optimal presentations. To do otherwis “Eelpout rest only as far as gamete production is concerned. Unlike while weedy area, logs,thestumps and boat…especially steep breaks willcaught always Ifare August allthat therock waypiles, through fall. Over the their years I have alltheir look forantagonist, thethe patch of sand. If almost all sand, look for the rockpile. primary the target ofhas the anon-breeders’ disdain experience. is torock, take a shot in dark, which always misses the mark everybody great season! sturgeon avoid spawning activity during resting year, the to fish catch largemouth and smallmouth bass that you water temps are 60Editor’s Note: ® hold in moderate depths from 8-25 feet. Walleye and perch are and from Northland brings the noise with The Rattlin’ Puppet Minnow hundreds of basspopulation doing it. But like any technique, the more you do it, Leave the hail Mary passes to the last minute desperation plays fo fury. 0 yearly entire eelpout participates in the spawn, in one F. Bumpwon’t up to acatch #6 can’t explain,” says McLaughlin.65 “You afootball glass “Bro” rattle and audible carry through water, all without killing its Brian Brosdahl, of MAX, MN, is creatures of edges. “Because more and more walleyes show up on these few spots, more teams. form or another. males and females are mature non-spawning Editor’s Note: Jeff Gustafson grew the more efficientMany you become understanding the mood of the fish, or #7 as temps reach the famous action. Anglers About the Author –holds Gordand Pyzer: onemore of theof most recognized nearly asunderdeveloped many bass with them, butmistaken the ones you do the lake no fish. It’s easy to Lake be skunked if you Stakeouts with my AQUA-VU revealed ciscoes making forays to fish withthe gonads, easily as spent or and uprespected on the shores of of the Woods lower enditof that scale. choosing right jig head and knowing when to put away and try have long noted the anglers in North America. Bro, as he’s don’t pay attention to subtle differences on the structure.” Seeing isAnd Believing bottom to gobble up eggs and then retreat, vertically, to just immature when cleaned. Only most under anglers a microscope slide, will be males so much bigger. fishing in the2009 in Kenora, Ontario. He has made his Inductee, Canadian, Angler BELIEVE THE DOCKTALK benefits of vibration something else.” known, is a multi-species angler best 0in the ovaries of females and spermatozoa in the When so incensed, ciscoes will attack lake be57-62 seen living infrenzied the fishing since he in Hall ofice. Fame, Fishing Editor, F – and theonto weather is cooperating – on he’ll put ncecan the oocytes waterrarely hits (Continued page 6.)be below and community additional sound Ontario, tie crankbaits their lines. Some of my past experience fishing walleyes through the ice can known for his influence on the sport males,” revealed Paragamian. troutsized jigs. On a united front basis, the burbot chase allanever teenager as a tournament angler, guide, outdoor writer and BIG ol’ bent-lip #9 Shallow Shad Raps. Everything is going shallow Outdoor Canada Magazine, Field Editor, In-Fisherman Magazine &on Iwas will forget interviewing Kevin Van Dam, the winningest angle their baits, as fish cue Northland Rattlin’ of iceaway fishing. HeMinnow can be contacted at Visit – – modified applying what I learn from Humminbird MEGA comers from the bottom. because they won’t leave their fishing promotor. In 2019 he isBut, competing theof Bassmaster Elite Puppet d putting theafter feedbag on, including perch thismy size…. Television, Co-Host, In-Fisherman Ice Fishing Guide, Television, in bass fishing history, immediately prior toon one his four auditory clues toBassmaste both help bbro@paulbunyan.net or sequestered online at Show, Live andour 360conversation imaging. While fishing the tops of lake humps and eggs, During I shared thatonmany of these non-breeders they won’t chase vertically. This makes the ciscoes’ Series invictories. addition to competing in several events inmiles Ontario. You can Co-Host, The Real Fishing Radio Host, Fish Talk with them locate and target Classic He had himself, away from th Consider signing up to receive FREE Brosguideservice.com for winter and were very emaciated with sunken eyes, reduced girth and shrunken, plan nearly perfect and their siege is relentless. structures, I have seen are fish one off the structure suspended over fall open game find him on social media @gussyoutdoors and onWhen his website at:him iginal Jointed Minnows of his favourite overlooked prey of all kinds. The Puppet Minnow still Canadian sports itsItrademark tournament venue, atRattlin’ hisat brother-in-law’s house. asked “The Doc”, Outdoor Journal Radio & President, Angling summer guide trips ordock to book Bro forminnow, a seminar. 0 Target Walleye/Ice emails pale-coloured “Although anthere, individual will eat action, swimming like atalk.” dying which triggers F range and fish are on the lling baits when livers. temps are in the out 50-57 www.gussyoutdoors.com. why, hedarting said ....and “To avoid the water. I always knew they were but annon-breeder angler’s confidence Adventures Ltd. (Continued on page 44.) chum on bottom, for example, without any available food on the ew. They run 5-7’ outta the package, but Brad will pinch on a small goes up when you see them swimming by on your Humminbird. litshot above the bait off to get down the 8-10’ range. I findupmyself fishing the’em edge of atosteep hump but not at the bottom ofOriginal the basin; I am atare thetough leveltoofbeat. the structure’s top.fish Also, igid temps: Floaters Brad’s caught on I have been fishing on the edge and found fish up on the top of the m in water as cold as 42 degrees. #PolarPlungeStatus More details structure 5-8Fall feetCranky of water.himself in this video. (https://www. aight from in Mr.

6 #6

7 #7

utube.com/watch?v=RLYu8tPpv8U)

In the past, you couldn’t see fish and it’s physically impossible to drill the entire lake out. Even if you found fishSAND in the past by drilling FALL WALLEYES LOVE many holes, you might not find them in the same spot the next year. Now you have the ability to watch fish movement where you are currently well as in the distance same time. his can beas a frustrating time of yearat tothe track down a limit of tasties.

Fish are on the move, but they’ll be migrating to predictable areas d Even eventually up hard. if youschooling walk softly and drill minimal holes, the fish instinct

is to move away from impending danger. Anglers are noticing

d that Takasaki, Scott Richardson Bohn to forward-viewing can beand feltGreg by fish andcombined it actuallyforces disturbs ve us and Yoda some fall-transition secrets. Full write-up archived them enough to move away from the emitted beam. No worries! re, few excerpts below:

The Humminbird Helix ice bundle includes a second transducer with will 2D sonar. And if you’re wondering about I use Baitfish only stay in weeds as long as they’re very power, green. Once Amped lithium batteries in my Helix so Ithose don’t eeds start Outdoors to die off... baitfish and walleyes start units to leave allow-water run out of weed juice. areas. Winter 2024 . 20 Just Fishing Winter 2023

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Just .. 47 Just Fishing Fishing 43 Fall 2023

By: Daniel Notarianni

t about 8:00 pm one night I got a phone call from Niko Terpselas “let’s go fishing, the rivers are prime!” We decided to meet at 5:00 am and head up to the Beaver River. When I hung up the phone that night, I had no clue that the trip would morph into the day I never had. The Beaver River has a lot of sentimental value to Niko and I. This river is kind of special; even when it’s busy with anglers, it’s still a good spot. We drove up to some great pools, just like that. But when we spotted another angler across the river, we both quieted down. It wasn’t because the water was perfect or only two others were fishing. Not even because one guy had a fish on! It was just because the dude fighting the fish looked a lot like our buddy, Andrew Garry. We knew it couldn’t be him, though. Andrew had lost

Niko Terpselas with a beauty trout.

his battle with cancer three years earlier. When the silence finally lifted, Niko glanced at me and said, “He’d always drift from that same log.” After a moment of somber reflection, we decided it was time to start fishing. Andrew’s fishing advice and wisdom will be remembered.

Just Fishing . 48

On the way to the river, I tripped – no surprise there – nearly baptized myself in an impromptu water blessing.

A crow cackled, and Niko shot me a look, saying, “That’s him laughing at you!” Shortly after, Niko set the hook hard, probably on the bottom, only to have his entire rig rebound and tangle up in his rod. Right on cue, the crow cackled again. We exchanged glances, Niko grinned, and he said, “Now he’s laughing at me.” I never got the chance to cast a line with Andrew. We both worked at a fishing retail store, and he was my department lead. He passed on more than just fishing tips – his wisdom extended to work and life. Despite our attempts to plan fishing trips, they always fell through, and it felt like work was constantly getting in the way. We came close to hitting the water a few times! The one that stings the most in hindsight was a lost chance on the Grand River. Brown trout were on the bite for weeks, and I couldn’t forget how animated Andrew got when sharing tales of fishing there with his father. We had it all planned out, but I had a surprise in store for Andrew – Niko was joining us, and it had been a while since they’d fished together. Unfortunately, the night before, Andrew came down with a fever, and our outing never materialized. Even years after he’s gone, his guidance and stories still echo in my ears. From tiny jigs for bass to using nymphs to fly fish for panfish. The first saltwater fish I ever caught was a barracuda on a chug bug, that was his advice! He was one of the first people to tell me about heavy glass beads for steelhead. When the fishing is off, his advice has saved my day more times than I can count and that day on the beaver was no different! (Continued on page 49.) Winter 2024

(The Day I Never Had continued from page 48.)

exclamation point on the day by landing his personal best brook trout... on a small swimbait!

“Even years after he’s gone, his guidance and stories still echo in my ears. From tiny jigs for bass to using nymphs to fly fish for panfish. The first saltwater fish I ever caught was a barracuda on a chug bug, that was his advice!”

Thinking outside the box, like Andrew always told us to do! Years have slipped by since that unforgettable day, yet its essence remains vivid.

After not getting a bite, I decided to take his advice and change it up, I tied on a small spinner and fished behind Niko. I went on to land three rainbows to Niko’s zero. His doppelgänger across the river eventually chimed in with some light ribbing when Niko had a hard time keeping fish hooked. Once the Beaver got crowded, Niko and I decided it was time for a move.

It became the day I’d only dreamed of – a surreal opportunity to cast lines with Andrew and Niko.

About the Author – Daniel Notarianni: Born in Southern Ontario, Daniel founded Live 2 Fish in 2012 and his passion for fishing and the outdoors has taken him all over North America as a guide, writer, photographer and educator. From small creek brook trout and Great Lakes bass to snook in the surf and peacock bass in the swamps, Daniel loves catching fish!

Saturday, June 15th 2024

We fished smaller creeks and ponds in search of brown trout and brook trout. One of the many things we had always wanted to do with Andrew. Niko put an

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Just Fishing . 49

Just Fishing - Winter 2024

Articles inside

The day I never had

Day bites on the ice

How John Hoyer tracks down trophy Bluegills

Where to find early ice walleyes

Strategies for success when fishing popular water systems

Get aggressive! Stick & Move

Booger & Bugs... kids love affair with worms

A Catch & Release perspective on ice fishing.

Panfish Pandemonium

Still working for Lake Trout after all of these years.

3 Seasons on the Ice!