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Tag Archives: jigs

Aim for the O2 Move regularly, change offerings often: you’ll crack midwinter’s code

Ice-Fishing-300x200APtravelnews-February 2nd,Provided and shared article by Mitch Eeagan Imagine your home growing darker by the day, to the point you haven’t seen sunlight in over a month. Moreover, your surroundings are growing colder by the day. In fact, it’s so frigid that your muscles have become rigid; to the point it’s all you can do to muster moving a few feet…even to eat. And you’re hungry.

Oxygen is diminishing, too. Some areas are completely void of oxygen, while other pockets have just enough to sustain life. So you migrate to where respiration is still an option. To say life’s registering a zero on the fun-o-meter is an understatement. And with that lowly scenario in place, you now know what it’s like to be a fish living in the Ice Belt during the dead of winter. It’s been a long time since light penetrated the surface and temperatures are at the coldest they will be all year. To boot, the lack of vegetation, rain and wave action have oxygen levels dwindling rapidly.

And it’s this combination of factors that make midwinter a difficult time to catch fish. But if you’re game to put in the time, find those oxygenated zones, rewards are paid in bites and fillets. The safest place to avoid suffocation is sometimes right under the ice. In the bowels of winter, if oxygen levels are critical, crappies, bluegills and perch could be hanging right under your feet. Photo by Bill Lindner

Minnesota Ice-Fishing Guide Brian “Bro” Brosdahl is no stranger to fishing shallow, heavily snow-covered lakes. The Grand Rapids, Minnesota resident moves around a lot. And uses specialized electronics to find panfish other anglers often overlook. “I drill a lot of holes and check every one for any signs of life,” said Bro. “If fish are right under me I’ll see ‘em on the ‘Bird, and, because of the ultra-sensitivity settings on the Humminbird ICE HELIX 5, I can put my jig right in their faces.

“But I’ll also lower my Aqua-Vu Micro DT down every hole, as well; especially if I am not marking anything. Fish might be just inches under the ice during the heart of winter, following the oxygen. The camera is able to spy those fish.” Paying close attention to the underwater viewing system’s screen the moment its camera hits the water, Bro starts spinning the lens right the bottom of the hole. Oftentimes, panfish will be literally inches away, curiously inspecting the corded device. Once fish are revealed, Bro removes the camera, strips off a couple feet of line and lowers his jig—tipped with either spikes, wax worms or mousies. Al’s Goldfish Ice Fishing Wobblers are designed for this job!
 “A lot of anglers have no idea those fish are even there,” Bro added. “These suspended fish get totally overlooked this time of year. It’s cool when you can see your jig and watch a fish swim over and gobble it up.”

If there are a lot of fish just under the surface, Bro will operate out of his Frabill flip-over. The darkness not only allows Bro to see the fish better, but also camouflages the fact he’s above by muting his silhouetted movements.

When oxygen levels are low, and fish lethargic, Bro uses tiny jigs with a slow fall. His preferences are Northland’s new Impulse Helium Mayfly, Stonefly and Waxyfly. Custom Jigs & Spins’ Nuclear Ant, Ratso and Shrimpo are another trio of lifelike lures that sink slowly.When Walleye Tournament Pro, Mark Brumbaugh targets pike, walleye and jumbo perch late in the season, he searches out river and creek mouths.

“Anywhere water’s flowing into a lake there will be more dissolved oxygen,” the Brownstown, Ohio, resident said. “And because fish spawn in these same rivers, they’ll be here staging to reproduce, too.” Because there’s more dissolved oxygen near inlets, fish will be spread throughout the water column. Subsequently, Brumbaugh likes larger, heavier jigs that can move up and down quickly. Bladebaits are one of Brumbaugh’s go-to lures in stained water, as they produce a lot of vibration. Reef Runner’s Cicada is one of his favorites. He also employs Custom Jigs & Spins’ B3 Blade Bait and new Rotating Power Minnow (RPM) swimming bait. As avid anglers will tell you, late winter can be one of the toughest times of the year. But maybe that’s because they weren’t looking in the right places.

Some fish might be right under foot; literally, mere inches under the ice. If this is the case, use light lures with a slow flutter and fall. In waterways with inlets, search out the entire water column with lures that sink fast so you can get the lure to fish before they turn tail. Al’s Ice fishing lures work great for this!

When fish are tucked tight to the ice, Bro employs Aqua-Vu optics and fishes in real-time with an AV Micro DT in a Micro-Mobile Pro-Vu Case.

Al’s Goldfish set for ice fishing
Al’s Goldfish 3/16 oz Ice Fishing Jig
Our Price: $4.29

The original Al’s Goldfish, one of Field and Streams greatest 50 lures of all time, set with a J hook on the nose to draw the fish in. The lure works great with trout, salmon and panfish. see all lures at www.alsgoldfish.com 

 

Pictures of the Week Beginning January 1st 2016

2-Barracudas!
2-Barracudas! APtravelnews wants to start the new year thinking about fun in the sun! Fishing is just that!  Enjoy!
Bob's 17-pound bonefish caught with Richard Stanczyk, owner of Bud N Mary's Marina in Islamorada. The fish was appx. 39-inches and probably on 8-pound spin a record. However, we released the fish after this image was taken.
Bob’s 17-pound bonefish caught with Richard Stanczyk, owner of Bud N Mary’s Marina in Islamorada. The fish was appx. 39-inches and probably on 8-pound spin a record. However, we released the fish after this image was taken.
bigmouth
Mark Davis before his great fishing show was born!
Islamorada Coast Guard Chief on a bonefish holiday!
Islamorada Coast Guard Chief on a bonefish holiday!
Barbs first freshwater striped bass!
Barbs first freshwater striped bass!
Fishing Tarpon and snook in the shadow of the airport in San Juan Puerto Rico!
Fishing Tarpon and snook in the shadow of the airport in San Juan Puerto Rico!

Berkley From 1937-2015 Has Provided Great Fishing Lures, lines and Anglers Products Found In Every Big Box and Mom & Pop Store Across the USA

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So 78-years later (read the article) I still rely on Berkley for up-to-date, tried and tested terminal fishing tackle!

 

APtravelnews-April 19th, Crossville, TN.-–We have been in travel mode from FL to TN and finally settled in and turned on the “box with keys!”

When I received my sample Berkley package of line and lures at a SEOPA (Southeastern Outdoor press Associaition) Conference. I had stashed it away for a look-see,  it had gotten packed and buried until now that we have begun our house-cleaning chores in our summer and fall home on the Cumberland Plateau in TN.

Having been around for quite awhile and seen the evolution in fishing gear, I was particularly taken (once again) how much strength, durability and thickness of modern lines has come into being from here-to-fore lines of the thick- milled past. To me limpness, ease of casting, small footprint for a fish to think about whether to swim away or attack the baits, attached to nearly invisible thread between angler and fish, is paramount in placing said line on my reel!

Well, there are many companies that can boast of having such modern lines, but Berkley truly stands out for me as one of the very best! When I first met Berkley Bedell, I felt that he was more than a business man and entrepreneur in the fishing industry, I saw his passion and believed that he loved fishing as much as anyone could-perhaps even more than I did and do?  In any event, the Berkley name is on almost all of the products found today in every tackle shop across the USA ( I do prefer to buy my gear from mom and pop stores that are disappearing as quickly as wisdom teeth, lately} but thanks to the giant box stores being able to sell a million items more cheaply that a small tackle shop with the owners knowledge and advice of all things fishing for an angler to tap into over a box of hooks, lures, rods and reels and lines, fishing interest is proliferating, as well!  However,Americans today have tended to discount that advice, except perhaps in the fly fishing circles where matching everything and the hatch, to a wily trout, instead of a dumb bass (which I love with a passion as well) still is understood by the non-tournament bound anglers seeking competition for love or money! No matter! I use gear, from spin, conventional rolling pin reels, push-button I find at travel destinations on water when I forget to carry my tackle and my toothbrush too, and of course one or more of my nearly, 100 of my favorite fly outfits!

Any size line, enough variety in all manner of hard and soft baits, tools that all anglers need is the hallmark of Berkley Products!
Any size line, enough variety in all manner of hard and soft baits, tools that all anglers need is the hallmark of Berkley Products!

If You Live in “Open Water” States Such as Florida, Here are 5 Baits for Cold Water Fishing

 

An Alabama Guide shows a nice bass, not a monster, but any bass is a gudin!!!!
An Alabama Guide shows a nice bass, not a monster, but any bass is a gudin!!!!

APtravelnews-Port St. Lucie, FL.–February 20th,— According to Kevin Van Dam,  a big winner at the Bass Masters Tournaments, the following Power techniques and baits will work all four seasons ..if you’re using the right baits—Jerkbait “This is my favorite choice for lakes that have clear water, says Van Dam! “Bass are focused on shad during the winter, and I prefer a suspending jerkbait for fishing around vertical structure, like main lake bluffs and bridges, this time of year. When the water is colder, the shad suspend in the water column and if I see shad dying and gulls diving on them, that tells me the suspending jerkbait is the best choice. I will snap it a few times and always experiment with the action until I know how they want it.

Red Eye Shad The lipless crankbait can be dynamite on cold, lowland reservoirs or natural lakes, especially if there is vegetation. It’s very efficient for covering a lot of water. However, I do slow the retrieve down and keep the bait in contact with the bottom.

Flat-sided crankbait There’s something about a flat-sided crankbait that neutral bass react to better in cold water than they do to rounded-body lures. My favorite is the Strike King KVD 1.5 Flat that has a long bill and no rattles. I love to fish this bait parallel on channel swings close to the bank in major creeks and even along bluffs, riprap and laydowns. I throw it on 10-pound line and it runs about 10 feet deep. It has a subtle action they can’t stand when the water is cold, so use a steady, slow-to-medium retrieve.

SwimbaitI really like the Strike King Shadalicious in either the 4 1/2- or 5-inch sizes, opting for the larger one in lakes with big bass and big shad. These baits are very efficient for covering deeper zones of lakes where bass hold off main lake structure.Also, hollow-body baits have a paddle tail that kicks and moves a lot of water, which is very important in stained water. And, like flat baits, they wobble seductively from side to side.

Blade baits and jigging spoons Blade baits are good for fishing edges of deeper flats. I cast and work it similar to the way I fish the Red Eye Shad, except the blade bait is more efficient in deeper water. Use a lift-and-drop retrieve, feeling the good vibration from the lure each time you lift. And remember: both blade baits and the Red Eye work best this time of year on heavier line because it slows the fall and reduces problems with it burying in the grass. The jigging spoon is a bait I primarily fish vertically. Our electronics are so good that, while graphing creek channels, you’ll see pods of bait and mark fish around them. With the spoon, you can fish through the bait. It’s even good along timber and doesn’t snag as much as you think. If it does, jiggle it and it shakes free.”

Note**Bottom line is;  Bassmaster anglers fish for a living and have far more experience going after largemouth bass than the average angler. So, we believe following some of these techniques will help you catch the “bigun!” Also, remember bass are fun to catch, but release them, crappie and perch are much better eating!!!