AmericanPressTravelNews-Forwarding this fun newsletter! Brrr! But so much fun!
Monthly News & Updates
The ground hog has told us, six more weeks of winter. This means six more weeks of big panfish, pike, and drag pulling trout through the ice! Even with the warm winter we have had, many days have been spent on the ice targeting panfish, pike, and lake Michigan trout. Ice conditions are holding steady on most of our lakes and harbors in Wisconsin. There is still time to give us a call and get in on some of the action we have had all winter.
March 8th-12th Wolf Pack will have a booth at the sport show in Milwaukee. Keep an eye out for any show specials we might have. Captain Tyler Chisholm will be giving a seminar on Mississippi River duck hunting on the 8th at 4:30pm and another seminar about field duck and goose hunting on the 11th at 7:30pm. Come check it out, its going to be a good show.
Blackhawk Lake Kids Event
In recent weeks we helped host 27 kids on Blackhawk Lake near Highland, WI. Each kid was taken through our program including ice safety, species identification, tip-up fishing, panfishing, electronics, and shelters. At the end the event each kid was given a bag of product from our sponsors at Frabill, Custom Jigs and Spins, and Jiffy. Outdoor Wisconsin, Ultimate Outdoors Radio, and Outdoor Junkies where there as well covering the event for TV and radio.
If you have an event that you would consider us hosting, whether on the ice or on the water. Our team would love to help. Give us a call at (920)-207-1212 for more information.
AmericanPressTravelNews-October 17th, Who doesn’t want to catch a big pike? Well, check out Babe Winkelman’s news release:
Fishing Department
“It’s “Get Even Time” for Big Pike
Some anglers may disagree with me, but I think the hardest trophy fish to catch with any consistency is big pike out of clear deep lakes in the summer. The true giants of this species are deep and are often suspended “out in the middle of nowhere” feeding on their preferred forage in these types of lakes-ciscoes (tulibees). But there is a time when we can get even and catch these big predators with relative ease. And that is in fall!
Just like clockwork, these giants of the deep will move up into big weed flats right about after the second big cold front hits the area. In Canada this may be as early as late August/early September, while in their more southern waters this shallower movement may occur as late as Early October. Why they come up from the depths into these 10-to 20-foot depths is probably a feeding situation. The weeds get knocked down a bit and panfish seem to bunch up a lot at this time. Big weed flats attract these fish like magnets. The best action often occurs on nasty days with stronger winds, and over-cast skies that follow a cold front.
There are usually three zones that you should consider fishing. Over the top of near-surface vegetation, over the top of weeds 1/3 to 2/3rds off the bottom, and over fringe weeds outside the major weed beds. Trolling is by far the best way to establish a pattern and zero in on the best areas. I troll over the top of the near surface weeds with an L-armed spinnerbait that’s run slightly under the surface. If fishing two lines, one lure should be about 30-40-feet behind the boat, while the other about where the motors bubbles start to phase out. When fishing over the mid-depth weeds, run crankbaits just over the tops. Same strategy when fishing over the deeper fringe weeds (which may be only the short dill-like looking brittle sand grass), just run deeper running crankbaits.
If you connect with pike in one zone and the action stops, they will often move shallower or deeper. Another good tip on a lake where you commonly fish other species, check out a small easier to fish weed bed, and if you don’t connect with a few pike, you might not want to waste too much time fishing the bigger weed flats. Now is the time to get even!
APtravelnews-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
APtravelnews-January 25th, PSL, FL.-Product Reviews-Fishing! The image below is of the original early 1950’s Al’s Goldfish. The lure is a true game-fish slayer! Barb and I have caught bass anytime we cast one in our backyard slough pond! Several of my outdoor writer friends tell me stories of using Al’s Goldfish in Gold and Silver models years ago for terrific trout action all over the USA. See image below and check out their website www.alsgoldfish.com
