Archive for August 2016
CATCH FALL FISH ON JIGS
by Bob Jensen There are lots of signs that fall is not far away. You can listen to the locusts at night, notice that the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler, or you can just look at the calendar. No doubt, another fall is starting to make its entrance.
Read MoreClear Lake, Iowa
The town of Clear Lake, Iowa, is, of course, remembered by many as the site of the last concert performed by Fifties rocker Buddy Holly. The show concluded shortly before his departing airplane flight ended in a tragic weather-related crash.The lake for which the town is named isn’t so well-known, however, especially among sportfishermen. There was a time, in fact, when it was only on the radar of anglers who pursued bullheads.
Read MoreTopwater Tweaks For More Summer Bass In Shallow Slop
By Chip LeerShallow slop holds largemouth bass in the summertime. Extracting them from the jungle is a challenge bass fans love, and throwing topwater baits that skitter and slide across the canopy is one of the most popular ways to attack these green monsters.Topwater fishing seems simple, but even slight variations in lure choice and presentation can mean the difference between a great day and getting skunked.It all starts with choosing the right bait for the conditions at hand. Many anglers t…
Read MoreSchool of Fish concludes 4th year!
School of Fish, the leaders in fishing education, recently completed their fourth year of hosting fishing classes for kids and their parents and other adults across the Midwest. School of Fish taught 29 open-water Schools in 2016 graduating 475 “water-ready” kids and 231 adults.Started in Alexandria, MN in 2013 as an open-water fishing class, School of Fish was very well received and, due to requests, added School of Fish ON ICE that fall. Since then, a rod building class and Walleye…
Read MoreLake Kabetogama, MN
This body of water lies within Voyageurs National Park, and at just more than 24,000 acres is one of the state’s 10 largest inland lakes. A healthy walleye population also makes it a premier destination for fishermen. In addition, recent netting surveys by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources showed an astonishing number of young walleyes in the lake, which bodes well for angling in the future.Bob Jensen, Team Northland member and founder of Fishing The Midwest, has spent countles…
Read MoreThe Versatile Bladed Jig
In the judgement of many walleye anglers, a leadhead jig that sports a shiny metal blade is good only for fishing dirty water or vertical jigging a river. It’s an opinion with which tournament ace and Team Northland member Mark Martin strongly disagrees.In fact, the hard-fishing Michigan angler has used Northland’s venerable Whistler® Jig, with its iconic propeller blade, for many years in various situations, and says both it and the Thumper® Jig, which features an ’eye…
Read More’Eyes Without Bait
Whether by regulation or by personal choice, the trend in walleye fishing today is toward artificial lures and away from live bait. The problem most anglers have in taking the first step in this direction is a lack of confidence in anything but a wriggling minnow, leech or ’crawler.“And the best way to gain confidence in artificial lures,” says NWT tournament angler and Team Northland member Dusty Minke, “is to catch a few fish on them. The trouble is that many anglers ma…
Read MoreAN ICE-FISHING BAIT FOR OPEN WATER WALLEYES
by Bob Jensen Much of the time, lures are designed with a specific application in mind. But sometimes we discover that some baits are multi-purpose. I was reminded of that on a recent fishing trip.
Read MoreAn Experience of a Lifetime for Gussy at Forrest Wood Cup
Gussy Concludes his 2016 FLW Tour Campaign with Event on Wheeler Lake A 44th place finish may not seem noteworthy, but for Jeff Gustafson of Keewatin, Ontario, it symbolizes the conclusion of his 2016 FLW Tour Campaign, one in which saw Gussy have his best year on Tour yet, with him collecting checks in all six events, making two top 20 cuts and one top ten cut with his best finish of 4th place. All of these things resulted in Gussy finishing 5th in the Angler of the Year standings and qua…
Read MoreLake Sakakawea, North Dakota
Not very long ago this giant reservoir on the Missouri River went through hard times. These days, however, things are different. Water levels that are high and stable, plus a resurgence of rainbow smelt, (the lake’s dominant forage fish) have turned it once again into a thriving sport fishery.Northern pike grow to impressive size here, and the smallmouth bass fishery is building into something remarkable.
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