Dateline: Little Bay de Noc near Gladstone, MI, 3-14-09
SEE THE “NOTES” AT THE END OF THIS PIECE FOR AN EXPLANATION OF THE TERMS USED HERE. THIS REPORT CONTAINS DETAILS ABOUT TWO ICE FISHING TRIPS ON SUBSEQUENT SATURDAYS.
I spent the morning chasing perch today, with fairly good results. Stopped at Bay View for wigglers, 2" minnows, waxies, and spikes before sunrise. Two of us drove north, heading out from the yellow gate access. We set up in 13' of water over the old weedbeds, The final tally was 22 keepers for about fifty fish landed. No real jumbos, but the ones we kept were just right for eating. The best presentation was a single wiggler on a thin wire hook and split shot at first, but changed to a single waxworm on the same rig later. I caught a few nice perch using a one-inch soft plastic crayfish in brown color on a 1/32 ounce jig - no live bait. We had to pay extremely close attention due to very light hits. We missed many, many fish the just fooled around with the bait. We each missed fish that felt heavier, but I'm not sure what they were. As a side note, the entrance road is very rutted and the shallows close to shore were in bad shape but passable with 4WD. Won't last much longer even if the ice out on the bay is over 30" thick.
Dateline: Little Bay de Noc near Gladstone, MI, 3-21-09
Today's perch expedition was almost a re-run of last weekends trip. Started at Bay View with fresh waxies, wigglers, spikes and 2" minnows. We walked out from yellow gate and set up in nine feet. The walk was not too strenuous. Some bad ice near shore. Road leading in is badly rutted. We had the camera and set it up in the shallows. Almost immediately, a walleye stopped for a look, followed by a pike. We tried for perch a while longer, but got no takers. Too many predators. After that we trudged out to fifteen feet and saw perch right away. We were one-half mile from shore. I'm sure because we drove to this spot previously and measured it on the trip mileage screen. The bite was fairly steady and we landed probably forty fish with ten keepers. Another walleye stopped by, but the perch returned quickly. We didn't have much time, so we started taking in lines. As the last waxworm and small jig combination was about to be reeled in a large pike head showed up on the screen and he inhaled the tidbit. My friend Duane had a strong two-second pull, one head shake, and it was all over. The pike snipped the line as they usually do in this situation. It was a great way to end the trip! Again, finesse presentation was necessary. Perch would grab only tiny jigs or plain hooks with a single waxie, or three spikes. They would not take minnows, and just played with wigglers. We could see them biting and re-acting to our baits. Good learning experience.
Notes:
“Bay View” is a local baitshop in Gladstone, MI owned by a friend, Chris Wahl.
“Spikes” are common maggots, used as ice fishing baits.
“Waxies” or “Waxworms” are beemoth larva, and look like white grubs found in lawns during warm weather.
“Wigglers” are hexagenia nymphs which look like tiny one-to two inch scorpions. They don’t bite, and are commonly used as ice fishing bait.
The camera I refer to is an underwater camera that is lowered down to bottom and allows the fisherman to watch his baits on a five-inch, black and white screen. You can see fish approach and hit your baits.
“4WD” means a four-wheel drive vehicle.
“Yellow Gate” is a public access point north of Gladstone, on Little Bay de Noc in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
On the 3-14 trip, Duane and I drove my truck directly out to the ice fishing destination on the ice and setting up the gear was easy. By 3-21 the ice had deteriorated near shore and we had to walk out to the spot pulling our gear on flat-bottomed ice sleds.
Showing posts with label Little Bay de Noc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Little Bay de Noc. Show all posts
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
SHORT TRIP FOR WALLEYE
SHORT TRIP FOR WALLEYE
Dateline: Little Bay de Noc near Escanaba, Michigan; 2-28-09
I had very little time to fish today. A friend and his son visiting from Wisconsin had just three hours to tag along this morning, as we took a stab at some walleye action on the Bay.
After setting up and with travel time we would have about two hours to tempt the walleyes I know from experience frequent this area in the late season. We stopped at Bay View Baitshop for a non-resident license and some three-inch shiner minnows. I had an all-terrain vehicle available from another friend who lives near the mouth of the Escanaba River, and I had a freight sled we could pull behind the machine, so we fished there.
My friend sat on the cargo rack on the back of the ATV, and his son sat in the sled along with the gear we would need to fish with. The permanent shanty we would use was located just north of the river mouth, so we headed out on a slow, bumpy ride across the ice.
A powerful wind storm sculpted the bay with great snow drifts just two days prior to this trip. Looking at some of these natural creations as we entered the bay made me hesitate to blast through them on the machine. Off to the north, lay a long line of snow dunes that looked like a frozen scene from the Sahara. Eastward, spiked snow drifts looked like miniature mountains. Scalloped snow swirls to the south reminded me of icing on an angel food cake.
An unexpected development earlier in the week gave my confidence a boost. Officers from the Department of Natural Resources broke up a large-scale poaching ring running two thousand feet of illegal nets nearby that may have been hauling out hundreds of fish daily. Apparently, the poachers had been working at night. We knew our catch rate had been down this season in this area, but we did not know why. This unexpected bust could only help our fishing.
The shanty was set along an underwater slope leading to the actual river mouth. Logs, boulders, ship staves, and many other objects that had washed down with the current provided bottom cover. I set my friend up with a Jigging Rapala tipped with a minnow tail, and rigged a slip float for his son, set at two feet above bottom. By letting the jigging lure fall to bottom and bouncing it there several times a cloud of sediment would raise up, which can attract passing fish. After bumping bottom several times, the lure is raised up about three feet and jigged at that level. I used a similar tactic with a bright orange lure while he used a “clown” colored style (white, with red and blue spots).
Within the first hour my friend landed a 25" slab sided walleye from 24 feet of water. The fish was very chunky and solid for this length. We could see it coming up from the depths in the Bay’s ultra-clear water. I gaffed the fish since trying to grab one that size at the hole by hand often lets them escape. Before the two-hour time frame was up we missed one additional fish that hit but failed to hook up solidly. Action was slow, but at least we managed one very nice fish.
Later at home I filleted it and found it was a large male. Its stomach was empty, which surprised me since it looked like it must have been stuffed with gobies or something. I’ll be returning to the river mouth this week to see if normal fish movements resume now that the nets have been removed. This is the first year the walleye season has been extended until March 15 here in the Upper Peninsula, and I’m happy to take advantage of it. Meanwhile my friend was returning to the Rhinelander area with the fillets packaged and in a cooler. He intended to cook them later that evening.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Dateline: Little Bay de Noc near Escanaba, Michigan; 2-28-09
I had very little time to fish today. A friend and his son visiting from Wisconsin had just three hours to tag along this morning, as we took a stab at some walleye action on the Bay.
After setting up and with travel time we would have about two hours to tempt the walleyes I know from experience frequent this area in the late season. We stopped at Bay View Baitshop for a non-resident license and some three-inch shiner minnows. I had an all-terrain vehicle available from another friend who lives near the mouth of the Escanaba River, and I had a freight sled we could pull behind the machine, so we fished there.
My friend sat on the cargo rack on the back of the ATV, and his son sat in the sled along with the gear we would need to fish with. The permanent shanty we would use was located just north of the river mouth, so we headed out on a slow, bumpy ride across the ice.
A powerful wind storm sculpted the bay with great snow drifts just two days prior to this trip. Looking at some of these natural creations as we entered the bay made me hesitate to blast through them on the machine. Off to the north, lay a long line of snow dunes that looked like a frozen scene from the Sahara. Eastward, spiked snow drifts looked like miniature mountains. Scalloped snow swirls to the south reminded me of icing on an angel food cake.
An unexpected development earlier in the week gave my confidence a boost. Officers from the Department of Natural Resources broke up a large-scale poaching ring running two thousand feet of illegal nets nearby that may have been hauling out hundreds of fish daily. Apparently, the poachers had been working at night. We knew our catch rate had been down this season in this area, but we did not know why. This unexpected bust could only help our fishing.
The shanty was set along an underwater slope leading to the actual river mouth. Logs, boulders, ship staves, and many other objects that had washed down with the current provided bottom cover. I set my friend up with a Jigging Rapala tipped with a minnow tail, and rigged a slip float for his son, set at two feet above bottom. By letting the jigging lure fall to bottom and bouncing it there several times a cloud of sediment would raise up, which can attract passing fish. After bumping bottom several times, the lure is raised up about three feet and jigged at that level. I used a similar tactic with a bright orange lure while he used a “clown” colored style (white, with red and blue spots).
Within the first hour my friend landed a 25" slab sided walleye from 24 feet of water. The fish was very chunky and solid for this length. We could see it coming up from the depths in the Bay’s ultra-clear water. I gaffed the fish since trying to grab one that size at the hole by hand often lets them escape. Before the two-hour time frame was up we missed one additional fish that hit but failed to hook up solidly. Action was slow, but at least we managed one very nice fish.
Later at home I filleted it and found it was a large male. Its stomach was empty, which surprised me since it looked like it must have been stuffed with gobies or something. I’ll be returning to the river mouth this week to see if normal fish movements resume now that the nets have been removed. This is the first year the walleye season has been extended until March 15 here in the Upper Peninsula, and I’m happy to take advantage of it. Meanwhile my friend was returning to the Rhinelander area with the fillets packaged and in a cooler. He intended to cook them later that evening.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
OBSERVATIONS FROM MICHIGAN
OBSERVATIONS FROM MICHIGAN
By: Ray Hansen
This is a great time to head for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The lakes are frozen and getting out to the perch, whitefish, walleye, pike, and burbot spots is easy. This year, walleye and pike season extends until March 15.
Ice fishing in relatively balmy temperatures of 20 to 35 degrees is common at this time, as are late season snowfalls that cover some potentially dangerous spots. Keep your eyes open and fish with a friend at all times. Wear a set of ice picks, and carry a length of rope where it is easily accessible. Having said that, as of this writing in late February, the ice I fished on the north end of Little Bay de Noc a couple days ago was still thirty inches thick. Most anglers are still driving trucks out on the ice, but that won’t last too much longer. Think safety first as the season extends into March.
Keep your tackle selection light and portable. A size two Swedish Pimple spoon loaded with spikes (maggots) will catch perch all day. A couple rods, one small box with a few different color spoons, a skimmer, a locator, your bait, and a sled to pull along is just about all you need.
Deer are everywhere, looking for a change from the woody browse that keeps them alive during the winter. I have them in my yard daily, scrounging for tidbits I feed the local turkey flock with.
Logging operations cutting white cedar and other trees attract many whitetails. Deer eat the cedar tips like it is cotton candy. Maple and oak tips, poplar, and some osier dogwood rounded out the feast. Deer eat these things all winter long, but the difference here was that they could get to the tender tips of new, younger branches once the trees are down. Normally, they are restricted to standing on their hind legs and browsing up as high as they can reach during the winter in areas where no cutting takes place. They can’t reach the best browse in this way.
Turkeys flock everywhere. I honestly saw some birds gathered in groups of fifty or more. I watched a neat “parade” of the big birds at my friend Duane Deno’s house in Gladstone, Michigan. Here the turkeys wander the neighborhoods, trotting from one bird feeder to another looking for any spillage. Some people feed them whole kernel corn, and all Duane had to do was rattle some dried corn in a plastic bucket to get them to approach within six feet or so. I have had a flock numbering about sixty birds in my yard in Cornell, Michigan but most days about twenty show up.
Finally, the Escanaba River is still frozen on the mid to upper stretches, and cross-country skiing is possible along the main channel. Traversing this beautiful waterway is like stepping into a “coffee table” style photo book. Each bend and turn presents a new vista, and when I walk along a portion of the river with a lone eagle soaring overhead I realize it doesn’t get much better than this.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
By: Ray Hansen
This is a great time to head for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The lakes are frozen and getting out to the perch, whitefish, walleye, pike, and burbot spots is easy. This year, walleye and pike season extends until March 15.
Ice fishing in relatively balmy temperatures of 20 to 35 degrees is common at this time, as are late season snowfalls that cover some potentially dangerous spots. Keep your eyes open and fish with a friend at all times. Wear a set of ice picks, and carry a length of rope where it is easily accessible. Having said that, as of this writing in late February, the ice I fished on the north end of Little Bay de Noc a couple days ago was still thirty inches thick. Most anglers are still driving trucks out on the ice, but that won’t last too much longer. Think safety first as the season extends into March.
Keep your tackle selection light and portable. A size two Swedish Pimple spoon loaded with spikes (maggots) will catch perch all day. A couple rods, one small box with a few different color spoons, a skimmer, a locator, your bait, and a sled to pull along is just about all you need.
Deer are everywhere, looking for a change from the woody browse that keeps them alive during the winter. I have them in my yard daily, scrounging for tidbits I feed the local turkey flock with.
Logging operations cutting white cedar and other trees attract many whitetails. Deer eat the cedar tips like it is cotton candy. Maple and oak tips, poplar, and some osier dogwood rounded out the feast. Deer eat these things all winter long, but the difference here was that they could get to the tender tips of new, younger branches once the trees are down. Normally, they are restricted to standing on their hind legs and browsing up as high as they can reach during the winter in areas where no cutting takes place. They can’t reach the best browse in this way.
Turkeys flock everywhere. I honestly saw some birds gathered in groups of fifty or more. I watched a neat “parade” of the big birds at my friend Duane Deno’s house in Gladstone, Michigan. Here the turkeys wander the neighborhoods, trotting from one bird feeder to another looking for any spillage. Some people feed them whole kernel corn, and all Duane had to do was rattle some dried corn in a plastic bucket to get them to approach within six feet or so. I have had a flock numbering about sixty birds in my yard in Cornell, Michigan but most days about twenty show up.
Finally, the Escanaba River is still frozen on the mid to upper stretches, and cross-country skiing is possible along the main channel. Traversing this beautiful waterway is like stepping into a “coffee table” style photo book. Each bend and turn presents a new vista, and when I walk along a portion of the river with a lone eagle soaring overhead I realize it doesn’t get much better than this.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
CHUMMING FOR FISH
CHUMMING FOR FISH
By: Ray Hansen
Chumming – using some type of bait or scent at attempt to attract fish to a certain spot – has been used by winter anglers for many years. I’ve seen some fairly unusual practices, and others that were simply clever.
Old-timers on the Fox Chain-O-Lakes in northeastern Illinois (and many other places, I’m sure) would eat hard-boiled eggs while fishing, and drop tiny pieces of egg shell into the water. Others swore by sardine tails dropped into the hole after eating the rest of the oily treat. I’ve also seen anglers eat sardines and save the tin with oil in the bottom. This was placed on the ice, and their lures dipped in the oil before fishing with them.
Using the “sardine scent” was a precursor to the practice of using commercially available fish attractant scent commonly sold in baitshops. In fact, some anglers squirt scent of one sort or another on their ice fishing lures as a standard practice. They hope that releasing the scent triggers a feeding response in nearby fish. A related practice is to place a sponge inside a small wire mesh enclosure and tying a heavy line to it. This is lowered down to bottom occasionally, in hopes of arousing fish to bite.
A trick I’ve used many times is to squirt scent into a storage container of “old-fashioned style” oatmeal flakes. The “salted” flakes are then tossed into the water a pinch at a time. They swing side to side while sinking, and release scent while dropping. Both the motion and aroma may be attractive to fish. They eat it too. I’ve found it in perch cleaned after ice fishing.
Sometimes things get a little silly. Life-long friend Duane Deno and I recently dropped a few tiny pieces of his home-made venison sausage to the water while perch fishing on Little Bay De Noc in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We made a respectable catch, and of course he took credit for the feat, claiming that his sausage “was totally irresistible to fish” and that it would be “irresponsible for us to use more than a tiny amount, since every fish for hundreds of yards around would crowd into our spot”.
As strong as the bite was while we fished, I’m not sure he was totally wrong!
So chumming can add to the enjoyment you receive from a day on the ice. You do need to check local regulations however. Some places have restrictions on what is allowable, and of course you need to exercise common sense.
And bring along some venison sausage!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
By: Ray Hansen
Chumming – using some type of bait or scent at attempt to attract fish to a certain spot – has been used by winter anglers for many years. I’ve seen some fairly unusual practices, and others that were simply clever.
Old-timers on the Fox Chain-O-Lakes in northeastern Illinois (and many other places, I’m sure) would eat hard-boiled eggs while fishing, and drop tiny pieces of egg shell into the water. Others swore by sardine tails dropped into the hole after eating the rest of the oily treat. I’ve also seen anglers eat sardines and save the tin with oil in the bottom. This was placed on the ice, and their lures dipped in the oil before fishing with them.
Using the “sardine scent” was a precursor to the practice of using commercially available fish attractant scent commonly sold in baitshops. In fact, some anglers squirt scent of one sort or another on their ice fishing lures as a standard practice. They hope that releasing the scent triggers a feeding response in nearby fish. A related practice is to place a sponge inside a small wire mesh enclosure and tying a heavy line to it. This is lowered down to bottom occasionally, in hopes of arousing fish to bite.
A trick I’ve used many times is to squirt scent into a storage container of “old-fashioned style” oatmeal flakes. The “salted” flakes are then tossed into the water a pinch at a time. They swing side to side while sinking, and release scent while dropping. Both the motion and aroma may be attractive to fish. They eat it too. I’ve found it in perch cleaned after ice fishing.
Sometimes things get a little silly. Life-long friend Duane Deno and I recently dropped a few tiny pieces of his home-made venison sausage to the water while perch fishing on Little Bay De Noc in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We made a respectable catch, and of course he took credit for the feat, claiming that his sausage “was totally irresistible to fish” and that it would be “irresponsible for us to use more than a tiny amount, since every fish for hundreds of yards around would crowd into our spot”.
As strong as the bite was while we fished, I’m not sure he was totally wrong!
So chumming can add to the enjoyment you receive from a day on the ice. You do need to check local regulations however. Some places have restrictions on what is allowable, and of course you need to exercise common sense.
And bring along some venison sausage!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
ALBINO BAY DE NOC BURBOT CAUGHT
ALBINO BAY DE NOC BURBOT CAUGHT
By: Ray Hansen
I have mentioned fishing for burbot on Little Bay de Noc in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula several times. This is a time of year when they are commonly caught in northern waters. These primitive fish are also called eelpout, and have a long dorsal fin extending to the tail that can make them look like an eel. Local anglers like them because they eat gobies which threaten to overpopulate the Great Lakes, and because the burbot can be cooked as a dish called “poor man’s lobster”
which I have enjoyed.
In 2007, John Katarincic of Gladstone, Michigan caught an albino burbot from Little Bay de Noc off Kipling, Michigan while fishing for walleyes in 26 feet of water. The bizarrely colored fish measured over 28 inches in length, and was brought to the Escanaba office of the Department of Natural Resources where it was checked by biologist Darren Kramer.
Katarincic said he thought he had hooked a big walleye, but was not disappointed by his unusual catch. Many anglers target these fish during mid-February since they can be very active biters at this time of year, and are attracted to “glow” style lures tipped with minnows.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
By: Ray Hansen
I have mentioned fishing for burbot on Little Bay de Noc in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula several times. This is a time of year when they are commonly caught in northern waters. These primitive fish are also called eelpout, and have a long dorsal fin extending to the tail that can make them look like an eel. Local anglers like them because they eat gobies which threaten to overpopulate the Great Lakes, and because the burbot can be cooked as a dish called “poor man’s lobster”
which I have enjoyed.
In 2007, John Katarincic of Gladstone, Michigan caught an albino burbot from Little Bay de Noc off Kipling, Michigan while fishing for walleyes in 26 feet of water. The bizarrely colored fish measured over 28 inches in length, and was brought to the Escanaba office of the Department of Natural Resources where it was checked by biologist Darren Kramer.
Katarincic said he thought he had hooked a big walleye, but was not disappointed by his unusual catch. Many anglers target these fish during mid-February since they can be very active biters at this time of year, and are attracted to “glow” style lures tipped with minnows.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
FLYING ACROSS THE SNOW
FLYING ACROSS THE SNOW
By: Ray Hansen
We have had a run of brutally cold weather here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The ambient temperature was seventeen below zero last Sunday night when I returned from an ice fishing trip here on Little Bay de Noc. This is the kind of weather that firms up the snow base and makes the local snowmobile trails a lot of fun to play on. I don’t do too much trail riding on these machines, but occasionally have the opportunity.
A friend and I had trouble starting his two snowmobiles in the extreme cold temperatures we encountered in Rhinelander, Wisconsin on a recent ice fishing trip. Once the machines warmed enough to idle without us having the keep our thumbs on the throttles, they proved ready to respond and would restart easily if we shut them off.
This trip was to be one in which he and I roamed relatively shallow lakes in search of mid-winter pike and panfish. We did it two years ago with good results, and hoped to enjoy a replay of the excitement from the previous excursion.
To be able to zip from place to place, we used the two Polaris snowmobiles he keeps stored in Wisconsin. These machines are nothing short of amazing. I quickly found that they would go a lot faster than I cared to attempt.
While I am not an experienced snowmobiler, I’ve spent a fair amount of time astride a Harley-Davidson. I have also enjoyed some dirt-biking, and I ride a Honda all terrain vehicle each year while deer hunting. The snow machines however, are really suited to the conditions and a type of terrain no other vehicle can conquer.
At twenty miles an hour, I slowly cruised the frozen lakes and woodland trails connecting various bodies of water. The pace allowed me to see lots of detail, and feel that I was in control of my ride. I saw interesting homes, great looking patches of woods, and other sights that made me appreciate this northwoods experience.
At thirty m.p.h., I felt the jarring of snow clumps, old snowmobile tracks, and old ice fishing holes I blasted across. I could not spend much time sightseeing. Anything I wanted to study closer required that I back off the throttle at least momentarily.
At forty m.p.h., I had to concentrate on strictly on steering the machine, and to watch that no stumps, bumps, or humps launched me airborne. Turns were made gradually, and I had the constant feeling that I was going just about as fast as I could safely travel – as long as I focused solely on controlling the machine and did not steal a glance at any of the surroundings.
Of course, experienced snowmobilers cite times and places where they had reached speeds much higher than I dared to try at my level of competence. Tales of triple-digit speeds left me wondering how it was possible to keep the machine in even occasional contact with the snow at that pace.
I saw just enough of the “snowmobile culture” in Rhinelander to begin to understand its appeal. Some great trail food, magnificent scenery, the opportunity to jump from lake to lake with a little fishing at each, and shutting off the machines at a hill far from town to listen to a coyote chorus from a nearby swamp at night made using the machines unforgettable. I’ll be back.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
By: Ray Hansen
We have had a run of brutally cold weather here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The ambient temperature was seventeen below zero last Sunday night when I returned from an ice fishing trip here on Little Bay de Noc. This is the kind of weather that firms up the snow base and makes the local snowmobile trails a lot of fun to play on. I don’t do too much trail riding on these machines, but occasionally have the opportunity.
A friend and I had trouble starting his two snowmobiles in the extreme cold temperatures we encountered in Rhinelander, Wisconsin on a recent ice fishing trip. Once the machines warmed enough to idle without us having the keep our thumbs on the throttles, they proved ready to respond and would restart easily if we shut them off.
This trip was to be one in which he and I roamed relatively shallow lakes in search of mid-winter pike and panfish. We did it two years ago with good results, and hoped to enjoy a replay of the excitement from the previous excursion.
To be able to zip from place to place, we used the two Polaris snowmobiles he keeps stored in Wisconsin. These machines are nothing short of amazing. I quickly found that they would go a lot faster than I cared to attempt.
While I am not an experienced snowmobiler, I’ve spent a fair amount of time astride a Harley-Davidson. I have also enjoyed some dirt-biking, and I ride a Honda all terrain vehicle each year while deer hunting. The snow machines however, are really suited to the conditions and a type of terrain no other vehicle can conquer.
At twenty miles an hour, I slowly cruised the frozen lakes and woodland trails connecting various bodies of water. The pace allowed me to see lots of detail, and feel that I was in control of my ride. I saw interesting homes, great looking patches of woods, and other sights that made me appreciate this northwoods experience.
At thirty m.p.h., I felt the jarring of snow clumps, old snowmobile tracks, and old ice fishing holes I blasted across. I could not spend much time sightseeing. Anything I wanted to study closer required that I back off the throttle at least momentarily.
At forty m.p.h., I had to concentrate on strictly on steering the machine, and to watch that no stumps, bumps, or humps launched me airborne. Turns were made gradually, and I had the constant feeling that I was going just about as fast as I could safely travel – as long as I focused solely on controlling the machine and did not steal a glance at any of the surroundings.
Of course, experienced snowmobilers cite times and places where they had reached speeds much higher than I dared to try at my level of competence. Tales of triple-digit speeds left me wondering how it was possible to keep the machine in even occasional contact with the snow at that pace.
I saw just enough of the “snowmobile culture” in Rhinelander to begin to understand its appeal. Some great trail food, magnificent scenery, the opportunity to jump from lake to lake with a little fishing at each, and shutting off the machines at a hill far from town to listen to a coyote chorus from a nearby swamp at night made using the machines unforgettable. I’ll be back.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
GLOW BAITS GRAB ATTENTION
GLOW BAITS GRAB ATTENTION
Bay de Noc Burbot and Walleye Opportunity
By: Ray Hansen
Burbot or Eelpout are not a fish targeted by many winter anglers, but those who know where and how to catch them rave about their fighting qualities, and the ability to make a dish called “Poor Man’s Lobster” from them.
Little Bay de Noc in Delta County Michigan provides an excellent opportunity to catch these fish through the ice, and action often peaks for a while around mid-February. Chris Wahl, owner of Bay View Sports in Gladstone, Michigan (www.baydenoc.com/bayviewsports) chases these fish each year, and is a wealth of local information about how to proceed.
Chris reports that “glow” baits like the locally produced Swedish Pimple Spoon, the Buckshot Rattle Spoon, Rapala Jigger Shad, and simple live bait rigs with a “glow-stick” attached to the line near the bait (minnows are best) can do the trick. He often works the long drop-offs on the bay near his shop on Highway 2 / 41, concentrating on depths of 25 to 38 feet of water. Night produces the best bite, so you can tailor your ice fishing trips to be on a potentially good walleye spot at the prime bite just before and after sunset, then continue on into the night with the expectation of burbot action.
Incidentally, Chris says that many anglers are somewhat repulsed at the sight of a wriggling burbot on their lines because they look like an eel. He cautions ice fishermen to release them carefully however, because they are “gobie eating machines”. Area anglers have seen the non-native gobies populate the bay over the years, and welcome any fish that will consume them.
Little Bay de Noc is actually the northernmost portion of Lake Michigan, on the Great Lakes. Excellent fishing for northern pike, perch, smallmouth bass, walleye, salmon, trout, and many other species can be found there throughout the year. Check www.baydenoc.com for details about area attractions, lodging, and related information.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Bay de Noc Burbot and Walleye Opportunity
By: Ray Hansen
Burbot or Eelpout are not a fish targeted by many winter anglers, but those who know where and how to catch them rave about their fighting qualities, and the ability to make a dish called “Poor Man’s Lobster” from them.
Little Bay de Noc in Delta County Michigan provides an excellent opportunity to catch these fish through the ice, and action often peaks for a while around mid-February. Chris Wahl, owner of Bay View Sports in Gladstone, Michigan (www.baydenoc.com/bayviewsports) chases these fish each year, and is a wealth of local information about how to proceed.
Chris reports that “glow” baits like the locally produced Swedish Pimple Spoon, the Buckshot Rattle Spoon, Rapala Jigger Shad, and simple live bait rigs with a “glow-stick” attached to the line near the bait (minnows are best) can do the trick. He often works the long drop-offs on the bay near his shop on Highway 2 / 41, concentrating on depths of 25 to 38 feet of water. Night produces the best bite, so you can tailor your ice fishing trips to be on a potentially good walleye spot at the prime bite just before and after sunset, then continue on into the night with the expectation of burbot action.
Incidentally, Chris says that many anglers are somewhat repulsed at the sight of a wriggling burbot on their lines because they look like an eel. He cautions ice fishermen to release them carefully however, because they are “gobie eating machines”. Area anglers have seen the non-native gobies populate the bay over the years, and welcome any fish that will consume them.
Little Bay de Noc is actually the northernmost portion of Lake Michigan, on the Great Lakes. Excellent fishing for northern pike, perch, smallmouth bass, walleye, salmon, trout, and many other species can be found there throughout the year. Check www.baydenoc.com for details about area attractions, lodging, and related information.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
THE DAY THE FISH GOT AWAY - Part three
Author's note: This is the final part of the series I started Monday. I hope you have enjoyed it.
It was one-thirty in the afternoon when we got situated. Within the first half-hour something slammed a rod downward that I had balanced on a bucket while changing baits on another. It hit like a small pike does, slashing past, grabbing the bait like a running thief grabbing an apple off a fruit wagon without stopping. I missed that fish as well, and that’s when we packed it in for the day.
On the way back to the truck, we detoured past an eighty-acre island surrounded by marshlands with plenty of cat-tails and open areas between brushy pockets of cover. An ancient railroad grade crossed the island diagonally like the spine on a razorback hog. I once stalked to within twenty-five yards of two bedded deer on this island while hunting with a bow along the elevated trackway. Thick brush along its sides however, prevented me from getting a clear shot, and the deer soon bounded away.
We found several sets of coyote tracks leading into the interior, so we put together two brush blinds on the perimeter where we could hide while using predator calls and rabbit decoys to try to get the brush-wolves to show themselves. We’ll come back with small caliber rifles in late January when the coyotes are always hungry. I would like to get a big pelt to hang on the wall along with mounted fish and deer antlers.
As for today’s fishing, I enjoyed the experience despite the meager results. I’m lucky to be living in an area where I can enjoy the outdoors as often as I do, and we’ll have ice into April on the bays around here. I’ve got plenty of time to explore new areas and look for new ice-fishing adventures. And you can be sure I’ll have some new stories to tell around the campfire.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
It was one-thirty in the afternoon when we got situated. Within the first half-hour something slammed a rod downward that I had balanced on a bucket while changing baits on another. It hit like a small pike does, slashing past, grabbing the bait like a running thief grabbing an apple off a fruit wagon without stopping. I missed that fish as well, and that’s when we packed it in for the day.
On the way back to the truck, we detoured past an eighty-acre island surrounded by marshlands with plenty of cat-tails and open areas between brushy pockets of cover. An ancient railroad grade crossed the island diagonally like the spine on a razorback hog. I once stalked to within twenty-five yards of two bedded deer on this island while hunting with a bow along the elevated trackway. Thick brush along its sides however, prevented me from getting a clear shot, and the deer soon bounded away.
We found several sets of coyote tracks leading into the interior, so we put together two brush blinds on the perimeter where we could hide while using predator calls and rabbit decoys to try to get the brush-wolves to show themselves. We’ll come back with small caliber rifles in late January when the coyotes are always hungry. I would like to get a big pelt to hang on the wall along with mounted fish and deer antlers.
As for today’s fishing, I enjoyed the experience despite the meager results. I’m lucky to be living in an area where I can enjoy the outdoors as often as I do, and we’ll have ice into April on the bays around here. I’ve got plenty of time to explore new areas and look for new ice-fishing adventures. And you can be sure I’ll have some new stories to tell around the campfire.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
THE DAY THE FISH GOT AWAY - Part two
Author's note: This is part two of a blog that details one recent day of ice fishing on Little Bay de Noc in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The final installment will be posted tomorrow evening.
We set up the shanty directly at the point where the drop-off leveled out onto the flat. I baited a double-hook minnow rig with one flashy three-inch shiner at one foot off bottom and another at three feet up. That rod had a spring-steel strike indicator on the tip and I set it in a holder so it could work itself while a readied a second rig for perch. This one had a bright gold spoon as an attractor, a two-inch clear leader off the spoon, and a bright orange, needle-sharp plain hook on the end of the leader. It was baited with a live wiggler and lowered down so it rested just above the boulders.
I settled in to work the perch rig by lightly jigging it, while the walleye rig worked itself. The two shiner minnows swam around, keeping the strike indicator dancing lightly. After a while, the spring steel on the tip of the double-hook rig bent downward very slowly, which told me a fish was mouthing the bait. I rested the perch rig on the edge of the seat and took the other rod in hand. I lowered the rod tip for a few seconds to let the fish get the minnow fully, then I raised the rod tip until I started to feel the weight of the fish.
I was sure I’d set the hook into a walleye, but when I snapped the rod upward, the perch rod shot downward, falling to the floor. I grabbed for it while continuing to raise the other rod. Almost instantly I realized that whatever took the shiner minnow had crossed the line on the wiggler rig. The two were tangled! I tried to open the bail on the second rod so I would have a chance to land the other fish, but it just didn’t work. Whatever hit the shiner rig was gone and that was that!
While this was going on, Duane tried to quickly reel in his lines, and possibly take the perch rig from my side of the shanty, but it all happened quickly and we did not salvage anything from the brief flurry of excitement.
After a couple hours or so we had no more action on that spot, so we moved up to the weed edge on top of the underwater slope. There we could easily see the bottom in ten feet of water and we sight-fished small ice lures tipped with wigglers for perch, but had absolutely no action.
O.K., if nothing was going on shallow or at the base of the drop-off, we decided to head out to fifty feet of water east of the place we started and try for bigger perch from the depths. This was also the type of place whitefish sometimes hold in, so I put a simple split-shot and plain hook rig down, with the shot laying on bottom and the minnow swimming around it. This is generally the way whitefish like their bait presented.
Here again, we spent time trying to make something happen. I did see one fish approach on the screen of my locator and it may have picked up the minnow – the signal produced by my bait and that of the fish merged on the screen – but I did not get a good hookset. Too much stretch in fifty feet of four-pound test monofilament I guess. I also worked a deep-water perch rig baited with a wiggler here, but nothing bit.
We moved a few hundred yards at a time, working our way toward south toward the mouth of the Escanaba River, looking for roaming bands of perch, but it seemed that when we zigged, they zagged, when we hopped, they skipped. In the end our paths just didn’t cross. Arriving at the river mouth, we set up well out into the bay, because the constant flow of the river itself makes the ice there unstable. The mouth of the river forms a kind of broad delta that ranges from five to fourteen feet deep, then drops into twenty-six feet well out into the bay. That’s where we made a final attempt to salvage the day.
End of part two - check in tomorrow evening for part three.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
We set up the shanty directly at the point where the drop-off leveled out onto the flat. I baited a double-hook minnow rig with one flashy three-inch shiner at one foot off bottom and another at three feet up. That rod had a spring-steel strike indicator on the tip and I set it in a holder so it could work itself while a readied a second rig for perch. This one had a bright gold spoon as an attractor, a two-inch clear leader off the spoon, and a bright orange, needle-sharp plain hook on the end of the leader. It was baited with a live wiggler and lowered down so it rested just above the boulders.
I settled in to work the perch rig by lightly jigging it, while the walleye rig worked itself. The two shiner minnows swam around, keeping the strike indicator dancing lightly. After a while, the spring steel on the tip of the double-hook rig bent downward very slowly, which told me a fish was mouthing the bait. I rested the perch rig on the edge of the seat and took the other rod in hand. I lowered the rod tip for a few seconds to let the fish get the minnow fully, then I raised the rod tip until I started to feel the weight of the fish.
I was sure I’d set the hook into a walleye, but when I snapped the rod upward, the perch rod shot downward, falling to the floor. I grabbed for it while continuing to raise the other rod. Almost instantly I realized that whatever took the shiner minnow had crossed the line on the wiggler rig. The two were tangled! I tried to open the bail on the second rod so I would have a chance to land the other fish, but it just didn’t work. Whatever hit the shiner rig was gone and that was that!
While this was going on, Duane tried to quickly reel in his lines, and possibly take the perch rig from my side of the shanty, but it all happened quickly and we did not salvage anything from the brief flurry of excitement.
After a couple hours or so we had no more action on that spot, so we moved up to the weed edge on top of the underwater slope. There we could easily see the bottom in ten feet of water and we sight-fished small ice lures tipped with wigglers for perch, but had absolutely no action.
O.K., if nothing was going on shallow or at the base of the drop-off, we decided to head out to fifty feet of water east of the place we started and try for bigger perch from the depths. This was also the type of place whitefish sometimes hold in, so I put a simple split-shot and plain hook rig down, with the shot laying on bottom and the minnow swimming around it. This is generally the way whitefish like their bait presented.
Here again, we spent time trying to make something happen. I did see one fish approach on the screen of my locator and it may have picked up the minnow – the signal produced by my bait and that of the fish merged on the screen – but I did not get a good hookset. Too much stretch in fifty feet of four-pound test monofilament I guess. I also worked a deep-water perch rig baited with a wiggler here, but nothing bit.
We moved a few hundred yards at a time, working our way toward south toward the mouth of the Escanaba River, looking for roaming bands of perch, but it seemed that when we zigged, they zagged, when we hopped, they skipped. In the end our paths just didn’t cross. Arriving at the river mouth, we set up well out into the bay, because the constant flow of the river itself makes the ice there unstable. The mouth of the river forms a kind of broad delta that ranges from five to fourteen feet deep, then drops into twenty-six feet well out into the bay. That’s where we made a final attempt to salvage the day.
End of part two - check in tomorrow evening for part three.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
DEEP WATER SPOON TRICKS - Part two
Author's note: This is the final part of yesterday's blog. I'll be out on the bay Thursday and will probably use some of the tactics detailed here.
I sometimes run two rods, with a live minnow on the second. Keep this presentation simple, such as a split shot and plain hook rig. The second rod needs to “fish itself” because you are going to pay a lot of attention to the spoon while you work it. Choose a large minnow as bait since it can attract more attention that a smaller size. Two and one half to three inches is best. Remember, we are not fishing for small perch. On the other hand, running too large a minnow can attract big walleyes or pike which can shut down perch activity.
Always pay attention to the information you are getting from your locator. Be quick to raise your bait to the level of fish that show up above your bait, but be slow to lower it to fish beneath the lure. When your bait is above fish, they can see it and may rise if you use the nervous twitch I mentioned. When they do not rise upward, they are not very active and may spook easily. Maintain the shake you have been using and lower the bait slowly to their level. Stop just inches above the fish, and hope the closer presentation will trigger a hit.
Above all, think about your presentations. Try new tactics like these. Experiment. Keep moving as you search for fish. Don’t let deep water deter you, as long as it remains safe to walk on. Put some effort into your fishing. You’ll get some new stories to tell around the campfire.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
I sometimes run two rods, with a live minnow on the second. Keep this presentation simple, such as a split shot and plain hook rig. The second rod needs to “fish itself” because you are going to pay a lot of attention to the spoon while you work it. Choose a large minnow as bait since it can attract more attention that a smaller size. Two and one half to three inches is best. Remember, we are not fishing for small perch. On the other hand, running too large a minnow can attract big walleyes or pike which can shut down perch activity.
Always pay attention to the information you are getting from your locator. Be quick to raise your bait to the level of fish that show up above your bait, but be slow to lower it to fish beneath the lure. When your bait is above fish, they can see it and may rise if you use the nervous twitch I mentioned. When they do not rise upward, they are not very active and may spook easily. Maintain the shake you have been using and lower the bait slowly to their level. Stop just inches above the fish, and hope the closer presentation will trigger a hit.
Above all, think about your presentations. Try new tactics like these. Experiment. Keep moving as you search for fish. Don’t let deep water deter you, as long as it remains safe to walk on. Put some effort into your fishing. You’ll get some new stories to tell around the campfire.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
DEEP WATER SPOON TRICKS - Part one
DEEP WATER SPOON TRICKS
By: Ray Hansen
I’ve been chasing perch in deeper water than ever in the past few years - often fifty feet or more, and this is true from late winter through early fall. If you are spending most of your time in twenty feet of water or less for these popular panfish, consider the following deep water methods for late ice fishing.
Start with the right rod and line. A short but thin and stiff spinning rod about twenty-four inches in length, a matching ultra-light reel and four pound test clear monofilament line is about right for ten to fifteen inch perch.
For late ice outings, run a size 3 Swedish Pimple spoon with a single hook and a fresh minnow head as bait. Work the range from two to six feet off bottom, but occasionally let the spoon fall to bottom where it stirs up some silt. Aggressive jigging attracts fish, while the stationary lure makes an easier target for fish to hit, so how do you compromise between the two? Let your electronics tell you.
When fish are present on the screen, use just a simple twitch of the rod tip to make the lure shudder and quiver in place like a live, nervous creature. Watch the screen closely. You’ll see fish approach your lure, and when the marks on the screen merge you know the fish is probably eyeing your bait. Raise the lure slowly while feeling for some extra weight. With a sharp hook, you just need to snap your wrist upward and start reeling the instant you detect a bite.
Some anglers use a variation of the presentation I detailed above. They let the Swedish Pimple “free-fall” on a completely slack line toward bottom. In this way, the lure darts off to one side by several feet. The angler lets the lure go until it is laying on bottom somewhere off to one side of the hole.
With the lure lying in the silt, the angler shakes the rod tip while very slowly reeling the lure forward. This makes it kick up more silt in a slight “trail” along bottom that can appeal strongly to perch that forage on bloodworms from soft bottomed areas. Once the lure is hanging straight beneath the hole, bring it up about four feet off bottom and twitch it while watching your electronics.
Minnow heads work very well as bait, but what about the remainder of the minnow? I like to chum with minnow meat. Toss the headless minnow on the ice next to the hole and mash it with a metal skimmer. Push it into the water where it sinks to bottom leaving a scent trail on the way.
End of part one – check in tomorrow for part two
By: Ray Hansen
I’ve been chasing perch in deeper water than ever in the past few years - often fifty feet or more, and this is true from late winter through early fall. If you are spending most of your time in twenty feet of water or less for these popular panfish, consider the following deep water methods for late ice fishing.
Start with the right rod and line. A short but thin and stiff spinning rod about twenty-four inches in length, a matching ultra-light reel and four pound test clear monofilament line is about right for ten to fifteen inch perch.
For late ice outings, run a size 3 Swedish Pimple spoon with a single hook and a fresh minnow head as bait. Work the range from two to six feet off bottom, but occasionally let the spoon fall to bottom where it stirs up some silt. Aggressive jigging attracts fish, while the stationary lure makes an easier target for fish to hit, so how do you compromise between the two? Let your electronics tell you.
When fish are present on the screen, use just a simple twitch of the rod tip to make the lure shudder and quiver in place like a live, nervous creature. Watch the screen closely. You’ll see fish approach your lure, and when the marks on the screen merge you know the fish is probably eyeing your bait. Raise the lure slowly while feeling for some extra weight. With a sharp hook, you just need to snap your wrist upward and start reeling the instant you detect a bite.
Some anglers use a variation of the presentation I detailed above. They let the Swedish Pimple “free-fall” on a completely slack line toward bottom. In this way, the lure darts off to one side by several feet. The angler lets the lure go until it is laying on bottom somewhere off to one side of the hole.
With the lure lying in the silt, the angler shakes the rod tip while very slowly reeling the lure forward. This makes it kick up more silt in a slight “trail” along bottom that can appeal strongly to perch that forage on bloodworms from soft bottomed areas. Once the lure is hanging straight beneath the hole, bring it up about four feet off bottom and twitch it while watching your electronics.
Minnow heads work very well as bait, but what about the remainder of the minnow? I like to chum with minnow meat. Toss the headless minnow on the ice next to the hole and mash it with a metal skimmer. Push it into the water where it sinks to bottom leaving a scent trail on the way.
End of part one – check in tomorrow for part two
Monday, December 8, 2008
TACKLING DEEP WATER PERCH
Author's note: Ice fishing season is just starting here on the north end of the Great Lakes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The action id still in shallow water, but I can tell you from experience that winter anglers will hit deep spots as soon as the ice out there becomes safe. Here are some tactics for perch found deeper.
TACKLING DEEP WATER PERCH
Great Lakes Water Clarity Moves Fish Deeper
By: Ray Hansen
The improvement in water clarity on many bodies of water in the past ten years or so has been nothing short of amazing. Non-native invasive species such as zebra mussels that filter sediment from the water have dramatically changed their chosen habitat. Lake Michigan for example commonly has places where the bottom can be seen in fifteen feet and deeper – especially along the northernmost parts of this Great Lake.
Whereas many fishermen chasing salmon and other species that commonly suspend at some mid-point in the water column have noticed fish hold deeper, perch anglers have really seen the difference. Since they typically find these fish close to bottom, they quickly noticed dramatic changes. Catching these popular panfish in depths to seventy-five feet is now common. The same patterns can be seen through the ice.
Using lightweight lures to tempt fickle biters in shallower water still works on occasion, but much of the time you’ll have to get much deeper – especially on huge bodies of water where schools of smelt or alewives provide forage.
Using compact lures that are “heavy for their size” is the best approach to catching deep-water dwellers. Lures that have enough weight to zip down to bottom in fifty or more feet let you get your bait back in front of fish faster than a presentation that sinks slowly.
One of my favorite deep-water perch rigs is an eighteen-inch ice rod coupled with a tiny spinning reel and spooled with four-pound test monofilament line. I attach a size 2 or 3 “Swedish Pimple” spoon (Bay de Noc Tackle Company), using a very small, thin wire snap (not a snap swivel) to clip my lure to the line. The snap allows maximum lure action while jigging it to attract bites.
Use the small treble hook this lure is packaged with, and load each hook point with two or three “spikes” (maggots) as bait. This means you’ll be hooking six to nine spikes on the lure. Remember to remove a few old spikes frequently, replacing them with fresh bait. The maggots exude a milky fluid into the surrounding water when fresh, which attracts and holds perch in your spot.
The rest is simple. Let the lure plunge to bottom by opening the reel’s bail, and when it stops sinking you know it is resting on the lake’s floor. Next reel in a little line so that the lure hangs two or three feet up from the rocks, sand, or mud. As always, run a locator constantly while fishing. That shows you what level fish are holding at, and indicates when fish are approaching your lure.
Two different actions may attract fish: “shaking”, or “ripping”. Shaking is done by simply shaking the rod tip to make the Pimple “dance in place for five to ten seconds, then pausing to watch for a hit. The sequence is: shake – pause – shake – pause, until you get bit.
“Ripping “means to start just off bottom, rip the spoon upward one to three feet, then allowing it to settle back into place. Again, pause to watch for a bite. This lure is a proven perch killer, and it is especially effective when you need to work great depths.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
TACKLING DEEP WATER PERCH
Great Lakes Water Clarity Moves Fish Deeper
By: Ray Hansen
The improvement in water clarity on many bodies of water in the past ten years or so has been nothing short of amazing. Non-native invasive species such as zebra mussels that filter sediment from the water have dramatically changed their chosen habitat. Lake Michigan for example commonly has places where the bottom can be seen in fifteen feet and deeper – especially along the northernmost parts of this Great Lake.
Whereas many fishermen chasing salmon and other species that commonly suspend at some mid-point in the water column have noticed fish hold deeper, perch anglers have really seen the difference. Since they typically find these fish close to bottom, they quickly noticed dramatic changes. Catching these popular panfish in depths to seventy-five feet is now common. The same patterns can be seen through the ice.
Using lightweight lures to tempt fickle biters in shallower water still works on occasion, but much of the time you’ll have to get much deeper – especially on huge bodies of water where schools of smelt or alewives provide forage.
Using compact lures that are “heavy for their size” is the best approach to catching deep-water dwellers. Lures that have enough weight to zip down to bottom in fifty or more feet let you get your bait back in front of fish faster than a presentation that sinks slowly.
One of my favorite deep-water perch rigs is an eighteen-inch ice rod coupled with a tiny spinning reel and spooled with four-pound test monofilament line. I attach a size 2 or 3 “Swedish Pimple” spoon (Bay de Noc Tackle Company), using a very small, thin wire snap (not a snap swivel) to clip my lure to the line. The snap allows maximum lure action while jigging it to attract bites.
Use the small treble hook this lure is packaged with, and load each hook point with two or three “spikes” (maggots) as bait. This means you’ll be hooking six to nine spikes on the lure. Remember to remove a few old spikes frequently, replacing them with fresh bait. The maggots exude a milky fluid into the surrounding water when fresh, which attracts and holds perch in your spot.
The rest is simple. Let the lure plunge to bottom by opening the reel’s bail, and when it stops sinking you know it is resting on the lake’s floor. Next reel in a little line so that the lure hangs two or three feet up from the rocks, sand, or mud. As always, run a locator constantly while fishing. That shows you what level fish are holding at, and indicates when fish are approaching your lure.
Two different actions may attract fish: “shaking”, or “ripping”. Shaking is done by simply shaking the rod tip to make the Pimple “dance in place for five to ten seconds, then pausing to watch for a hit. The sequence is: shake – pause – shake – pause, until you get bit.
“Ripping “means to start just off bottom, rip the spoon upward one to three feet, then allowing it to settle back into place. Again, pause to watch for a bite. This lure is a proven perch killer, and it is especially effective when you need to work great depths.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
PRIME TIME WALLEYES AND THE SEARCH FOR PERCH - PART TWO
PRIME TIME WALLEYES AND THE SEARCH FOR PERCH - PART TWO
By: Ray Hansen
START ON THE FLATS
My search for perch normally starts on the deeper flats near the place I found walleyes. I do not start fishing blindly however. The first thing to do is start searching for a likely spot. This is done by drilling holes and looking for perch with your locator. Team up with a friend to make this process faster. One person augers a couple holes, while the other runs the locator.
You should keep moving in a “leapfrog” fashion as you cover the area. Look for smaller, individual marks one to three feet off bottom, or a kind of “bumpy bottom” signal on the screen. Of course, some anglers use cameras to speed this process. The trick is to spend time searching instead of simply “fishing and wishing”.
USE SEARCH LURES
Since most of the perch action takes place during the day and in deeper water, I use compact and slightly heavy lures to “zip” my bait to bottom quickly. I like a size 2 or 3 Swedish Pimple spoon for this approach because it gets you back in the “strike zone” as quickly as possible.
My friend Duane Deno who fishes Little Bay De Noc in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula throughout the winter, uses this tactic as well as working the smallest Jigging Rapala lures in deep water. It is very similar to the walleye tactics I mentioned, just on a smaller scale.
THE OLD “DOUBLE BAIT” TRICK
One of the deadliest live baits for perch is the “wiggler” which is a larvae type perch can’t resist. The problem with using this bait however is that they come off the hook so easily. If you get a bite in forty feet of water, but miss the fish, you might as well reel in immediately and put another wiggler on your hook. This wastes a lot of time. Perch move frequently and you have to work them as fast as you can while they are holding on your spot.
There is an approach that can help overcome this problem. Use a Swedish Pimple with a small treble hook as an example to see how this works. Load two of the hook points with at least two “spikes” (maggots) on each one. On the remaining hook point, put one spike on “sideways” first, then impale a wiggler. The spikes are a lot tougher and much harder to pull off. Even if you lose the wiggler, you still have bait down there working for you.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After you have a lengthy line of holes drilled, it can pay to go back to your starting point to re-check for active fish. Perch move a lot, and you might find some fresh action.
Lean toward orange! This color is frequently the best choice for perch.
The higher off bottom the marks on your locator show, the better. Those perch are more actively roaming and feeding. In a related observation, if you are going to run a stationary rod with a live minnow on it while jigging a second rod, use a large minnow and set it about six feet off bottom. Perch passing below your bait are more likely to see it.
And finally, keep a confident attitude! Move until you find fish and move again when the bite slows. You’ll work harder, but you’ll catch more fish.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
By: Ray Hansen
START ON THE FLATS
My search for perch normally starts on the deeper flats near the place I found walleyes. I do not start fishing blindly however. The first thing to do is start searching for a likely spot. This is done by drilling holes and looking for perch with your locator. Team up with a friend to make this process faster. One person augers a couple holes, while the other runs the locator.
You should keep moving in a “leapfrog” fashion as you cover the area. Look for smaller, individual marks one to three feet off bottom, or a kind of “bumpy bottom” signal on the screen. Of course, some anglers use cameras to speed this process. The trick is to spend time searching instead of simply “fishing and wishing”.
USE SEARCH LURES
Since most of the perch action takes place during the day and in deeper water, I use compact and slightly heavy lures to “zip” my bait to bottom quickly. I like a size 2 or 3 Swedish Pimple spoon for this approach because it gets you back in the “strike zone” as quickly as possible.
My friend Duane Deno who fishes Little Bay De Noc in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula throughout the winter, uses this tactic as well as working the smallest Jigging Rapala lures in deep water. It is very similar to the walleye tactics I mentioned, just on a smaller scale.
THE OLD “DOUBLE BAIT” TRICK
One of the deadliest live baits for perch is the “wiggler” which is a larvae type perch can’t resist. The problem with using this bait however is that they come off the hook so easily. If you get a bite in forty feet of water, but miss the fish, you might as well reel in immediately and put another wiggler on your hook. This wastes a lot of time. Perch move frequently and you have to work them as fast as you can while they are holding on your spot.
There is an approach that can help overcome this problem. Use a Swedish Pimple with a small treble hook as an example to see how this works. Load two of the hook points with at least two “spikes” (maggots) on each one. On the remaining hook point, put one spike on “sideways” first, then impale a wiggler. The spikes are a lot tougher and much harder to pull off. Even if you lose the wiggler, you still have bait down there working for you.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After you have a lengthy line of holes drilled, it can pay to go back to your starting point to re-check for active fish. Perch move a lot, and you might find some fresh action.
Lean toward orange! This color is frequently the best choice for perch.
The higher off bottom the marks on your locator show, the better. Those perch are more actively roaming and feeding. In a related observation, if you are going to run a stationary rod with a live minnow on it while jigging a second rod, use a large minnow and set it about six feet off bottom. Perch passing below your bait are more likely to see it.
And finally, keep a confident attitude! Move until you find fish and move again when the bite slows. You’ll work harder, but you’ll catch more fish.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
PRIME TIME WALLEYES AND THE SEARCH FOR PERCH - PART ONE
PRIME TIME WALLEYES AND THE SEARCH FOR PERCH
By: Ray Hansen
I like getting out well before sunrise on winter fishing trips when I’m fishing a lake that holds both walleyes and perch. I usually have a specific target for walleyes, but perch are more scattered and require more searching. In this article I’ll pass along some details about a plan I use to catch both species.
WALLEYES ON STRUCTURE
If walleyes are found in a lake, you can usually count on a “sunrise bite” at daybreak. In most cases this feeding spree occurs on well-defined structure such as drop-offs, river mouths, rock piles, on and near fish cribs, or other distinct bottom features. Accordingly, you should have some target selected and be set up there before the sun comes up.
ATTRACT SOME ATTENTION
If you fire up your locator and it shows larger marks up off bottom, you probably have some actively feeding fish on your spot. You can work a jigging spoon such as a Swedish Pimple tipped with a minnow head, a thin slice of minnow meat, or the tail of a shiner or fat-head to entice a bite. If I intend to use a whole live minnow, I normally rig a split shot and plain hook. A spoon is “flashier” than other rigs, and can be given more action through rod manipulation. I use only pieces of minnows on them since an entire minnow throws off the spoon’s action too much.
As an alternative, run a lure like the Jigging Rapala which has a horizontal orientation as opposed to the spoon’s more vertical shape. On certain mornings walleyes will respond better to one than the other. With two anglers, run both lures to find out if a preference exists.
RATTLE IN SOME ACTION
The early morning bite is almost always “short but sweet” and as the sun gets higher, the fish become less active. You can sometimes extend this bite for an extra half-hour or so by using a noisy lure with a sharp ripping motion at five minute intervals on your spot. I have a second rod set up with a one-quarter ounce Lewis Rat-L-Trap lure for this purpose. Lower it to bottom, rip it sharply upward about three feet for several cycles, then reel it in and watch your locator. If your actions pull in any fish, you’ll see them. Jig your spoon rig with a softer action to see if you can tempt another “biter” or two. After that, it’s time to look for some perch.
End of part one - check in tomorrow for part two
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
By: Ray Hansen
I like getting out well before sunrise on winter fishing trips when I’m fishing a lake that holds both walleyes and perch. I usually have a specific target for walleyes, but perch are more scattered and require more searching. In this article I’ll pass along some details about a plan I use to catch both species.
WALLEYES ON STRUCTURE
If walleyes are found in a lake, you can usually count on a “sunrise bite” at daybreak. In most cases this feeding spree occurs on well-defined structure such as drop-offs, river mouths, rock piles, on and near fish cribs, or other distinct bottom features. Accordingly, you should have some target selected and be set up there before the sun comes up.
ATTRACT SOME ATTENTION
If you fire up your locator and it shows larger marks up off bottom, you probably have some actively feeding fish on your spot. You can work a jigging spoon such as a Swedish Pimple tipped with a minnow head, a thin slice of minnow meat, or the tail of a shiner or fat-head to entice a bite. If I intend to use a whole live minnow, I normally rig a split shot and plain hook. A spoon is “flashier” than other rigs, and can be given more action through rod manipulation. I use only pieces of minnows on them since an entire minnow throws off the spoon’s action too much.
As an alternative, run a lure like the Jigging Rapala which has a horizontal orientation as opposed to the spoon’s more vertical shape. On certain mornings walleyes will respond better to one than the other. With two anglers, run both lures to find out if a preference exists.
RATTLE IN SOME ACTION
The early morning bite is almost always “short but sweet” and as the sun gets higher, the fish become less active. You can sometimes extend this bite for an extra half-hour or so by using a noisy lure with a sharp ripping motion at five minute intervals on your spot. I have a second rod set up with a one-quarter ounce Lewis Rat-L-Trap lure for this purpose. Lower it to bottom, rip it sharply upward about three feet for several cycles, then reel it in and watch your locator. If your actions pull in any fish, you’ll see them. Jig your spoon rig with a softer action to see if you can tempt another “biter” or two. After that, it’s time to look for some perch.
End of part one - check in tomorrow for part two
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
CHUMMING FOR FISH
By: Ray Hansen
Chumming – using some type of bait or scent at attempt to attract fish to a certain spot – has been used by anglers on both open water and frozen lakes for many years. I’ve seen some fairly unusual practices, and others that were simply clever.
Old-timers on the Fox Chain-O-Lakes in northeastern Illinois (and many other places, I’m sure) would eat hard-boiled eggs while fishing, and drop tiny pieces of egg shell into the water. Others swore by sardine tails dropped into the hole after eating the rest of the oily treat. I’ve also seen anglers eat sardines and save the tin with oil in the bottom. This was placed on the ice, and their lures dipped in the oil before fishing with them.
Using the “sardine scent” was a precursor to the practice of using commercially available fish attractant scent commonly sold in baitshops. In fact, some anglers squirt scent of one sort or another on their ice fishing lures as a standard practice. They hope that releasing the scent triggers a feeding response in nearby fish. A related practice is to place a sponge inside a small wire mesh enclosure and tying a heavy line to it. This is lowered down to bottom occasionally, in hopes of arousing fish to bite.
A trick I’ve used many times is to squirt scent into a storage container of “old-fashioned style” oatmeal flakes. The scented flakes are then tossed into the water a pinch at a time. They swing side to side while sinking, and release scent while dropping. Both the motion and aroma may be attractive to fish. They eat it too. I’ve found it in perch cleaned after the catch.
Sometimes things get a little silly. Life-long friend Duane Deno and I once dropped a few tiny pieces of his home-made venison sausage to the water while perch fishing on Little Bay De Noc in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We made a respectable catch, and of course he took credit for the feat, claiming that his sausage “was totally irresistible to fish” and that it would be “irresponsible for us to use more than a tiny amount, since every fish for hundreds of yards around would crowd into our spot”.
As strong as the bite was while we fished, I’m not sure he was totally wrong!
So chumming can add to the enjoyment you receive from a dayspent fishing. You do need to check local regulations however. Some places have restrictions on what is allowable, and of course you need to exercise common sense.
And bring along some venison sausage!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Chumming – using some type of bait or scent at attempt to attract fish to a certain spot – has been used by anglers on both open water and frozen lakes for many years. I’ve seen some fairly unusual practices, and others that were simply clever.
Old-timers on the Fox Chain-O-Lakes in northeastern Illinois (and many other places, I’m sure) would eat hard-boiled eggs while fishing, and drop tiny pieces of egg shell into the water. Others swore by sardine tails dropped into the hole after eating the rest of the oily treat. I’ve also seen anglers eat sardines and save the tin with oil in the bottom. This was placed on the ice, and their lures dipped in the oil before fishing with them.
Using the “sardine scent” was a precursor to the practice of using commercially available fish attractant scent commonly sold in baitshops. In fact, some anglers squirt scent of one sort or another on their ice fishing lures as a standard practice. They hope that releasing the scent triggers a feeding response in nearby fish. A related practice is to place a sponge inside a small wire mesh enclosure and tying a heavy line to it. This is lowered down to bottom occasionally, in hopes of arousing fish to bite.
A trick I’ve used many times is to squirt scent into a storage container of “old-fashioned style” oatmeal flakes. The scented flakes are then tossed into the water a pinch at a time. They swing side to side while sinking, and release scent while dropping. Both the motion and aroma may be attractive to fish. They eat it too. I’ve found it in perch cleaned after the catch.
Sometimes things get a little silly. Life-long friend Duane Deno and I once dropped a few tiny pieces of his home-made venison sausage to the water while perch fishing on Little Bay De Noc in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We made a respectable catch, and of course he took credit for the feat, claiming that his sausage “was totally irresistible to fish” and that it would be “irresponsible for us to use more than a tiny amount, since every fish for hundreds of yards around would crowd into our spot”.
As strong as the bite was while we fished, I’m not sure he was totally wrong!
So chumming can add to the enjoyment you receive from a dayspent fishing. You do need to check local regulations however. Some places have restrictions on what is allowable, and of course you need to exercise common sense.
And bring along some venison sausage!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
GREAT DAY ON THE BAY
By: Ray Hansen
Life-long friend Duane Deno and I went out on Little Bay de Noc in Delta County, Michigan near Escanaba on August 25, 2008. This is one of the northernmost bays on Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes. At 5 a.m. we launched his boat in the dark, bundled up in multiple layers of wool shirts and jackets against the 45 degree temperatures and foggy conditions. The day turned quite warm later on, but pre-dawn was cold.
I made the first catch of the day, and it was a fifteen pound heavyweight that was as solid as iron…. because it was iron! I’ll explain.
One of our first stops was a rocky submerged reef that is five feet deep on top and quickly drops into depths of thirty feet and more. While casting a diving crankbait to work the underwater slope along the east side of the rocky hump, I snagged into a piece of rope. Fortunately, this rope was long enough so I could get the lure back to the boat without losing it. Wondering what it was attached to, I began pulling it up, and found the other end connected to a fifteen pound navy style anchor! It was in very good shape so it will make a great spare.
The surprises were not done for the day. In another spot we were using two-hook perch rigs baited with nightcrawler pieces and fishing straight over the side of the boat in seventeen feet of water. Duane got a bite and set the hook into two smallmouth bass, one on each hook! Talk about a fight. They bulldogged back to the boat pulling against the line as well as each other. We released them alive as we did for the other fifteen or so bass we caught.
Perch were co-operating today and we landed a dozen with the largest measuring 12 ½”. These were kept, cleaned and frozen. They are among the tastiest fish found in these waters.
Three pike also came aboard long enough to be unhooked and released. No big ones today, but fun nevertheless.
Last but not least, we caught ten walleyes, but just two were above the fifteen inch minimum length for kept fish. So ended a great day on the bay. Old friends fishing together and a couple new stories to tell around the campfire.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Life-long friend Duane Deno and I went out on Little Bay de Noc in Delta County, Michigan near Escanaba on August 25, 2008. This is one of the northernmost bays on Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes. At 5 a.m. we launched his boat in the dark, bundled up in multiple layers of wool shirts and jackets against the 45 degree temperatures and foggy conditions. The day turned quite warm later on, but pre-dawn was cold.
I made the first catch of the day, and it was a fifteen pound heavyweight that was as solid as iron…. because it was iron! I’ll explain.
One of our first stops was a rocky submerged reef that is five feet deep on top and quickly drops into depths of thirty feet and more. While casting a diving crankbait to work the underwater slope along the east side of the rocky hump, I snagged into a piece of rope. Fortunately, this rope was long enough so I could get the lure back to the boat without losing it. Wondering what it was attached to, I began pulling it up, and found the other end connected to a fifteen pound navy style anchor! It was in very good shape so it will make a great spare.
The surprises were not done for the day. In another spot we were using two-hook perch rigs baited with nightcrawler pieces and fishing straight over the side of the boat in seventeen feet of water. Duane got a bite and set the hook into two smallmouth bass, one on each hook! Talk about a fight. They bulldogged back to the boat pulling against the line as well as each other. We released them alive as we did for the other fifteen or so bass we caught.
Perch were co-operating today and we landed a dozen with the largest measuring 12 ½”. These were kept, cleaned and frozen. They are among the tastiest fish found in these waters.
Three pike also came aboard long enough to be unhooked and released. No big ones today, but fun nevertheless.
Last but not least, we caught ten walleyes, but just two were above the fifteen inch minimum length for kept fish. So ended a great day on the bay. Old friends fishing together and a couple new stories to tell around the campfire.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
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