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
Showing posts with label Swedish Pimple spoon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swedish Pimple spoon. Show all posts
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
BIG PERCH POTENTIAL IN THE U.P.
BIG PERCH POTENTIAL IN THE U.P.
Premier Upper Peninsula Panfishng
By: Ray Hansen
Lake Gogebic is one of the largest inland bodies of water in the state of Michigan. Running in a north – south orientation, it extends over twenty miles in a long, narrow span of waters that consist of great shoreline related weedbeds, and massive flats in the fifteen to twenty-five foot range. While it holds walleyes, pike, smallmouth bass, and various panfish species, possibilities for big perch pulls anglers from throughout the Midwest. This is one of the few places I know of that can produce mounting-sized perch as large as two pounds on occasion. Its location in the western part of the Upper Peninsula places it in an ice fishing, snowmobiling,and winter sports paradise.
I’ll never say that catching big perch is consistently easy on this body of water, although it can be. A look at the many photos of pot-bellied panfish tacked to the walls of local baitshops will have you sharpening augers and rigging rods.
Since these fish are nomadic, roaming the deeper flats during the winter and vacuuming bloodworms, larva, minnows and small crayfish off bottom, you normally need to move frequently until you locate a school of biters. A portable shanty, especially one pulled behind an ATV, lets you check lots of territory, while running a locator to pinpoint potential hotspots. Most local lodges offer lake access, and state maintained access points at parks are found in several locations. I’ll pass along some website information later in this piece.
Since you are going to “run and gun” for panfish, I recommend a rig that lets you “shoot” a bait down to the deeper flats quickly. Set up a short spinning rod (18” – 24” in length) with a small reel spooled with tough, thin, four pound test monofilament line. Tie on a size two or three “Swedish Pimple” spoon, using the small treble hook it is packaged with. Impale a “wiggler” (mayfly larva) on one hook point, and add two “spikes” (maggots) on each of the remaining hook points.
Using a “combination” bait like this offers a solid advantage: if a perch hits the wiggler but fails to hook up solidly, the wiggler is almost certainly pulled off the hook. With the spikes still there however, you have a “back-up” bait that continues to work for you. Add that to the spoon’s natural attraction and ability to get down to the “strike zone” quickly, and you have a winning combination. You need this kind of advantage while prospecting for perch.
Try the following websites for more information about the Lake Gogebic area: www.uptravel.com; www.lakegogebic.com; and www.upnorthfishing.com. Once this lake locks up solidly with safe ice, winter fishing opportunities can extend through a much longer season that waters found further south. You’ll enjoy the experience!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Premier Upper Peninsula Panfishng
By: Ray Hansen
Lake Gogebic is one of the largest inland bodies of water in the state of Michigan. Running in a north – south orientation, it extends over twenty miles in a long, narrow span of waters that consist of great shoreline related weedbeds, and massive flats in the fifteen to twenty-five foot range. While it holds walleyes, pike, smallmouth bass, and various panfish species, possibilities for big perch pulls anglers from throughout the Midwest. This is one of the few places I know of that can produce mounting-sized perch as large as two pounds on occasion. Its location in the western part of the Upper Peninsula places it in an ice fishing, snowmobiling,and winter sports paradise.
I’ll never say that catching big perch is consistently easy on this body of water, although it can be. A look at the many photos of pot-bellied panfish tacked to the walls of local baitshops will have you sharpening augers and rigging rods.
Since these fish are nomadic, roaming the deeper flats during the winter and vacuuming bloodworms, larva, minnows and small crayfish off bottom, you normally need to move frequently until you locate a school of biters. A portable shanty, especially one pulled behind an ATV, lets you check lots of territory, while running a locator to pinpoint potential hotspots. Most local lodges offer lake access, and state maintained access points at parks are found in several locations. I’ll pass along some website information later in this piece.
Since you are going to “run and gun” for panfish, I recommend a rig that lets you “shoot” a bait down to the deeper flats quickly. Set up a short spinning rod (18” – 24” in length) with a small reel spooled with tough, thin, four pound test monofilament line. Tie on a size two or three “Swedish Pimple” spoon, using the small treble hook it is packaged with. Impale a “wiggler” (mayfly larva) on one hook point, and add two “spikes” (maggots) on each of the remaining hook points.
Using a “combination” bait like this offers a solid advantage: if a perch hits the wiggler but fails to hook up solidly, the wiggler is almost certainly pulled off the hook. With the spikes still there however, you have a “back-up” bait that continues to work for you. Add that to the spoon’s natural attraction and ability to get down to the “strike zone” quickly, and you have a winning combination. You need this kind of advantage while prospecting for perch.
Try the following websites for more information about the Lake Gogebic area: www.uptravel.com; www.lakegogebic.com; and www.upnorthfishing.com. Once this lake locks up solidly with safe ice, winter fishing opportunities can extend through a much longer season that waters found further south. You’ll enjoy the experience!
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
Thursday, January 1, 2009
ICE FISHING THIS MORNING 1-1-09
Happy New Year:
I'm not sure how you spent the first day of January, but I went out ice fishing with a friend before sunrise this morning. I was dressed like an Eskimo with multiple layers of clothes, insulated bib overalls and a long-tail, hooded parka, knit hat, knee-high felt-lined pac boots and more. We worked depths of 28 to 30 feet along a drop-off on the west side of Little Bay de Noc with three inch shiners we bought Friday evening and stored overnight. This is near my home in Delta County, Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
We took a chance, heading to a part of the bay that is usually not safe to fish until late January. It seemed that the cold weather we have had would have firmed up the ice down that way enough to make it safe. There were others out ahead of us, so we were not exactly riding into the unknown. We found the ice 8 to 10 inches thick, but a large coal boat had come through from open water farther south and broke a channel to the docks about a mile south of us. We rode on a Honda all terrain vehicle to cover some territory in our search for fish.
We landed just two walleyes, one 28" and another 21". Both hit Swedish Pimple spoons (Bay de Noc Tackle Company) tipped with the minnows in 28' to 30' of water. We took my portable shanty because we intended to move around and a portable makes this easier. We had trouble with the wind blowing the thin walls like sails and moving the shack a little. When both of us sat inside on overturned buckets, there was enough weight to keep it anchored, but when one stepped out it could shift position. Honestly, the bite was slow even though we managed a couple nice fish. The wind chill was bad and after shooting just six photos my fingers were stiff and the camera flashed a "low battey" signal. The strong south winds apparently blew water up under the ice and caused several heaves. The first major jolt we felt (and heard) was an extended rumbling boom that shook the shanty fairly hard. Later, another sharp jolt ran a six inch open water crack running right between the wheels of our ATV parked alongside the shanty. When we went out to investigate, we found that we were on a piece of ice about twenty feet by thirty feet or so that had broken free from the surroundings. Several other pieces were around us. Picture a jigsaw puzzle. We were on one of the pieces and surrounded by other pieces. There was no danger of drifting away, but if one of the pieces broke into smaller fragments, there could have been real trouble. We gathered our gear immediately and rode back to shore, crossing several open water cracks along the way. Obviously none of them were wide enough to prevent crossing, but they all allowed water to spout up onto the surface ice and all we could do was open the throttle a bit and fly through them spraying water all the way. We actually did not get wet, because the water froze on our gear fast enough to keep it from soaking through anything.
This area has the potential to be a real "big fish zone", but I guess we are going to have to wait a little longer before going out there again. I have fished there many times in the past, but never this early in the year. One of the fascinating aspects of this part of the bay is that there are several wooden shipwrecks on the bottom (I've seen underwater camera pictures of them) and the resulting bottom structure holds fish there in the jumbled stacks of wood and iron. Drifting through the area in a boat on a spring day is a lot more comfortable, but I wouldn't trade these winter fishing adventures for anything else!
Ray
I'm not sure how you spent the first day of January, but I went out ice fishing with a friend before sunrise this morning. I was dressed like an Eskimo with multiple layers of clothes, insulated bib overalls and a long-tail, hooded parka, knit hat, knee-high felt-lined pac boots and more. We worked depths of 28 to 30 feet along a drop-off on the west side of Little Bay de Noc with three inch shiners we bought Friday evening and stored overnight. This is near my home in Delta County, Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
We took a chance, heading to a part of the bay that is usually not safe to fish until late January. It seemed that the cold weather we have had would have firmed up the ice down that way enough to make it safe. There were others out ahead of us, so we were not exactly riding into the unknown. We found the ice 8 to 10 inches thick, but a large coal boat had come through from open water farther south and broke a channel to the docks about a mile south of us. We rode on a Honda all terrain vehicle to cover some territory in our search for fish.
We landed just two walleyes, one 28" and another 21". Both hit Swedish Pimple spoons (Bay de Noc Tackle Company) tipped with the minnows in 28' to 30' of water. We took my portable shanty because we intended to move around and a portable makes this easier. We had trouble with the wind blowing the thin walls like sails and moving the shack a little. When both of us sat inside on overturned buckets, there was enough weight to keep it anchored, but when one stepped out it could shift position. Honestly, the bite was slow even though we managed a couple nice fish. The wind chill was bad and after shooting just six photos my fingers were stiff and the camera flashed a "low battey" signal. The strong south winds apparently blew water up under the ice and caused several heaves. The first major jolt we felt (and heard) was an extended rumbling boom that shook the shanty fairly hard. Later, another sharp jolt ran a six inch open water crack running right between the wheels of our ATV parked alongside the shanty. When we went out to investigate, we found that we were on a piece of ice about twenty feet by thirty feet or so that had broken free from the surroundings. Several other pieces were around us. Picture a jigsaw puzzle. We were on one of the pieces and surrounded by other pieces. There was no danger of drifting away, but if one of the pieces broke into smaller fragments, there could have been real trouble. We gathered our gear immediately and rode back to shore, crossing several open water cracks along the way. Obviously none of them were wide enough to prevent crossing, but they all allowed water to spout up onto the surface ice and all we could do was open the throttle a bit and fly through them spraying water all the way. We actually did not get wet, because the water froze on our gear fast enough to keep it from soaking through anything.
This area has the potential to be a real "big fish zone", but I guess we are going to have to wait a little longer before going out there again. I have fished there many times in the past, but never this early in the year. One of the fascinating aspects of this part of the bay is that there are several wooden shipwrecks on the bottom (I've seen underwater camera pictures of them) and the resulting bottom structure holds fish there in the jumbled stacks of wood and iron. Drifting through the area in a boat on a spring day is a lot more comfortable, but I wouldn't trade these winter fishing adventures for anything else!
Ray
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, November 25, 2008
FIND WINTER FISH FASTER !
Authors Note: I am leaving today on a trip to central Wisconsin, and will resume posting blogs when I return Monday, Dec. 1, 2008.
Happy Holidays!
WORK YOUR LURE FOR PANFISH
Don’t Just Sit There, Make Them Bite!
By: Ray Hansen
Sooner or later we are going to get safe ice out on the main lake areas here in Michigan – and when we do, you need to be ready to catch fish. Too many anglers hit the same old spots and fish in the same old way, seeming to believe that “the fish are biting or they are not”. Well… you can accept blind luck to provide some fishing action, or you can try to trigger fish into biting. Here is a trick I use to “make something happen”.
One of my favorite tricks is to head out on a day when there are few anglers on the ice, and lots of open, but unused holes found there. Mondays after a busy weekend are a great time to try this, but it can work anytime.
Set up an ice rod with a small spinning reel filled with four pound test line. Tie on a size 2 “Swedish Pimple” spoon and load the small treble hook with “spikes” (maggots). Put two or three spikes on each hook point. I call this a “spikeball” rig.
Walk along, lowering the baited spoon into each hole you find. Let it sink to bottom, raise it up about six inches, then use that as a starting point. Shake the rod tip as you raise the lure up two or three feet very slowly. Make that lure shake and shimmy like a belly dancer. After reaching that point (about three feet off bottom) let the lure free-fall back to the starting point (six inches off bottom). Hold the rod tip still, watch for bites for about ten to fifteen seconds, then repeat the sequence.
Work each hole for about three to five minutes, then move on to the next. You’ll be exploring the area, fishing actively, and you stand a great chance of finding fish active enough to bite, or fish that will respond to the action you give the lure. A variation of this tactic is to drill a dozen holes along a weedline or other bottom feature before starting to fish. Keep moving between holes at regular intervals, but stay at spots that provide action until the bite slows.
This tactic will work throughout the Midwest, and can produce perch, white bass, yellow bass, crappies, bluegill, rock bass, and some surprises like channel catfish, walleyes, or largemouth bass.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Happy Holidays!
WORK YOUR LURE FOR PANFISH
Don’t Just Sit There, Make Them Bite!
By: Ray Hansen
Sooner or later we are going to get safe ice out on the main lake areas here in Michigan – and when we do, you need to be ready to catch fish. Too many anglers hit the same old spots and fish in the same old way, seeming to believe that “the fish are biting or they are not”. Well… you can accept blind luck to provide some fishing action, or you can try to trigger fish into biting. Here is a trick I use to “make something happen”.
One of my favorite tricks is to head out on a day when there are few anglers on the ice, and lots of open, but unused holes found there. Mondays after a busy weekend are a great time to try this, but it can work anytime.
Set up an ice rod with a small spinning reel filled with four pound test line. Tie on a size 2 “Swedish Pimple” spoon and load the small treble hook with “spikes” (maggots). Put two or three spikes on each hook point. I call this a “spikeball” rig.
Walk along, lowering the baited spoon into each hole you find. Let it sink to bottom, raise it up about six inches, then use that as a starting point. Shake the rod tip as you raise the lure up two or three feet very slowly. Make that lure shake and shimmy like a belly dancer. After reaching that point (about three feet off bottom) let the lure free-fall back to the starting point (six inches off bottom). Hold the rod tip still, watch for bites for about ten to fifteen seconds, then repeat the sequence.
Work each hole for about three to five minutes, then move on to the next. You’ll be exploring the area, fishing actively, and you stand a great chance of finding fish active enough to bite, or fish that will respond to the action you give the lure. A variation of this tactic is to drill a dozen holes along a weedline or other bottom feature before starting to fish. Keep moving between holes at regular intervals, but stay at spots that provide action until the bite slows.
This tactic will work throughout the Midwest, and can produce perch, white bass, yellow bass, crappies, bluegill, rock bass, and some surprises like channel catfish, walleyes, or largemouth bass.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
FALL FAVORITES ON THE GREAT LAKES - PART 2
This is part two of the drift fishing tactic I began describing yesterday. It can produce some nice surprises at this time of year on the Great Lakes and other large bodies of water.
BOOST THE ODDS - RUN MORE RODS
While drift fishing, you are looking for actively feeding fish, so running more rods covers more water, increasing the odds for finding some action. Most anglers like to hold one rod in hand while setting out a second in a holder.
With two anglers in the boat, one should fish from the stern with a drift rod set straight out the back while the other angler works from the bow with a rod set to provide the widest range of coverage.
LONG, LIGHT ACTION RODS IN THE HOLDERS
By running a long rod in the nine foot range from the holders, you “automatically” cover a wider range and because these long rods have a lighter tip action, they give you a little extra time to hook light-biting fish.
CONTROL YOUR DRIFT
Anytime you set up a drift-fishing pass, you should put your electric trolling motor in the water and have it ready to use. Gusts of wind, or a breeze that does not quite propel you on the desired path, can be corrected quickly and quietly with the electric motor.
BE READY TO MARK GOOD SPOTS
Once in a while you’ll be drifting along when two rods “go off” simultaneously – often when passing over an active school of perch or white bass. This is the time to circle back upwind of the spot (toss in a floating marker to stay in touch with the strike zone) and slip an anchor overboard. You should have it on a seventy-five to one-hundred foot rope so you can let the breeze slide you back toward the marked spot.
HAVE A “BACKUP” PRESENTATION READY
I like to stay slightly back from the floating marker, and cast small jigs using ultra-lite action spinning gear toward the spot I believe fish are holding in. Another great choice – especially in waters over ten feet deep - is to work a small spoon baited with a piece of minnow meat or a short section of nightcrawler. Run a “Swedish Pimple” spoon in bright colors vertically just above the fish. Tip it with a minnow tail. You know how well these spoons work through the ice. They are just as deadly in open water.
MOVE WHEN THE BITE SLOWS
You know how hard it can be to pry a stubborn fisherman off a spot he catches fish in. He just doesn’t want to move, and repeatedly returns to the same spot. In my experience certain structures like long drop-offs hold fall fish fairly consistently, but where fish are found along these drop-offs or weed edges can change by the hour. For this reason, you need to start another drift fishing pass when the action slows in one area.
Have your gear ready, and fish confidently. You’ll run into another school of biters if you just keep looking.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
BOOST THE ODDS - RUN MORE RODS
While drift fishing, you are looking for actively feeding fish, so running more rods covers more water, increasing the odds for finding some action. Most anglers like to hold one rod in hand while setting out a second in a holder.
With two anglers in the boat, one should fish from the stern with a drift rod set straight out the back while the other angler works from the bow with a rod set to provide the widest range of coverage.
LONG, LIGHT ACTION RODS IN THE HOLDERS
By running a long rod in the nine foot range from the holders, you “automatically” cover a wider range and because these long rods have a lighter tip action, they give you a little extra time to hook light-biting fish.
CONTROL YOUR DRIFT
Anytime you set up a drift-fishing pass, you should put your electric trolling motor in the water and have it ready to use. Gusts of wind, or a breeze that does not quite propel you on the desired path, can be corrected quickly and quietly with the electric motor.
BE READY TO MARK GOOD SPOTS
Once in a while you’ll be drifting along when two rods “go off” simultaneously – often when passing over an active school of perch or white bass. This is the time to circle back upwind of the spot (toss in a floating marker to stay in touch with the strike zone) and slip an anchor overboard. You should have it on a seventy-five to one-hundred foot rope so you can let the breeze slide you back toward the marked spot.
HAVE A “BACKUP” PRESENTATION READY
I like to stay slightly back from the floating marker, and cast small jigs using ultra-lite action spinning gear toward the spot I believe fish are holding in. Another great choice – especially in waters over ten feet deep - is to work a small spoon baited with a piece of minnow meat or a short section of nightcrawler. Run a “Swedish Pimple” spoon in bright colors vertically just above the fish. Tip it with a minnow tail. You know how well these spoons work through the ice. They are just as deadly in open water.
MOVE WHEN THE BITE SLOWS
You know how hard it can be to pry a stubborn fisherman off a spot he catches fish in. He just doesn’t want to move, and repeatedly returns to the same spot. In my experience certain structures like long drop-offs hold fall fish fairly consistently, but where fish are found along these drop-offs or weed edges can change by the hour. For this reason, you need to start another drift fishing pass when the action slows in one area.
Have your gear ready, and fish confidently. You’ll run into another school of biters if you just keep looking.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
