The Rod and Rifle Rag has been featured in the In-Fisherman magazine, June 2012 issue. In-Fisherman is the world’s foremost authority on freshwater fishing. The Rag is listed in the Staff Noteworthy & New, new and unique fishing stuff, section on page 16. Thanks TB!

Prez. @ Davis J. Hennes, LLC

Share/Bookmark

Along with the walleyes, and other fish, come the fishermen. Every good lake, stream and river is fished continually from opening to closing of the season. Is it any wonder the fishing can be tough?

Dealing with pressured walleyes is perhaps the biggest challenge angler’s face. There is one thing than can help you catch more walleyes, it’s to be flexible and experiment. Walleyes can get turned off to certain fishing methods. What was good two years ago may not be the best now.

One theory is walleyes get conditioned to certain techniques. Evidently they see too many of their buddies chomp down on a particular lure and slowly struggle away to the surface. Another theory is that certain walleyes are very vulnerable to a fishing technique, while others aren’t. Eventually most of the “easy” ones are caught until they are all gone.

Regardless of the reason, it does pay to try new presentations and lures. So many times a little change can mean the difference between getting skunked and a nice stringer of walleyes. Here are some things to experiment with that may work and help you catch more walleyes this year:

DOWNRIGGERS

Downriggers are trolling devices that allow you to troll a lure at a precise depth. They were made popular by salmon fishermen on theGreat Lakes, but I thought the idea would work for small lake fish as well. I first started using downriggers for trout in managed lakes years ago, and they worked great. So I tried them on walleyes and they worked equally well. Since then downriggers have become very popular up on The Lake of the Woods.

Walleyes that feed over reefs pose a problem for jig and live bait rig anglers, reason is that you almost have to have a tackle shop in the boat with you to keep up with the number of baits you lose due to snagging.  Although, a downrigger you can work a lure right over the rocks and appeal to any walleyes foraging over the reef.

Most astute walleye anglers are familiar with walleyes’ habit of holding in deep water during inactive periods and moving up on flats and bars during feeding periods. What better way to work a lure precisely over the bottom than with a well placed downrigger weight?

Downriggers permit you to closely troll the borders and inside turns in weed lines. Then because they keep your lures tracking straight behind the boat, downriggers work perfectly for trolling precisely around points and little irregularities in the break line. But one super way of using portable ‘riggers is to work individual fish you may see on your locator. Attach your line to the downrigger weight so the lure will run about twenty- or thirty- feet behind the ball. Then keep a sharp eye on your locator for any walleyes. When you spot a fish, quickly raise, or lower the ball so the lure will run right by the fish’s nose. The extra long distance that the lure is running behind the weight will give you the needed time to change the lure’s depth. You’d be surprised at how many times this little maneuver will result in a bucking rod tied to a bulldogging walleye.

WALLEYES IN WEEDS

Over the years it has become increasingly evident that a large portion of our walleyes live in weeds. That idea runs contrary to the belief that walleyes only inhabit deep water structures with rock and gravel bottoms. But walleyes do like weeds, and you can catch many of them by fishing along weed edges.

You may find walleyes using weeds more and more all the time. Consider that many of our lakes are being stocked with walleye fingerlings. These fish are raised in ponds until they are several inches long and then released into the lakes. The shallow ponds these fingerlings are raised in often have thick weed growths in them, and the small walleyes use the weeds for cover. So what is going to happen the minute the fingerlings are dumped in the lake? Likely they will head for the first sets of weeds they can see. Also, if there are plenty of forage minnows there, the walleyes may spend their entire lives in the weeds.

The trick to catching these walleyes is to find weeds like pondweed or coontail, they are near water at least ten feet deep. Walleyes will not usually be in weeds surrounded by expansive shallow water. Cast lures like jigs tipped with live bait, or even spinner baits, past the weed edge and let it settle down into the weeds. Retrieve the lure so it stays near the base of the weeds. If you feel it hang up on a weed, and you will, just snap it loose and continue reeling it in.

Another technique is to wait until dusk and “long line” troll a floating minnow bait over the weed beds. As darkness settles, big walleyes often move up to the weed tops to feed. Let out enough line so the lure just skims over the weed tops. It isn’t rare to let out up to 100 feet of line. Again, weeds adjacent to deep water will be more productive.

BE OPEN MINDED

A final idea to harvesting more walleyes is not a method, but a way of thinking. Never become dependent on one walleye fishing technique or area. I don’t know of one method or spot that continually produces walleyes, yet so many anglers rigidly stick to them. Keep up to date on new fishing techniques written up in magazines, newspapers and online or demonstrated on videos, TV and online. Pick up some of the new tackle demonstrated and keep it in your tackle box. After all, trying new ways to catch walleyes is part of the fun and can mean the difference between going fishless and being on the bragging board at the bait shop.

Share/Bookmark

Prez./CEO at Davis J. Hennes, LLC

Share/Bookmark

So it was getting dark out and he wanted to stay so we stayed over night. When we got ready for bed we put the rattle reels down. The second I got in the bunk one of the reels went down and fast. I got up and waited to let it stop and go again. I pulled on it and I hooked it, took me awhile cause it was deep and i was fighting really hard. When I got it up to the hole it looked like a walleye. I didn’t want to loose it so I reached down and grabbed it by the mouth. When I brought it in the fish house I found out that it was a EEL POUT. Really an eel pout, but it was a 8lb eel pout.

Share/Bookmark

Often I see anglers clustered together like bees in a hive. They’ll cut holes only a few feet from each other and have several lines dangling over a tiny part of an underwater island, reef, or weed bed. Why not spread out and cover more area? Each angler is allowed two lines, so as few as three people can use six lines to cover a fairly large area.  If someone continues to have more action, then you can cluster together over the hot spot.

Let’s say you are fishing an underwater point that drops from 10 feet to 30 feet. Use a vexilar, depth finder or weighted line to find any “stair steps” or flat spots, in the drop off.  Walleyes and other game fish use these flat spots to cruise along and feed. Also look for any inside turns or small points jutting out from the main structure. Areas where there are rocks mixed with weeds are also good. It is the structure that attracts the fish, but it is these little irregular spots that hold the fish.

Once you’ve found these high percentage spots put lines down on each one. If you can’t find evident irregularities in the drop off, place your lines so you cover all depths.  Now you are making the most of your fishing time and the fishing suddenly becomes twice as exciting.

Spreading out becomes much easier if you use tip ups; after all, that is what they were made for. First of all, tip ups usually have a flag-type bite indicator so you can see that you’ve gotten a hit from a distance away. Secondly, most tip ups are constructed so the line holding spool is suspended under water so it doesn’t matter if the hole freezes over, the tip up will still function.

A frequent fishing companion of mine uses another device that allows you to cover a large area. He cuts out the bottom of a plastic pail and attaches an arm that holds a line spool over the pail. The whole thing is placed over the hole. On the spool is a piece of highly visible red reflective tape. He uses a bobber to suspend the minnow over the bottom and turns the spool so the red tape is positioned up. When a fish hits, the spool will unwind. The red tape makes it easy to see the spool revolving from quite a distance. The only thing this outfit doesn’t do is keep your ice hole from icing over and the line from freezing in. It works very well in warmer weather.

Regardless of what you do, don’t limit your chances of catching fish. Cover as much area as you can in a systematic manner. Just keep it legal and catch more fish!

Share/Bookmark

The display of tiny lures ran from the floor to as high as I could reach and many feet to the right and left. Fishing with jigs, small teardrop rigs and jigging spoons are handy because you can carry all you’ll ever need in a single small tackle box.

Using artificials makes you more mobile. If you decide you’ve given one spot long enough, grab your rod, tackle box, auger, and leave. Not as much gear when compared to live bait fishing. Also, use clear monofilament line that is as light as you care to use. A good guide is 6-8 lb. test for walleye and northern, 2-4 lb. test for panfish.

If northerns and walleyes are your prey, you might want to use a jigging Rapala. This minnow- shaped jig is called a “side planing” lure because when you lower it, it swings way out to the side. This action allows you to cover a large area under the ice. This lure is usually just as effective, if not more, than live bait. The way to use it is to lower it down to the bottom and reel it up a few feet. Lift the lure quickly, and it will swing out in a wide arc. Let it settle for a few seconds and give it another lift. The fish will often hit it just as it is settling. If you get no action at one depth, lift it a few feet and keep on trying until you find the depth the fish are at.

Jigging spoons, like the Swedish Pimple are old stand bys. These lures have little action when you lift them upwards, but when you lower them they tumble with a fish attracting action. They work well alone, but you can tip them with a piece of cut minnow.

Airplane jigs are heavy lures with wings molded onto their sides, which makes the lure swing wider than even the jigging Rapala. These lures are well known among lake trout fanciers. A favorite trick of theirs is to tip the hooks with pieces of smelt or sucker meat.

Ice-flies and teardrops are mostly used by panfishermen. Teardrops get their name from the shape of their body, although many are round or disk-shaped. They are simply a painted lead body molded around a fine wire#8 to #12hook. Ice flies have a small lead body dressed with a little hair, rubber, or feathers. This dressing adds flash and gives the lure more motion when you jig it. Tear drops and ice flies catch plenty of fish by themselves, but it helps to add a tiny minnow or wax worm.

Using these artificial lures for ice fishing is not only more convenient  than conventional live bait fishing, but it is more exciting because you feel the strike, rather than just see a flag trip or the bobber sink. It turns ice fishing into a fishing system rather than just a hit-or-miss situation.

Share/Bookmark

We will be in attendance at the SHOT from January 19-20 as non-exhibiting manufacturers. During that time we will be meeting vendors, distributors/dealers, retailers, manufacturers, representatives, buyers and others involved in the outdoor sports world.

This is a very exciting time for us as a company, directly in contact with industry leaders in order to promote the Rod and Rifle Rag. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter during the show and see what we are up to….see you there!

Steven D. Lust, Prez./CEO, Davis J. Hennes, LLC

Share/Bookmark

Share/Bookmark

The year of 2011 was one of planting seeds, experiencing the retail world of the hunting and fishing industry and growing together as a young company. We set the year off with a trip to the SHOT show in Las Vegas, then on to Pheasant Fest in Omaha, presented our first show booth at the MN Deer Classic in St. Paul and did our second show at the Northwest Sportshow in Minneapolis. During that journey we met many wonderful people in the industry and introduced our product to fellow hunters and anglers. We also received wonderful feedback, some constructive criticism, which led us to develop and release our General Rag, Fly Fishing Rag and Waterfowl Rag. Each of which have been researched and built to suit the hunter and angler in their specific outdoor activities.

We continue along a similar path of showings that we made in 2011 through 2012. The main difference is that in lieu of just attending Pheasant Fest we will be there as exhibitors in order to introduce our Upland Bird Hunting Rag. Also in 2012 will be the release of our Big Game Hunting Rag, to which we have had many requests for. We expect the seeds that we planted in 2011 to start to grow in 2012 and will plant many more along the way.

A heartfelt thanks to all the special people that have aided us along the way since we started this endeavor three years ago. A few I have to mention in particular are: Jeff Howard, Trent, Jon Frie, Karen, Kari, Ben Dorn, The Oldhams, The Hirsts, all our suppliers and manufacturers, my wife and daughters. We are constantly building the Rod and Rifle Rag community into something special with your aid and support.

To all hunters and anglers, have a safe and harvest filled 2012 and remember “The outdoors is about the adventure….don’t leave it behind!”

Steven D. Lust, President @ Davis J. Hennes, LLC

Share/Bookmark

“Once the deer reached the boat, the four began to circle the boat, looking directly at us. We could tell right away that the young bucks were distressed. I opened up my back gate and we helped the typically skittish and absolutely wild animals onto the boat. In all my years fishing, I’ve never seen anything quite like it! Once onboard, they collapsed with exhaustion, shivering.”

“This is a picture I took of the rescued bucks on the back of my boat, the Alaska Quest. We headed for Taku Harbour. Once we reached the dock, the first buck that we had pulled from the water hopped onto the dock, looked back as if to say ‘thank you’ and disappeared into the forest. After a bit of prodding and assistance, two more followed, but the smallest deer needed a little more help.

My daughter, Anna, and son, Tim, helped the last buck to its feet. We didn’t know how long they had been in the icy waters or if there had been others who did not survive. My daughter later told me that the experience was something that she would never forget, and I suspect the deer felt the same way as well!”

Share/Bookmark

If you never have tried jigging, you’ve missed out on a super way to catch fish through the ice. Simple lead-headed jigs like you use during the summer can work very well, especially when you tip them with bait.

Some of the best ice fishing jigs are modified so they have more action when jigged. A good example is the Airplane Jig from Northland Tackle. This jig has molded in “wings” so it swoops from side to side when jigged. Other proven jigging lures are the Swedish Pimple, Kastmaster, and Jigga-a-Whopper lures. This would also include ice flies and tear drop jigs popular for panfish. You can also add live bait to these jigs for added fish appeal.

One type of jigging lure that deserves special mention are jigging minnows. The most common one is the Jigging Rapala. This lure rides horizontally like a minnow and has plastic lip so it glides in circles when you jig it. Larger jigging minnows work very well for walleyes, while the smaller sizes are good for crappies and perch. Do not add live bait to these lures because it ruins the lure’s built in action.

Just because these lures work great, I don’t mean to imply they are better than good old live bait. An active shiner, crappie minnow or fathead is hard to beat. There is new equipment that can make live bait fishing even better, particularly bobbers.

I don’t think there is ever a time to use a round red-and-white plastic bobber. This style bobber is hard to see because it sits low in the ice hole and they are too buoyant. Have you ever watched your bobber go down a few inches then suddenly come back up? This could often be a finicky fish that grabbed the minnow but let go when it felt the resistance of the bobber.

You will fool more fish if you use long, thin pencil bobbers. These bobbers have very little water resistance and fish can pull them down without feeling a thing. Pencil bobbers have been around a long time and are readily available, but look for some of the new bobbers fromEurope. These imported bobbers are super thin and sleek so even the most finicky walleye will not feel a bit of resistance. These bobbers also ride high in the water for good visibility.

If you can sit right over the hole so visibility is not important, add enough weight so the pencil bobber bearly floats.  Even the most finicky walleye will not feel a thing as it pulls the bobber under.

If you think ice fishing hasn’t changed, guess again. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the fish still don’t bite every time, but using these items and techniques will also help change that.

Share/Bookmark

Everyone is familiar with tip-ups, those neat little fishing rigs that trip a flag to indicate a bite. There are also wind tip-ups designed so you can run your line through a metal “flag” that bobs in the wind. The bobbing flag then jigs your lure or bait up and down, enticing more fish to bite.

Even though spring bobbers have been around awhile, most fishermen haven’t learned how effective these little rigs are. Just purchase a small spring from a hardware store, or better yet, take a spring from a ball point pen. Stretch the spring out to about five inches. Bend the last coil flat so it serves as an eye. Then straighten the wire on the other end of the coil. Tape the straight end to the rod and bend the flat coil so it is parallel with the end of the rod. Run your line through the eye end of the spring and then down through the rod tip. Even during the most subtle nibbles, the spring bobber will quiver and dip to indicate a bite.

One ingenious ice fisherman noticed that small sliding bobbers held in place with pegs or tooth picks accumulated ice around the peg. So he just pegged the bobber from the bottom and solved his problem.

Another angler got tired of having his hole continually fill with snow on windy days. So he cut out both ends of a large can and stuck it in the hole to block out blowing snow. You can anchor the can by piling slush around it. Also try cutting a slit in a piece of cardboard and place it over the hole. Then just drop your bait through the slit.

Perhaps the slickest way to keep your hole from freezing up is with a water spitter. All you need to make one of these is a coffee can, eight feet of quarter-inch copper tubing, a soldering gun and charcoal briquettes. Bend the copper tubing into a three-to four-inch coil and place it in a five-inch coffee can. Drill a hole next to the bottom of the can so an inch or so of tubing can stick out. Seal around the hole with solder. Leave about 18-inches of tubing on top of the coil to form a spout. Cut a hole in the ice next to your fishing hole and position the can in it so the spout is above your hole. Pack around it with snow and slush. After you light the briquettes the hot tubing will draw in water from the bottom, warms it, and “spits” it into your hole to keep it ice-free. If necessary, weight the water spitter with lead to keep it from floating out of the hole.

Oh yes, ice fishing has brought the inventor out of many of us. I can’t help but wonder what if Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison had been ice fishing fans.

Share/Bookmark

The howling of the beagles came and went as the dogs chased the snowshoe hare across the country side. Sometimes their cries were almost indiscernible, other times they were loud and clear….now getting louder as they came my way. I was told the hare would be way out in front of the dogs. Judging by their sounds, the hare should almost be in front of me. So I lifted my 20 gauge a bit and got ready, my eyes straining for a flash of white.

Hunting rabbits and hares with beagles is not a common sport in this part of Minnesota. I had never done it before, so when a friend asked me to join him on a snowshoe hare hunt, I hopped at the chance. 

Snowshoe hares are often called rabbits, a mistake that even seasoned wildlife experts make, kind of like calling a grouse a partridge. Rabbits are born hairless while hares are born with fur and ready to start jumping. Hares also have disproportional large back feet, thus the name snowshoe hare.

Snowshoes, like many hares, go through color phase changes. In the summer they are brown but shed their coats and turn white in the winter. Another name they go by is varying hare. Here in Minnesota they live in thick forest areas and their population goes up and down from year to year. According to my friend, this year was supposed to be good. “There are lots of them out there,” he said, “more than there’s been for quite a while.”

So on a snowy morning we gathered at his home. We were joined by another friend from the Twin Cities who saw our friend and his beagles when they were featured on Ron Schara’s Minnesota Bound television series. Two other friends with their own beagles showed up later, too.

We hunted on a plot of land that was interspersed with trails cut through the woods. Later I would find out how helpful the trails were. After a brief walk, they unleashed their dogs in a spot where all suspected hares were resting through the day. Snowshoes are largely nocturnal or active at night. During the day they settle in protected spots and rest.

Within a few minutes, the dogs jumped a snowshoe and were howling away. The hunting cry of beagles is a long drawn out howl punctuated by barks and yips – a sound that is music to a hunter. The hotter the scent, the louder and more excited they become. Many hound dog owners don’t even bring a gun while out, they just sit back and listen to the dogs.

We scattered out along one of the trails. My friends told me the idea was to listen to the progress of the dogs and hope they chase the hare your way. If you calculate it right, you can move ahead of the dogs and be in position when the snowshoe runs by. I discovered that can be tougher than one can imagine.

One of our friends and I were in the right position to set up an ambush on the hare. The bawling of the beagles was getting closer now….a white hare had to be there somewhere. Then my friend shot once. “Heads up, Jeff,” he called. It’s coming your way!” Having a snowshoe hare heading for you is not as much of a heart pounding experience has having a deer coming down on you, but it is exciting. Boom! He shot again … and again. Then silence.

I peered through the brush for the white blur of a hare running for its life; but none appeared. Then he whooped “I got them both!” Harvesting two hares together is pretty rare, from what I was told. Snowshoes tend to be solitary animals that rarely spend anytime together except during the mating season.

Snowshoe hares have soft fluffy pelage that is almost all white with some underlying gray, which makes them difficult for predators and hunters to see in the winter. Their ears are short with black tips. Their large rear feet make it easy for them to run across soft fluffy snow.

The determined little beagles did not rest long. With their nose to the snow they trotted off for more hares to chase. These little dogs got their start in England where they were the favorite of such royalty as Henry VIII. Beagles became a favorite in America because early hunters liked their small size, yet they were big enough to cope with heavy cover where small mammals and game birds would hide. I quickly saw their small size was an advantage because they could scoot under brush that bigger dogs would have to fight through or go around.

According to our friends, beagles naturally take to rabbit hunting without a lot of training. “I usually just let the young dogs run with the older ones,” he said. “At first they tend to hang around me, but once they get confident, they’ll take off with the other dogs and find rabbits.”

One reason my friend chose to raise and hunt with Beagles is because his property is conducive to training the little dogs. The land around his home has good rabbit and hare habitat, which is surrounded by hay fields. Rabbits and snowshoe hares don’t like to cross the open fields and stay on his land. He can let his beagles run and train for rabbits or hares knowing that they’ll stay on his property. His first beagle was from Michigan. He bred his dogs and produced his favorite two hare hunters, the ones he uses now Minnie and Sadie.

A heavy snow started to fall upon us as we listened to the beagles scare up another hare. The howling hounds seemed to be working south and the dogs sounded very excited. So I headed down the trail to where I thought a rabbit would try to cross. My plan was accurate, but I was several seconds late. Up ahead, on the outside range of a shotgun, a gray white form ghosted through the underbrush. The hare stopped and listened, undoubtedly trying to figure out these dogs. I lifted my gun to take a bead and the hare took off. My shot harmlessly rattled the empty spot. The speed and acceleration of a snowshoe hare is impressive – not much different than trying to hit a grouse planning through the trees. 

So, I need to be a little faster. Judging by the direction the dogs took, I hustled up to another trail that appeared to be ahead of the speeding snowshoe. Again, my plan was right, but the hare decided to double back and cross the first trail where I had been.

So I learned that hare hunting with dogs is somewhat of a guessing game. Do I run ahead and try to position myself, or do I sit and be patient – the same thing as any other kind of hunting or fishing.

For the next few hours, we strategized and second-guessed ourselves. Sometimes we were right, often I was not. If one could dine on glimpses of racing hares, I would eat like a king. One friend seemed to have a knack for waylaying snowshoes. By the afternoon he had five in his game pouch.

Hunting rabbits and hares does not require special equipment. A typical shotgun used for waterfowl and upland birds is just right. I chose to use a lightweight 20 gauge chambered for 3-inch shells. The other hunters used 12 gauge shotguns. Either #4 or #6 lead shot works fine. Snowshoe hares and cottontail rabbits will weigh about 2 pounds or more, so they are a little stouter than most game birds.

My only other experience with snowshoe hares was hunting with scoped .22 rifles. Groups of hares moved into a recently logged over area to eat the tree tops that were lying about. We would slowly walk through the brush piles and watch for hares moving ahead of us. When we saw one sitting for a safe shot, usually at a fairly long range, we would take careful aim and fire. It was different than hunting with beagles, but very fun.

Perhaps the most challenging way to hunt snowshoe hares is with a bow. Serious archers will move through good hare cover and hope for a close shot.

For good companionship and non-stop fun, hunting with dogs seems like the best way to hunt hares. Even when there’s not much shooting, listening to the dogs as they chase them through the woods is exciting. Not that many hunters get the chance to hunt with trained beagles, so it’s a rare treat to try this unique Minnesota hunting.

Share/Bookmark

• 50% off  – The General Rag Bundle, the Fly Fishing Rag Bundle and the Waterfowl Rag Bundle. – Only 5 of each is available at this price.
• Buy a Rag Bundle and get one of the following FREE:

• A RRR Compass – 50 Available
• A RRR Skull Cap (stocking cap) – 5 Available
• A RRR Realtree Wave Cap (baseball cap) – 5 Available
• An insert of your choice – 10 Available
• A Columbia Bonehead Fishing Shirt – ONLY 2 Available
• A Fishing Vest – ONLY 2 Available
• A Shooting Shirt – ONLY 2 Available

No Rainchecks!  When we run out of these, we’re out!  Only one, maybe two, specials per day.  So, check back every day to see what’s on sale!

Share/Bookmark

CYBER MONDAY IS OVER…for now.  CHECK BACK OFTEN FOR OTHER HOLIDAY SPECIALS

It’s Cyber Monday 2011! The best deals of the year are available for TODAY only!

Here’s what’s available:

• 50% off  – The General Rag Bundle, the Fly Fishing Rag Bundle and the Waterfowl Rag Bundle. – Only 5 of each is available at this price.
• Buy a Rag Bundle and get one of the following FREE:

• A RRR Compass – 50 Available
• A RRR Skull Cap (stocking cap) – 5 Available
• A RRR Realtree Wave Cap (baseball cap) – 5 Available
• An insert of your choice – 10 Available
• A Columbia Bonehead Fishing Shirt – ONLY 2 Available
• A Fishing Vest – ONLY 2 Available
• A Shooting Shirt – ONLY 2 Available

No Rainchecks!  When we run out of these, we’re out!

Also available are gift certificates.