The other day I was in a large sporting goods store. As I always do, I wandered down the fishing lure aisles to see if there was anything new. There usually is something new on the market. As I rounded a corner, I ran into a wall – of ice fishing jigs.  Read More of the Story…

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This fishing trip had to be one of the most frustrating yet. We were on a lake that boasted of big walleyes that had been eager to bite; at least up until we got there. We tried different spots, various baits, and all times of the day with absolutely no luck.

In a last ditch attempt my partner decided to switch to a different colored jig. It wasn’t your ordinary run of the mill color either. I think he called it a shade of root beer.

We went back to the first spot we tried and began to cast. It was almost unbelievable.  Immediately he caught a nice walleye, and soon a second. By the time I tied on a root beer jig he had a third. The walleyes just loved that certain colored jig. In the short time we had left to fish we caught eight walleyes that ranged from three to almost ten pounds, the biggest stringer of walleyes I ever got in on.

Now I’ll be the first to agree that fish are not going to be that fussy all the time, but occasionally fish definitely prefer a lure of one color over another. Research has proven that fish have cones and rods in their eyes that enable them to discern one color from another.

Some reputable biologist doubt the validity of new electronic color selectors that are supposed to determine which color the fish want. I don’t have any personal feeling one way or the other, but since the color craze has caught on and tackle manufacturers are turning out lures in every color in the spectrum.

I think that determining which color to use is fairly simple. At least the plan I use has worked for me. First of all, I try to match my lure color to the color of the fish’s natural food found in the lake. This includes brown, gray, black, green, white, and metallic colored lures. If the fish are aggressive, I may use bright colors that will attract fish that might not see a drab colored lure. A good example is using a bright orange or red spoon for northern pike. For some reason walleyes really go for orange, fluorescent green, and yellow.

Another factor to consider is visibility. In stained or murky water bright fluorescent oranges, yellows and greens are good to use because the fish can see them better. For years, walleye fishermen have been using bright colored spinners and lures for walleyes in deep water where plain colored lures lose their identity.

Changing from one colored lure to another does not make up for lack of fishing knowledge or proper techniques, but the right color can sometimes save the day. I know I always carry the root beer jigs anyway!

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It was one of those hot, muggy Minnesota nights, when the air was so heavy it was stifling. I was returning from a fishing trip to Pickle Lake, Ontario and was sailing through the darkness on a remote north country road. I hadn’t seen another car for many miles, and the next town was still forty minutes away. It was late at night, my shirt was clinging to my sweaty back, and I was ready to stop. Up ahead a lonely light glimmered through the trees; no doubt a late night oasis for the thirsty traveler. Being a devout teetotaler, I pulled in, thirsting for an icy soft drink. Read More of the Story…

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The arrival of the fishing opener means the beginning of a second season, the fishing tournament season. Competitive fishing has increased in popularity over the last fifteen years. Tournaments that used to boast of prize money in the hundreds of dollars now award the winners hundreds of thousands of bucks. Most tournaments revolve around bass fishing. But now there are more walleye tournaments, including the Manufacturer’s Walleye Tournament that intends to grow to the proportions of the BASS big money tourneys.

There are both positive and negative points about fishing tournaments. Some facets of competitive fishing enhance sport fishing, while other are severely detrimental.

Take, for example, the rule in most tournaments that contestants have points deducted for turning in dead fish. That all sounds good, but bass that appear lively at the weigh-in often die later. It isn’t rare to find dead bass littered on the bottom at the release area. The impact of tournaments is multiplied when you consider some lakes have several bass tournaments on them each week during the summer.

It also doesn’t seem right that parties running big tournaments are making money from a resource that essentially belongs to everybody. I don’t know of another business where one can take publicly owned material and turn it into a product, unless they pay dearly for it.

An editor of a fishing periodical once told me that eventually someone will press gambling charges against people who run big dollar tournaments. He felt contestants putting up an entry fee for the chance at winning large cash prizes was no different than other forms of gambling.

In some instances fishing tournaments have brought out the worst in people. Any time money is involved it seems that some people will resort to under handed tactics. During the last tournament I fished there were truck tires slashed, jealousies developed and accusations were made that have never been forgotten.

Steps have been made to make tournaments conservation oriented. Some tournaments give a portion of the money raised to area fishery groups to enhance the local fishing. Other tournament organizations sponsor fishing foundations and research groups. So steps have been taken to improve fishing tournaments, but more needs to be done.

How about catch-and-release tournaments? No doubt they have been considered, but for some reason have been side lined. Probably because it would require a judge in each boat or an honor system for the contestants. But is honesty too much to ask for?

But as already mentioned, tournaments can be fun and entertaining if they are run properly and something given back to the resource that has been depleted in the effort to make money. It is up to those who benefit to do that.

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Every fisherman has wished they could dive underwater and see where the fish are, what the lake basin is shaped like, and where the drop offs are. But until you grow gills or become a scuba diver you will have to rely on the next best thing: lake maps.
Maps of lakes, or hydrographic maps, can be  great tools for anglers. They show how the lake bottom is shaped by using contour lines at certain intervals, usually five- or ten- feet. An experience I had this winter is a good example of how useful a lake map can be. We put a fish house on a drop off and had some success with walleyes and smaller northerns. A lake map we had showed a small point near us that jutted out into deeper water. We used a depth finder, and in just a hour or so, found the underwater point. The first evening resulted in some small fish, plus two walleyes between three- and four- pounds. A few weeks later we decided to investigate another point on the map that extended out into deeper water in the middle of the lake. Again it took only a short time with a portable depth finder to find the precise spot. That move quickly resulted in several walleyes, with one weighing nearly seven- pounds.
Over 4,000 Minnesota lakes have been mapped since the early 1930′s. Crews with the Civilian Conservation Corps would chop holes in the ice at certain intervals and measure the depth with weighted lines. Later, in 1949, crews began using a fathometer, or echo-sounder. This was much faster and gave a continuous recording of the bottom as the boat moved along a predetermined line.
These finished maps are not only used by anglers, but help newcomers to safely navigate the lake and give fishery biologist a picture of the lake basin so they can manage the lake. Keep in mind that it is not feasible for mapping crews to make a completely accurate map of all lakes. Lake maps show only the general outline of a sunken island, reef, or drop off. If you investigate a structure closely with a depth finder you will usually find small points, fingers, inside turns, and all sorts of fish attracting spots not indicated on the maps. But the general information give on most maps gives you an idea of where to start.
I like to order maps before fishing a particular lake, while there is time to closely scrutinize each one and mark good looking spots. There are many commercial lake maps available in outdoor retailers, bait shops and online.  My favorite source of lake maps is LakeMaster Lake Maps, 59 East Broadway, Little Falls, MN 56345…www.lakemap.com

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