Yup, it's that time of year again. The winds over the past few days have been unforgiving. The few times I've been out fishing, I've spent just as much time fighting the winds as I have fighting the fish. This is to be expected during the spring, but I'm ready for a nice, calm day with warm temperatures. But for walleye fishermen, as long as they can launch, the chop is a welcomed alley.
I'll be heading out tomorrow afternoon with a few friends. Not sure where the destination will be yet; I'm sure the winds will have a lot to do with that. The morning and early afternoon seem to be offering better wind conditions; around 3 p.m. the winds are supposed to push into the lower 20 mph zone, which can really stink for launching a boat. But we'll see. There are usually a few ways to work around the wind, and if nothing else, we can work whichever shoreline is getting battered by the wind, because the bait fish should be pushed into that area, and wherever bait fish are, walleye are sure to follow.
Either way, I'll try to get you an update on the action early Sunday evening. Until then, feel free to drop me a line with your fishing tips or reports. Till then, good luck and be safe.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Hooking children on fishing
I love fishing ... always have. I'm a big believer in the father-son bond built through fishing, and I've spent the better part of the last year and a half teaching my son, Tyler, simple fundamentals of fishing.
"Hooks are sharp, Tyler."
"Don't cast at Daddy, Tyler."
"No, we don't eat worms, Tyler."
"What do we fish, Tyler?"
"Big bass, Daddy."
"That's right, Tyler ... big bass."
As you can see, we've covered the essentials. But I've also found that as he's gotten older — he turns 3 in August — he has a more independent take on fishing.
"No, Daddy, I'll do it."
"Daddy, just let me cast it. I'll do it."
And for some reason, he's picked up the classics, "I already know that" and "I know, I know."
We practiced casting Wednesday with his Spider-Man pole. It's a pretty slick, close-faced setup, and the handle lights up whenever he presses the button, which has been a bonus novelty for him. Last year, the wife (Mollie) and I took him out fishing a few times, and he sure loved pulling in the crappies and sunfish, but he loved it even more when his mom reeled in a catch or two. And he learned, as he so eloquently stated, that sheep's head are "icky."
We'd cast for him then, but in this independent state, he has to cast everything. I sensed this dilemma coming on this winter, and through a pure stroke of genius (my wife's suggestion) we tied a quarter-sized, circular magnet to the end of his line. Now, Mollie is one of those cool moms who always has a fun activity planned or stowed away, and this magnet trick was no different. After tying on the magnet, she came back with laminated fish from a box in the basement and slipped paper clips over the mouths of the fish, making an instant, cheap game for Tyler to enjoy while learning (without realizing it) how to cast and reel.
The wife's on to something here; she's pretty smart. I fully recommend this technique to anyone interested in getting a toddler into fishing. I'm still deathly afraid of him near hooks, but at least we've got a base to work with.
"Hooks are sharp, Tyler."
"Don't cast at Daddy, Tyler."
"No, we don't eat worms, Tyler."
"What do we fish, Tyler?"
"Big bass, Daddy."
"That's right, Tyler ... big bass."
As you can see, we've covered the essentials. But I've also found that as he's gotten older — he turns 3 in August — he has a more independent take on fishing.
"No, Daddy, I'll do it."
"Daddy, just let me cast it. I'll do it."
And for some reason, he's picked up the classics, "I already know that" and "I know, I know."
We practiced casting Wednesday with his Spider-Man pole. It's a pretty slick, close-faced setup, and the handle lights up whenever he presses the button, which has been a bonus novelty for him. Last year, the wife (Mollie) and I took him out fishing a few times, and he sure loved pulling in the crappies and sunfish, but he loved it even more when his mom reeled in a catch or two. And he learned, as he so eloquently stated, that sheep's head are "icky."
We'd cast for him then, but in this independent state, he has to cast everything. I sensed this dilemma coming on this winter, and through a pure stroke of genius (my wife's suggestion) we tied a quarter-sized, circular magnet to the end of his line. Now, Mollie is one of those cool moms who always has a fun activity planned or stowed away, and this magnet trick was no different. After tying on the magnet, she came back with laminated fish from a box in the basement and slipped paper clips over the mouths of the fish, making an instant, cheap game for Tyler to enjoy while learning (without realizing it) how to cast and reel.
The wife's on to something here; she's pretty smart. I fully recommend this technique to anyone interested in getting a toddler into fishing. I'm still deathly afraid of him near hooks, but at least we've got a base to work with.
Some fantasy and some fishing
The fourth tournament in the FLW Tour kicks off Thursday. That means thousands upon thousands of geeks like myself will be finalizing our fantasy rosters and reading last-minute blogs or bass-fishing Web sites to determine our winners. The fourth tournament takes place at Beaver Lake near Rogers, AR. Now, I'm not faring nearly as well as I did last year, finishing in the top 5,000 overall, but I blame that on increased chores and duties in my personal life. But I know enough to put in a little bit of time with hopes of grabbing the $100,000 prize for each tournament. Not a bad gig when you consider it is free. Check out my picks under my profile, but please, please don't think picking my picks will help you win — so far I'm only ranked in the top 18,000.
I've been thinking a lot about the one that got away Tuesday. My arms are actually sore today, which tells me the fish was pretty big. Now, I've ended a few fishing outings with bruises on the side of my stomach or on the inside of my forearms, mostly from hard hits that drive the handle of my pole into these parts of my body. But I can't remember ever being sore the next day from battling one fish. Makes me really wonder what was under the water. Perhaps another outing Thursday is appropriate.
I've been thinking a lot about the one that got away Tuesday. My arms are actually sore today, which tells me the fish was pretty big. Now, I've ended a few fishing outings with bruises on the side of my stomach or on the inside of my forearms, mostly from hard hits that drive the handle of my pole into these parts of my body. But I can't remember ever being sore the next day from battling one fish. Makes me really wonder what was under the water. Perhaps another outing Thursday is appropriate.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Mastered at Buckmaster
Windy. Wiiiiiiiiinndy! I knew the weather wasn't going to cooperate with me this morning, but that was to be half expected. Still, the urge to wet a line for an hour or two was too strong, so I headed out to Buckmaster's Bridge this morning, hoping to catch a walleye or perhaps some crappies. I really just wanted to work through some crank baits and see how each was working.
I have a general idea of the shoreline along Buckmaster's, as I've fished this area since long before I lived in Mankato. And I know that if I fish off the point into the main part of the lake near the bridge, I can run cranks and other baits along a nice weedline about 50 yards out or so. But today's wind made precision fishing nearly impossible. Still, I pulled in four bass. Not four walleye like I'd hoped, but four bass. Now, for a self-proclaimed bass addict, this should have been a good day fishing, but bass were low on the scale of fish I wanted to take in. Besides, catching bass out of season is a mere teasing of what I'd really like to be fishing for. And while I like the versatility of the crank bait, each bass hauled in just made me long for my real bass lures just wating for the 23rd to roll along.
Now, with that said, I mixed in a Mimic Minnow today. My brother-in-law, Dave, is a Mimic fanatic, and it is safe to say that I've watched him have enough success on a wide variety of fish to know enough to have a few handy in the ol' tackle box. What I mostly like about this lure is that I can use it to search to bottom of the lake and feel out the structure. With a crank bait, the percentages of picking up a stray leaf suspended in the water is pretty high. The heavy jig head of the Mimic Minnow allows it to fall more naturally to the bottom of the lake. When retrieved, the tension is light, making weeds, rocks or bites magnified. And after a little practice with this lure, a person can figure out which sensation is a bite or weed or whatnot. And when you fish from shore, anything you can substitute for the fancy electronics of the boat is a bonus.
The Mimic turned up three of the four bass today, but I also hooked into something that flat out overpowered me. I'm putting my money on a carp, but for a good five minutes, I watched my line peel off my reel in chunks. This fish darted for deep water and I could almost feel its thunderous back working against the current. Now, being that I haven't prepped my poles properly for the bass opener, there came a point when I thought this fish was going to strip me of all my line, so I fought hard to turn its head and work it toward shore. At one point, when the fish and I were both tiring, I tried to switch my grip to power the weakend fish in, and that's when I slacked my line just a bit too much and it spit the hook.
I still had my Mimic Minnow, and its soft body was unharmed, which makes me believe this wasn't a sharp-toothed fish like the northern or the walleye. But man, a guy can dream, can't he. My arms are sore as I type this ... now that's a big fish.
I have a general idea of the shoreline along Buckmaster's, as I've fished this area since long before I lived in Mankato. And I know that if I fish off the point into the main part of the lake near the bridge, I can run cranks and other baits along a nice weedline about 50 yards out or so. But today's wind made precision fishing nearly impossible. Still, I pulled in four bass. Not four walleye like I'd hoped, but four bass. Now, for a self-proclaimed bass addict, this should have been a good day fishing, but bass were low on the scale of fish I wanted to take in. Besides, catching bass out of season is a mere teasing of what I'd really like to be fishing for. And while I like the versatility of the crank bait, each bass hauled in just made me long for my real bass lures just wating for the 23rd to roll along.
Now, with that said, I mixed in a Mimic Minnow today. My brother-in-law, Dave, is a Mimic fanatic, and it is safe to say that I've watched him have enough success on a wide variety of fish to know enough to have a few handy in the ol' tackle box. What I mostly like about this lure is that I can use it to search to bottom of the lake and feel out the structure. With a crank bait, the percentages of picking up a stray leaf suspended in the water is pretty high. The heavy jig head of the Mimic Minnow allows it to fall more naturally to the bottom of the lake. When retrieved, the tension is light, making weeds, rocks or bites magnified. And after a little practice with this lure, a person can figure out which sensation is a bite or weed or whatnot. And when you fish from shore, anything you can substitute for the fancy electronics of the boat is a bonus.
The Mimic turned up three of the four bass today, but I also hooked into something that flat out overpowered me. I'm putting my money on a carp, but for a good five minutes, I watched my line peel off my reel in chunks. This fish darted for deep water and I could almost feel its thunderous back working against the current. Now, being that I haven't prepped my poles properly for the bass opener, there came a point when I thought this fish was going to strip me of all my line, so I fought hard to turn its head and work it toward shore. At one point, when the fish and I were both tiring, I tried to switch my grip to power the weakend fish in, and that's when I slacked my line just a bit too much and it spit the hook.
I still had my Mimic Minnow, and its soft body was unharmed, which makes me believe this wasn't a sharp-toothed fish like the northern or the walleye. But man, a guy can dream, can't he. My arms are sore as I type this ... now that's a big fish.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Quick correction
John Cross called me last night to talk about his column. Working on the desk last night, I was in charge of editing and designing the Outdoors page for The Free Press. I'd heard through others about his success up north, but I was confused as to the location. Cross himself told me he was going to Cross Lake, which was true, except that he was only staying at Cross Lake and fishing Leech Lake. It sounds like the walleye action has returned at Leech.
With it being Mother's Day and all, tracking down fishing reports will be a little slow. But that doesn't mean all of you can't help me out. Send me your opening-day catches at photos@mankatofreepress.com. We'll post them on the Web site and let everyone see how good the action really was. Till then, best of luck on Day 2 of the opener.
With it being Mother's Day and all, tracking down fishing reports will be a little slow. But that doesn't mean all of you can't help me out. Send me your opening-day catches at photos@mankatofreepress.com. We'll post them on the Web site and let everyone see how good the action really was. Till then, best of luck on Day 2 of the opener.
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