1 Often OVERLOOKED aspect of using a VEXILAR

 

Using a Vexilar while ice fishing is a typical thing anymore.  The Vexilar FL-8 was introduced in the 1980s and ice fishing has never been the same since.  The ability to see under the ice to locate fish, brush and weeds changed the game forever.  It is still the most popular device used on the ice today for anglers.  Even though it is the most popular ice electronic in the Midwest, anglers often forget a key element that a Vexilar can do for them while ice fishing.  

No matter what model of Vexilar you may have, this often overlooked information can be detected with your unit.  The easy things for all Vexilar users are visually seeing the bottom, brush, weeds, your bait and of course the fish.  On those great days of ice fishing as your jig starts to fall, the fish will swim out of nowhere and meet up with your jig, a little bump on the rod and up comes the fish.  Simple, and yet so satisfying.  Those days are few and far between.  Typically, locating fish and knowing whether there are fish under us or not while ice fishing is as far as most anglers get while using a Vexilar.  There is much more.

The most often overlooked aspect of using a Vexilar is reacting to the mood of the fish.  This is much more than following the fish "up and down" the water column.  Vexilar is a real-time sonar device and we as anglers need to use that information to our advantage.  Whenever our bait is down the hole we need to be analyzing the behavior of the fish.  Think of it as a Cause/Effect relationship.  If you are jigging your bait aggressively and a fish shows up...that action of your jig brought the fish nearby.  Use that information to catch it.  If the fish is getting closer (colors turning from green to yellow to red) then keep that jigging action going.  If that signal is not getting "stronger", (turning back from red to yellow to green) then make an immediate change in the cadence of your bait.  It truly is a cat/mouse game all the time.  The more you can focus in on what the colors on the Vexilar are telling you, the better you can adjust your cadence to get more fish attracted to you, and then get them to bite.  Some days all fish will react the same, mostly due to weather patterns or light penetration through the ice.  However, most days each fish has its own mood that we need to detect while it is under us.  Most do not give you much time to make this adjustment.  Be aware of the marks on your Vexilar and always think about the reactions of the fish, they are telling you what they like...and don't like. The more we can decipher this the more fish we will catch.

The ONE Ice Fishing COMBO Everyone Needs

 

Bluegills are known for light bites

Ice angling has changed so much in the past ten years, it is hard to believe at times.  One of the biggest advancements is electronics.  Vexilar keeps making their flashers better and better with each new release.  Their newest, the FLX-38 is a huge step above any other unit they have ever produced.  Forward Facing sonar (FFS) has completely changed the game on top of the ice.  These units can tell you exactly where the fish are...and more importantly where the fish "aren't".  However, one thing in the industry hasn't changed over the few decades which often causes anglers to miss out on opportunities while ice fishing.  I am referring to the rods/reels that we use.   

There are a lot of different rods out there to choose from.  Dozens and dozens of companies have a multitude of rod lengths, actions and handle preferences.  The "noodle rod" was all the buzz a few years ago and is still probably the most used rod on the market.  Again, every company has many offerings of this style of rod, however this is not the ONE ROD that everyone needs to have when ice fishing.  The one rod that I am referring to is a spring bobber rod.  This rod has a spring bobber designed into or along side of the rod blank.  There are far fewer companies that include a spring bobber option, the best I have found is Clam Outdoors.  They have several choices to choose from and they sell a good product.  A spring bobber isn't always needed, I may use it 1 out of 4 days that I fish.  It is a specialty rod that is made for jigs 4mm and smaller.  They really shine when using 2mm tungsten and light lead jigs.  If you are using some 4mm and larger jigs a properly balance noodle rod will work the same.  Back to the spring bobber...a spring bobber will help you see the lightest bites.  This has already helped me once in this young ice fishing season.  When anglers in the same area were reporting catching 5-15 fish, I ended the day catching dozens of fish...all because of the spring bobber.  The bluegills were hitting the jig so gently that other rods would not show the bite, thus the fish ended up just taking my bait.  As soon as I made the switch to a spring bobber, I immediately started catching fish at a higher rate.  It was like someone flipped a switch.  Again, it isn't like this every day on the ice, but when the bite gets soft, there is no better choice than a spring bobber.

The spring bobber is an extension of the rod to help you see the lightest of bites.

I hope this bit of information will help you get more fish on the ice this winter, as always, be safe out there.

Ice Season 2025/26 is HERE!

 

A limit of BLUEGILLS to start the season

The season rolled in quickly this year catching many anglers off guard.  Last weekend marked he first "safe ice" in Iowa for anglers to enjoy.  "Safe ice" of course is a relative terms and one not to take lightly.  Same lakes in Iowa are still wide open with water, while others have 8 or more inches on them in areas.  SAFETY is the most important thing to keep on your mind this time of year with the varying ice conditions.  I get asked all the time, "How do you know the ice is safe?"  I always say, "There is only one way to find out for sure, go test it."  Accessing lakes with a safety strategy and the proper safety tools is a must this time of year.  These include: a spud bar, rope, flotation cushion, and a Friend.  A spud bar will help you gage the ice as you hit it on the ice for every step.  This allows you a test that shows how hard/thick the ice is before you walk on it.  It is a must this time of year for exploring new ice.  The most important tool...is to take a friend.  Fishing alone this time of year, or fishing without a rope or flotation device is simply a STUPID thing to do.  Check the ice often...and you will fish another day.

The 2025/26 season started off on the Mississippi River for me.  I headed to a local community hole, Bussey Lake on Friday, December 5th.  There were many anglers out with reports of "catching" by the local bait shop.  The ice was solid in the area, ranging from 5-6 inches.  I started to pick up a few bluegills right away in about five feet of water.  I was not seeing very many fish coming through the area on the Vexilar FLX38, so I decided to hop around a bit to see what else was out there.  I quickly some water that was a bit shallower and had some nice weeds present.  Fish, especially bluegills love weeds.  I immediately started catching gills once I was in the weedline.  The fish were coming through at a regular rate looking for their next meal.  Not only do weeds hold a lot of small creatures for these river bluegills to eat, the weeds also provide great cover for the bluegills from predators like largemouth bass and northern pike that swim in the area too.  For the next 5 hours or so I sat on two holes of the Mississippi River backwater and caught gill after gill.  The weedline was one of the keys for locating fish today.  It allowed me to keep my limit of 25 fish, enough for a couple of meals for my parents and a meal for my family.  I also caught a half-dozen largemouth bass and a crappie on the day too.  It was a great way to start the ice season!

2025 Indee Bass Club Year-End Banquet

2025 Indee Bass Club Year-End Awards

2025 AOY: Colton Cameron

The fishing season has come and gone for the local Indee HS Bass Club.  The club was started in 2017 and each year since then has given students the opportunity to fish tournaments all over the state, participate in seminars and learn about the great sport of bass fishing.  Coach Todd Reed offers a fishing activity once a month from April through October for kids to get out fishing.  The club is operated by volunteers, Coach Reed keeps things going on a daily basis while others help at the events, including Keith Donnelly, Garry Anderson, Randy Toale, and Dan Sweeney.  The club is supported by local and national sponsors which allows kids to participate in every activity free of charge.  These sponsors include: Colony Heating/AC, Smith D&L Insurance, Buchanan County Wildlife Association, Klever Concrete, Tim Reed State Farm, BankIowa, Cy&Charley’s, Shay’s Minn Kota, RONA Memorial, Hilltop Motors, SCHEELS, The Rod Glove, X-Zone Lures, Lews Rods/Reels, Strike King Lures, and Hot Rod Baits.  The club is able to provide students with fishing gear, life vests and rods/reels with the help of these great sponsors.  

The Indee Bass Club holds four official club tournaments per year to decide the Angler of the Year.  This year those events were held on Lake Okoboji, Lake Delhi and two events on the Wapsipinicon River.  Anglers fish two per boat along with an adult “captain” to help throughout the tournament.  Anglers collect points on their finishes and those are added up for the yearly totals.  This year, like many in the past, came down to the last event at Lake Delhi.  In fifth place overall this year was Carter Eddy.  He placed second, third, third and fifth in the four points events.  In fourth was Ranger Reed, he finished third, fourth, second and third in the 4 events.  In third place was Jackson Beatty, he placed first, second, sixth and first.  Runner-Up was Gable Eddy.  He placed first, second, first and fifth on the year.  Your 2025 Angler of the Year is Colton Cameron.  He placed second, third, first and first in the 4 points tournaments.  Another annual award given each year is the Big Bass of the year.  Gable Eddy takes the honors for 2025 for catching a 5.93 pound largemouth bass at the Okoboji Lakes in April…what a fish! Congratulations to all 32 anglers that fished this year, almost half of them received the “Limit Award” at our annual banquet.  Any angler able to weigh in a limit (typically 3 or 5 bass) receives this award.  Awards winners for 2025 include: Christian SImmons, Will Clark, Ty Hanson, Landen Putbrese, Brayton Kuhse, Preston Miller, Aiden Svoboda, Keegan King, Memphis Peyton, Cal Sweeney, Carter Eddy, Ranger Reed, Colton Cameron, Jackson Beatty and Gable Eddy.  

It was a great night honoring the anglers, families and boat captains that contribute to this club.  So much goes into each and every year and plans are already happening for the 2026 season.  You can find more information about the Indee Bass Club on Instagram, Facebook and their website. 

FALL is HERE

 

Strike King Lures will have
you catching more fish this FALL

The weather has finally changed and FALL is here in Iowa.  It is time to put the flip-flops away and get those hoodies out.  I truly love the month of October for fishing.  Bass start to feed up, panfish start to school up and larger fish like walleye and pike are very active too.  October has a lot of good memories and I look forward to new ones each and every year.  

With the fall season here, it does translate into a some tackle refinements.  Jerkbaits become a mainstay on the boat, they work great for bass this time of year and a walleye will be fooled every once in awhile too.  I also like poppers this time of year.  As the water cools bass will look towards the top of the water column for their next meal.  This doesn't last long but it sure is fun when you can blast some bass on topwater in October.  Spinnerbaits, a bait that I do not use most of the year, becomes my favorite search bait.  I begin fall with large willow leaf blades and as the water cools I will trade the large blades out for smaller blades.   Lastly, a Texas-rigged Hot Rod Baits tube...this bait is good year-round.  

These are my main baits this time of year, a fifth selection would be a crankbait, shallow or medium diver depending on your location.  As you can tell by the bait selections, fish are starting to feed more on smaller fish than crawdads.  Crawdads will soon...if not already...be making their way under some rocks in a state of dormacy for the fall and winter.  Fish love crawdads, but with fewer and fewer of them roaming around all fish species will focus more on smaller fish to fee on.  

If you don't have a few of these baits tied on...you better get to it and get out to your favorite body of water soon.