We WON the 2022 Clear Lake Yellow Bass Bonanza

 This annual event is one that has lasted the test of time.  In the world of ice fishing, tournaments come and go just as the ice freezes and melts away in the spring, this one has stood the test of time.  I believe this was the 10th year in existence of the event held by the folks at Clear Lake Bait and Tackle and owner Kevan Paul.  The past couple of years attendance at this event has dwindled for numerous reasons, however the competition of the event has not faltered.   This year 41 teams put up the entry fee for an all-out Yellow Bass brawl on Clear Lake.  

My partner, David Gissel and I took off to Clear Lake early Saturday morning to look over the vast area of Clear Lake for the first time this year.  We immediately started to find a few yellow bass in the "big lake" area.  We quickly searched the water column from 5 feet deep out to about 9 feet deep.  We marked four good areas, some holding the giant 11+ inch yellow bass that Clear Lake grows.  One of those areas had a swarm of fish on it, we knew we had found something special because the other 3 areas did not have many fish, but the quality was much better.  We ended the day on the "little lake" searching areas that had fish in the previous years.  To my surprise we never saw anything that sparked our attention.  As 3pm rolled around we were off the lake per the tournament rules.  We prepared our rods, reels and baits for the next morning and made sure we had everything charging before we grabbed some dinner.

The morning of the tournament is always a little nerve-racking, the juices were flowing and the both of us could not wait to get our baits in the water at our first spot that contained the most numbers of yellow bass we found on Saturday.  As we drove to our first spot I was pleasantly surprised with no other team being there and nobody following behind us.  It was ours for the taking.  David quickly popped about a dozen holes as I grabbed the Vexilar FLX30 and Jason Mitchell DeadMeat Rod/Quantum Drive reel to begin fishing.  After looking at the first three holes and seeing no movement, I got a little nervous.  However, it was the forth hole that the Vexilar was alive with fish.  I quickly settled in and started to put some yellows on the ice.  The fish were hungry and a jigging spoon was what they wanted.  The both of us spent the next two hours catching fish and drilling more holes to stay on top of fresh fish.  On this particular weekend the yellows were buried in the weeds.  Having the Vexilar FLX30 turned to Medium power at the 180 frequency made all the difference in seeing the fish.  The medium power cut enough of the clutter to show me the active fish and how they were reacting to my jigging cadence.  We ended up with over 30 yellow bass at this first stop, most over the 9-inch mark with a few giants well over 10 inches.  We decided to go try our other areas that had some bigger fish, but not as plentiful.  Over the next hour or so we picked up a few bigger yellow bass to make our limit of 25 a good one.  

I have fished this event eight times, all the way back to when there were over 300 teams at the event.  I knew that today would be another top five finish.  I was a bit surprised that when everyone was done at the scales that we ended up on top with 13.64 pounds of yellow bass.  Friends Chad Angell and Josh Sansgaard were right behind us with 11.58 pounds.  The third place team of Minor/Gavin brought in a total of 5.94 pounds.  It was quite a surprise to end up on top, it was also quite a payday; including prizes valuing around $3,000 for us.  It was one of those rare tournaments that the plan that we had actually came together better than we had hoped.  

The event organizer is probably going to take this event in another direction for 2023.  I hope it isn't the last Yellow Bass tournament at Clear Lake, but if it is, myself and my two partners have had a heck of ride the past eight years.  We have tallied seven top 20 finishes and three in the top 5.  It was awesome to share this event with two great anglers and two great friends; Jacy Large and David Gissel.

The "SPOT" on the Spot

It is not common in the world of fishing when anglers find that perfect "spot".  When you do, it is often called the "spot on the spot" and it is an amazing day.  Typically, a general area where fish are living or actively feeding, anglers will reel them in with consistency.  Most anglers are happy with this as it makes for a great day on the water or the ice.   However, a recent trip to the ice proved to be one of those unique opportunities to fish on "the spot".   

I was fishing with four other anglers on this particular weekend.  Saturday was a great day of hole drilling and hole hopping, scooping up nice bluegills and the occasional crappie.  While hopping around from hole to hole I noticed a three-foot difference in depth at a few holes.  Most holes were reading 24 feet of water on the Vexilar, while a few had 27 feet of water.  In this 1/2-acre area I also noticed a buildup of fish on the ice around these deeper holes.  I decided to drill out the area with a dozen or so holes and started to picture in my mind what the floor of the lake actually looked like.  I referenced three different contour maps of this area, but they did not note any significant difference in bottom contours.  I/we, from fishing and drilling were able to find an old creek channel that these fish were constantly cruising in.  That three-foot drop in depth was the perfect highway for these fish, and we had found it.  We zeroed in on a 50-foot stretch of the channel that afternoon and our rate of catch increased.   Jigs and spoons worked very well all day for us, for the best times of the day, no bait was needed on the spoon, making for repeated catches.  Hole hopping requires some special tools that I would like to mention.  Utilizing a 36-inch Dead Meat Rod and the Quantum Drive size 10 spinning reel made for moving to one hole to another and dropping down quickly a simple/effortless task.

That night we discussed our plan for the next morning, which had the temps well below zero for the real feel.  Two guys went to try some shallower water that morning and the remaining three of us settled in our shacks for a 3-hole approach.  We found the spot on the spot the day before and I knew that the fish would be there.  I drilled 3 holes, one for each of us on the channel that morning.  The three of us had constant action of bluegills and crappies for the next four hours, and it didn't take long for the others to follow suit.  We kept a few meals to be cleaned and released many more back to the lake that morning.  It was one of those rare instances that we had found "the spot on the spot" that led to catch after catch.  What a great weekend of panfishing it made for the five of us, and a few meals in the freezer of some delicious panfish to boot.  

2021 Indee Bass Club Awards Banquet

The Indee Bass Club held its first ever awards banquet in the 6 years of existence on January 30th.  Coaches Todd Reed and Keith Donnelly greeted the students, parents and family members with snacks and refreshments.  It was a night to celebrate many things that occurred over the past fishing season as well as how the club came to be. 

Back in the winter of 2016 two students were working on a class project on how to improve the school.  Jackson Toale and Keegan Postel came up with the idea of starting a bass club.  After talking with several High School staff, they were sent to their current coach, Todd Reed.  The club was off and running by the next spring and anglers took to the water in the first ever Indee Bass Club event in April of 2017.  The idea from a class project sure has gained speed over the years, as a result Jackson and Keegan were given Co-Founders plaques for their efforts.  

Many other awards were given out this night too.  In each bass fishing tournament anglers are allowed to bring in a "limit" of bass.  That limit is set by the tournament rules and can vary from event to event.  Typically it is five bass that anglers are hoping to catch and bring to the scales to weigh in and then release back to the river or lake.  It is the ultimate each day of a tournament.  This year there were 16 students that were part of catching a limit, they include; EJ Miller, Sam Hamilton, Caleb Weber, Justin Schmadeke, Hunter Patton, Gable Eddy, Jackson Wolf, Cam Wilson, Remy Ressler, Dalton Hoover, Teegan McEnany, Carter Cameron, Cal Sweeney, Ranger Reed and Jackson Toale.  At each event the Big Bass Award is given out.  However, at the awards banquet the biggest bass of 2021 was awarded.  This 3.07# smallmouth bass was caught by Gable Eddy on the Wapsipinicon river.  Lastly, was the first ever Angler of the Year awards.  Like other sports, the angler of the year is accomplished by catching bass and accumulating points at each event.  Ten points are given for a first place finish, nine points for a second place finish, eight points for a third place finish and so on all the way down to one point.  Coming in at the 3rd Place spot was 8th Grader McAllister Sweeney with 28 points.  Ranger Reed, another 8th Grader took the Runner-Up spot in the Angler of the Year race with 31 points.  Senior Jackson Toale was crowned the 2021 Angler of the Year, he accumulated 35 points over the four tournaments.  Complete results and pictures can be seen on the club website, just search Indee Bass Club. 

Jackson Toale / Ranger Reed / Cal Sweeney

The night was a great night to celebrate the anglers, families and sponsors that make this club possible.   Sponsors for the Indee Bass Club include; Colony Heating/Plumbing/Air Conditioning, Buchanan County Wildlife Association, Bank Iowa, Klever Concrete, Hank's Bait and Tackle, Scheels of Cedar Falls, Quantum Rods and Reels, The Rod Glove, and Hot Rod Baits Bass Series.  All these sponsors help create an atmosphere that students can learn about the outdoors, learn and follow DNR laws, water safety, how to be stewards of our waters and land, and of course the chance to enjoy a great day in the outdoors fishing.  What a great way to end the 2021 fishing season, and I think all involved are excited about the upcoming 2022 Indee Bass Club Season.  You can find the Indee Bass Club on Facebook, Instagram and our club website.

Mid-Winter Blues? This will fix it

This article appears in the February 2022 Issue of The Iowa Sportsman Magazine

As the crisp and frigid air chills your body, snow covers the landscape as far as you can see, the sight is somewhat magical on this late January/early February day.  However, as you drive to your ice fishing destination that beautiful sight reminds you that you are smack-dab in the middle of the “winter blues”.  The winter blues occur each winter when ice fishing becomes the most difficult of the season.  As anglers venture through this part of the winter they must change things up to be able to continue having success on the ice.  Here are a few things that I focus on more during this challenging time:

Change #1- This is a great time in the ice fishing season to change your line.  Line is a critical part of any ice fishing set up, and people that fish a lot will tell you that it is as important or more important than the reel you use.  Fresh line will increase the sensitivity of your presentation.  Anglers will be able to detect bites much better with new line as it will not be coiled and have memory from past days on the ice.  If panfish are your target, two-pound test line is plenty, if you are chasing walleyes and bass with larger baits, then a six-pound test line on your reel would be a good choice for those species.  

Change #2-  When fish become lethargic, like they do every winter during this time, it is time to finesse them.  Using smaller baits will definitely increase the number of bites you will get and in turn help you catch more fish.  Small jigs such as 2mm tungsten or tiny lead jigs are a good start.  You also have to change the way you bait your jig too.  During this time, I may only use one euro larvae (also known as spikes) or a part of a waxworm.  Some ice fishing plastics have great scent, and can be terrific to lure in more fish.  However, in this mid-winter slump you must trim those plastics to entice your next bite.  A lot of ice fishing plastics are way too large to trick a panfish during this time, a quick trim before you slide it on the jig will have you catching more fish.

Change #3-  Fish have been under the ice for a couple of months now.  Hundreds if not thousands of anglers have been walking and riding around on the ice trying to find the next best spot to fish.  Many areas, also known as community spots have been beaten up with hundreds of holes, popular brush piles rank very high on this list of old holes and high pressure.  All this commotion and constant action on and below the ice will make the fish cautious.  This time of year, like no other, is the time to venture away from the crowds.  Even on the smallest of lakes scattered throughout Iowa, there are good areas to fish that may not have a hole drilled on them.  Sometimes just going 20-40 yards away from the popular fishing areas can land you on some fresh fish that have not been pressured. These fish will be more apt to like your baits and bite.  Finding small areas away from the poplar crowded areas have resulted in many good days during this mid-season lull.

Change #4- Like mentioned in the last paragraph, anglers are subject to repeat themselves and go to similar areas time after time.  In this mid-season lull for fish, it is time again to open the lake map up once again.  Fish become lethargic this time of year due to oxygen levels which is most likely caused by snow cover.  Fish still need to follow their prey to eat, they must survive.  In doing so, many times during the mid-winter fish will gather around tight contour lines.  When looking at a contour map you want to find the lines that are tight to each other.  These lines represent a steep drop in the lake bottom.  These areas, also referred to as “drops” are great for fish because they can explore many different depths of water by only adjusting their swim bladders, using little to no energy.  These drops also become the highways of fish during the winter.  They can travel up and down them and follow them to explore different areas of the lake while maintaining quick access to deep and shallow water.  The Iowa DNR has maps on their website and their phone app.  Another great app is the Navionics Mapping, which uses your GPS on your phone to pinpoint exactly where you are.  There is a cost to this app, but it is worth every penny.  Look to the contours for your next “out of the way” ice fishing spot.

Change #5- Be mobile.  It can be crucial to move around the lake this time of year.  Finding those out of the normal places, fresh fish that haven’t been pressured for two months and getting your bait in front of as many fish as possible a day will increase your catch.  This can be a lot of work, especially if there is snow on the ice.  Many ice anglers like to sit and wait for the fish to come to them.  Some days this works, while most days it does not.  You will give yourself the best chance during any ice fishing trip, especially one this time of year, if you try many different areas.  Make sure and include structure; like drops, points, brush piles and weeds in your search.  These are the typical places where fish will live, however figuring out the depth that they prefer that day will include a lot of holes in the ice.

Adaptation is a part of survival, fish this time of year are in survival mode.  They need proper oxygen, a constant food source and safety from predators.  These 5 changes will allow you to track down hungry fish and be successful catching in the toughest time of the year to ice fish.  As always, please stay safe on the ice, travel with a partner and have safety equipment like a rope, flotation device and ice picks if anything terrible may occur.  

SPOONING Time

 That past two weekends have been fantastic bites on the ice.  It is a great time of year to brave the elements and hunt down fish, there is no better tool than a spoon to do so.  Moving quickly from one hole to another and dropping your offering to those lines on the Vexilar will soon have your favorite pole bent.   Perch and crappies tend to roam, working together with some friends can really make a big difference.  By working together and covering a lot of area will keep those moving fish under you.  Dropping spoons quickly down the water column and jigging up some fish will keep your team happy.  There have been days that no bait is needed on the spoon, however adjustments are a big part of fishing and you let the fish tell you what they want.  After catching a few fish from the school, any species of fish will get wary of the situation.  When this occurs tipping that spoon with a few spikes or mashing a waxworm on the treble hook will get you a few extra bites.  

When hunting fish down with spoons the right rod and reel combo are a must, here is one combo that has been very successful for me the past few years.

Moving and Grooving with Spoons Rod/Reel Setup:

Jason Mitchell Dead Meat Rod in the 36inch model, paired with a size 10 Quantum Drive reel

This combo lets you hop from hole to hole and drop the spoon very quickly to get those roaming fish. 

 

Enjoy these great fishing days, the winter "lull" is around the corner!