Keep Looking for the KEY

 

Recently a friend and I visited a lake we had never been too.  We were in search of bluegills, as the lake had a good population of them.  The lake has numerous brushpiles, which are magnets for panfish in the winter.  We had a game plan to attack the lake on this morning which included looking at some main lake points, many brushpiles and a few "flats".  After a couple of hours our game plan was not producing very well, a few fish here, a few fish there...did I mention is was below zero???  We were getting frustrated with the lack of fish we were seeing with the Vexilars, as well as the negative mood of the fish, probably due to the massive cold front.  After covering our game plan...which was unimpressive at best, we decided to spread out and try a couple different areas before we headed home.  After checking the lake map again, I decided to go shallower than we had fished all morning, David went to try a deep drop-off.  After drilling several holes and checking with the Vexilar, I found some movement.  I settled into the shack, as I could barely feel my fingers at this point.  

I was using the new Vexilar FLX-38 on this day.  I had settled in about 12 feet of water.  Like always when fishing bluegills I had the zoom feature turned on to the bottom 6 feet of the water column.  I had noticed an irregularity in the bottom reading when looking at the zoom.  It was not solid, so I began to fine tune.  With a couple clicks I had figured out quickly why bluegills were swimming around a foot above the bottom.  I changed the power to the Medium1 setting (there are 3 settings for each; Low, Medium, High) and increased the frequency (or cone angle) to 190.  This allows you to see a wider picture of what is below you.  This allowed me to see the fish coming in and rise above the weeds to hit my jig.  A few different colored jigs worked, plastics worked well, as well as spikes.  I knew I had weeds below me by the reading on the Vexilar, however I really wanted to see what was down the hole that had so many bluegills swimming by.  I dropped a mini camera down and it was as I suspected.  Nice tall weeds covering this shallow flat.  This discovery of weeds with he Vexilar turned our day around, and placed a lake onto our regular schedule.  What was an "OK" day of fishing turned into a GREAT day of fishing.  The FLX-38 has been great this year, I really like the fine tuning an angler can do quickly to find structure as well as focus on the smaller details that fish pay attention to.

There is a lot more information on the Vexilar site about all the great options they have: www.vexilar.com .  You can purchase directly from them or take a look at the Cedar Falls SCHEELS store to get you on the ice quickly with all the gear you will ever need.

Okoboji BLUEGILLS

 The Okoboji Lakes are a treat no matter what season it may be.  This past weekend I traveled north with four ice fishing friends to chase down the big bluegills that make their home in West Okoboji.  This lake is known to be a tough one to fish because the water can be very clear, giving the fish the advantage.  We did not know what to expect as there was little to no information on the ice conditions or what the bite was like.  Come Saturday morning, we were on the hunt for bluegills. 

When fishing West lake Okoboji in the winter, one thing has been a constant for the past 20 years, find green weeds and you will find bluegills.  We were in Emerson Bay, one of the first places that freezes in this large lake, matter of fact, a lot of the lake was still water.  We searched and searched and finally settled in an area that was about nine-feet deep with plenty of weeds.  The bluegills were on the prowl and they were activity feeding throughout the day.  There were lulls here and there, but for the most part the bite was fantastic.  Sight fishing is a blast, and if you want to maximize your catches on West Lake Okoboji it is the only way to fish.  Those that have fished the lake know exactly what I am speaking of, those that haven't it is really hard to explain.  Imagine looking down a hole in the ice and seeing every grain of sand, pebble, and leaf of coontail weeds that are nine-feet below you.  That is West Lake Okoboji.  You can see very fish come up to your bait and watch them suck your bait in.  I do like to use my Vexilar to give me an early warning that fish are in the area, once I see the fish on the Vexilar then it is time to watch hose crafty gills come and eat.  It is truly an experience that is hard to imagine...one really needs to experience it.  The water this year may have one of the clearest I have every seen it.  With this water clarity comes some challenges too.  The fish can obviously see everything.  Your jig, bait, and line are all easily detected by the fish, so anglers that want to catch a lot of fish must adapt or they will be left behind.  If you can figure things out, it can be pretty easy to get a bunch of panfish to enjoy for dinner, remember that there is a 25 fish limit on bluegills per day, when they are biting you can really sill your bucket quickly! 😃

Two large Pumpkin Seeds

TIPS: a few tips for those heading that direction this winter.  One-pound test line is a must when fishing for these clever bluegills.  Using a proper "sight fishing" rod is another thing that is a must for your own comfort.  I prefer a rod that is between 14 and 17 inches long.  I always use a "schooley" reel for this finesse presentation as well, it minimizes line twist. Small jigs...use the smallest of jigs you have, most days a 3mm jig is too big, smaller the better.

We all got our fill of sight fishing on Saturday and decided to try Spirit Lake for perch.  We were only able to catch a few smaller ones and I did land a nice walleye.  We ended the day back sight fishing for more gills, they were still very cooperative, it was a fun way to end the day.

The Okoboji Lakes are a great place to visit, between all of us we caught the following species: bluegills, pumpkin seeds, black crappie, walleye, perch, largemouth bass and northern pike.  It was a great weekend with wonderful weather and cooperative bluegills...I can't wait to get back there and do it all again!

What VEXILAR is best for you?

The Vexilar FLX-28

Ice fishing season is here and it is time to hit the ice!  Vexilar, the most popular ice fishing electronics anglers use have once again produced a new model, the FLX-38.  Each and every year, even when they do not showcase a new model, the question always arises, "What Vexilar is best for me?"  This is a hard question to answer without getting information from the angler.  I will try to break it down in three types of anglers that I typically see here in Iowa.  As always, it is best to talk directly to me if you want more details, I can also tell you best places to get you set up on the ice quickly with a new Vexilar.

Sit and Wait: This type of angler typically goes out and sits in one particular area of the lake or river and waits for the fish to come to them.  This is by far the most relaxing way to ice fish.  However, if you seem to lean this way in your ice fishing, then a Vexilar FLX-12 will be just what you need.  This model, like all Vexilars come with the bright 3 color display.  This model has the has a low power feature (great for shallow weeds) and a night viewing mode.  This has some features and is perfect for those wanting to sit and fish with little to no adjustments needed throughout the entire day.

Mover/Shaker: These anglers are the ones that continually move throughout the day in search of the next bite.  Whether on foot or vehicle, they may only stay for a few minutes until they are on the move again.  Anglers with this much energy tend to fish with a lot of detailed information.  This could be waypoints or areas on a map that are of high interest, or following contours.  These anglers would benefit using a Vexilar FLX-20 or Vexilar FLX-28.  The additional component these units bring anglers is the zoom function.  With a quick adjustment anglers can zoom in on the bottom six or twelve feet of the water column.  This is a big benefit to bluegill and perch anglers.  Another nice feature for the constant mover is on the 28 model, the auto option for depth.  Anglers can place the switch on "auto" and the FLX-28 adjusts the bottom to fit on your screen.  You do not need to manually set how deep you may be in.  This is great for hopping around a lot of holes, as the LED readout also displays the depth.  

Fine-Tuner: Anglers are that always looking for that advantage with technology will love the FLX-30 and FLX-38.  These units were designed with the fine-tune angler in mind.  Both of these units have a low, medium and high power settings.  They also include seven different sonar frequencies, creating a super transducer that can be adjusted in 21 different ways.  These adjustments are minute and to the average angler probably won't be seen or cared about, however they are perfect for the guy that loves to tinker and get things set perfectly for their fishing situation.  The 30 and 38 have all the other niceties that Vexilar customers have some to love, zoom, night mode, and fine tuning depth control.  

Fine tuning bluegills in the weeds
with the Vexilar FLX-30

As with any technology, it is only good to the user can control and use it.  Vexilar offers 7 different models of ice fishing sonars, there is one that is perfect for you.  There are many other options on the above mentioned sonars, and I would be glad to help you sort through what is best for you or a family member.  Prices can vary from about $300 to $800 for the top models.  Get ahold of me for the perfect fit, I will lead yo to the best unit for the type of fishing that you will be doing.  

Have a great ice season...and be safe out there!

The Last Time on the Boat for 2024

 

Today marked the last time in the boat for the 2024 season, I think.  The winter weather is forecasted to come in very quickly on Wednesday and remain cold and windy throughout the 10-day forecast.  I am a bit sad, like all years to put the long rods away for the year, however I am so ready for the ice fishing season.  The last ice fishing season was the shortest of my life, lasting only 6 weekends.  Hopefully this year will be much different and "back to normal" with 3 months of ice fishing here in Iowa.

The day of fishing went about the same as a typical late November day on the Wapsi River.  Fishing slow and catching smallmouth bass around rocky structures.  I caught a few nice smallies on a homemade finesse jig and the others on a leadhead with a small plastic trailer.  Nothing fancy, but it is just what the smallies want this time of year.  It always amazes me how much these smallmouth bass fight.  I caught several pike and five walleyes on this day too.  In the matter of second or two, I knew when I had a smallie on.  Even with the water temperature at 46-degrees, these brown beasts just keep on fighting.  It was a great day, but sadly the last chasing these fish for awhile.  Hopefully, I will be on to ICE FISHING soon!

The Fall Bite

A Strike King shallow running
crankbait on a Lew's KVD
Cranking Combo

 Each and every year I anticipate the season of fall, not to hunt, like many outdoors people, but to fish the fall bite.  I enjoy fishing river systems throughout the year, but there is no better time than fall to hit them.  The water becomes clear, the current is moderate and typically the water levels are stable.  All of these factors help the fish to feed up before WINTER appears.  You can catch bass on a lot of different baits this time of year, however as that water temperature dips below 50-degrees some baits fade off into the tackle box not to be seen until spring.  As of writing this, water temps are hanging just above the 50-degree mark in area rivers.  The warm sunshine and moderate nighttime temperatures have not started a big cool-down yet.  This will most likely happen this coming week, if the forecast holds.

Lately on the rivers a few baits have really shined, crankbaits and jigs.  This 1-2 combination has been great for smallmouth and largemouth bass, as well as the occasional walleye and pike.  The next time out I expect the crankbait bite to disappear as the water temperature dips below 50 degrees.  This isn't a definite, but a trend I have seen in the past.  Sunshine and wind plays a big role in the bite this time of year too, as both really tend to fire fish up to feed during this cold weather.  Jerkbaits, swimbaits and finesse style baits will take the place of crankbaits as the water temperature dips into the forties (a jig and Texas-Rigged tube are always on my boat this time of year).  Paying attention to water temperature is only 1 key to success this time of year.  You must pay attention to the fish, how they bite, where they bite in relation to the structure.  Taking in all these considerations will put more fish in the boat this time of year.  

Get out there and enjoy the fall, there may only be a week or two left until the "winter" temperatures appear.  

Accidental Walleye catches sure make
a great meal this time of year.