First ICE trip

One of the first fish of the day, a nice crappie that fell to the VEXILAR FLX-28

Yesterday was the first real trip on the ice of the year for me.  I did make it out on the ice the day after Thanksgiving, but that was a shallow, small pond.  It was fun to get out on that pond, but my buddy Kevin and I didn't stay long as the ice was melting/bending quickly.


David Bowles with a BIG gill

December brought in some awesome cold temperatures, and the ice is growing quickly here in Central Iowa.  This has me especially excited because VEXILAR has introduced a new flasher unit this year.  I have used it several times in the boat, but this was the first real test.  One word...FANTASTIC!  I can't wait to get it out on some public lakes with varied structures and depths.  Either way, it is a great unit.
 Three of my ice fishing buddies made it out on a local farm pond this past Sunday.  Mark, David, Brian and I made it out on this pond and were pleasantly surprised to see 5+ inches of clear, solid ice.  Holes were popped very quickly in the deep basin and it didn't take long for the first fish to come above the ice.


Brian with a "foot-long" crappie

  One crappie after another came out of the water to see the falling snow this day.  When the crappies weren't roaming in the deep basin at about 10 feet deep (18-feet of water), then we could catch a few bluegills roaming or coax a few off the bottom to bite.  It was a great first day on the ice with friends.  We have fished a few times before, and it was like a bunch of brothers getting together after a few years apart.  Which, in the end, after the fish are caught and released...isn't it all about good times had with friends?

Hank's Bait and Tackle Ice Fishing Seminar

I was called a month or so ago by Vexilar to do a presentation at this event.  I have always heard of this bait shop, but hadn't visited it for over ten years.  I kept hearing about all the selection they had for open water fishing and ice fishing.  But how good of a selection could they have, they aren't a "big-box" store.  Either way, I had an opportunity to speak to some ice anglers, which is something I always like to do.
I had decided to talk about ice-ducers and what they actually tell us while ice fishing.  I had a few pictures to aid my presentation and help the viewers understand.  I was looking forward to this opportunity.
As I pulled up the address, I thought my GPS was wrong...this can't be the area???  However, it was, I couldn't believe that I had to park about 2 blocks away from the store, I was shocked.  This was only the beginning, as I walked closer to the store front...I realized that this was no little bait shop.  This place was huge.  I walked into the store and realized I was one of about 150 people.  I was once again blown away.  I immediately started to look around and once again...WOW, the selection at this place is better than any "big-box" store I have ever been to for ice equipment.  The amazement didn't stop there.


A FULL spread of ice shacks at Hank's Bait and Tackle, don't guess
which brand you will like, go see them all at HANK'S.

I was directed to Mike Everett, the store manager.  I have crossed paths with Mike for a few years at some bass tournaments, always a nice person to chat with.  I'm not sure where Mike found his staff for his store, but I'm not sure there is another store that has more knowledge about fishing anywhere.  So, if you are looking for any fishing equipment, especially ice equipment, this is the place to check out.  The selection is better, and the sales staff is more knowledgeable than anywhere to will ever find.  A real gem for this part of the state.  If you haven't visited it lately, or ever, put it on your list.

Hank's has every model of Vexilar out to see,
so you can make a choice on which model is best for you.

Now for the actual event. Hank's Bait and Tackle managed to get Professional Angler Tommy Skarlis (www.fishtommy.com), Shawn Knodt of Striker fishing (www.strikerbrands.com), and Scott Reed from Berkley (www.berkley-fishing.com).  This will most likely be the best group of reps at any ice fishing show in Iowa this year.  Again, I was amazed, and honored to be in this select group.  Seminars ran every 20-30 minutes, and anglers were able to ask questions and demo products.  Have I mentioned that Hank's B&T has everything ice fishing???  Just so you have an idea, here is a list of some things I noticed; at least 3 different brands of augers, numerous brands of ice shacks, every single model of Vexilar and all the accessories you will ever need for them.  Selection which is second to NONE in this state.  Hot food, and cold drinks were served, and it was a good thing, as some anglers stayed the entire time, from 4pm-9pm.  This event was huge, and immediately following the event, Mike was already talking about how to make it even next year. 
Enjoy your time on the ice, and if you have an open day, visit Hank's Bait and Tackle for all your fishing needs.  www.fishhanks.com

November Bass Fishing

Hot Rod Baits Tubes, hard to beat in the fall.

Every year in October, and November my mind and body are at a tug-a-war.  On one end of the rope I have the need to keep fishing from the boat for bass.  The other end of the rope is preparing the ice fishing gear, and watching the 20-day forecast to see how many nights are below freezing.  You might say that no matter what day of the year it is, I want to be catching fish.
The days are numbered for fishing in the boat, so I try to make every one count as much as I can.  This past weekend, November 9th, my friend Ken Lunsford and I made plans for a quick one-day trip to Pool 9 of the Mississippi River.  Ken, might love fishing as much as I do, I know he loves bass fishing as much as I do, which is pretty rare.  He is always up for a trip to chase bass at any time of the year.  The weather was predicting wind, up to 30mph, but temperatures right around 50 degrees.  We just "had" to go one last time.

Ken Lunsford showing a nice largemouth
 that hit a crankbait

We left Friday evening for an over night stay in Prairie Du Chein.  We were up early on Saturday morning to head north to Pool 9.  The weather was spot on, except the wind was suppose to blow from the west, which set up perfect for the areas I wanted to cover.  However, most of the day the wind swirled from every direction.  We made the best of it, and covered as much water as we could.  We ended up fishing a lot of the time in the Desoto area of Wisconsin, but spent awhile near Lansing also.  We caught between 40 and 50 bass, all largemouth.  Three baits did the damage on the day, a medium diving crankbait (bright colors), a small jig and chunk, and a Hot Rod Baits Green Pumpkin/Blue tube.  Most bass were in the 13-17 inch range, topping out at about 2.75#.
A great little trip, most likely the last time in the boat for me... but I always have ICE FISHING to look forward to.

Cedar Valley Anglers of the Year

It is official, by one little point, or one place in a tournament, we (Trent Beier and I) won the Cedar Valley Anglers of the Year award.  At the beginning of the year, it was our goal.  We wanted to fish every tournament together and see where things fell into place.  We did it, and are very happy with our results.  In the five tournaments that counted towards the standings, we got a 4th place, a 3rd place, a 2nd place and finished 1st, two times.  It was great to get the final confirmation that the numbers were in our favor...a job well done!

Last tournament of the 2013 year

The last event of the year took us north to Pool 8 on the Mississippi River in Lacrosse, Wisconsin.  Neither one of us had ever fished this stretch of the river in the fall of the year.  We did some homework, and had some areas that we wanted to focus on.  A few areas were a complete bust, but some panned out to pretty good.  We found some bass close to the main river, and we found some bass back in the backwaters too.  We had some variety and we were feeling pretty good about things that night. 
Saturday night brought in the first big cold-front of the fall.  In fact, frost covered the boat in the morning, and we knew that would change things. 
Sunday brought cold temperatures, and a lot less fish biting.  We caught a few fish in several areas, and managed 3 keepers.  Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Hot Rod Baits tubes caught the keepers.  We finished in the middle of pack, and were disappointed. We fished six Cedar Valley Bassmaster club tournaments throughout the year, and the last one ended up being the worst one.  Not what we had planned.  We were also in the running for Anglers of the Year too.  With the standings so close, Jason Eastman, and the team of Andy Sommerfelt and Mike Everett had great seasons too.  We left the event and no one knew who would end up on top of the standings. The long drive home only stirred the emotions and thoughts for the entire year.  Tournament fishing can really test you physically and this drive was testing me mentally too!  Not just about the mediocre tournament finish, or the close angler of the year race, but one again, a good friend and I were going in opposite directions once again.
My partner, Trent Beier and I entered the weekend of October 12th knowing that this would be the last time we would see each other for quite a while.  Trent lives just outside of Chicago, that puts him over 300 miles away, and 5 hours of road time.  Although we might act like brothers when we are together, we rarely see each other away from the Mississippi River.  Fishing is not only a fun thing to do, but it brings a couple high school friends together that would probably only talk on the phone a few times a year without the quest of chasing bass.

This picture was at the first tournament of the year, the first step of a year-long journey.