Shack or Not?

Dropping baits with the Quantum Drive and Jason Mitchell
Dead Meat Stick all while watching the Vexilar,
a great way to spend the day.

When ice fishing comes into a normal conversation between "non-ice anglers" the topic of sitting in a shack all day.  I quickly choose to educate or at least tell them my beliefs on what an ice shack is for.  I explain that I might be in an ice shack 1 or 2 times a year, and prefer to stay outside and roam around to fish.  There are many anglers that love the comforts of a shack and they certainly do have their place.  Just a day ago I found myself venturing onto the ice when the high temperature was 3 degrees, along with 25+ mph winds.  It was the only day of the weekend that I could fish, so I really had no choice, I had to fish!

I packed up my 1-man shack and headed out to the lake to see if the fish could still be found under these tough conditions.  The team of four anglers took to the ice and quickly started to dissect a small flat next to the main lake drop-off.  We quickly started to pick up some fish but I noticed I was missing a lot more bites than the typical yellow bass outing.  When fishing under these severe conditions everything becomes harder.  Whether it is the temperatures affecting our bodies, line flexibility or the wind tricking our bite sensor.  Either way these all will hurt your fish count at the end of the day.  Although we were catching fish, I knew taking cover might give us the advantage.  By taking shelter in the shacks we were able to warm up our extremities, give our line a much needed warm-up and most importantly helped us gain the advantage to seeing the bites on our rods.  More fish catches immediately started to occur.  It wasn't an accident or a coincidence, it was simply getting an advantage over the elements to catch more fish.  After the bite cooled down in that area, we hiked to a different part of the lake that was protected from the harsh wind.  We were able to hop around much easier and stay mobile in this area, continuing to pick up more fish to finish the day.

So far that has been the only hour of the winter that has found me in a shack.  I prefer to move around and cover a lot of territory.  There is no right or wrong way to ice fish, as long as you are having fun and enjoying the outdoors, you are doing thins right.  Fish on my friends and do things the way you like, in the end it is you against fish, and I hope you have a great time doing it.

Northern Iowa Ice

Typically this time of year anglers can pick and choose whatever lake they wish and go have a good time fishing on the ice.  This year is far from that.  Many lakes throughout the state don't have a bit of ice on them, some have portions of ice while most of the lakes in Iowa are not even close to safe ice.  It has been a weird year for ice anglers, as many people have had to cover a lot of miles to travel to Northern Iowa to find safe ice.  Some lakes north of Hwy 20 have survived the several warm spells we have had in Iowa, and are providing great panfish action.  

Recently I fished one of these lakes on two different occasions.  Each time a friend and I hit the lake from around noon until dark.  Almost the same exact times and almost exactly a week a part.  I have fished this lake over the past several years a few times each year.  Each time has yielded almost exact results.  I am not complaining, as each time some real nice bluegills have been caught with a few crappies mixed in as a surprise.  

Each time while visiting this lake the fish have seemed to be tight lipped.  Yes, they can be tricked by using 1 or 2 pound test line, small jigs, and spring bobbers while jumping around 100 or more holes with the Vexilar... but each time I ask myself why?  Why are these fish, at this particular lake, always seem to be in a negative mood in the past 4 years?  Mother Nature has many secrets, and I guess this anomaly is one of them.  I am not sure if the fish will ever be regular fish in this lake, but when that day happens it will most likely be my best day of bluegill fishing ever.  Until then, I will continue to do my best to trick these nice gills into biting.

Okoboji Lake Area

Iowa's prettiest fish: The Pumpkinseed

The Great Lakes of Iowa is truly a destination for all ice anglers in the Midwest.  It is a four hour drive for me, but I try to get here a couple of times each ice season.  While the fishing isn't always as planned, the multitude of lakes gives you many options to try.

This year a group of seven us took to the lake to figure things out and enjoy the thick ice of the Okoboji Chain of lakes.  The first day there we Emerson Bay, this location is known for its nice bluegills.  We were able to find many of these nicer gills along with many other species too; black crappie, perch, walleye, northern pike, and pumpkin seeds were caught that day too.  It was a good first day after driving all morning to get there.  

Just a typical Okoboji Sunrise

As we planned for the next day we were all excited to try for some perch on Spirit Lake.  A member of our group did well the day before in the same general area, so we were anxious to get there.  We all caught some perch in the big basin of Spirit and a few bigger walleyes were caught too.  It didn't

disappoint, but it wasn't as good as the day before.  We decide to move to the northern part of Spirit Lake and fish some shallow water for panfish.  This had everyone moving about, popping holes and catch fish.  It is amazing the ground you can cover when working as a team, we all were using the Vexilar FLX-28 units.  These units are made for hopping around the lake and trying numerous holes within a seconds of each other.  The instant feedback is a must for the shallow, weedy water that we were in.  Jigs and spoons were working on this day, I really think the key was using your Vexilar to find the active pods of weeds where the fish were swimming by.  They were hungry and willing to bite when surrounded by weeds.  As the sun set we were all a bit eager to get off the ice to clean some fish and eat like kings.  Perch fillets were the menu that night, we all ate our share and maybe a little more, it's hard to beat fresh fish, especially after a day of catching them.

A surprise 22-inch Walleye in 6 feet of water

The next day we decided to try and find some yellows on East Lake Okoboji, the entire morning of searching only came up with small perch.  We spent the last afternoon of the trip back in the weeds of Spirit Lake.  It was much of the same as the previous day, which none of us minded at all!  It was a great way to end the day, and the trip; gills, crappies, and perch were all present and dozens went back into the lake for another day.  

A big thanks for everyone fishing on this trip, although the entire group had never fished all together, we worked very well as a group helping each other move around and find fish for all.  I always hate leaving Okoboji, not only because of the 4-hour drive home, but the simple fact that a fisherie of this magnitude does not exist anywhere else in the state...if you haven't been there...GET THERE!

First Ice of 2019-20 season

Mother nature just wouldn't let the ice grow this winter, this might be the latest "first day" in the past decade...nevertheless when ice fishing safety comes first and December 12th was that first day.  I headed out to a local public area and found the ice very nice.  Numerous fish were caught, including the typical three species of gills, crappie and bass. 

It is always a bit magical to walk on the ice, drill those first few holes and watch the Vexilar light up...a feeling that still gets my blood pumping!  Here's to a great ice season, be careful out there!

Fish GUMBO Recipe

I really enjoy fried fish, it is hard to beat a bluegill sandwich smothered with coleslaw.  However, a person can only have so much of the good stuff.  Over the past few years I have shared a few recipes on here that have turned out really well.  A few days ago I tried something a little different once again.  Fish Gumbo; to the side you can see all the ingredients that you will need, and your favorite fillets of course.  I always use Yellow Bass fillets when cooking them into a recipe, they have more "fishy" flavor than a crappie, perch or bluegill and I feel as though that fishy flavor helps create a unique taste after being cooked.  You can use any fillets you like or have around in freezer.  This is very simple and you can have a hot bowl of soup in about 30 minutes. 

How to make Fish Gumbo:
Ingredients needed- 
Bear Creek Gumbo Soup Mix
1 Can of Corn
1 Can of Green Beans
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
16 pieces of fish (8 fish)

~Place fish fillets on tray and cook at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes (Toaster Oven works great)

~When fillets are baked place them on a plate and break them up using a fork to desired size

~Follow the directions on the soup bag

~Add the fillet pieces to the large pot when you add the contents of the bag

~Continue to follow the directions on the bag until finished

This turned out great, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!