By: Matt Johnson Both Northern Minnesota and Southern Minnesota lakes have the potential of growing pound-plus sunfish. Many Northern lakes that are “untapped” will see some excellent large sunfish populations. However, these populations can fluctuate and produce trophy sunfish one year and not produce any the next. Some lakes will experience year classes of stunted…
How much does a trophy sunfish weigh? Is there a length-to-weight way to gauge the weight of a trophy sunfish? What makes a sunfish weigh-out the way it does? Here are a few answers or “theories” to those questions… The weight of a sunfish can definitely vary depending on the time of year and body…
As anglers we find ourselves needing a reason for the decisions we make. We need to justify that the decisions we make will have a positive outcome on our day of fishing. Let’s face it; we don’t want to make decisions that result in a poor day of fishing. So we analyze the situation and…
By: Matt Johnson Modern day society continues to push the mentality of doing things “big” and bold. “Go big or go home” is no longer just a term used on the sports field, but also rather in the office, at the factory, or even in the classroom. We are wired to take things to the…
We make mistakes as anglers, and oftentimes it’s those mistakes that make us sometimes no matter what you do, things don’t seem to go your way. Don’t get discouraged. Bass fishing can be a game of “walking the tightrope,” where Understanding that there are situations where you need to buckle down and take things…
By: Matt Johnson is different for everyone. I’m also sure it can vary depending on the body of water or region you’re fishing in. The answer might be a swim bait for those targeting giant California bass. Or maybe a live red tail minnow for those searching for trophy smallmouth bass on the Mississippi…
By: Jeff Huehn Every year, its a sign. The kids are at the bus stop, sporting their winter coats, mittens, and knit hats. It’s getting colder. Every consecutive morning that the thermometer on the house reads 32 or below, I make the same trek. A trip to the local honey hole, chisel in hand. Hoping…
By: Matt Johnson With so many options out there available to us today, which ice rod do you choose? Species, presentation and personal preference are some ideas to keep in mind when choosing an ice rod. Often times we pick an ice rod based on what species we plan on targeting with it. Let’s take…
By: Matt Johnson Ice anglers have a wide variety of bait available to them, and each type of bait has its place and time. Maggots come in all different shapes and sizes, and recently, even colors. Minnows are a very broad category, and are used throughout the ice fishing season and for almost every species….
By: Matt Johnson Crappies are a sophisticated fish, especially those slabs, and at times it can be rather confusing and frustrating for ice anglers to pinpoint slab patterns. Some lakes are abundant with slab crappies, while others are more inclined to hold smaller fish, and then you have those lakes where you can catch a…
