By: Matt Johnson We’re all familiar with 3-color flashers. We’ve used them for years and they what’s below you and react accordingly is something most of us would never forfeit. It’s to the point now that if we leave our Vexilar at home then we turn around to get it. Fishing is just not the…
By: Matt Johnson What makes an ice angler successful? This question seems complex and out of reach but in fact the answer is probably already under your nose. We spend a lot of time browsing the various Internet websites, reading the latest magazine articles and spending time chatting with fellow anglers and friends trying to…
We once believed that the best kept secrets for targeting winter panfish were shared at local bait shops, church meeting rooms, neighborhood coffee shops; basically those unknown locations where old-timers spend most of their time spewing the tricks of the trade. On the contrary, the modern age has drastically helped define the new set of…
By: Matt Johnson Pinpointing these broad-shouldered sunfish can be an all-day endeavor, but it’s a day well-spent once you hook into a true pounder. Sunfish in the nine to eleven inch range are in a class of their own, and once they surpass that ten-inch mark you’ve got yourself a real trophy. Light-biting, drag squealing,…
By: Matt Johnson Maybe — but it can take some real effort. You have to pull out all the stops and then if you can’t figure out what to get a reaction with then it may be time to move. What top anglers do to get the fish to bite when they don’t want to……
By: Matt Johnson We sometimes get ahead of ourselves when trying to struggle with the nuances that go into understanding fishing electronics. We focus on pixels, watts, power output, all of the things that do nothing but confuse the bulk of the angling population. We stumble into a retail store searching for answers but only…
By: Matt Johnson When thinking about the Metro Area, MN, we oftentimes assume that we’re dealing with small fish and pressured lakes. While both assumptions can (at times) be true, you’re only cheating yourself by pushing the Metro lakes aside. Not only do our Metro lakes hold quality fish, but at times they will hold…
By: Matt Johnson and Tom Zenanko Vexilar, maker of three-color flasher sonar technology, has blended classic Vexilar Flasher performance with a cutting-edge brushless data transfer technology to create a new generation of sonar for anglers: the FLX-28. This addition to the Vexilar lineup is considered the company’s new flagship model and will be a part…
By: Matt Johnson Excuse me? Finessing an aggressive fish, huh? I suppose you’re wondering what that even means and why I’m titling this article in a manner that would contradict itself. Well, believe it or not, but even aggressive-natured fish need a little coaxing at times. Even though the fish are aggressive, it doesn’t mean…
By: Matt Johnson When we think of drop-shotting, we typically think of vertical, finesse fishing over a rock pile or piece of isolated structure. Or maybe even a tactic used to pick-off schooling smallmouth bass along expansive flats. Drop-shotting is without a doubt an effective way to deploy a finesse presentation. But what about casting—or…
