its just a rat tail jig made by a guy from milwaukee, I don’t think he has a website. I really think any jig would work, I don’t think they are a magic bait.

Tanner Wildes

what you are seeing out there are cisco’s in the evening they move to the surface out in the middle of the lake feeding on plankton and insects on the surface. The arcs you are marking on you locator on the bottom is more than likely going to be walleye, there will be some walleye below the thermocline out there hugging the bottom. you can catch them with a bottom bouncer and crawler harness.

Hope this helps you out.

Good Luck,
Tanner Wildes

I would strongly recommend a lakewood tackle box, I have some that I use everyday, standing on them and beating them up for 10 years now and still work great! I would not suggest using a clear box, the heat will cause your plastic baits to start bubbling, and it will start to fade your baits in the sun. Just what I have noticed.

Thanks,
Tanner Wildes

I use the gulp alive minnow heads all the time when tipping my slender spoons and other jigs for walleye. I have also tipped them with the 1″ minnows too with just as good of luck, most times the gulp will out produce an actual minnow head, but once in a great while the actual minnow head will out produce, I don’t know why or when, but it does.

Hope this helps,

Tanner Wildes

Tom,
I have a number of core lakes that I fish, and explore out from there, yesterday we actually went to two other lakes, one my buddy and I never fished before, and we punched holes for about an hour and never marked a fish so we took off to another lake, which I have not fished all season, found some suspended fish at it, but both times we did by the time we got set up on them, they moved, I think afterwords now that they spooked off when I pulled my truck closer to the holes. I would assume they were crappies, I have seen them do that before. But like I said I am always moving around checking out new water, and lakes that I have neglected lately too.

Hope this helps.

Tanner Wildes

I would strongly recommend the 825, great unit, and it is now a brighter display so it is easier to see outside, great unit, I use mine just about everyday!

Tanner Wildes

I personally haven’t but I know a lot of guys catch them there, especially upstream

Tanner

nice work!!!

no I didn’t I was out of town most of the time they were up, just got out last night for a couple hours.

tanner

I put on either the Frabill tip-up line or my old musky line which is cortland master braid 80 pound test, use nothing less than 20 pound test, then use a light 7 strand live bait rig with about a number 6 or 8 hook on it.

Tanner Wildes

I just got an auger rack from cycle country they were at the ice show, it was pretty inexpensive, and I mounted in in about 10 minutes top! Works great so far, I really love it, they have a ton of ice fishing accessories for your atv. Check them out!

Tanner Wildes

Great stuff!!!

I strongly recommend the LX-5 with the interference reduction, and 3/4″ target seperation, on top of the adjustable zoom, by far the best unit out there!

Good Luck,
Tanner Wildes

I really feel you can’t go wrong with the Frabill line of ice rods, they put out a great product, and at a great price. I like the Bro Micro light, with a frabill spring bobber on it for fishing in the shack for panfish, and if I am hole hopping the Bro quick tip works great! You really can’t go wrong with the frabill ice rods at all.

Good Luck,
Tanner Wildes

Custom Jigs and Spins is my best jigging spoon by far, I like the 1/8 oz size for most situations. I also really like the Vertiglo tackle Lighning spoon in both 1/8 and 1/4 oz size, for color it all depends on the water you are fishing, I really like the rainbow in the Vertiglo spoons and silver with blue on the slender spoons.

Hope this Helps!
Good luck,
Tanner Wildes

I love the Frabill tip-up lights, I use them almost every day of ice fishing, and the batteries last me at least a year. Pretty inexpensive and durable. I love them, I also put reflective tape on both sides of the flag too.

Tanner Wildes

I agree with what most people are saying, get the Marcum Flasher or showdown first, a lot more versatile to use, very important tool. But I use my Macum VS825sd camera for a lot of uses, its not just for fun, even though it is. I like the camera because it tells me the depth, and I can see if there are fish there, or around me, and what the structure is, I can see pockets in the weeds, a weed change up, a school of fish that is 20-30 feet away, or find the exact edge of the weeds or a bottom change up, some of this stuff you can do with a flasher, but most not, or as quickly as you can with a flasher. I use both, and would really try to find a way to swing both, using the combo will get a lot more fish on the ice when used properly!

Hope this helps

Tanner Wildes

P.S. Just saw Round Lake is frozen over, I would imagine all the big lakes got locked up now, not long now till we are out on them!

Tanner Wildes

I will be there saturday with Marcum. Stop by and say hi!

Tanner Wildes

you should be fine on the smaller lakes, I know around hayward the smaller lakes are re-freezing after the warm weather earlier in the week. you should have 3-4 inches or more on the smaller lakes, the big lakes around here are still open though.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck,
Tanner Wildes

I’ll be there saturday with Marcum. Looking forward to it!

Tanner Wildes

actually you wouldn’t believe it, by buddies that work for the DNR in wisconsin when doing stomach analysis and I have found them in walleye stomachs too, it is one of the most common bait found in walleye stomachs. I know I started using them last year.

Tanner Wildes

For tip-up line I usually use my old musky line, cortland mater braid in 80 pound test. For walleye I use a leader made of Berkley vanish fluorocarbon in 10 or 14 pound test that is about 2-3 feet long, a bit longer that needed probably but I know I am going to be re-tying a lot. For pike I use the same line with a seven strand leader that is about a foot long.

Good Luck,
Tanner Wildes

Around hayward, I use shiners for pike, and suckers for walleye. I have never had that much luck with shiners for walleye, even though a few people say they do. I like the shiners for pike because of all the flash they put off.

Good Luck,
Tanner Wildes

no your right, I did not explain my self correctly. I trap them out of a stream right where it hits the lake itself, especially in the spring time, when the baitfish from the lake will head up the stream to spawn. Thank you! sorry I did not explain myself correctly the first time.

Tanner Wildes

We do really well night fishing for both crappie and walleye all season long, usually we see a good flurry of activity right at sunset to first dark, then might hit a bit of a lull for about 30-45 min, then it will be pretty consistant the rest of the night. Fishing the same spots you would during the daytime, weed edges, rock bars, etc. Catching fish on both tip-ups and jigging, watch your Marcum, sometimes the fish at this time won’t be hugging the bottom, they will be a foot or two off of the bottom, so watch your marcum and adjust accordingly.

Good Luck,
Tanner Wildes

Great Show!!! I was blown away at the size of that pike too!! Really makes me want to make a trip there this season. Excellent show as always!

Tanner wildes

To trap your own minnows in wisconsin for personal use, they have to be trapped from the body of water they are going to be used because of the new VHF rules. I like trapping is streams the best, when I was trapping in ponds I got a lot of mud minnows, and in the streams a lot of different kinds of minnows, including red tails, shiners, etc. But I did get a lot of mud puppy’s in the streams too, and they were really big. I used dog food for bait. I like the Frabill minnow traps the best, inexpensive and work great.

Tanner Wildes

I’m going to try to get out this weekend on the chip for walleye fishing before it closes on tuesday.

good luck and be safe!!

Tanner Wildes

Wow! good stuff!! I’m looking for a good auger holder too. Cool seeing everybody’s own design’s too.

Tanner Wildes