Hey, you guys..the big females are GOING. Its a nite bite! Shallow water. NOT on the bottom! Over the next week to 10 days you can catch ’em suspended about halfway down on cranks with a steady retrieve. Fish the FISH not the fishermen! Don’t mean to sound pompous or arrogant…but you’ll do a lot better if you quick rubbernecking for what’s going on in the other boats and just fish the fish.
The walleyes don’t read IDA. They don’t read the stuff i write in the paper and magazines. They are fish just being fish.
NOBODY out there is better than you are. Just fish the fish. Fish the fish. fish the fish…

After fighting this fish for 30 minutes I got the Glock out of the rod box and ordered her to come out with her fins up. She complied. Took fotos and released. Forearms still ache. Was one helluva fight.
Best part is, i thought I was snagged initially and tried to get unhung, did the ol’ line snap thing, the rod tip shake…finally pointed rod tip at the water and pulled, then something pulled back. Eyes stood out on stalks. Regained composure, went to fight mode. You see the pix. My buddy Ron Barefield was in the boat and videoed the whole thing. Must have said six times “this is why we fish” followed by crazy laughter.
Doesn’t matter what is stretching your string…when you tangle with a critter that pulls back and it becomes a test of wills, that is what fishin’ is all about!

Just got my hands on the new firecracker and wine&roses colors.HOT!!!!! Think the yellow/orange precision head and either one of these colors in a K-Grub would kick some butt up there. Might also try catalpa. this water is stained, not muddy. and DONT tip the plastics with a worm!
And remember to rig with the fliptail curling down!

I have had Lindy and a couple of other national sponsors for nearly 25 years. There has been a lot of good advice in the previous posts, so will only offer this insight…the fishing tackle industry is very, very small. Everybody knows everybody else.
NEVER say anything NEGATIVE about competitor’s product, they may be your sponsor in years to come.
Tell the truth. If a product isn’t working well, quietly tell the sponsor.
Use the ‘golden rule’ when dealing with the public
Be positive. You are an ambassador for the entire fishing industry.
Today’s angler of the year can be tomorrow’s bottom of the leader board. The guy who keeps sponsors is the one who stops to share the joy of fishing (which is enhanced by the sponsor’s products!) Rather than chasing to cash the biggest check.
Sponsors typically have several levels of sponsorship. Advancing up the ladder is a study in taking what you’ve been given and making the most out of it.
…and don’t forget to be nice to folks you pass on the way up the ladder, it will make passage easier when you’re on the way back down.

Problems with the Frabill buckets have been going on for years. They had problems back when I was on their pro staff in ’99 which haven’t been fixed yet.
There is problem with the aerator stone, and the styrofoam liners tend to get water behind ’em and float up.
I had a “cool bubbles’ bucket for years, going thru several aerator pumps. It was pricey, but a good bucket.
For the past several years i have used the basic Plano bucket with the orange top. Bucket has a slot in the side to tuck in a portable aerator and a hole in the top to feed the air hose thru..much less expensive, cheaply up-gradable with any portable aerator and every bit as effective.
For the last several years I have pretty much sworn off minnows for walleyes except after extreme cold fronts or in very high water conditions.
Broke down and bought a couple dozen last nite to use on Rock river today and tomorrow. Just checked on ’em happily swimming in the Plano bucket unaware that they are about to have a real bad day.

John:

I’ve caught ’em as far south as the wingdams across from the big sand bluff at the army depot on 13 in he spring.
Another pattern which seems to be pretty productive is targeting likely walleye spots downstream from tributary entry points. There are a couple of good wingdams downstream from the Maquoketa on the Iowa side which don’t hold fish all the time, but other times the fish are stacked–usually about April 1st. Of course, a lot depends on river flow.
Found similar patterns on downstream fish on pool 9. Just off the main channel at Victory is a good community spot, also Minnesota slough. running sloughs can also produce, especially with closing dams.
The tributary bite is pretty much overlooked on the Miss, ’cause everybody north of Dubuque likes to follow the flotilla up to the dams.
Probably 85 percent of the River’s walleye biomass follows the major flow upstream toward the dams…but 15 percent of the ‘eyes in any given pool is still a pile of fish. You would be AMAZED by the number of fish which take the “off ramps” on either side of the River, stacking below tribs, drain tubes and other points where the “flavor” of the river changes just a little bit from runoff.
Although 50 fish days are real nice, boating just a half-dozen good ones without playing bumper boats is sweet!
The Miss has always intimidated me when standing back and looking at the whole thing, trying to figure out where the fish are…but once I adopted the philosophy that it was a big biscuit, impossible to eat in one bite, and just started nibbling around the edges success on this awesome water certainly improved.

heard about IDA thru Dave Koonce and been spreading the word in print and on the air ever since

Thanks, guys! You’ve given me plenty of stuff to git-r-done! Will be PMing all of you.

Prayers on the way!

Thanks for all the input on this thread!!! My wife read all the thoughtful responses, and her jaw dropped. She was most impressed with the honesty and diversity of IDAers and the complexity of what on the surface appears to be a simple issue.
That’s the beauty of the USA! Thank God we all live in the greatest country on earth, with the best military in the history of the world !
Our troops, our cops and firefighters…all stepped up to serve, and continue to serve!
The neatest thing I saw in this thread was NO WHINING!
EVERYBODY who posted showed the strength of conviction of Great Americans
Of greatest interest is the change of perspective which comes with time…hard to pass fair judgement when you haven’t walked a mile in the other’s mocassins first!
Special thanks to all the Vets who posted! One of my biggest regrets is that the military wouldn’t take me because my arm went thru a table saw at age 21 causing a fair amount of nerve and muscle damage.
By age 27 it healed enough to get on the job as a professional firefighter.
Two kids–both girls–were given the option of either having old dad pay for college or getting the car of their choice if they went in the military.
My kids chose different paths. They both turned out just great and are part of the solution and not part of the problem.
With the perspective that comes with time I now believe–and this is just my opinion–that young Americans should be required give two years of SERVICE after high school…not necessarily military…but SERVICE to this country, which by its nature fosters both appreciation and maturity.
But that’s just my opinion ! Thank God we live in a country where we have this kind of freedom!

Station Paducah, Ky for the short haul. A -school in Va. in June, then on to California at a small boat station

I know 2 folks who have had it, one a female who lost 125 lbs. and adjusted quite well, the other a deer hunting buddy who lost 140 lbs. and attempted suicide. he’s still alive but beaucoup messed up. Bypass should be a last resort.

Its her castle…and if she ain’t happy, you ain’t happy…but re: the ‘I’ll let you go fishing’ card: not negotiable! If my wife said “I’ll let you keep fishing” my reply would be “i’ll let you keep breathing”. Fish control my brain. The only thing capable of keeping me away from them is an idiot taking his time in front of me at the boat ramp. Aggravating, but temporary.
My wife KNOWS better than to mention any restraints on fishing. After all, it pays the bills.After 34 years of marriage she knows better.
Change the fans around with a smile, me boy…then smile and tell her she is number #1 in your life…right behind fishing.
Mark Twain had an even more thought provoking solution for quandrys of this nature–“Trade her for a dog, then shoot the dog”.

you might try [email protected]…he sent me one for my Beretta. I seldom venture outside the 10 ring anymore!

you might try [email protected]…he sent me one for my Beretta. I seldom venture outside the 10 ring anymore!

Thanks ederd! Can hardly wait to become an official card-carrying Iowegian this summer! Hey you Jackpine Savages in Minn and MIch…can ya help me out!?! thanks!!

For at least the past 10 years I have believed that the Lund Alaskan is the best tiller boat on the market. It is all the boat you’ll ever need, big, deep, durable….and the fact that I’m on the Lund pro staff has nothing to do do with this opinion!

Brian—Experience has taught the value of redundancy in electronics. I run two boats. Both have Lowrance LCR’s on the dash and Vexilar flashers in the bow. My GPS is a separate unit…for at several reasons.

1.You can plug in waypoints when fishing out of somebody else’s boat
2. hand held unit can be used to find the same spots thru the ice
3. if your sonar/GPS goes down you’re not out of business.

Since I can only fish out of one boat at a time, if a unit in the boat I use goes down I still have a compatible backup and can be back at guiding/fishing the very next day at the latest.
Also, if a multi-function unit goes down it is generally tougher to trouble-shoot the problem because of complexity.
Regardless of what you decide to do, be sure to include a good marine compass as part of the package…and don’t forget to fuse your electronics close to the power source…with back-up fuses in the boat.
A couple more tips…
* use a quality fuse holder
* if you have a power problem, check the connection at the back of the unit, then at the battery…and then REMOVE the fuse and touch both ends of the fuse holder together. If you get power it is the fuse, if not it’s another problem.

Tri-bond time:
The Packers. Bratwurst. Moaning about the DNR.

Wisconsin? Correctamundo!

As stated in my first post, I emailed the DU website to tell them I did not want to be pestered by phone. Given your position in DU perhaps you could relay that there has gotta be a better way than unsolicited phone calls to generate funds/interest?????

well said, Gary!

Folks like Sandi are to be commended for the hard work they do for our natural resources. I applaud the passion of IDAers in addressing this thread!
As stated in my initial post having DU stoop to telemarketing burned me up. I would rather they had sent this money to the ducks rather than to somebody making unsolicited phone calls.
DU has probably done more than any other conservation organization for our natural resources over the years. I can remember walking a mile across marsh and field in Saskatchewan back in ’79 towards a huge stone obelisk that seemed quite out of place. It marked the Ding Darling project. Still gives me chills thinking about it.
Every natural resource organization has merit. Some more than others. But people who are the core of each one of these entities from DU to PF, NRA, WOW,WU, QU and WUSA have key people who give heart and soul to their favorite cause.
Herein lies the rub: Where do you get the most ‘bang for the buck’? When it comes to philanthropy there is only so much money in the kitty. Charity begins in the home…and if ya can’t pay the rent, ya gotta move out in a tent.
My limited funds go primarily to Friends of NRA, Pheasants Forever, Wings Over Wisconsin and Waterfowl USA. My money. My choice.
In the past I’ve been on several local DU committees and helped start two chapters. Since then I’ve moved on–my perception of ‘bang for the buck’ dontcha know.
It saddens me to see DU resort to telemarketing. Because of this uninvited ploy DU has moved a notch or two lower for the time/money I can afford to give away.
Back in ’93 or ’94 I donated 13 days guiding for various causes. People from every one of ’em believed theirs was the most important.
That was 13 days I lost money instead of making any. If I was independently wealthy I might still donate that time. But I’m not. So now I donate three days guiding per year. That’s it. And no organization gets a freebie two years in a row.
I believe its important to give to causes we believe in. As a Christian, the first check I write every month is a tithe. After the bills are paid a good chunk of remaining resources go toward protecting the right to keep and bear arms and toward our natural resources…and the 2 cents here for you IDAers. 45 viewing this forum when I logged on. Don’t you wusses fish anymore?

guess it must just be this weird, weird winter….

Is it still illegal to use perch eyes for ice fishing bait ? Somebody is still doing it. Saw a recent foto of a mess from Big Winnie on the ice…and four perch had black eye patches.

Welcome to the team, guys! IDA is perhaps the best source of honest fishing information in the midwest on the whole darn interweb! As a charter captain/guide/writer/broadcaster it has helped me get a great deal more out of our natural resources across several states,meet new fishin’ buddies and learn a great deal.
You’ll probably find IDA working your way into your daily routine. Like many other things in life, however, you get out of it what you put into it! Lurkers on this site may think they are getting away with something without showing their cards, but they are are really missing out!
Hope you guys post thoughtfully and often. Look forward to meeting you IRL at the GTG’s. It doesn’t matter if you’re fat, skinny, dumb or exceptionally bright…all are welcome here.
It also feels good to be accepted by your peers in spite of flaws and shortcomings. IDAers don’t seem to mind that I am one of just a few living brain donors and paralyzed from the neck up…or that I have a horrible skin disease. Can hardly wait to me you guys in person and shake your hands! Welcome aboard!

…so i traded her for a dog, then shot the dog!

—Mark Twain

back in college days and living in the married folks dorm my football game was interuppted by my new bride screaming. A peeping tom was looking at her when she just got out of the shower thru the opaque bathroom window. i had to crouch in the weeds for three or four nites, swatting mosquitos, before he showed up again, at a neighbor’s window two apts. down.
These folks didn’t have to pay for the glass i broke with the [censored]’s face, cause damage was from the outside. The bricks below the window weren’t damaged by his forehead. And my foot wasn’t damaged after delivering multiple kicks to his ribs and gut. Never saw him again.
Probably too old anymore to deliver an adequate whuppin’…but anybody who messes with my family is gonna know they’ve at least been in a fight when the dust clears.

Cabelas sells nice leather “money belts” which could easily accommodate a grand in smiling Franklins…and the clip for a clip-draw holster! Never know when somebody is gonna have a pistol, snowmobile or harmonica for sale cheap to somebody with cash!

For sale: three 22 ounce “Bob Vila” autograph model assault hammers w/ belt rings, $50 apiece; four “Barry Bonds” autograph model assault bats w/ resin, $60 apiece.

Regarding concealed carry: ” i would rather be tried by 12 honest men than carried by 6″… Neil Mclaughlin, retired game warden.

concealed carry? nothing has changed. ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Soem punk may eventually come up and rattle this old dog’s cage. It will change my life forever. But he won’t be around to see the grief he’s wrought. and that’s a promise.

I have been following all the posts on this thread for the past couple of days with great attention, and just wanna say thanks. Krisko, we need to talk. I think I know where you’re coming from.
After doing this outdoor writing stuff for over 30 yrs. I’ve finally realized a degree of maturity. At this point a column/story on the ‘fisher’ incident is on hold. The guy who lost his fisher has been made whole…pretty much… cause he got his fisher back. The warden admitted he could have done things better, which I think shows a lot of class.
Dozens of you IDA folks have offered input on something which obviously touches a lot of us in different ways, but it does touch us.
I thank you for the passion and input. You guys are great. And Krisko… if you want my job, its all yours. PM me if you want to carry the ball!