The Effects of Cold Fronts on Bass
I admit my past skepticism about the effects of cold fronts on bass. Some of my hesitancy to buy into the mother of all excuses for not catching bass is that I’ve enjoyed some memorable catches under post-cold-front conditions, even classic conditions with a high barometer, bright blue sky, sharply colder temperatures, and a strong north or northwest wind.
Finding Big Bluegill in Spring
There are several reasons why spring is the season to invest most of your bluegill-hunting time: Fish are bigger than they’ll be all year and the tall corn—the cabbage, rice, cane, and pads they use to break free—won’t be fully developed yet. From spawn time through fall, the rules change.
Avoid “The Hanging Tree” - Leave No Fly Behind
Recently I’ve been amazed by the number of flies and rigs that anglers have left hanging on streamside trees and bushes. On one stretch of water that I frequent on a weekly basis, I’ll usually see a number of hanging patterns, so I wade across the stream and cut them free.
Prespawn Smallmouth Tactics
That’s spring bass fishing “up here.” On the Great Lakes and the natural lakes of the North Country, shallow bass rule prespawn hunts. We could fish them deeper, but why? Can’t see them. Can’t watch them fight all the way back to the boat. Not as active off the breaks. Obviously I’m prejudiced, so I asked a few experts to help pick top prespawn tactics.
Seven Lessons for Bigger Winter Pike
I was so smitten with pike that I pursued the big toothy critters with abandon throughout the winter months. That drive laid a foundation in my understanding of pike and taught me lessons that I’ve been able to refine to this day.
It helped, too, that I was able to bounce my on-the-ice observations off some of the greatest minds in the science community. Four decades later, we’re landing more and bigger pike than ever before.
The Search for Giant Perch
Yellow perch hold a special place in the hearts of hardcore panfish anglers. Seasoned anglers can recount the precise details surrounding the capture of their biggest yellow perch from decades past as though it was yesterday. Others spin tales of the day they got into a mother lode of jumbos and filled a fish basket too heavy to lift.
