A member of our staff at Babe Winkelman Productions just returned from a visit to his parents’ farm in Illinois. While he was there, he bumped into an old pal at the local tavern and they began talking about how their respective hunting seasons had gone. The local boy had taken a decent buck with his bow, plenty of pheasants, a good bag of waterfowl, and, oh by the way, 11 coyotes in the past two days!
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Big fish are what we’re after. Period. You hear some anglers say “hey, it’s not what I catch that’s important. It’s just about being on the water.” That’s great, and I wholeheartedly agree, but would you rather: 1. Have a fun day catching a few small fish with the people you love? Or … 2. Have an unbelievable day catching PILES of HUGE fish with the people you love? The SECOND choice sounds pretty good to me, and the FIRST choice for making it happen is in Ontario!
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Dogs can talk. But before you call the loony bin to have them send the white van over, let me assure you that I am of sound mind. My wits, as they say, are about me. My head is screwed on straight, I’m playing with a full deck and have not lost even one of my marbles. But I’m telling you, dogs can talk! Scamper and I just finished a great conversation. As you may have guessed, Scamp is my dog.
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It’s sunrise on a Minnesota lake. In back bays, waterfowlers unleash their barrages on mallards, widgeon, and Canada geese. The teal and most of the woodies have already high-tailed it for warmer climes to the South. I’m on the lake, too, although not wrapped in camo and concealed in the rushes. Nope, I’m on open water, off the tip of a submerged point. Reaching into the rod locker of my Crestliner, I draw three rods.
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When used in conjunction with a good sonar unit that shows the fish and the
bait, going vertical with a jigging spoon is a killer technique. In fact, the
spoon routinely outperforms live bait on winter walleyes. But spoons aren’t
just great on frozen water. They’re also deadly during the fall season,
particularly when you find a pack of walleyes stacked up on some deep
structure.
In this third and final part of, “Catching More Spawning Panfish,” I will talk about how to catch more and bigger sunfish. Big bluegills fall into three categories: Keepers, Nice Ones, and Pigs. Let’s talk about how to catch pigs. You know the type
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The only thing better than hunting over a great dog is hunting over your own dog. Before you rush out and buy a hunting dog, however, there are several things that need to be considered. Remember that while hunting season lasts two or three months, a dog will be living with you 12 months, and during those 12 months will need to be fed, housed, trained, exercised, and taken to the vet. And here are some other things to keep in mind before acquiring a hunting dog.
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Remember that old television football brainteaser, “You Make the Call”? Viewers of NFL games would watch a play that required a tricky call by the officials. Before the call was made, the announcer would challenge fans to put themselves in the refs’ shoes and ponder the outcome of the play. Each fall, hunting’s equivalent of “You Make the Call,” is replayed in coffee shops and bars across the continent as sportsmen debate ethical decisions they faced afield. How would you react to the following hunting scenarios?
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In our fast-paced culture, when family activities often play second fiddle to work, children deserve some of your undivided attention, and teaching them how to fish offers no better setting. One way to accomplish this goal is by planning a summer fishing vacation, particularly during the doldrums of winter, when kids are more likely to be anchored to the television.
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