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 find out the latest ice fishing tips to put more fish on the ice. It’s no secret that we’re already trying to answer this question for ourselves. The answer to this question may also be different for each and every angler, but here are some of the crucial points to consistently putting fish on the ice. Do Your Homework No it’s not time to go back to school, I wouldn’t do that to you, but it is time to focus on preparing yourself for a day on the ice. With the modern advancement of ... [ Pound this link... ]

Fall Walleye Locations If you are a MN Sportsman or heck a sportsman anywhere in the upper Midwest, its a given to look at the calendar and say to yourself, "Man I love this time of year", and rightly so, as for most folks that is likely because the long anticipated hunting season is upon us, but for those of us that don't get in the field much, it is also hunting season just a different kind. This hunting season involves a boat, a fishing rod, and a hunger for BIG river walleyes. How big?  Well lets just say that anything under 8bs is considered average.  As the days get shorter and the water gets cooler, these big river walleyes really start feeding aggressively and the sight of blaze orange in the field is usually a good sign that it is time start looking for them. The ... [ Pound this link... ]

Fast forward to fall walleye fishing and the worst thing that can happen to most patterns is the opposite, a hot stretch of unseasonably warm weather that warms up the water temperature and reverses the cool down. by Jason Mitchell Cooling water temperatures often make the classic fall walleye fishing bites better. As water temperatures steadily cool come fall and sink below seventy degrees, solid patterns seem to develop. My favorite patterns are classic breaks and hard bottoms over deeper off shore structure, along with current or bottlenecks and shallow rock and weeds. What is kind of interesting regarding fall fishing is that the triggers that make the bite good are the exact opposite of spring. During the spring, warming water temperatures and stable weather seem to ignite the fall ... [ Pound this link... ]

by Rob Cook Where do I start? This was one incredible hunt ever for me. My brother in law pulled the tag and I video taped for him. We were in Wheatland WY and it was warm every day. After arriving Friday evening we had dinner and got to bed early. Morning number one on Ranch #2 of 3000 acres. A high prairie type of setting just over 8000 ft of elevation. We parked near fishing pond and hoofed it in. As the sun started to come up we were on a small herd of spread out cows, two spikes and a decent rag bull. After a quick decision we were going after this rag bull a decent 6x6. The herd was around 1/2 mile away and feeding slightly towards us. We made a break for a creek and started working our way to the NE. We were almost immediately busted by a spike on a hill behind us. We lay in the ... [ Pound this link... ]

Lindy Rigs are proven walleye producers throughout the open-water season, but fall is one of the best—and one of the most overlooked—times to use rigs to your advantage in the quest for marble-eyed monsters. The key to big catches is understanding the fish’s daily fall routine, and targeting specific locations with baits to match their moods. Walleyes have two main modes of operation in fall—feeding and resting. In many systems, feeding occurs largely during low-light periods. Think sunrise, sunset and at night. However, heavy cloud cover and windy conditions can trigger bursts of daytime activity, as can a late-season algae bloom. Bright skies and relative calm during the daylight hours brings lethargy. Walleyes move little and feed only when an opportunity arises that’s too good to pass ... [ Pound this link... ]

with Jason Mitchell The fact that walleye fishing is good come fall is no secret. Realistically one of the best times of year for seeing solid patterns develops with great fishing. Big fish are often fairly easy to target with some consistency. Despite how good the fishing is late in the open water season, there are not that many people out fishing come fall on many major walleye fisheries. Just too many things to do outside like hunting and for many people, they have got their fishing fix for the season long before fall. The only people left on the water are the real diehards and their numbers are few. Somewhere, there has to be a bite going on where the boat ramp is crowded and people are playing a game of bumper boats but compared to spring and summer, the fall is pretty ... [ Pound this link... ]

As the wind dies and the waves start to dissipate, Lake of the Woods becomes a Rapala and Reef Runner fisherman’s dream come true. As the lake settles down, which doesn’t happen too often, but it does happen, you must troll to get the Lake of the Woods most prized Eye! I personally like to throw a little twist in there and troll the ROCKS, which has become my favorite way to pull plugs (rock rapping). When fishing the rocks, get ready to donate some tackle though, it happens, but as the old saying goes, “Risk and Reward”. Over the past year and half trolling with lead core and fire line, accompanied with an assortment of Rapalas and Reef Runners has become a proven method of fishing the mighty Walleye of Lake of the Woods for me. The fish consistently hunker around the rocks all year long. ... [ Pound this link... ]

One man’s cheat sheet for knowing when and when not to call on rattling crankbaits by Tom Neustrom The world of sound additives as they relate to fishing has been a hot topic for decades. Knowing when and where to introduce sound, and then how much of it, is critical to success whether you’re trolling for walleyes with leadcore or casting bodybaits over reefs for smallmouth bass. When it comes to walleyes, typically, I find they react more positively to subtler rattles. This drumbeat plays particularly well in darker water, amidst weed growth and submerged timber, and where rocks form the structural baseline. A fish’s instinctive reaction in these situations is more impulsive than a program of stalking and striking. At this point it’s prudent to note, too, that crankbaits without any ... [ Pound this link... ]

by Darren Troseth In a nutshell, more of the same that we have become accustomed to in past years during August. Fish late into the night and sleep in late. We arrived around 6pm on Friday and were eager to get out and hit the water. There was a catfish contest going on all weekend (more on that later) so there was a little more traffic out on the river than in past years. We had wanted to launch in Selkirk as that is where we were staying, but unfortunately the launch there closes at 10pm and that just wasn't going to work for us. So we ended up launching at a private fee launch near Lockport. We headed out with our cooler full of frogs and great anticipation. It didn't take long for John to hook into our first fish. Probably all of about 10 minutes. After we netted that fish it was ... [ Pound this link... ]