Valentines Day Perch

"Get a bait down quick", Kim instructs as she lifts the camera slowly from the water below. Finding a bio-mass of perch is one thing but keeping them in the area awhile can be a challenge to say the least. It takes fast moving and teamwork. After all were talking about the most nomadic species of them all, the jumbo perch. This was the start of Valentines Day and my wife and I wouldn't have it any other way.

We left home at about 5am, coffee in hand in search of jumbo perch gold. Trailer lights in good working condition I had a good feeling about the day. While other couples spend the day shopping or dinning we would drive up and down break lines probing the depths with the underwater camera. Searching for our next pod of fish. The part we enjoy most about fishing perch (aside from the golden delicious fillets) is the fact these fish are willing afternoon bitters and provide some of the best action of the season.

The strategy was simple drive down the break-lines in 12-14 fow and drill, check with camera and repeat. I like the camera for searching these mid depth flats over the flasher. The narrow cone angle at these relatively shallow depths doesn't show fish. When you stick the camera down it's all black stripes like peering into a jail. Once you've found the bio-mass of fish grab your flasher and get a bait down quick to keep that competitive nature going. These fish will race each other up the water column to your bait. Aggressive jigging will pay off. It's nature versus nurture, and i don't have the time to nurture them.  As soon as you start to get "lookers" instead of "bitters" it's time to move. You've lost the amount of fish necessary to compete. The few fish left are not worth your time. Get into search mode again and find the bio-mass where fish compete and the action is fast.

Bait selection is simple, anything that gets down fast. I am a spoon and minnow head or eurolarve proponent. Kim is much more adept at finesse fishing with soft plastics and hair jigs.

Community spots are for the crappie crowd. When chasing jumbos the spots burn out quick. I recommend leaving the wheelhouse at home and replacing your boots for running shoes. Don't let the winter doldrums get you down. Go out prospect for jumbo, make that sumo perch gold! Once you've found them get ready, a 100 fish day may be in your future;)

Halibut Taco's

Ingredients: 

16 ounces of halibut
1 package of taco seasoning
Lime juice
2 avocados pitted and scooped
1 cup of plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
dash of ground cumin
2 scallions, chopped
Romaine lettuce
2 tomatoes, chopped
Flour tortillas
Olive oil





Directions: 
In a blender, mix avocados, cayenne pepper, ground cumin and yogurt. Remove from blender once smooth then add chopped tomatoes and scallions. Set guacamole aside.

Cut uncooked halibut into bite size pieces.  Mix halibut with taco seasoning. Place halibut in hot pan on the stove with small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking. Cook halibut thoroughly until it easily flakes apart. Squeeze small amount of lime juice over the cooked halibut.

Now just chop your lettuce, heat your tortillas and you're ready to prepare your Halibut Taco's.

Enjoy!

Beverage Recommendation: Odell's Cutthroat Porter

The allure of ice fishing

Beep, beep, beep my alarm clock sounded. It was 5:30 am and time to get moving if I was going to make it to the lake before prime time. Prime time is that magical time when the plankton rises on your local lake. It starts the food chain and kicks the bluegills metabolism into high gear. If your going to fish the harsh Minnesota winters, it's a time you get to know well.

Armed with a lake map and a steaming hot cup of coffee, I bundle up and make my way out to the truck. Eurolarve check, flasher check, should be set to go with all the supplies needed for a day on the water. This is a new lake that I've never been to but according to my research big bluegills exist here. I spent the better part of the night before highlighting mid depth flats where I could begin my search.

Upon arrival I notice that I'm the only truck in the parking lot, success! I climb up onto the trailer and give the Polaris a pull. The smell of snowmobile fills the air. I made it in perfect time to have my holes drilled in total darkness. This is mandatory when chasing elusive bull gills on shallow flats. I strap my auger to the front and make my way out into the darkness. Butterflies fill my stomach as I head out onto the lake. Will I find the fish I'm after? Is the ice in good condition? These are the questions an ice angler asks himself at 6 am after 20oz of coffee.

The gps takes me right to the spot. One of those wide areas on your contour map, a flat in 12 feet. This flat is also adjacent to a small creek running into the lake. I start the auger, and move up and down the breaks making this section of the lake look like swiss cheese. Now I just need the bluegills to cooperate.

Today's mission wasn't about fillets for the table, but rather about finding big fish or bulls as they call them in the business. This lake had experimental regulations by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and carried a 5 bluegill limit. Here I wouldn't even kill 5 tho, because in these hallowed waters 10" fish exist and protecting the resource is of the utmost importance.

It had to be about the 30th hole I fished before I finally hit a pod of bluegills. I reached into my pocket with frozen fingers for some fresh larve. The flasher was lit up with a big group of fish suspended high in the water column. I slowly begin my decent being careful not to spook my fickle prey. A big red line rose on the flasher ascending to my jig above. I keep a little action on my rod tip to keep the fish's interest, working him up at the same time. Finally my rod skips a beat and I sweep high into the air. The rod doubles and I feel the big fish cut and dig into the water below me.

I managed 3 fish all over 8" before the pod moved and I had to return to the snowmobile for the auger. Time to drill again! On goes the chase for this hard water angler. Drilling and fishing, and drilling and fishing. Because the next hole may hold that 10" I've been dreaming about, and smiling I'll let him swim away too.



Tags: "bluegills" "Minnesota" "ice fishing" "big sunnies" "bull gills" "winter panfish" " panfish report" "finding big panfish"

The Fishing Underground

A secret society exists in the fishing community. A group of people so stealthy that most don't even realize they exist. They are back country trout anglers, and the first rule of back country trout anglers is: that there are no back country trout anglers. The only way that you spot these people is the fish slime on their Carhartt's you might notice in line at the local convenience store. Pair this with a fuel purchase and a few tubs of wax worms and you may have spotted a member of the fishing underground. These people don't show their faces at the local bait store in fear they might be asked "where they bitten". Your best chances of spotting a member of the underground is in the arrowhead region of Minnesota, because this is where the back country trout are bountiful. Their prey is of course the most regal of the trout family, the brook trout, but for most underground members the splake or rainbow trout will do in a pinch. Their day of reckoning is January 14th, the Minnesota winter trout opener.

For these anglers 16" fish are respected, 17" fish are coveted, and 19" fish... most people are lying about. In this elite group of anglers 4:30 am is considered an acceptable starting time. If a friend shows up late, you simply leave him behind. Holes are often drilled in a clover leaf formation to allow for viewing of your shallow water prey. When a big fish approaches the "berry pickers" or novice anglers often panic at the sight  and blow their opportunity. The true underground member however keeps a steady hand. Often working his jig with the precision of a puppet master.

Growing up on Minnesota's North Shore, trout opener fell right behind the opener of Wisconsin's Brule River and ahead of Christmas on the priority list. We went to lakes that you'd later lie to your mother about in fear she might name drop at the office water cooler. We went to places that had to be packed down with snowmobile to allow for gear to be hauled in. Places where we'd bring chainsaws to clear trail on the way in to allow travel. I've broke thru thin ice wading in bogs to reach otherwise inaccessible trout water. I've fished trout opener with sinus infections. I was once blindfolded and brought from Two Harbors 45 minutes to "lake x" to chase giant brookies as colorful as a kaleidoscope. If asked to go again I'd leave in a moments notice.

So why you ask do grown adults go to these measures to catch a fish. Is it the tradition of winter trout opener? Is it the allure of the unknown and what one may catch? Is it the adventure? Or maybe just a great time to get together with friends, talk smart and chase the elusive trout. Should you ever come into contact with a member of the fishing underground be sure to ask. As for me I digress, what fishing underground;)

Finding Big Panfish

I spent my night doing some research on the Department of Natural Resources Lake Finder site. If your a panfish aficionado like myself this site should be on your favorites list. Not to let out all the secrets but this site opens the book on all surveys for your favorite area lakes. It makes it easy to find lakes that have a higher density of large panfish. It also shows the number of fish that were caught in the survey, and the exact amount in the different size ranges. I live in Minnesota where the DNR also offers a mobile app. I'm sure most states have this available in some capacity. The one problem that I find is some of the test netting and electro-fishing was done many years ago, so the information is not always current. It does however still give you a starting point. So to test the site, I pulled up one of my favorite big bluegill lakes here in Central Minnesota. Reading thru the survey information I found that no bluegills were caught in this body of water by the DNR. This seemed strange to me so I made a call to our local fisheries office. The technician that answered the phone knew exactly which body of water I was referring to. He informed me that I was not crazy and big bluegills do exist in this body of water. He informed me that they had caught them in a different study where the results were not published. I also asked him what variable he believed was the most important to finding lakes with big bluegills in the area. I thought maybe freshwater shrimp as a food source, or current to aide in spawning. He informed me that a smaller population was key. If too much competition exists for food all the fish stay small and stunted. We also talked about the importance of letting the bigger males go. These big males will protect their spawning nests and not allow small fish to spawn, passing on the big fish genetics. He also informed me of a few lakes in the area where test studies uncovered  huge crappies.

My personal interest in fishing relates to the chase. Sometimes for me the act of hunting down big fish is much more satisfying than actually catching those fish. This is why I have no interest in driving out onto a lake and setting up in the middle of the community hot-spot. It is much more rewarding to strike out.

The last thing I believe in doing is trying to find a good map of the lake. Even at around a 150 acres, I am not going to be able to "drill out" the entire lake. I need something to give me some starting points. I encourage you to strike out from the pack this winter, and find some big panfish. You might just be rewarded. GT4YSBK72VHB




Tags: "fishing" "bluegills" "crappies" "Minnesota fishing" "finding big bluegills" "1slabseeker""Central Minnesota Fishing Report" "big bluegill" "lakefinder" "catching big bluegills"