Successful Sportshow

Well, Thursday's excursion with my friend Lory Brasel was extremely successful as measured by the fact that we stayed to just before closing time, about 4 1/2 hours.  Basically I bribed Lory to go to the show with free admission tickets, he drives, and I'll buy the first beers!  Arriving at the show around 4:30 the three goals we to first see Frankies, my boat dealer and discuss the need for a replacement motor on my jon boat.  Deb and Frankie were in Texas for the last month and they really take care of me well.  Second was to try and spend some quality time with the Lowrance people.  Usually at most shows the majority of the guys are field guys, basically we'll give you a great price but you need to work XX amount of hours at our sponsored events, however the Northwest Sportshow often has factor guys in the booth, a big upgrade.  The third thing I was looking for included possible northern Saskatchewan or the Northwest Territories to possibly fish large northern pike and pig lake trout.  Of course I would definitely include my friend Bruce as he has the transportation to get there!  The first stop was Frankies as I had a nice talk with both Frankie and Deb.  They are an amazing couple and after a few minutes we got down to business......I need a new 25 hp short shaft tiller for my boat.  We sort of decided that an Evinrude might be the best choice, I actually have a line on a Riverpro Jet boat, we'll have to see.  My next stop was the Lowrance booth as I had about 6 major issues to discuss.  My arrival at the booth found myself listening to a field guy try and help out a customer that wanted to connect both his regular transducer and this Minnkota trolling motor transducer to his main Lowrance unit.  After listening to the field guy search for adaptor cables and the like, I could not stand it anymore and told the guy that there was a much easier fix, simply buy a used HDS Gen 3 and mount it to the console then network to your "Main" unit in the front.  What they were discussing was complicated and starting to add the dollars up.  I told the guy in the end, he'd have a better system and the same amount of money invested without having to relay on a "cute" solution that isn't very versatile.  Well a real factory guy came by and heard my discussion and agreed with me which allowed me to quickly transition to my first issue which was the application of Genesis Live, a new program for the new depth finders like my HDS Carbons, that will actually draw a detailed map of the bottom contour as you travel across the water.  I have talked with some knowledgeable field guys in the past but this guy was amazing.  I can actually create maps as long as my transducer is reading the bottom,  Although the best speed is 20 mph max, at my cruising speed of 35 mph on Lac Seul I should have no issue!  Also it is recommended to just leave it on as I fish and move around with the trolling motor, it will record the bottom contours very accurately.  Great news and I cannot wait to try this in Canada.  My next question was my sonichub is a 2.0 and the new one is 2.1, what's the difference.  Apparently nobody knows! We talked about the release of their new trolling motor, I suspect I will have one as soon as they become available.

3.5 inch Swim Minnow in Reel Shad Color

One of the more interesting booths was the Pro Tour Baits, a guy from Rice Lake, Wisconsin who pours his own plastic baits. They remind me of the plastic baits I bought in Texas last year from  Lake Fork Tackle, they have a distinctive garlic based scent to the plastic however they have a more a focused selection for walleye fishing.  His display has a lot of bass type plastics and they are usually packaged in large quantities of 30 - 50 lures.  I discussed my strategies for fishing more plastics this year, especially at Lac Seul and asked what his recommendations were.  First on the topic of a lure, he had a 3.5 inch Swim Minnow that looked pretty good and as well this style of bait has been productive on our trips.  Secondly was the question of color.  The water is coffee colored so I always picked a highly visible color like chartreuse, yellow, or glow in the dark, however his suggestion was to go with dark or more natural colors.  Our go to live bait is the standard Rainbow Shiner which have a distinctive red, yellow, or blueish strip on their lateral line.  I ended up

Ned Rig With Flat to Sit on Bottom

with their Reel Shad color a standard dark top, whitish bottom with a gold strip, maybe it caught me more easily however I am excited to try this both on Leech as well as Lac Seul. The combination of color and scent might just be the ticket for the walleyes this year!  Another thing we looked at was the Ned Rig.  admittedly new to this term, they had a special jig head just for Ned Rigging.  So a Ned Rig is simply a lighter weight mushroom shaped jig head, usually 1/8 ounce or lighter, with a smaller piece of plastic threaded onto the jig head.  It really doesn't look like much yet the reports state it is a deadly combination for catching both bass and walleye.   Pro Tour had a standard mushroom jig head with a flat spot added to the bottom of the jig head at a 45 degree angle to the hook.  Basically the rig simply sits on the bottom with the plastic sitting up from the bottom and the fish simply swim by and smash it.  Well, we'll see about that!  Anyway after buying a nice bag of Swim Minnows he brought out the heavy artillery, his special molded jig heads and a special plastic to use in a "special" color.  Well nobody in their right mind could refuse that offer and we parted with another $9.00.  I am thinking that the points we fish on Lac Seul might be perfect for this type of rig, but I guess I am saying that for the new plastics and colors as well as the drop shotting strategy as well, oh, so many new things to try, so little time!

The third thing that was researched was lakes in northern Manitoba, Saskatchewan, or the Northwest Territories that one could fly to on your own and still fish.  Most of the resorts claim trophy Northern Pike, trophy Lake Trout and grayling fishing.  Because I would have to count on my friend Bruce to agree to fly to one of these places, there was a need to research the airstrip and  aviation gas (100 Octane) availability as well as access to the resorts.  Most were very helpful yet often warned that their runways were gravel based and the plane had to be set up for this.  Asking Bruce what this meant, basically gravel get's sucked into the prop doing damage to the leading edge.  There is a prop edge protector that is used in these situations that protects the prop from damage by the gravel, apparently Bruce doesn't have this.  Not that I am running this show, just a bystander gathering information but it is one of the destinations on my bucket list so we'll just have to see!  It was kind of fun, when you start throwing around terms that I have learned from Bruce, these guys treat you differently, that in itself is a lot of fun.  Last but not least, besides buying so new plastic lures the Sportshow is the time to renew the Outdoors News, a weekly publication of Minnesota related fishing and hunting news.  Also towards the end I was able to discuss the state of the flagpole that I have had in my yard for at least 20 years.  Uncommon USA, in Wilmar, MN made the telescoping flagpole and after the years mine was getting wore out.  I asked the guy about a slot that had developed in the bottom hole and he asked which direction it was, up or down.  After we discussed he offered a very good price to replace it, the pole was beefed up more since my original purchase as well it included both and American Flag as well as a Green Bay Packer flag.  I got it replaced last weekend and it looks great!

Northwest Sportshow

Sportshow from above

It's that time of year again to attend the Northwest Sportshow here at the Convention Center in Minneapolis.  It is one of the largest sportshow's in the Midwest and it is always a great time to get caught up on the latest and greatest as well, to get some of those year long nagging questions answered.  Almost everyone who is in the industry is there including the boat and motor manufacturers, bait and tackle manufacturers, resorts, vacation destinations, and pretty much anything you would be wanting for upcoming fishing season.  Frankie and Deb from Frankie's Bait and Marine are back from their late winter getaway in south Texas and I am anxious to talk about motor options for my river boat.  Lowrance electronic will be there and in fact one of the things they offer is Lowrance University, an hour long course specifically about their products and how to use them.....I have a ton of questions for them, especially after their recent announcement of the Lowrance trolling motor.  There has been a lot of changes in the industry lately, especially in consolidations of brands.  Alumacraft boats has been bought by BRP, of course Ranger Boats was purchased a few years ago by Johnny Morris's group, Bass Pro Shops, who last year has purchased Cabela's and continues to make changes.  All of these things contributes to new sets of paradigms the change the way the fishing industry presents itself.  Specifically I had a great conversation with a Lowrance guy at Cabela's a couple of weeks ago, which has me thinking about looking at the next level.  Garmin has really stepped up to the plate and it is exciting to see some of the new things they are offering and whether everyone else will follow suit. 

Shimano Calcutta Casting Reel

With it looking like I will have a lot more time this year to fish, one of the things on the agenda is to look for new adventures, maybe Canada, Central America, I don't know, something that I haven't tried yet.  The last couple of months found a couple of nice Berkley Lightning Spinning rods find a home in the shed.  One was for my friend Joe in Texas, one for catfishing on the river, as well a new crappie rod.  Unfortunately while in the shed I found a couple of older but still very functional Shimano Calcutta bait casting reels.  These are premium reels that were popular when the old Garcia Ambassadors and higher end casting reels became available.  Instead of a magnetic spool breaking system they have centrifugal weights that you slide in and out based on how much spool braking you prefer.  Today most casting reels tend to be low profile with magnet braking,  however these are still quite functional yet the problem is they are not mounted to anything.  Those Lightning Rods had some in the casting category and at $29 each would have been perfect.  Feeling guilty that they are simply sitting there without a home forces me to look at the show to see if there are any deals for  maybe a 6 1/2 foot medium heavy casting rod, something that can be kept pre rigged for catfishing on the river, dang that sounds like a great idea!  I continue to be in awe of the convenience of the whole thing. 

Our snow is finally leaving us and the threat of flooding continues to be in the forecast.  Luckily it's been pretty dry and although it melts during the day, we have seen below freezing temperatures at night, mitigating the flooding risk somewhat.  Either way the sunshine and warmth really feel nice.  I am looking forward to maybe a last ice fishing outing before the ice finally goes out, that could easily take 6 weeks or more.  Here's hoping it will be out by May 10th, fishing opener in Minnesota.

Looking Forward to Soft Water

Leech Lake, Minnesota Fishing Opener

Last weeks post dealt with the boredom of the dang weather we have been having, the current fishing sales that were going on, and the strategies for the upcoming fishing season, which leads into the next discussion of when and where to use these new strategies.  Unfortunately this weeks post was to be about a bass fishing adventure with my friend Bruce Wiley.  He was going to pick me up in Dallas but that ended up getting cancelled.  The weather has been quite unsettled from Texas all the way to Minnesota so reality is we might still be there!  So what does the landscape for fishing trips look this year?  Of course our 46th Annual Leech Lake Opener starts on May 10th and we fish for 3 days before heading back home on Tuesday the 14th.  At last count we have a full house with 22 guys going again.  Leech Lake will have a new regulation this year, one can keep 4 fish which only 1 walleye can be over 20 inches.  Last years regulation was 4 fish however everything between 20 and 26 had to be released but you could keep 1 over 26 if so desired. That's a entirely different topic in itself and will be reserved for a future post!  This year I am going to try more plastics as well look for new areas to troll #5 shad raps in the 5 - 7 feet of water, as I am getting more proficient with my kicker motor. 
Right after that is usually our trip to the Canadian Fishing Opener at Lac Seul with Bruce and the crew of 6 guys.  I have sort of assumed I am going to be invited however admittedly I tend to have more anal planning needs than most people so truth be told, the invitation hasn't been formally announced.  Focusing on some newer locations as well as yet to be tried techniques, the only thing that would be of any concern is if the ice is off the lake by that time.  The forecast is looking more normal these days so it remains optimistic.  Another optimistic sign is the desire to catch and eat some northerns while at the camp at Lac Seul Outposts.  When the subject was breached regarding looking for a specific Northern Pike bite on Lac Seul, it was met with a stern "I'm not putting up with those bones!".  Assuring him of my filleting abilities and the fact that IMHO northern pike have more texture and flavor than walleyes, that pursuit is looking more possible.   Another thing that was found is a website hosted by Ontario, which has a general map of the province then the ability to zoom in to specific lakes or areas within a large lake, like Lac Seul.  In the final steps of zooming in the view turns to a satellite overlay of  the area.  What's nice about this is you can actually see any rapids that is associated with any rivers that dump into the lake, which by the way, are great areas to fish.  Also you can get a feel for whether area's are able to allow a boat to get through, potential weed and stump areas, which are all great pike habitat.  You can view that link  here.

Lac Seul NE Section

The third week in June has also been a weekend to spend at Lac Seul with the boys.  The fish are more scattered and deeper which might make some of those  strategies discussed last week, very deadly!  July has been a quiet month however this year he thought is to try and get out to Devil's Lake, North Dakota.  My friend Kevin Aiona and his son Ben are very good at fishing this lake and maybe they will let me join them.  The first week in August, at least for the last 2 years has been spent at the Fisherman's Cove on the opposite side of Lac Seul in the northwest corner.  That's been a fun place to fish yet there hasn't been any indication of a trip this year.  My I'm being over anxious so something might develop in the next week or so.  If not, August is prime time on the Mississippi River behind the house.  There is some work to do to get ready but it will be done by the August time frame!  The third week in September is usually our last trip for the year to Lac Seul Outpost.  By that time the new strategies should be ironed out and deemed successful or not.  This year it is rumored that our good friend Ricky Shermer is going with us.  That will be a blast for sure, that is if we can keep both of his feet on the ground!  Of course October would not be complete without trout fishing with Bill, although it's getting harder each year because of the non typical launch access, we'll figure it out.

There are a number of things on the bucket list for fishing.  My brother Steve and I have been talking about going to Portland, Oregon to visit his son, and maybe go halibut fishing off the coast.  Although not as big as in Alaska, it would still be worth trying it, along with maybe some other saltwater species.  The topic of fishing the big walleyes on Lake Erie is often mentioned.  The 620 Ranger would be a perfect boat for this and the thought of a stringer of ten pounders sounds pretty exciting.  It really isn't that far to drive and Kevin has been out there before, maybe he could come along and help guide us.  Green Bay is also becoming a destination for big walleye.  There is still a commitment to get to Dallas and fish bass with both Joe and Matt, we'll have to see how that develops this year.  The topic of one more trip to Alaska has come up and as well I might like to horn in on Gary Barneson's deal at Cobb Bay Resort on Sturgeon Lake, just east of Lac Seul. Oh, So many things so little time!

Time to Think About This Year's Strategies

Bass Pro Shop Logo

Bass Pro Shops bought Cabela's in September of 2017.  Bass Pro Shops always had a special place for a lot of us in the Midwest, probably because the closest store was either in Omaha or Chicago so it wasn't someplace you'd just hop in the car and go, yet their catalog was huge and was really catered to the southern fisherman.  However the catalog always had a good offering to us Midwest guys.  Admittedly it was a lot of fun when you had the chance to stop at a Bass Pro Shop store as they are generally quite large and have a huge selection of everything.  For some reason I felt that Cabela's had better clothing and as well I am not a big fan of logo's plastered all over their clothing as to me it looked cheap.  Usually the opportunity to visit a store came at the end of business trips, as stated the Denver, Colorado store, the Gurney Mills, Illinois store, or the one in Grapevine Texas, through the years I've become more open to their stuff and really like their socks and Redhead casual pants.  Well the Cabela's store, 6 miles from the house, has turned into a smaller Bass Pro Shop and most of the stuff that I enjoy are now available very close.  They have a real nice fishing sale that just ended on March 3 and it was definitely taken advantage of.  In the last couple of posts you can see that my collection of spinning rods increased by a couple.  Sunday was the last day and I had been thinking about plastics as most

A few of the Powerbait colors

were on sale.  Besides using plastic to break up the routines on Lac Seul, there has been a nagging thought about trying either power grubs or crayfish shaped plastics on the river for smallmouth bass.  The river runs pretty fast so it may prove to be a challenge however it might be alot of fun.  So with that in mind I added to my collection a few more colors of Berkley's PowerBait Pro Grubs.  Of course they do work pretty well on Lac Seul anyway but it will be interesting to see how well they perform on the Mississippi River this summer.  At Lac Seul, these 3 inch grubs are inserted on a 1/4 ounce jig with a wire keeper and worked along the bottom.  For the smallmouth it is recommended that you pair them with a lighter mushroom head jig, maybe 1/16 - 1/8 ounce weighted head.  Although that seems light, it just might be the thing to keep the jig out of the rocks along the bottom of the areas we fish.  Unfortunately you will have to wait at least 5 months before there will be any results of this strategy!  Admittedly it is fun shopping for this stuff.

Drop Shotting

One of the other things that has me thinking is a technique call "Drop Shotting".  Usually done for bass, it is reported that people catch a lot of walleyes on these rigs.  Often classified as a finesse rig, a strategic way to catch pressured fish, it may have some practicality on Lac Seul for walleyes when you are marking them on the graph yet they refuse to bite.  If one thinks about it when you fish a 1/4 ounce jig with a minnow it's usually on the bottom and fish either have to notice the jig movement or be looking down.  With the drop shot rig the hook is above the bottom, often 9 - 15 inches above the sinker, therefore any walleye cruising the bottom will see the bait at their level or slightly above, and we all know a walleye's eyes are basically on the top of their head, so it only makes sense.  The bait used in with this rig can be plastic, a live minnow, a leech, or crawler.  Hence forth the secondary reason to get some more PowerBait!   One can also buy special drop shot sinkers that will easily disengage when they get snagged up.  Dang it, I was just forced to stock up on these components as well, for no other reason other than to find out if this strategy will prove to be productive, I will even try it on Leech Lake for opener this year.  Here again open water is about 60 days away with opener in just 66 days.  Something tells me that my boat partners will be begging me to rig them up this year so I had better have enough for everyone.....dang it, looks like I will be waiting for the next sale to start.

Speaking of open water in 60 days, although it seems impossible looking out the window these days, a lot can change quickly this time of year.  This weekend weather report is that broken record we discussed last week.  A huge low pressure system will meet up with the colder air and even though we will be in the low 30's it is projected that it could dump up to 15 inches of wet snow on Saturday alone.  That would easily double the amount of water laying on the ground so it's apparent what the events of this weekend will be.  Gas up the John Deere and start moving that white stuff around!