Feel like mixing up how you cook your fish tonight? Try this crappie chowder recipe, it's a great way to enjoy your favorite fish in a new and soulful soup.

Ingredients:

• Bacon

• Celery, carrots, onions

• Potatoes

• Fish stock and/ or clam juice

• Whole kernel corn

• Fish of your choice

• Butter

• 1 can of condensed milk

1. Start by chopping up and cooking some bacon, set this off to the side when done. Do not discard bacon grease.

2. Chop your onions, carrots, and celery into small pieces. Keep the bacon grease in the pan. Add 2 tbsp of butter and your veggies to the pan. Saute for about 3 minutes on med/ high.

3. Slice your potatoes into thin pieces, I like to use yellow or red potatoes for this purpose, as they soften quicker and are easier to cut.

4. Add the potatoes to the veggie mixture and brown them

5. Add 1 1/3 cup of fish stock to the mixture, along with 1 can of condensed milk, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil.

6. Add your fish and corn to mixture, cut into 3 inch pieces

7. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the fish flakes easily and potatoes are soft. (Optional: Add 1/2 cup of half and half to increase creaminess.)

8. Season with salt, pepper, parsley, lemon juice, and any other seasonings of choice.

9. Enjoy!

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

Ahh, the joy of busting out the ice gear! The sled, the auger, the rods, and of course the spud bar. You strap on your ice cleats and head onto the hardtop. But where to begin? One of the biggest errors anglers make when ice fishing is not doing research on the body of water ahead of time or shepherding.

Let's talk about pre-game planning when you get ready to walk on water for the first time this season. So often, anglers put all of their focus on prepping for ice season and tinkering with gear that once that first trip arrives, they have put little attention on the trip itself. To make your ice trips more effective, and your catches more prolific, treat your trip as you would a football game and create a gameplan. Study the body of water you are fishing. Look at the contour map, fishing structures, and what accesses provide the quickest jaunt to those features. Be aware of dangers such as aerators and natural springs as those will limit the areas you can safely fish. Apps such as Navionics or Lakemaster provide a great resource for you to use to do your prep work and create a plan of attack. They allow you to pin spots and with real time gps, they make it easy to get exactly on the spots you want to target. Don't overlook the DNR resources as well. Fish survey data provides a wealth of knowledge for you to dig into as you decide between lake A and lake B. Don't fall into the trap of following everyone else just because it is easy.

Next, I want to talk about shepherding. This is the term I use when I see anglers walk onto the ice, take a look around and automatically walk towards the area with the most ice shacks. This decision is often made without reason other than, "well there are a bunch of people there, so it must be good." In reality, this often leads to extra pressure on a spot and results in skittish fish and a disappointing day. If your pre-game research puts you in the same area as others, that is fine as you had a plan and you are executing it, but don't just pick a spot without having some sort of strategy behind it.

Okay, so when am I going to get to the point of this blog? Early ice shallow panfish (Derek, you haven't said one thing about this yet...) you're right, enough suspense already. As you get ready for your ice adventures, don't overlook shallow water with weeds, and I mean REALLY shallow water (2-3 feet or less). Instead of walking off that boat ramp and walking 100-200 yards and going left or right, take a pit stop at the shallows. A lot of fish cruise the weedline and in the weeds themselves early in the season when there is still enough oxygen to provide food resources and areas for fish to hide. Quite often panfish will hang out in weeded areas because it provides a great forage base for them to eat small insects and fish, but it also provides protection from predators and larger fish.

You can drill out a weeded area and sight fish, which is a lot of fun as you see fish come in and bite the jig right in front of you. There are two major tactics I use when fishing in the shallows. 

1. Set up camp, throw down the camera, and capitalize on the quiet. When you set up a tent, close the windows to keep out the light and keep the sound down. Fishing shallow means spooky fish. You want to attract the fish, not scare them away. Use a camera instead of a flasher. When you are fishing in the forest, it can be hard to see much on the flasher, and your cone angle is very minimal. A camera on the other hand allows you to see the type of fish moving in the area, the size, and how they are responding to your setup. You will have some slow times, but be patient and you will be rewarded with a bounty of quality fish.

2. Another tactic is to swiss cheese the area and hole hop. If the conditions allow, you can pull a couple of quality fish out of a hole, and then stay on the chase as you bounce from hole to hole pulling out slabs. This is a fast paced tactic that may spook a few fish, but increases your odds at better numbers of fish.

Next time out on the ice, make sure you don't overlook the shallows as your next wall hanger might just be right under your feet!

Gear Used:

• Float Suit: Norfin Element+ FLT suit

• Ice Rod: Sake Fishing Carbon Noodle

• Reel: Daiwa Tatula 1000

• Lure: Yellow Bass Jointed Pinhead Minno Pro 1/16 oz

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

Growing up, I really only had one tactic for catching catfish. Get a rod that could handle a bigger fish, throw some lead on the line (usually a split shot) and throw some bait on the hook, which was usually a worm. Toss that baby out and let it sit on the bottom until you get bit.

Now, I will say there is nothing wrong with that technique, as I still do that with my 8 yr old son to help him catch fish, and I caught a decent amount of cats that way. The big difference in techniques is the size of fish that you are going to catch. Not very often did I catch a cat over 5 lbs with that technique. I pulled in lots of little fish and small eaters, and on the rare occasion I would get one that was a bit bigger.

As I started to increase my time fishing on my own, and wanted to expand my expertise in catching catfish, I reached out to Dave Wyner, who used to run Chasin Cats Guide Service here in central Iowa. Dave did a great job putting clients on fish, but he also teaches and educates you on techniques and why he does what he does. It was from Dave that I learned about the Santee Cooper rig and drifting for channel cats.

Since my first trip with Dave, I have spent most of my time experimenting with the same technique on various bodies of water including lakes and rivers. This technique continues to produce bigger fish and keeps you on the fish, and on the hunt. You don't have to wait and hope to get lucky.

So what is the technique you ask and how do you fish it? Alright, well you want a medium heavy rod, and some heavy mono or braided line. I usually run anywhere from 30 to 50 lb line. Catfish aren't line shy, so you want some strong line that can withstand those big fish and snaggy areas. Next you will want some lead on your main line. I run 2-4 ounces of weight dependent on current and conditions. I will use either an egg sinker or a sinker slide with a bell or coin sinker. Next, you will want to tie on a large barrel swivel and bead to separate your main line from your leader line. The bead will protect your knot from fraying  and friction.

Time for your leader line; I run 12-16 inches of leader line (still heavy mono) and I then attach a rig from whisker seeker tackle. They sell float rigs that are pre-made and they are top notch quality. WST is a locally owned company that makes lots of great high quality cat gear. I like to mix it up with my rods, each one will have a different rig attached. I have a picture above that shows an example of one of these rigs.

The last piece of information you need to know about is bait and drifting. Any cut bait will work, but my go to's are sunfish or creek chubs if you don't have some fresh or frozen shad. Lastly, when you are drifting, you want to keep your speed anywhere between 0.2-0.65 mph. If you go through a stretch with several fish or several hits, hit that stretch again! Those are active cats and it is not unusual to continue to pick up a cat each time you hit that stretch. So next time, you go after cats, give this technique a try!

Gear Used:

• Rod- WST Med Heavy

• Reel- Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500

• Line- WST Mono 30 lb

• Lure- WST MP Seeker

• Bait- Cut Creek Chub

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

It is that time of the year that the bite starts to pick up! Spring fishing is my favorite fishing time of the year, more specifically April and May are the most productive months of the year for me, and even June can be good as well.

The bite starts with the walleye and northern pike. Soon after the crappie will move up close to shore and be overly aggressive. We quickly transition right into a great bass, wiper, and catfish bite; what a great few months of the year!

In this blog entry, I would like to talk about spring walleye fishing and some tactics I like to use. 

The first thing I look at are water temps and river gauges. For me temps between 42-50 are great for the walleye bite, and I prefer the river to be at normal or slightly slower flow. I really don't like fishing the river when it is high and fast, although fish can be caught in all conditions!

When fishing the river, I like to target dams, especially smaller ones with less pressure if possible. Other areas to try include any areas with rocky rip rap or transition points (large rock to small rock or rock to sand or mud.) I will try a variety of tactics for bait, but my go to is always a jig and plastic of some sort. I'll typically throw out a dead stick minnow as well if I have the opportunity. When jigging a plastic, let the bait fall to the bottom, and then bounce the bait back to you with a slow retrieve. Try to reel up loose line on the fall of the bait, as walleye will often times pin the bait to the bottom or hit the jig on the fall, and you have to be ready to set the hook. I find that jigs in 1/8 or 1/4 oz work best, but just like with plastics, it doesn't hurt to experiment until you find one that the fish are hitting.

When it comes to spring fishing for walleye in the lakes around central Iowa, I like to use several slow presentations. If you can find some structure that holds eyes such as a rock pile, you can jig for them just like you would in the river, however I switch out my plastic for a minnow or leech. If you are on the hunt for active walleyes, I find it to be effective to use a crawler harness with a worm or leech. This allows me to cover more area, and find where the walleye are congregating. When running harnesses or spinner rigs, I will troll anywhere from .25-.60 mph. Don't be afraid to try a slip bobber or a floating jig head either! These two tactics can bring in a lot of fish when they are hungry, and are often overlooked!

Lastly, blade baits and jigging raps are another spring tool that should be in your arsenal at all times for spring walleye fishing! I wish you all the best of luck when it comes to targeting spring dragons, just remember to stay patient and diligent. If you do this, you will be rewarded!

 Gear Used:

• St Croix Medium Light Fast Action rod

• BFishN Tackle AuthentX Moxi or Paddle Tail

• VMC Mooneye 1/4 oz Jig

• 1/4 oz- 1 oz bottom bouncer

• Lindy Spinner rigs 

• Cabelas MeanEye Blade Bait (1/2 oz)

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

It's that time of the year, time for ice fishing! As we enter the transition period and ice forms, we all get antsy. This is a time for excitement, but it is also one of the most dangerous times of the year for fishing.

First ice can be rewarding with lots of fish schooled up and hungry, but ice fishing results in several deaths each and every year, each one of them preventable. With that said, I would like to cover some ice fishing musts. These tips are crucial at all times when ice fishing, but are even more important during first ice and late ice when the ice development is inconsistent and unpredictable.

Rule number one of early ice is bring a buddy. It's never a great idea to go fishing early or late in the season by yourself. This is inviting danger; a lot of us do it anyways, but are risking our lives by doing so. By having a friend along, you can guarantee that you have someone around to assist if something goes wrong. They may not be able to help get you out of the water, but they can help by calling for emergency support, and should you go through the ice, every moment and decision thereafter is precious as hypothermia sets in quickly.

Another tool you should have is a pair of ice picks. These are cheap, and made by several brands. If you happen to go through the ice, the ice picks will assist you in getting out of the water. Water on the ice makes the surface even more slick and it is very tough to climb out of an open hole in the ice. The picks allow you to dig into the ice and pull yourself out. For anglers that fish by themselves during early and late ice, ice picks and float suits are a necessity. One last item to note about ice picks; you should have them easily accessible. If you have them stuffed in a pocket, they won't do you any good once you go through the ice.

Another item that is very beneficial for ice safety is the aforementioned float suit. A float suit will keep you afloat should you go through the ice. This will keep you topside and allow you to focus on getting out of the water rather than multitasking between staying afloat and getting out. As ice fisherman, we have a lot of gear on, which causes us to be heavier, making it tougher to tread water if you don't have a float suit on. More and more companies are coming out with their own float suits. They may cost a bit more, but your life is worth every penny, and these suits last a long time.

The last couple of items I am going to highlight are ice cleats and a spud bar. There are plenty more safety items you can pack with you, but I find these to be the necessities. Ice cleats allow you to walk safely on the ice without fear of falling. Every step matters during early and late ice, and should you lose your balance and fall, you are almost certainly going to go through the ice. A spud bar is important for checking the thickness of the ice as you traverse across the body of water. Ice forms at different times, and just because you are sitting on 6 inches of ice in one spot, does not mean the entire body of water has 6 inches of ice. Several factors come into play when considering ice thickness. For example, some coves may freeze quicker because they are protected from the wind, some areas may take longer to freeze because of the amount of sunlight that area receives. Some spots don't freeze as quick due to geese constantly swimming in the area. These are all reasons why a spud bar is important. When using a spud bar, strike the ice in front of you at least three times before moving on. It is important to spud each step during early and late ice, as one step is all it could take to go through.

Gear Used:

• Float Suit: Norfin Element+ FLT suit

• Ice Picks: Rapala Ice Picks

• Ice Cleats- Amazon

• Buddy- Bill

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

The temperatures are rising and the steam is coming off of the river in the early morning. No better time than now to start throwing topwater baits for river smallmouth. You can catch smallies in a variety of river and creek systems all across the state, but I prefer the narrower rivers that are walkable under most conditions. This allows me to cover more water and use precision casting with my baits. Not to mention, it is super relaxing!

When it comes to throwing topwater baits for smallmouth, one bait stands above the rest for me. It's the Whopper Plopper! While other baits can be highly effective, I love the action the Whopper Plopper provides, and it covers water quickly, causing a commotion in it's wake. The other thing I enjoy about this bait is that you can fish it multiple ways; you can cast it and bring it back with a steady retrieve. You can give quick runs and pauses; a technique I love; and you can give it some tugs for an extra splash on the retrieve as well.

When fishing the whopper plopper, I look for shaded banks on the river, or areas next to structure that provide a current break such as rocks, or timber. The shaded areas offer lower light conditions, and a cooler area for the fish to hide. It is crucial to get the bait as close to the bank as possible, as smallies will often pounce out and hit the bait right away. When targeting structure, smallies will often sit right behind the piece of structure where there is a current break or a deeper calm pool of water. Target these spots. Make sure to alternate your cadence when fishing the plopper, and get ready for the fun. Don't be too upset when a bronzeback goes airborn and throws the hooks. This is part of the game when throwing this bait. Quite often smallmouth will hit the tail end of the bait or even on the side and it is hard to get a clean hookset on the fish, making it easier for them to throw the hook. 

Another bait I love to use for summer smallmouth is the inline spinner. This lure is so overlooked by many anglers, it is hard to believe. This bait catches everything; from panfish to big pike and everything in between. Make sure you invest in some spinners of various sizes. The key with the inline spinner is to let the current do the work for you. Cast in the same areas that you would with the plopper, but keep your rod tip down, and give a slow steady retrieve. The current with give your blade a steady buzz and keep the bait suspended off of the bottom, which is another reason why I love this bait. So what are you waiting for? Get out on the river this week and gives these tactics a try. You never know, you might  be rewarded with one of those brown river footballs!

 Gear Used:

• St Croix Legend X Medium Fast action rod

• Daiwa Size 2500 Ballistic spinning reel

• River2Sea Size 110 Whopper Plopper 

• Mepps inline spinner size 4

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

In the mood for some crappie fishing but wanna mix up how to target them? Or maybe you have been throwing a slip bobber over a brush pile and they won't commit. Trolling and casting small plastics not getting it done? Are the crappie getting spooked as soon as you sneak up to their structure?

Time to try long rodding for those papermouths! A popular tactic for crappie year round, this is a variation from spider rigging that can be very productive and produce large bounties of fish and allow you to fish tight to structure without spooking fish. Dipping for crappie consists of using a large jigging rod with small plastics on a jig head. Most often I'll run two jigs, one about two foot above the other, but if I'm in a hurry, one jig will do.

First you will want to get yourself a proper crappie jigging rod. I like the Daiwa Crossfire Med-Heavy rod in 10'6 or 14'. The med-heavy rod might seem excessive for crappie but since you are dealing with so much blank, it balances out nicely, keeps the blank straight so you can see those light taps at the end of the rod. If you can find a telescopic rod, those are great as they are easier to carry than a 3 piece rod.

Next, you will want to troll up quietly to your targeted area and creep up just close enough that your rod tip is in the strike zone of the crappie you are trying to catch. This will keep from spooking them as easily. Drop the jig into the strike zone...that can be various areas when it comes to crappie. Depending on the depth I'll start off by dropping 3-5 ft down, then 7-10, etc...I usually drop in increments of 3-4 foot to see where they are suspending. I don't drop straight to the bottom for two reasons.

1. I'm targeting the aggressive fish, and those fish will come up and hit the bait above their heads (think ice fishing)

2. If you are fishing a school of crappie and drop in the middle of the school or below them, you risk spooking some of the fish away from the school

When presenting the jig, I start by holding it as still as possible to see how charged up the fish are. If I don't get bit, I'll give a couple light movements to entice the fish or move the rod slightly left, right, up, or down just to give a swimming presentation and entice a chase.

In terms of areas that I like to target, I will often start by dipping by dock slips and marinas. On large bodies of water, these areas are crappie magnets, and some fish will hold near docks at different points year round. It is crucial to put the jig as close to the dock as possible, as it's not uncommon for those fish to be just inches off of the structure. Other great areas to try include brush piles or just off of exposed vegetation. If you are on a lake that has some exposed reeds, you can troll parallel to the vegetation and stop periodically, dip, and move finding pockets of active crappie. Next time you are out slab seeking, add this tool to your arsenal to put more specks in the livewell!

 Gear Used:

• Daiwa Crossfire Jigging Rod (10'6")

• Crystaleyez 1/16 oz jig heads

• Sake Fishing Sake Slayer Plastics

• Daiwa Tatula Size 1000 spinning reel

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

One of biggest pieces of advice I give to anglers is that once you understand fish biology and behavior, you will become a better angler with any species. So often as anglers, we get in a pattern where we fish "memories." What this means is that we repeatedly go back to spots that were successful for us in the past, instead of looking into why we were successful at that spot. If you happen to fish the same spot at the same time of year on a regular basis, you might have some luck, but there is a high probablility that a spot that was great to you in the spring, will not be a good spot come fall. This is where spawning patterns come in. In this blog entry, I'm going to cover multiple species and give a brief overview of spawning behavior and how you can capitalize on it. 

Let's start at the fish that spawn at the coolest of temperatures. Once the ice thaws on lakes and rivers, and the sun warms the water, walleye and pike are on the move towards their spawning grounds. Both species spawn when water temps are in the 40-50 degree range. Prior to hitting that magical spawning temp, walleye will move close to shore and on sand flats, where females can dump their eggs. The fish become more aggressive, and you can capitalize on filling your limit of walleye very quickly. Pike can be found around sand flats or in areas with some backwater calm currents with a bit of weed growth or exposed reeds. Once the spawn starts, these fish will be sluggish and the bite will deteriorate. A fast post-spawn bite re-fuels eager anglers, and the  walleye and pike then start to depart from their spawning habitat. This span of time typically starts in early to mid March and runs to mid April.

Once we get towards the end of April, water temps start to creep into the 60 degree range, and the crappie spawn is close at hand. I always use mother's day as a good barometer for two things; crappies that are aggressive and easy to catch, and morel mushrooms. As the crappie spawn approaches, crappie move off of structures and into coves and creek arms. They will sit in as little as a foot of water very close to shore. The male black crappie gets very dark and has a dark complexion during the spawn. This is a great time to throw small plastics, and even hard artificial baits to get competitive crappie in a hurry. Once the spawn is complete, crappie will start to scatter. Some fish will stay close by for a while, and others will start to creep out into transition points close to dropoffs, river channels, and other structural points such as brush.

By the end of spring, we get to see the cool beds made by bluegills and the bass that will at times ignore any bait thrown at them. When water temps are in the low to mid 70s, you might walk by a pond and see a bunch of circular patterns with pebbles or shells in the middle of them. These are bluegill beds, and males will soon start to sit in the middle of them to protect the eggs within. These males will often bite passing lures out of anger and protection rather than hunger. Largemouth bass will make beds as well, but their behavior can be more erratic. Some bass are eager to eat, especially early on in the spawning season, but there are some bass that won't bother moving at all for a passing bait. You can even bump them with a ned rig and they will just move away, and come back a moment later, without any desire to take the bait.

Lastly, as we get into the warmest days of summer and water temps hit 80 degrees or close to that, channel cats will move into very shallow water, and males turn color. Often in the summer, you will catch channel cats in 2 foot of water or less on windblown coves. The male cats have large, muscular heads during spawn, and often turn a bluish color, which some people mistake for a blue catfish. As the Fall season rolls around, these cats start to move towards deeper water for their wintering holes.

All of these patterns and behaviors are how I operate my guide business, as I take clients towards the most active fish during that time of the year, and is a strategy that doesn't fail and can be used time and time again, on an annual basis. I hope this information is something you can add to your toolbox on your next fishing trip, and helps to land you a lunker!

 515 Fishing Guiding Schedule:

• Spring walleye/ pike river fishing (March-May)

• Spring walleye lake fishing (April-May)

• Mid to late Spring crappie fishing (April-May)

• Bluegill and bass fishing (ongoing through the year)

• Catfishing (Jun-August)

• Fall trophy fishing

• Ice fishing season

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

So you love catching eyes on the open water, but now it's hard water season and you just booked a trip to your favorite walleye destination...whether it's LOTW, Red Lake, Webster South Dakota, or somewhere in between, here are some tactics that are sure to put fish topside for you this winter!

When you are targeting eyes on big water, one of the things to keep in mind is that bigger lakes typically mean bigger flats. Walleye will roam these sand and mud flats all day, and you need to find a way to get their attention or capitalize when they come by your shack. Of course big lakes have structure as well, and you shouldn't forget to target these areas also. Rock reefs, rock piles, and underwater points or humps can all hold pods of fish. For the purpose of this blog entry, we are going to talk about lures to get those eyes' attention and to bite.

Tactic Number 1: Dead Stick

Once you have your area of attack picked out, and you got your shack ready to go, you should focus on getting some sort of dead stick set up. What is a dead stick you say? A dead stick is a setup that doesn't require you to hold the rod and jig it. It will give some sort of alert that you have a fish. Examples include a jawjacker (where legal), i-fish pros, tip downs, and tip ups. I personally love the jawjacker and the Sullivan Tip Down as my go to walleye dead stick options. The jawjacker sets the hook for you and you can go with a simple hook and minnow presentation. Use a splitshot to help get the bait down to the depth you want. A large 5 mm tungsten jig can be used if you don't have any splitshots handy. The Sullivan Tip Down is my favorite option because it is so versatile. You can run a true dead stick, or set up a robotic jigging option. If your STD is paired with a BlueTipz bluetooth bite detector, you can go jig a ways away from your dead stick and get an alert on your phone when a sneaky predator has taken your bait. Often, walleyes will come into the area due to noise and curiosity, but may be likely to bite a lively minnow versus an artificial lure, hence why a dead stick is crucial to have in your arsenal.

Tactic Number 2: Raps

No, not raps made by Lil Nas X...we are talking jigging and rippin raps. Bust out those size 4 and 5 raps and get ready to give your arm a workout. Raps are a great option to draw in eyes from afar and have a larger profile. Don't be afraid to use dramatic snaps when working these baits; if a fish hits, it is a reaction bite, very rarely does an eye eat a rap when it is unsure or shy. Try a variety of colors, but gold, glow red, and UV colors such as green or pink are great options when you are unsure what to tie on first. Rippin raps have a wide shad-like body and lots of rattles, and jigging raps have a more slender body but a tailfin that causes them to dart off in a variety of directions. One last thing to note when fishing this bait is that you will often get hit from the side and not even see the fish on your flasher, so be ready at all times!

Tactic Number 3: Rattle Spoons

Use the same colors as above for the rattling spoons, but add perch and firetiger combos to the mix. I favor the Buckshot Spoon and Lindy Rattlin Flyer, but most rattle spoons will do the trick. Make sure you have a stiff rod that can handle fishing these types of spoons effectively. You don't want an overly soft tip, or you won't get the right action out of the lure. Don't be afraid to go big and pound the bottom of the lake. This stirs up the sediment and gets the attention of the fish. Most often I tip my spoon with a minnow head, but if the eyes are shy, try some spikes instead.

Tactic Number 4: Flutter Spoons

Our last tactic to cover is a flutter spoon. A flutter spoon is the opposite of a rattle spoon. They have a slender blade-like profile and flutter down the water column, causing a tantalizing allure to big walleyes. I consider these a more finesse type tactic for a shy walleye. If the fish are in a negative or neutral mood, and a rattling bait is too aggressive, quite often the answer to seal the deal is a flutter spoon or a dead stick. Some of my favorite flutter spoons are the leech flutter spoon, slender spoons, tingler spoons, and dinner bells. Mix up soft jigging techniques with longer soft pulls that let the spoon flutter downward when fishing this bait. Good luck on the hardtop this season and add some walleye cheeks to the dinner menu with these tactics!

Gear Used:

• Medium or Medium Heavy Fast action rod

• Rapala Rippin Rap and Rapala Jigging Rap

• Northland Buckshot Spoon and Lindy Rattlin Flyer

• Clam Leech Flutter Spoon, Custom Jigs and Spins Slender Spoon, VMC Tingler Spoon, Frostbite Dinner Bell

• Sullivan Tip Down, Jaw Jacker

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

What the heck is a wiper? A wiper is one of the meanest fish around. It doesn't bite a bait, it hits it like a train. I've personally lost a rod and reel to a wiper hit, and I've seen it happen to a few other folks as well, so hold on tight and adjust that drag! A wiper is a hybrid white bass that is the result of white bass bred with the sea dwelling striped bass. They are stocked in reservoirs and rivers to help control the population of bait fish. Wipers are sterile and can't reproduce, which is why they are stocked on a regular basis. Wipers are nomadic and eat in large quantities when they feed. If you have a friend that has never caught a wiper, take them out, and let them experience what it is all about. It is sure to put a smile on their face! Now that you know a bit more about wipers, lets talk about how to catch them!

For the purpose of this blog, I am going to cover spring/fall habits and summer habits. Wipers start firing up and hitting baits early in the year. I start catching wipers on the open water around spring break or around the first of April. Early on, I fish lakes and reservoirs mainly for wipers, as I leave the river for my walleye bite. When fishing cooler water, the wipers are down deeper. They may only be a foot off of the bottom, or all the way up to the middle of the water column. 

Using a live bait presentation such as a modified lindy rig, or a minnow right off the bottom gets the job done most of the time. Don't overlook worms! A large chunk of nightcrawler has caught me a lot of wipers! The key is to use an egg sinker on your main line, and then tie on a 24 inch leader with a floating jig head. This keeps your bait presented off the bottom so the fish can see it easier. Once they hit, hold on, you're in for a ride!

When fishing the river I like to use heavy jigs with large plastics. Flukes and large paddle tails are my go to. Fish in areas that have slack water next to faster current. Wipers are ambush predators, and love to feed on disoriented bait fish that get washed in front of them by the current. Wipers are built for a battle, and don't mind a bit of moving water.

When we hit summertime, the shad spawn, and the topwater feeding frenzy begins for wiper and white bass. You may see large boils at the water surface on your local lake or on a calm pocket of the river. That is a school of wipers, or white bass feeding on shad, or other small bait fish. The best time to target the topwater bite is dawn and dusk, and you can catch loads of fish at a time. I like to throw baits such as whopper ploppers, rebel pop'r, inline spinners, or even chatterbaits right into the boils of fish. The hit is a lot of fun to watch, but the drag peeling is the best part! When fishing for wipers, your color of choice for lures and plastics should be white. You might catch a fish or two on chartreuse or something else, but white should be what you are throwing 90% of the time.

In terms of locating wipers on rivers or lakes, keep one thing in mind...wipers are nomadic and spend a lot of time moving in search of food. They don't hold tight to structure as often as other species. They like to be near moving water but chase fish into calm areas and windblown shorelines. If fishing a lake, I start by watching the wind direction, and I fish directly into the wind on drop offs and ledges. Be patient as wipers typically come through periodically. When fishing a river, I like to fish dams, or bends in the river. River bends provide a current break and calmer water nearby. Another great spot are rocky points and jetties.

Next time you go out to target wipers, make sure your drag is set appropriately, and you are holding on to your fishing rod, as these fish will peel your line, and put a smile on your face!

Gear Used

• Medium Powered Fenwick Aetos Rod

• Size 25 Abu Garcia Revo Premier Reel

• Suffix 832 12 lb fishing line

• Rebel Pop'R

• River to Sea Whopper Plopper

• Size 1/8-3/8 oz jigs

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

In this blog entry, I would like to talk a little bit about pro staffing. What is it, why it is important, and some myths about pro staffing.

First of all: What is pro staffing, or what does it mean to be on a pro staff? Most pro staffs are "promotional," staffers, not "professional" fisherman. This goes along with the common myth that if an angler is on a pro staff, they must be getting paid, or be a professional. In most cases, this simply isn't true. Your job as a pro staffer is to highlight a company's product through social media and out in the public. You advertise the product and the benefits it provides. In return, most pro staffers receive a discount of some sort. Discounts can vary from company to company and your position within that company. Several companies have different levels of pro staff and the higher levels come with more benefits. It is very typical to see discounts on products anywhere from 10-50%. In my mind, to be a true "professional," you are getting your gear for free, and your sponsors are helping with tournament fees. They are in a sense, paying you and not vice versa.

Pro Staffs are important for a variety of reasons. One reason is to spread the word about good products in a saturated market. New fishing products and brands are coming out all of the time. That said, anglers want quality products, and products that catch fish. Quality pro staffers will only represent companies that they believe in and will stand behind. There are anglers that will pro staff for anyone that will take them, but it is hard to value their opinion, as they are strictly searching for titles and patches to throw on a jersey, rather than speaking for a product they would use whether they were on staff or not.

Pro staffs are also a great tool for small, local companies. This gives a local touch and supports small businesses in a way that is more personal. Keeping money flowing into our small local businesses that turn out quality products is a huge benefit of having a pro staff. 

When companies are looking for candidates to be on a pro staff, here are the things I believe they are looking for:

1. Time on the water--if you don't fish often, it doesn't make sense to pro staff. Companies want an angler that views fishing as a passion, not as a once every other month kind of activity. You don't have to be the best fisherman, but you should at least catch a few once in a while!

2. Social media presence--if you want to provide value to a company, you should post pictures of their gear in use. They want to use you as a resource as much as you want to use their gear. Post, and post often. Different companies have different levels of expectations in this regard.

3. Professionalism--you are representing a company. Keep that in mind when you are posting pictures and making comments on social media. Once you are a member of a pro staff, you now have affiliations and your actions speak on behalf of those companies whether you like it or not.

Lastly, how do you get on a pro staff? Reach out! Send your name and information to someone within the company and a brief description on how they could benefit from your services. Think of it the same way you would view a career. Create a resume stating what you can bring to the company, your strengths, and some good pictures!

Since this is a post about pro staffing, it would be silly of me not to mention the companies I work for and am happy to represent:

• National Pro Staff: NPS is a company that connects anglers with fishing brands all over the world in an effort to find additional pro staff opportunities. Some companies strictly use NPS to review resumes.

• Sake Fishing: Sake Fishing is a local company based out of central Iowa. Sean Tran creates custom rods and jigs to suit your needs. You won't meet a friendlier guy and someone who is open to any idea you might have.

• Robohawk: Robohawk is another local company based out of central Iowa. Ben Tietz creates kayak "leashes" and ice fishing tethers that are durable and super handy accessories to have on hand while you are out on the water. Not to mention, some super cool color combos!

• Aquaflage: Aquaflage is a clothing company based out of Florida. Coastal living and fishing is their thing and they know how to make quality apparel that is fashionable and functional.

• X-Zone Lures: X-Zone is a plastics company. I love the choices they offer and their customer service. They are constantly turning out new products and color combos. Their plastics are durable and they make plastics for catching a wide variety of species.

• Lakco: Lakco makes a wide variety of terminal tackle and ice fishing accessories. Those ice scoops you use? Yeah, there is a good chance that those are made by Lakco!

• Rapala: Rapala makes a large variety of fishing tackle and lures, and is of the highest quality.

Other companies I don't represent but highly recommend:

• Whisker Seeker Tackle: WST is based out of central Iowa, and every thing I use for catfishing comes from this company. Super quick shipping, quality products, and quality people. 

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

Okay, so you want to fish the river, but you don't know where to start and you are limited to fishing from the bank. Not a problem! Believe it or not, fishing from the shore can be very rewarding when it comes to river systems, and depending on water level, a lot of the river can be accessible via the bank, or more than you might think.

Rivers are exciting waterways to fish as they are ever changing, and the potential for a trophy fish is always there. Not to mention, you have a large variety of fish that inhabit the river systems, so it is somewhat of a lottery on what you might catch. The "catch 22" of an ever-changing waterway however is constant changes in fish movement, positioning, and behavior. The fish may change location based on water temperature, water level, amount of oxygen available, and river current, to name a few factors.

Here are a few tips when tackling a river system by foot and things to look for to increase your odds of landing a river monster like Jeremy Wade...

1. Look for slack water: Regardless of water level, fish like slack water. Slack water gives the fish a chance to rest from swimming against the current, but it also provides an ambush point for feeding. A majority of river predators can be found in slack water areas such as walleye, pike, smallies, wipers, and cats. 

"What if I don't know what slack water is?"

When looking at the flow of the river, you should be able to see the water moving in one particular direction. The water speeds up and slows down at particular spots in the river. Slack water is any water on the river that is extra calm or has very little current. Common areas to find slack water include around jetties and points. Behind any sort of structure such as a boulder or log jam is also a good spot to try. Sand bars and coves usually hold some slack water nearby as well as the outside of large bends in the river.

2. Look for deep holes: Some river fish like to stay in holes throughout the day, especially the whiskered variety. Look for steep banks and toss your baits up close to them. If you fish a hole for about 15 min without much action, don't be afraid to move on.

3. Fish current seams: Just like looking for slack water can be effective, current seams and eddies can be effective as well. A river seam is when the current is flowing one direction with water next to it flowing in the opposite direction. This can provide a highway of sorts for the fish when they aren't looking to expend a lot of energy, and may want to capitalize on a quick meal that could pass them by along the current seam.

4. Fish oxygenated areas: Just like us, fish need oxygen to survive. Fish look for areas of the water that contain higher levels of oxygen to maintain their health, especially when the river is low, and water is scarce. As the river dries out, there is less oxygen in the water, and the fish start to concentrate in areas of high oxygen. Areas of high oxygen may include spillways or areas of fast moving water such as rip rap. Smallies love to sit in deep water just downstream of rip rap, and that is one of my favorite places to fish for them. You can have great success at a spillway, as a variety of fish congregate in these areas and feed.

5. Wade: Last but not least of my few tips in this blog entry is wade the river. If the river conditions are right, waders can be a great way to cover more water and get into hard to reach areas. One great thing about hard to reach areas...less pressure. Less pressure typically equals fish that are more likely to strike an artificial lure. 

I hope you found these tips useful and they assist you in your next quest on the river, good luck and... 

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

Okay, summer is here! It is the middle of June, and the temps are starting to heat up, not only in the air, but in the water as well. This is a prime time to go target some catfish! If I want to go get some catfish, where do I start? Well, let's attack this question in two different ways. First let's talk about the two main types of catfish in our area. Those are channel cats and flathead catfish. Let's address the most common of the two first; the channel cat.

Channel cats can be caught in most bodies of water around Iowa, and in all sorts of sizes, from fish that are barely six inches long, to big hogs that push 20 lbs. You can catch channel cats in most local ponds. When targeting channel cats in a pond, you can try a variety of different baits on the bottom of the pond. Don't be afraid to mix it up! Worms, livers, chicken, shrimp, stink bait, and cut bait can all be effective ways to catch nice channel cats. Target the coves of the pond early and late in the day as the cats will move in early as the sun warms up these spots first, and in the evening the cats will move into the shallows to feed and chase bait fish.

When fishing for channel cats on a lake or larger body of water, I like to look for large flats. Muddy flats are preferable, but sandy or weedy flats can produce fish as well. When the water cools down in the fall, you will find the cats in deeper holes and scattered. Use the same bait and tactics when targeting a flat area of a lake as you would fishing a pond. When fishing lake flats, I like to drift cut bait for channel cats.

You can also find channel cats in rivers and creeks in high numbers. Catfish tend to hang out along current seams and breaks near calm water. This allows them to rest from the current, but also provides a good ambush spot and spawning grounds. When fishing rivers for channel cats, try to find these slack water spots and fish some bait tight to shore, and some bait close to the current seam. If you don't get a bite within 30 minutes, don't be afraid to move on. Actively feeding channels won't hesitate to hit your bait and will know if it is close by.

In regards to the big mean flathead catfish, I can only give advice on those that preside in the river systems, as I simply haven't targeted or caught them in lakes and it wouldn't be fair for me to speak to that like some sort of expert. Flatheads can be elusive but once you find and hook into one, I promise you won't forget it. They are quite a rewarding fish to catch and very strong. When looking for flatheads in a river system, look for "hiding spots." Flatheads like to ambush rather than chase for a lot of their meals. Steep banks with large cuts and holes in the bank provide good spots for flatheads to rest alongside the bank and out of the fast current. Log jams are also great as they provide some slack water and safety. Log jams are a piece of structure and cover that attracts the flatheads' food source. When casting towards a log jam, try fishing the front or the back of the log jam where there is calmer water and be extra cautious with your casts to avoid snags. There is a strong possibility that if you do hook into a large flathead it will run you into a snag, which is one of the joys of chasing these beasts.

Lastly, I would suggest slack water or shallow spots late at night, similar to channel cats. Flatheads are notorious night time feeders and are active hunters late at night. It is not uncommon to be fishing for flathead catfish until 3 am. This is a time that you could find them next to sandbars; especially if you have some steep banks on one side of the river and a flat area on the other side. Try throwing out live sunfish, bullheads, or creek chubs if you are trying your luck at one of these trophy fish.

Get out and enjoy some catfishing this summer! They are a great battle and hit the rod hard. Fishing for cats can be exciting and relaxing all at the same time. Once you have done it once with success, you will continue to chase them for a long time into the future.

Gear Used:

• Rod- WST Med Heavy

• Reel- Daiwa Emcast

• Line- WST Mono 30 lb

• Weight- 2-5 oz weight

• Hook: 6/0 or 8/0 WST Triple Threat Hook

• Bait- Cut Creek Chub

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

This should be an interesting blog entry as it is totally subjective; I would be interested in reading your comments on this as well. Once I post this blog, and post to social media, please add your comments on what makes a great angler in your mind!

1. Experience--time on the water. There is no substitute for experience. The more you fish, the more you learn about fishing and about a particular body of water, and about fish behavior in general. More time on the water also typically results in more trophies to show for your efforts. More time to try new techniques, and more opportunities to see other anglers in action and learn from them. Part of what makes fishing guides great is their experience with a particular area or body of water. Most guides don't take clients to a body of water they have little time on. They take them to a place that they know and feel confident that their clients will have a productive day. Furthermore, part of what makes most guides good is their dedication to a particular lake or body of water. Kevan Paul comes to mind as a local guide talent. Kevan knows Clear Lake and it's surrounding bodies of water like the back of his hand. This didn't happen overnight, it is due to the time he spent on these lakes and the experience he has gained.

2. Versatility--To be a great angler, I think you need to be versatile. That can mean a lot of things, and when I think of a versatile angler, I think of a few key things. Use of various baits and tactics, knowledge on various bodies of water, and skills across multiple species. The first versatile skill I mentioned was the use of various baits and tactics. A great angler has the ability to use different baits at different times of the year knowing which bait would be more successful at different times. For example, should I use a jig and plastic here or should I throw a jerk-bait, or perhaps a top water? It's not all about choice of lure, a lot has to do with fishing technique as well. If I am on the hunt for walleyes for example, a great angler would be able to have the skills to vertical jig, troll, drift, and cast for this species depending on what tactic might be best at the time.

The second versatile skill I value in a great angler is knowledge on various bodies of water. A lot of anglers can spend time on a few great ponds and continuously pull out quality fish. That, in my opinion does not make you a great angler. I'm not trying to be critical of anyone that strictly fishes ponds, I just believe that fishing only these bodies of water leads to little development in your skills as an angler, and ponds typically provide a higher chance at a good catch rate due to size of the water. There are several types of water systems, and each one provides it's own unique challenges to overcome. A great angler has experience fishing lakes, rivers, and yes ponds as well.

The final versatile skill isn't as important in my mind, but can still be pretty valuable. I tend to think a great angler catches a variety of fish species, or has the skills to do so. One reason I don't think this is an absolute necessity is because I know several anglers that I would consider great that spend most of their time fishing for a singular species. Different species of fish have different behaviors and it takes time and skill to learn how to catch each one. 

3. Research--This might be the skill that most anglers overlook. I think it is important to study the bodies of water you fish and what areas hold fish. Prior to fishing, a quality angler knows when then they arrive to a body what areas they want to target and why. I think a lot of casual anglers don't take the time to understand why an area is holding fish, instead they drive to a body of water and they fish the "popular" spots. You see this a lot in ice fishing as well when little villages sit on one spot to try and capitalize on a large school of fish. You can certainly still catch fish this way, but the added pressure might do more harm to your catch rate rather than benefiting it.

4. Dedication--A great angler is dedicated. They don't give up easily and they treat a day of getting skunked as a lesson. Great anglers try to understand why they didn't catch fish, rather than making excuses.

5. Trophies--Definitely not a necessity, but most great anglers have a few trophy fish under their belt. I don't know too many great anglers that haven't at least caught a few impressive fish. Trophies will come naturally if you are a great angler. Once again back to the pond theory; just because you have caught ten 5lb bass from the same pond, doesn't make you a great angler, at least in my opinion. 

I hope you enjoyed my take on what makes a great angler, let's hear what you think makes a great angler!

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

Perch; one of my favorite fish to target. Primarily because they aren't the easiest to find locally. I also love their colors and the fact that they taste great! With ice season here, (well kind of) the hunt for perch is on in some of our northern Iowa lakes. Clear lake and Rice lake both produce good numbers of perch, however anglers can get frustrated easily if they either don't find them, or they find an abundance of small fish.

The purpose of this blog post will be to highlight some tips that I use when fishing these areas for keepable perch. Let's start with Clear lake. My first piece of advice is fish shallow. In my experience at CL, in deeper water I only find small stunted perch. My theory is that the larger perch are larger because they are smarter and don't cruise the open depths; instead they stick to the shallows and close to escape points from predators. I would fish for perch in as low as 2-3 feet of water. The rushes at CL produce a lot of nice panfish, perch included, so don't be afraid to pick a pocket in the rushes and fish it. My most recent outing was in 5 ft of water and I was able to limit out on perch.

My next tip is use larger baits. Yes you will still have to sort through some smaller fish, but your chances at a large fish increase due to the size of bait your using, and it will eliminate some of those dinks. One thing anglers hate doing when fishing for perch on CL is re-baiting after every little perch, or just having to remove a small fish every minute. For that reason, on my last trip, I used only two baits exclusively. The first was a Lindy rattling flyer spoon tipped with half a minnow and the second was a firetiger rippin rap. I used rattle baits purposely to attract the aggressive fish and to get the attention of the fish. I used a large piece of minnow instead of spikes as it is harder for the little fish to pull off. Finally, the rippin rap was great because no bait was needed at all to produce fish.

Now, let's talk about Rice lake. This lake has some real quality fish in it, but it can be frustrating as their isn't a ton of depth contours or structure to be found. Because of that, the fish do a lot of roaming. My best luck at Rice has come from bouncing around until I find a fish and then giving that spot ample time. Once you have found 1 fish, fish that spot for a solid 15 min before you give up on it. A lot of times the fish will come through in schools, and you just need to take advantage when you see them. Once again, don't be afraid to fish shallow, I have caught a couple walleyes over 20 inches in only 2 ft of water on Rice lake. They are in there!

Gear Used:

• Float Suit: Striker Ice Predator Suit

• Firetiger Rippin Rap by Rapala

• Lindy Rattlin Flyer Spoon (Golden Perch)

• Rod-Sake Spoon, Sake Dragon

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

I have a real affection for perch, especially big jumbo perch. Not because they are pound for pound fighters or because they grow large in size. Rather, I think it is a combination of the coloration of the fish and their elusiveness to anglers in central Iowa. Perch have some of the coolest markings I have seen on a fish. I love the bright gold color with the vertical tiger stripes; it really makes you stop and appreciate the beauty of the species. Perch are hard to find in central Iowa. It's not like the Dakota's where everywhere you go, there is an opportunity to find gold.

Instead, finding a location that hold perch in central Iowa is gold itself. Once found, most anglers keep that secret close to their heart, and I can't blame them, for the fear of over-fishing for perch is a very real possibility should these secrets be unlocked by the masses. These factors make finding and catching perch a truly rewarding experience. Yes, they taste great, but I just enjoy the dig of a perch once hooked up and taking a few moments to enjoy the catch and take a quick picture before letting the fish return to the depths. 

Fishing for perch in the summer isn't all that difficult if you can find the fish...you just have to find them, which is what makes perch fishing so tough and rewarding at the same time! Perch typically school and stick to the bottom of the lake. In the summer, most perch (especially larger ones) will move to deeper cooler areas, however you will still find schools in the shallows next to reeds, dropoffs, and other shoreline structure. 

My weapons of choice for summer perch fishing are simple. First I use a Lindy Perch Rig and tip it with some sort of live bait. I prefer worms, but minnows and wax worms can be effective as well. Drop shot rigs and catch a few perch, and lastly I love to use my ice fishing gear, even in the summer to catch perch. A small green or gold tungsten jig tipped with a wax worm can work wonders especially if you are sitting on top of a school of fish.

Good luck chasing the golden tigers of Iowa, and remember the hunt is half the fun!

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

One of my favorite techniques for catching large mouth bass is drop shotting. I've only used this technique over the last three years, as I hadn't really heard of it or seen anyone else use it in person. 

I have always thrown a texas rig or a crankbait of some type. This has worked and so I stuck to it. However, there were times that the fish weren't hitting these baits, or I was having a tough time fishing some spots that I wanted to fish due to algae or some other obstacle. This led to me watching some videos on finesse fishing for bass and the drop shot.

The technique looked simple in theory; tie a horizontal hook to your main line, and then tie on a leader with a weight to keep your bait in the target zone. I simplified the horizontal hook presentation by using a VMC spinshot hook. These hooks basically have a barrel swivel built into them and the presentation stays horizontal so you don't have to worry about your knot. Next, I tie on a fluorocarbon leader that is anywhere from 12-18'' in length. I use a pencil weight or bell weight for my drop shot weight. I like the pencil weight because there is less chance for a snag and for weeds to grab hold of the weight.

When fishing this technique, it is important to remember it is finesse fishing and so you have to fish it as such. This is one reason a lot of people don't fish the drop shot. They want fast action and reeling in a crank bait fast several times is a lot quicker than fishing a drop shot. That said, drop shot fishing can be much more rewarding as it doesn't scare many fish away and you can catch fish of all sizes.

When fishing a drop shot, it is important to cast and let your bait sink to the bottom. I do this by keeping my bail open, and not closing the bail until the line stops running out. At this point, let your bait sit for a few seconds. A lot of times you will get bit when the fish first sees the bait. After that you want to twitch the bait back to shore. Use a cadence that works for you, but make sure to give some pauses as well and time for the bait to sit in front of the fish's face. When you get hit, setting the hook is similar to using a texas rig, but the hook is much smaller, so don't overdue it. I wait for the fish to take my bait and run with it, once the line is taut, I use a 45 degree angle sweeping hookset.

I like to use a light action rod with a soft, fast-action tip for the drop shot technique. This allows for each twitch to deliver action to your bait, and for you to feel the smallest taps. You won't just catch bass with a drop shot, you can catch some big panfish as well! Lastly, don't be afraid to use small baits. My go to is a one inch Berkley forktail minnow in white. Bigger isn't always better! 

Until next time,

Tight Lines!

This is my first attempt at writing a blog, so bear with me! I'm not great with videos, nor do I have the patience to record and edit for hours, but I am happy to share my experience through words and pictures as that is a media I am more efficient in.

I know a lot of great fisherman, and most of them specialize in catching a particular species of fish. Whether it be crappie, catfish, or walleye, they are great at what they do, and I have learned a lot from each of them. That's where I want to be different; there are so many things that I enjoy about each species and the challenges that come each. Ranging from techniques, behaviors of the fish, and time of year, I pride myself on fishing for almost everything, and trying to be a jack of all trades. 

I am by no means an expert on any one species, but I started a new strategy to improve my knowledge of fishing. I now focus on one species at a time. What that means is I fish lakes with a high population of the species I'm targeting, I research the species I am targeting, and I try new baits and techniques for the species I am targeting.

I most recently finished my season for crappie, and I learned a lot. I tried some new baits I hadn't before, and fished some new lakes that were brand new to me. This came with mixed results, but a lot of learning. One of the most beneficial pieces I gained from this was fishing on my boat by myself at big creek. I was able to fish at my own pace and explore, while targeting one fish. I wasn't worried about numbers of fish. Instead I studied their patterns. What time of day were they most active? What structures of the lake do they prefer? What presentations worked best during different conditions?

I am now transitioning to fishing for largemouth bass. When I do this, I typically target local ponds moreso than lakes, simply because I like having the break from my boat, and the chances of landing a trophy largemouth in ponds is actually pretty good. In my next blog entry I will detail some of the techniques I am using for largemouth and some of the things I look for when picking a location. 

Until next time,

Tight Lines!