March Ice fishing for Panfish

Jason and I arrived at a private lake in the darkness just before dawn.

Jason’s ION electric auger was the perfect choice for a lake surrounded by house at 5:30 am. We drilled in 5ft, 6ft, and 8. we expected the fish in the 8 foot hole the only one on the lake. But the fish were in 6 around the outside of the hole.

DupageAngler.com member Dark Star (Jason) caught a gill in the 6ft, so we set up shop.

The fish came in waves and we caught fish at a steady pace. The day started at 3 degrees and ended in 20. Fishing was nice and comfortable once the sun came out.

We caught the trifecta of this lake, Bluegills all big as or hand, crappie all 10 inches or better and a couple bass! Changing presentations was the key for me. Fish were caught on Swedish Pimples, Slender Spoons, jigs of all sorts, Little Atom Plastics, Aurora Lure Maggies, wax worms and spikes.

It was a great day until a nice but concerned homeowner came out to check our permission. We talked everything was fine and discussed fishing for a while. Another homeowner thought we were out there arguing and called the cops. Thank god we were talking to the family I know when two cops showed up thinking were fighting with an home owner were trespassing!! Then we talked fishing with them as the admired Jason’s equipment

All in all it was a great especially after some great fishing and meeting the local law enforcement!

Bring on the THUNDER

Bass fishing had been pretty slow in our area. Ted (Soonerbass), Chunsum (JC Crappies), and I decided that kayaking for crappie might be a better idea. A cold front passed just an hour before we started and I actually did not think we were going to do much of anything.

We put in and it was still dark with mist on the water, God I love that. Ted and a few others have been throwing crappie thunders for sometime. I have never liked the way they look or their action. These guys crush fish on them so I have joined the Thunder wagon.

Wal-Mart sells them pretty cheap in about three color combos. JC made a smart move and bought similar bodies from Strike king.This way he does not have to keep buying whole baits and can reuse the heads after the bodies get shredded.

The bite was slow but not terrible. Considering I was expecting the skunk, I was pretty happy to hook up. All three of us were hooking bass. I would like to say that bass was our target and in our genius we decided to use smaller crappie baits, but the truth is we only caught a few crappies.

I had brought minnows because of the cold front and my low expectations for the day but they only caught a couple fish. However, one of them was a beautiful 19 bass!

The crappie thunder out produced live bait even in tough conditions I was a bit taken back by that. I really thought I would be double minnowing it and only catching crappie.

I am now a thunder addict and it will be a go to on most of my crappie trips in the future.

Two Days of Cold Search Crappies

Two Days of Cold Search Crappies

Chunsum Choi (JCcrappies From DupageAngler.com) and I met before sunrise. We were at the lake to begin prepping our kayaks for the cold water and hopefully some crappie.

I got the bright idea to ride my yak down the small embankment into the lake. I am not always the sharpest hook in the box. The kayak slid in, the nose dipped, and I started to roll. Thank God it was only two feet deep and I was able to stop with my arm. It is reasons like this I carry 3 pairs of gloves and a pile of hand-warmers.

The water was 36 degrees and the air temp was 32. A steady wind across the lake started to slowly freeze us to the bone. Four top layers, neoprene facemask and 3 warmers stuffed in my gloves and sleeves bought me some time. I turned Pandora radio on my phone to try to ignore the fact that I was freezing and the suspended fish swimming by at 4 feet were not biting anything.

Finally, as I lost feeling in my feet, my float slowly disappeared as I caught a beautiful 10-inch black crappie!! Unfortunately this would be the only one. I managed to scrape up one gill and lost one before the cold got to me and I called it a day.

The bright side was that this was the first time I used my Lowrance Elite 4X color fish locator! Let me tell you I was impressed. The resolution rocks! The setting selection is robust! I played with the fish id option and went through all of the settings again ignoring the fact that I was sitting in plastic in the middle of water with sticks and strings (this is how it feels yak fishing with no fish J) I was surprised to find an ice fishing flasher mode. Most locators keep this mode under pages or views. I know this because I went through every model at BPS looking for flasher modes. The flasher mode for the Lowrance is under sonar settings and it is really good. If I had known this, I might not of bought another company’s model for ice fishing! Live and learn.

The next morning I headed 40 minutes North to yak a private pond. You would not believe the difference in the ponds from the North of the county to the South. Every pond up North had ice! Bummer! I drove back home and tried one pond with Chunsum and we struck out. After warming up I went back out to a small pond and managed to catch 3 small crappies and missed a couple as well. I was just happy to catch something! Spring cannot get here soon enough…..

THIS WEEK'S Podcast!!

THIS WEEK'S Podcast!!! Click HERE

AVAILABLE ON ITUNES

CLICK HERE

The Right Way to End a Winter

One of our taglines for DuPageAngler.com is Be Part of Something Special. This is not just a tagline. The members have real interactions in real life. This weekend was one of those moments.

A fury of emails and calls bounced back and forth and before it was done, over 7 DA members converged on Lake Harrier for some late season ice fishing. There was a line of cars waiting for the ranger to open the gates. The cool part is that the whole line was made up of Dupage Anglers!!! RocknFish, JcCrappies, Brim, Sooner, Aczr711  JTC24 , dbenner, and JTC24's father.

Most of us headed to an area where James(JTC24) and Dylan(dbenner) had got some big walleyes. We all caught fish but the boys were on fire early, besides two huge eyes they rallied up a pile of crappies, bluegills, and perch. The others guys came back with a volley of walleyes, bass, and perch. Rocknfish and I started late out of the gate but we scored huge with a great gill spot and caught 35 between us in short order. 

Many of us myself included are quick to point out what our forest preserve districts do wrong. Harrier is a great example of something done right. First and foremost the lake is catch and release only for ALL species!!! This one rule has made it possible for any angler to have very good chance of catching something on a trip to this lake. The district takes the catch and release seriously. Every trip I have made here I have been checked for my license. This catch and release policy combined with a vigilance of protection from the district will give the county its first true gem. I have never enjoyed the forest preserves do to the lack of numbers, bucket heads, and law breaking. But harrier I will return to. This catch and release fishing could be the road to fantastic fishing for all in Illinois and other pressured areas around the country.

The variety of species found here made it possible for us to catch fish all over the lake. bass, gills, crappies, perch, catfish, and walleye were all caught on this day. Minnows, jigs, spikes, waxies, spoons, Little Atom micro plastics and tip-ups all tricked fish into battles under the ice.

Having a large group ice fishing is a blast. Lots of drilling and electronics everywhere is pretty cool. Everyone is talking and helping each other out. Some smack talk here and there, yahoos of success, and the occasional curse of a fish lost. DA members got to put faces with the guys they talk with online and make some real friends and fishing partners for the future. This was so much fun and the right way to end the winter.

Harrier Walleye from Daniel Byrne on Vimeo.

Birthday Ice Fishing 2013

Birthday Ice Fishing 2013

Every year there are two days that I can count on fishing for sure; father’s day and my Birthday. For my birthday I always take a day off. This year thanks to the great friends I have found at DuPage Angler.com I had partners in crime take off the day as well. Jason (aka Darkstar) and Ted Yates (soonerbass) both agreed they would join me along with my brother-in-law Al.

Well the winter weather again this year has been a disappointment to say the least. Warm weather and unsafe conditions have taken their toll on the ice angling community. I set my alarm and I was quickly off to sleep anxious to start fishing in the morning. This morning mind you, I have planned for weeks and talked my buddies into as well. At 3:30am I wake up to pouring rain!! YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME! I pick up my sell and let the guys know that it’s off, we are done, and we are sleeping in.

I could not sleep, so I look outside and no rain. Well I figure I should go see the damage on to the ice at my local pond. To my surprise the pond is not totally destroyed and safe. The shore was wet but that’s it!! So I quickly make some calls and both Sooner and DS are back in.

Our first two ponds are a disappointment. The first we could not find fish, the second thin ice, but the third was the gold! Ds made it to the ice first and crossed the thinner shore ice that was covered with 4 inches of water and started making Swiss cheese of the lake with his ION auger. I go to pull my shelter on to the ice and got a shock! I was walking backward and did not notice this hole in the ice!! Maybe a beaver hole I am not sure but in a city second my left leg is completely submerged and my ass is on the ice!! HOLY COLD ICEMAN!! Thinking on my feet, well once I got to my feet I hid in my minivan and put on the extra pair of snow pants I brought. Then yelled “which of you is wearing more than one pair of socks?” Thanks Ted for the donation to the pondboy fell on his ass foundation.

We decided to fish the suspended fish we found in 6.5 foot of water. The crappie bite was great thanks to Little Atom Wedgees and Nuggies. The plastics out fished any other presentation. In fact I did not even open my spikes and waxies! It was a blast everyone was catching fish. The bluegills were not as easy to get on the line but we managed to trick some of them as well. Both the full size Nuggies and the micro Nuggies worked. I really love the red and orange colors.

After fishing a while the guys went and got pizza for my birthday!! What an awesome meal on the water! Thanks guys.

Well when the guys brought the food on the ice they discovered the shore ice was getting worse and worse due to the climbing temps and the sun now beaming down on the lake. We had to either cut our day short or risk not getting back to shore.

We very carefully got ourselves and our truck load of equipment off the dying ice and called it a day. Although it was not the all day fishing marathon I had planned we managed to find some ice and some fish. I had a great time with friends as well. Not a bad birthday angling adventure.

LITTLE ATOM LURES

The Fishing Goes On - Tom Walsh - Redhook

Written by Dupage Angler: Tom Walsh - Redhook

It’s been a while since I posted, but the fishing goes on…it never stops.

It’s my 2nd year of winter river fishing. Last year at this time, I had 1 creek chub as my tally for the month of January, and I only caught 1 more fish, a foul hooked carp, to finish the month off.  This month I’ve caught about 75 fish, all small walleyes. But I’m enjoying every second of it, and can only mention the  ½ hour drive to my spot to complain about.

I guess I’m a minnow guy now. I’ve been fishing fatheads for the last couple weeks and my success rate has increased dramatically. I’m hooking them on a 1/32 oz pearl gumball jig head.  The jig head keeps the minnow from sliding up my line when I catch something.  I look forward to breaking out the lures again, when I can, but for now, I’m just jazzed to be catching fish every time I go out.

It’s funny. At times I shudder at the thought of being out there in the wind, with temps hovering around 20 degrees. Sometimes that keeps me in my warm bed a little longer, but when the fishing bug overcomes that, the cold isn't much of a problem. I've got some super warm boots , some snow pants to wear over my jeans or dockers(gotta do something before work!), 2-3 jackets over a long sleeved shirt and sweater, neoprene gloves and my Beardhead Barbarian Vagabond hat. As long as I keep my fingers moving, I’m good.

Here’s me before a recent morning outing, geared up and ready. The other shot is my first fish of the day. I’ve been getting anywhere from 3 to 8 of these little walleye in the 45 minutes I have to fish.

Redhook out.

Father and Daughter Pond Ice Fishing

When my daughter was very young 5 or 6 she would join me fishing whenever I asked. Now that she is nine her interests are more on friends and boy bands! (Insert father yuck face). So when she said she was excited to go ice fishing this year I could not wait to get her out there.

 The day before I had a guided trip with a friend and his two boys. The results were great 20 fish apiece. (www.dupagefishingguide.com if you’re interested) 

Since we did so very well I knew we would do ok. We left about 7 in the morning and I wanted to be a bit of a dandy daughter day so I stopped at McDonalds on the way and even stopped at Dunken Doughnuts for a snack to eat later!

I took her to a pond in my old stomping grounds that I have been ice fishing for years. It is not know for size, but numbers are pretty good. The water is fairly clear and perfect for my Fish-TV. My daughter Rachel loved seeing the fish on the tv! This unit is the most affordable on the market, easy to use, and stands up against others in its class.

She caught on to using a spring bobber instead of a small float very quickly. She caught over a dozen gills and a couple crappies. I soaked a minnow while I helped her. I could have had more then the few crappies I caught had I been paying attention.

We laughed, made up songs, and ate doughnuts. After 2.5 hours she was done. We stopped by grandma’s house and stopped for ice cream on the way home.  If you have not taken you child out fishing yet you should. If they say no, don’t get your feelings hurt. You have to just keep asking. The memories are worth it.

If you would like to learn how to ice fish, fish, or need help teaching the kids and you are in DuPage or surrounding counties of Illinois visit DuPage Fishing Guide Service. We will get out there and get you on an angling adventure of your own.

Cold Wet Christmas Walleyes

Cold Wet Christmas Walleyes

It was 19 degrees as I pulled into the dark parking lot. Chunsum (aka JcCrappies) and I geared up in the dark anxious to start fishing below a dam to fight some small winter walleyes. I said it was cold very cold right? I brought minnows but I decided not to go into the freezing bucket after them. We used crawlers and drift rigs.

With our body temps slowly dropping, we shot the shit the way most anglers do. You know what I'm saying? Here is an example. I come home from fishing father’s day all day long with Darkstar (another DA member) and my beautiful wife asks me what we talked about all day. I said nuthin really. She said “all day long and you cannot remember what you talked about?” This is because Fisherman usually don’t talk about anything serious. Most guys go out fishing to shut off everything and relax. So the conversions are about cartoons, sex, sports, women, fishing, women, cartoons, fishing, food, fishing, music, and fishing.

In about an hour and a half I managed to score 3 walleyes. That was not as many as I wanted and they were not giants, but in the middle of December I take what the fish gods give me.

Both of us were now totally freezing. When you are wading in very cold water your toes are always the first to go followed by finger tips. We decide to get out of the water. I proceed first and as soon as I am on the shore ice forms on my legs. Chunsum is taking a little too long. I look back and he is stumbling. He take a step wobbles, another wiggles, another he tips, one more and Ka-Splash-Ka-Spoosh!!!!! WOAH Holy CRAP! Not only does he fall but if this was a judged event he would have gotten a perfect 10!! He fell backwards in slow motion; both arms stretched as if he just accepted his fate and let the river take him. Oh my god I am still chuckling right now. It was like a wading NESTEA PLUNGE! His outside jacket and gloves were soaked but underneath he was quite dry. The stiff winter wind quickly made him a jacket of ice. Of course this ended his day. Even his head got soaked but his Beardheadacted like a force field and kept his hair dry.

I went to one more location solo and managed to scrape up two more eyes, two white bass, and a dink smallie. Not a terrible day. Well not for me! BLahahaha (sorry buddy)

Caught some fish and had a good laugh. Of course I have just jinxed myself for teasing my friend. I am now destined to fall the next time out.

PS. For those of you who stumble on to my blog, we would love to have you visit DupageAngler.com It is for everyone the only requirement is you have to be a good person. See you there.