Walleye are among the most popular of all game fish. Although their original range was from Canada to Alabama, today walleye have been stocked in the waters of virtually every state in the U.S. and every province of Canada.
North of the border, walleye are known as pickerel, jackfish or dore, while American fishermen know them as walleyed pike, or simply as walleye. Although they are sometimes called walleyed pike, walleyes are actually a member of the perch family.
One of the things that make walleyes such a popular sport fish is their unpredictability. Walleyes may bit like crazy for a couple of days, only to disappear from view with no explanation. And when walleyes decide to stop taking the bait, no amount of coaxing can make them bite.
Steelhead fishing in winter is never easy, not even during the good times. But when the mid-season doldrums set in around February, things can get downright tough. The big runs of hatchery steelhead that provided such good fishing in December and January have tapered off to a trickle in most rivers. And the large wild fish that will cause so much excitement at the end of the season haven't yet arrived. On a coast-wide average, there simply aren't nearly as many steelhead in our rivers and creeks during February as during the rest of the season.
The fish may be fewer and farther between, but not the fishermen. A steady stream of boat anglers casts to every inch of likely looking holding water, and the shores of popular rivers are crisscrossed by the muddy trails of bank anglers. The fish available in most streams get pounded hard on a daily basis. And it doesn't help when prolonged cold weather results in cool, clear water and spooky, sluggish steelhead.
Catching fish through the ice doesn't require a lot of fancy equipment. A short fishing rod and reel, a few hooks and a package of worms are about all you need.
Ice fishing gear
Jigs and jigging spoons are great lures to use when fishing through the ice. Tipping the hook of the lure with a piece of meal worm or another bait will make the lure even more attractive to fish.
In fact, if you just want to give ice fishing a try, you don't even need an ice auger.
Drew Cushing, warm water sport fisheries coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says you'll usually find plenty of predrilled holes on the ice fishing waters you visit. "If anglers drilled the holes just a day or two before," he says, "they'll have only an inch or two of ice in them. Just break that thin ice, and you're in business."
The fly fishing line weight needs to be the correct one for the rest of the system. Fly fishing systems are graded according to the weight of the line, and the weight of the system you use depends on the intended use. The lines are graded from 1 to 15, with one being the lightest and fifteen being the heaviest. Rods must be numbered to match lines i.e. a number 1 rod needs a number 1 line in order to work properly. This is because the amount of spring or flex that a rod has is balanced to the line weight. If the line is too heavy it will overload the rod and it won't be able to cast it forward properly. Too light a line won't stress the rod enough to get the best spring and again the line won't travel as far as it could.
When winter comes and the temperature drops and white stuff covers the ground, many animals have become inactive and are hiding out until spring. But trout are not one of those animals! Water cools slower than air, so the water may still be warm enough for trout to be active - and since trout are cold-water fish, they just might be active all winter!
Your first consideration for winter fishing is whether the season is open. For the state of Pennsylvania, open season for trout ends on September 3 - except in "approved trout waters," so Pennsylvania residents need to refer to the list of approved trout waters on the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's web site.
Giant Trevally (called "Ulua" in Hawaiian; "GT" in Australia) have been an obsession of mine since childhood. Growing up in Hawaii they were the ultimate near shore gamefish. They are the largest member of the Jack family and are the kings of the reefs where they live. You see them on bumper stickers a lot down there for whatever reason. However, despite several close encounters, I was not able to finally land one until age 34.
Giant Trevally live in tropical reefs throughout the Pacific and Indian Ocean. They are pure muscle and a very, very tough adversary even on heavy tackle. They typically charge out of the reef, grab your lure, and then charge back in and brick you in the rocks.
The poor Jack Crevalle is the Rodney Dangerfield of gamefish. Despite aggressively attacking lures and putting up a very strong fight for its size, it is generally not a highly regarded catch and is rarely specifically targeted. People are generally disappointed when they see how small of a fish put up such a big fight that tired them out.
The Jack Crevalle is a tropical fish found throughout North and South America as well as Africa. It is not a good fish to eat, which is probably one of the reasons it is not highly sought after. The meat is dark and bloody. It tops out around 40lbs and the bigger ones will pull harder than any fish of equivalent size that I can think of.
What can you do to improve results using readymade and homemade baits? Certain ingredients make all the difference! The best winter carp baits react with water and fish senses to a hugely advanced degree. Winter baits really have to be at the peak of efficiency of all aspects of bait performance. So what can you exploit to make your readymade and homemade boilies and other baits catch you more fish? Read on to find out!
Most anglers on the bank appear not to be aware of how water temperature affects how water actually moves and dissipates dissolved substances. In the colder denser water of winter and spring baits need help to actually function best! One vital aspect of this is making baits become solution massively more efficiently.
An ice fishing house is a simple structure that can be created by just about anyone with basic tools and a willingness to actually do it. Generally an ice fishing house is just a simple six by ten structure with holes in the floor but it can also be as complex and as luxurious as you want it to be. With a little bit of planning, the right materials and tools for the job you can make and plan your own custom design for and ice fishing hut.
Catching crappies through the ice can a be tough venture at times. Here's ten crappie ice fishing tips that will help put the odds in your favor.
1. Wintertime crappies most often relate to sharp drop offs, suspend in deep water flats, and submerged wood in deep water. It is not uncommon to find crappies suspended in 35′ of water if available. Because these fish can be anywhere from five feet all the way to the bottom a fish finder such as a Vexilar is a must.
2. When catching a crappie remember that crappies are a schooling fish so once you catch one, more fish are likely in the area. So take your time and try a few different jigs or bait and vary the depth of your presentation if you don't have a flasher.
3. Crappies rarely approach bait in a downward approach, meaning your better off presenting your bait above the fish versus below. I have witnessed this countless times when watching crappies approach my jig on my Vexilar FL-8.
