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Anglers Line
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free Tackle
Available for use of Wisconsin Ice Age Center
visitors
For use of rods
and reels, fly rods, and ice fishing rigs call
920.533.8322 |
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Baiting the Bass
by Eric Simon
I started out on the Northwest side of the lake looking
for some monster bass. I got a very late start, but I
didn't think it would matter too much because it still
was very calm and cloudy. I got to my spot at about ten.
I started with my spinner, After about a half an hour
with only one follow up by a small northern, I switched
to a plastic worm. The plastic worm that I use almost
always catches a fish, no different today. In the first
five casts I already hooked into a little 14 inch bass.
The fish were in about five feet of water. I picked up
two other fourteen inch bass in that fifty foot strip.
When I started to leave that stretch, I saw a big bass
laying in the sand about ten yards in front of the boat.
I laid a perfect cast right on top of it. It smacked
that worm up. I thought I a perfect hook set, but the
hook never caught in its mouth. Did you ever do
everything right and still miss a 19 inch bass. Better
luck next time.
Web Site Youth Reporter
Long Lake Fishing Club
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
The
Ultimate Edge
by Jim Porfilio
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A dull tool is a
dangerous tool daddy used to tell me. And, he was right.
Most times that I have cut myself while cleaning fish or
just plain using a knife, was because the knife had lost
its edge. I forced it.
With today's advanced sharpening devices, honing your
fishing, filet, or pocket knife can actually be fun. It
is no longer a tedious job. Some of the new sharpening
implements on the market are a combination of natural
materials and synthetics. The new blade metals are even
more interesting
and durable — they hold an edge for a few years and then
can be discarded.
My favorite sharpening device is one that my son gave to
me for Christmas about fifteen years ago. It came in a
wooden box with the name Hoffritz on it. When you take
the cover off, the tool sits in the lower half of the
box. It’s a manufactured plastic form 6” x 2”. As you
look at the top, you see a thin
sheet of metal with hundreds of eighth inch holes. The
next layer is a combination of man-made materials plus
industrial diamond dust. Bu, any good sharpening stone
will give you almost the same results.
Begin by wetting the top layer and proceed to use the
basic sharpening technique of stroking or pushing your
blade away from yourself. Think of cutting a slice off
of the stone. This technique is used for a knife that is
badly in need of sharpening. The blade should be held at
about a 10 -15° angle. Make two or three of these cuts.
Then flip the blade over and do the same thing coming
toward yourself. Caution Here: These strokes can be
dangerous.
As a final, repeat the direction of honing, but this
time instead of using straight cuts, use light circular
motions with very little pressure. Now rinse the
sharpening apparatus We next come to the part of
sharpening that separates the super sharp blade from the
sharp blade.
If you take your thumb and slide it up the side of the
knife blade toward the cutting edge, you'll feel a very,
very minuet burr on one of the two sides. This burr is
most often not visible. The reason it is there is
because when you made that final stroke on either the
right or left side of the blade, you were pushing the
metal over to the other side of the blade. If you want a
better explanation of this, get a very strong magnifying
glass and look at the blade under a very bright light.
You can then see this burr or turned over edge.
In most cases, the average person just leaves that edge
the way it is. But, for the real pro, this is when the
steel or strop comes into play. The steel, the rat tail
file looking item, is used. It has miniature teeth or
grooves on it. You gently bring the blade back toward
yourself using alternate sides of the blade. This
procedure will do two things.
• If it is done gently enough, that burr will be
removed.
• If done often, those minuet grooves or hatchings
will keep your blade sharp for a long time.
As a very final, for the person that wants that razor
edge, strop that knife blade. Remember those pictures
from the 1920’s showing a barber running the cutting
edges of the razor across a wide belt like leather
strap? This technique removes the fine burr from knife
blades also. The key is to stroke
away from the edge of the blade. In fact, some go from
stone to strop skipping the steel step. They say that
the strop gives a smoother finish than the steel — the
coup de grâce.
A strop is easily made. I made mine by cutting a 10”
long section from a 1.5” wide belt. That was glued to a
1.5 x 3 x 15” piece of piece of wood. Imagine a paint
stirrer. I then formed a handle. Unbelievably, after 20
years, it still gives that final touch
Now when you filet that fish, be super careful. You
won't have to force your razor sharp blade; it will cut
almost on its own.
Good filleting and good eating. |
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Fish are not are not as picky as humans when it
comes to what they like to eat. The fish will eat
almost anything.
They do have preferences though. If we remember
the food choice, we know that large fish eat smaller
fish; when we get towards the end of the chain,
those smaller finners will eat causations or weeds.
Favorites of the big guys; bass, northern, and
muskie, bullheads and catfish, and finally trout and
others, are smaller than they .
The game fish, for the most part, favor other
fish, even their own species. Any thing they can
swallow is looked at as a good meal.
My favorite and most productive bait is a
bluegill, 4-6" in length." We must try to remember
that they are fish, not humans; they have their own
standards."
See the section called "Quick Set" to
see how to hook up a live gill.
Chubs, minnows, and artificials that imitate
smaller fish are also good. Many artificials
have a gimie that adds special effects or
attractors.
Fishing the Numbers
by Jim Porfilio
It’s all out there for ya. All the tips, weather
conditions, hot spots, and honey holes are at your
finger tips.
Today's technology has made fishing from the boat so
easy. We have sonar, depth finders, GPS’s, electric
trolling motors, electric anchors, and technologically
designed lures. But, there is some technology we can use
before we ever step into the boat. The telephone or
online Internet part of your computer are fantastic.
Fishing sites on the computer Internet are a sure
strike. The user of the net can run a search by simply
typing in the word bass or pike fishing. Hundreds of
sites containing articles, graphics, hints and tips from
throughout the world will appear for you.
If you use an Internet, try logging onto some of the
various weather sites. They not only give you the
weather and temperature, but with a little trolling
about they also give you wind and tide information, cold
fronts moving across the country, and water
temperatures.
Some of my favorite sites are:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
http://forums.msn.com/outdoors/fishing/
Outdoor Network —Lefty Kreh
Once the site opens, go to other interesting places like
stream conditions, outdoor activities, fish, news and
events, Catfish's Kitchen, Aquatic Insects of
Wisconsin Trout Streams ,Surf Your Watershed
, events & organization and, current outdoor reports,
and other links.
When a fisher casts the net,
they will find sites that tell about a variety of fly
fishing subjects, plus step by step fly tying
instructions, along with diagrams and pictures of the
finished fly. Give these addresses a try:
http://home.dwave.net/~patrick/ Wisconsin Fly
Fishing Page
http://www.mwflytyer.com Midwest FlytTyer
Midwest FlyTyer concentrates on fly fishing reports by
state; a dictionary of popular flies; an index of
articles; greeting cards; a section about starting fly
tying; and best of all, “200 Best Fly Fishing Web
Sites”. This is a fantastic hit.
Boating tips on the net are another honey hole for the
fisher. Everything from keeping the hold and cabinets
fresh smelling to repairing damage to boats and motors
are there for you too. The Boat Doctor; Buyers’s Guide;
Fishing, New Gear; Weather; and more, are all areas of
boater info for you once the site is open. Run a search
using the following key words to open new waters of
info.
Boating Online
Boating and Sailing http://www.boatnet.com/
If you would rather not use the computer, let your
fingers do the walking. There are some telephone numbers
that will give you that same information. They are most
often DNR, Great Lakes, or locally based. Even if the
number is not a local number, the $3 or $4 charge for
the long distance call is just about the price of two
dozen night crawlers. That long distance call should be
added on to the cost of the trip just like the outboard
gas, and bait.
An often overlooked call to make is to the local
conservation warden. They are a good source of local
conditions and action. They know what is hitting, where,
or when. Give them a call. You can get some great
information from them if they are not too busy in their
daily duties.
Or give 608-266-1877 a call. That
office can give you the proper phone number to call for
your questions about local fishing conditions.
A must call is the
Lake Michigan Hot line at
414-382-7920.
Having boating or engine problems? A simple call to the
manufacturer will often give you unbelievable results.
The company will most likely recommend a reputable
dealer in your area. Plus, they will often give you tips
on the updates and the latest models.
Recently, I was having an engine starting problem on my
boat. I simply went to the yellow pages and found two
dealers. A call and talk with them solved my problem.
Their tips enabled me to fix my motor myself saving me
the task of disconnecting the steering and throttle
cables, taking the heavy motor off of the boat, and
lugging it 20 miles away.
Remember to take that first cast before you even get
into the boat. Make a contact. It could save you from
fishing in non productive waters, and even better,
keeping your feet dry.
Good info casting, trolling, and good fishing!
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