In my most recent Mystery Tackle Box, I received a package of 5″ Sick Sticks from PowerTeam Lures. In it, was a packet of “Hog Tonic,” basically a scent packet. The instructions told me to empty the scent packet of “garlic and amino acids” into the package, wait a few minutes, “then hang on!” While I was out on a recent outing, I followed the instructions and… damn. I don’t know about any amino acids, but the garlic stunk like someone was... (more...)
In my last post, I gave instructions on How to Clean a Fish Whole. Now I’ll show you how to cook it. These days, it’s very simple and easy to steam a fish. Back in the day, before there was electricity, my mom had to steam fish in a Pyrex pie plate in a big ol’ pot. She had a cool tool with three prongs that opened up and pulled the pie plate out of the pot. But now, you can have a fish from fridge to table in 15 minutes flat. Just follow these easy steps: Preamble: The Ingredients... (more...)
When I was a kid, I rarely ever ate fish fillets. The fish I ate were always cleaned and cooked whole. And they were rarely dipped in batter and fried. My mom would fry up smaller panfish in a frying pan, but most of the fish were steamed. Below is a step by step tutorial on how to clean fish whole. It’s a very simple process and you’ll be surprised how much meat you’ll be able to get by steaming, frying, or grilling your whole fish. Caution: Some of the pictures in this post... (more...)
In my last ice fishing report, I talked about a technique Mark used to catch more than 20 crappie in less than 2 hours. As promised, I am going to describe his technique now after delaying my initial commitment due to a special post. I thought about titling this post “Ice Fishing 101,” but this technique is really beyond the basics into more intermediate skills. It’s more of an upper-classman lesson than one for a freshman. It uses a fish finder known as a flasher because of... (more...)
While I occasionally target walleye and muskie when I’m out on the water, my favorite species to fish for are bass. They are feisty, unpredictable, and like to put on a show. They are the most fun to catch because they are hard fighters and love to jump out of the water. The reason for the acrobatics, of course, is because they are fighting for their lives. Instinctively, they know that jumping out of the water gives them the best chance to shake the hook out of their mouth. As a bass fisherman,... (more...)
To swivel or not to swivel That is the question Whether ’tis safer to tie a lure directly And get a more realistic action Or tie on a swivel And thereby, easily switch them. For convenience. To save time. Ok, so I’m no Shakespeare, but I do wonder about whether or not I should be using a swivel with a clip. I’ve been using swivel clips for years. For me, someone with limited resources and a wife that doesn’t understand having multiple rod and reels at the ready, I cannot... (more...)
A few weeks ago, Jim Braaten of the Sportsmans Blog posted a story about his buddy running across what appeared to be a bird of prey caught in some fishing line. I don’t think any of us would wantonly throw a tangle of fishing line in the water. But what we probably don’t think about is when we get a line caught in a tree, or stuck on a log. Instead of making an effort to get the lure unstuck, it’s much easier to just cut the line and retie. However, leaving a line dangling... (more...)
In all my years of fishing I’ve been lucky to have never had a hook break my skin in any part of my body. Others haven’t been so lucky. If you’ve done any amount of fishing, you know the technique to use if a hook goes into your skin beyond the barb: push it through past the barb, cut it off with a pair of pliers, then pull the hook out. However, Billy Chapman of Angler’s Inn International did a great video to show an alternative method for removing hooks. I’m skeptical... (more...)
I’ve met some really cool, interesting people since I started my fishing blog a year ago. One of them is the WalleyeGuy. He approached me about guest posting a few weeks ago and having seen the quality of his other guest posts, I had no hesitation in agreeing. If you’re a frequent reader of mine, you know that I just started learning about lindy rigs last year and have had very little success with them so far. My first real success of the technique was this weekend. However, I know... (more...)
I stumbled upon an article by Art Holden at the Daily Record via TBrinks’ blog post. It’s good advice that applies not just to fishing, but to most things in life: Keep it simple and Stay with what you know Too often we anglers jump on the latest lure or technology that the pros are using to make millions of dollars on the tournament scene. But if you’re not familiar with the lure or the technology, you might as well be throwing an empty hook into a swamp. I’ve been criticized... (more...)
