Simple Fishing Tips for Northern MN Fishing
For our final fishing post of the week, I wanted to offer some tips for helping you improve your fishing experience. I gathered information from various websites and experts. Please let me know if you have any more advice you’d like to share with your fellow readers!
Fishing on your vacation…
“One tip that I have to offer is to hire a guide for a half day during the early stages of your vacation so you can learn some tips and techiniques..and spots! We normally don’t stop the boat unless we are marking the fish on our Lowrance electronics.” – Dan of Walleyedan’s Fishing Guide Service
Fishing for Walleyes…
“Use Light Line Light (4- and 6-pound-test), thin-diameter lines offer less drag, or resistance, on a lure. This lets a walleye suck it in more easily.
Bounce the Bait When you’re using live bait, McClelland recommends also using a bottom-bouncer rig. Bouncers are L-shaped wires that have a lead weight molded to the shaft. As an angler retrieves the rig, the weight bounces off the bottom and creates slack in the line, which allows the fish to inhale the bait more easily.
Shorten the Stroke Many jig fishermen pump their rods too vigorously, using long vertical strokes that can pull the bait out of a fish’s mouth. Use short lifts instead and you’ll hook more walleyes.
Offer a Bigger Bite Adding a plastic body to a jig also helps by increasing the surface area to which the fish’s sucking force is applied. It may seem counterintuitive, says McClelland, but a slightly bigger bait is easier for the fish to inhale.
Pump a Crank With crankbaits, steady retrieves may hook aggressive walleyes, but a stop-and-go technique is better for deliberate feeders. Once the lure achieves proper depth, lift the rod tip, reel in the slack, and repeat.
Troll With the Flow When the water has a chop, trolling with the waves imparts that necessary slight slack in the line. Also, keep a close eye on your inside planer board as you make a turn; it will give you that small amount of slack that allows for more solid strikes-and more walleyes in the boat.”
-Retrieved directly from: http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/more-freshwater/2006/04/walleye-fishing-tips-how-stick-em
Fishing for Bass…
“My favorite and most successful method is the crankbait. Others will argue, but I love crankbaits. I have fished all other baits and lures but crankbaits have helped me catch the most fish. It is a simple means of fishing that requires minimal skill. This suits a beginner fine and provides him with the confidence to fish. Fishing mostly with crankbaits has provided me with plenty of experience. Here are some tips:
The simple throwing and retrieving method can become very monotonous and boring, so I played with the crankbait in the water. I did this by varying its speed and how deep it goes by reeling faster or by lowering or raising the pole. I found that in calm clear water the bass preferred a regular steady retrieve with no sudden movements, and in choppy murky water they loved an irregular fast and slow retrieve. You must also experiment with this and see what suites you.
Bass love colorful lures and they seem to hit them more often. I think these lures bother them and so they get mad and attack. I find that casting over and over into an area with bass will always produce an attack. They don’t like the lures bothering them.
Using bait scent has always improved the strikes and I am a firm believer in them.
When you fish with these lures, always try to make them look good in the water and make the bass come after them. You can do this by making them swim as real as possible. This can be frustrating but if you get the skill you will catch big fish. And believe me, practice makes perfect.
I have found that using bright colored lures in muddy water and more natural ones in clear water works well. My biggest bass hit a bright yellow and white crankbait in dark water. I guess he was the bully of the area because the bigger bass always seem to grab these lures.
Bumping these lures against objects in the water attract fish, but you run the chance of getting the lure stuck. This will cause many terrible words coming from your mouth and could cost you money in the end. Be careful where you throw or you will loose your lure. Getting lures into little places is difficult so keep practicing it and you will get it right.”
-Retrieved directly from: http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/beginning_bass_fishing.html
Fishing for Northern Pike…
“Pike like to follow. If you will fish for them in shallow waters, you can see where to put your lure. Bring it from behind the fish, slowly, to draw its attention. Watch the way the fish reacts to the lure. Take this reaction and decide from here how to get the fish to strike. Pike will follow right up to the boat, so don’t take your lure out too soon.
Wear polarized sunglasses. Most folks fish for trophy pike in shallow waters… Polarized glasses do more than protect your eyes from the sun’s glare off the water or ice. They allow you to see into the water you are fishing,
making it easy to see which fish you want to try to catch.
Use a strong rod. You need a rod that is medium to heavy action to get the biggest and best Northern Pike. You don’t want one that is a broomstick type; this type will not let you feel the movement of the fish, thus, you won’t know which way best to fight the fish into the boat.
New, heavy test weight line. This should be obvious, but you don’t want to use last year’s line that you used for river trout on a big trophy Northern Pike. You need strong line that is not dry rotted, tangled or damaged by a season (or more) in your tackle box.”
Retrieved directy from: http://pike-fishing-tips.com/
Fishing for Perch, Crappies, & Sunnies…
Not every fish you catch has to be a “trophy fish.” Perch, crappies, sunnies are great fun. Actually my favorite fishing memory was catch baby sunnies and throwing them back at an unheard of rate. These three fish, sometimes referred to as panfish can range in size though. You may even snag a “trophy” sunnie if your doing well.
Live bait is the best for panfish like perch, crappies, and sunnies. You can use bait easily found at local bait shops and convenience stores like leeches, night crawlers, wax worms or minnows.
And don’t forget to get your fishing supplies at Mills Fleet Farm! Walleyedan
