The term posed in the title of this column is specifically about all the fishing lures I own and what I do with them. I’ve probably got a million of them – OK, likely just thousands – but I’m way past several hundred.
If someone pointed to one of the multitude of lures I own and asked why I bought it, I offer one of five pat answers, depending on the lure.
Mike Schoonveld: Coping with ‘lure addiction’ requires work Read More »
It only takes about two clicks on my phone, tablet or computer these days to find a photograph of someone holding a fish, fresh from the lake, being posed for the camera or cell phone.
It may be a special fish, the first fish of the day, the first fish of that species the angler ever caught. Sometimes it’s a photo of someone’s personal best. It doesn’t take much for a fish or fisherman to be deemed photo-worthy. That’s great! What isn’t usually so great is the photo.
Mike Schoonveld: You caught a fish, so smile! Read More »
It’s been said that a secret is not a secret if more than one person knows it. That’s why the trolling technique called the “Secret Weapon Rig” is so poorly named.
I learned of it long ago and it’s so widely used in some areas that fishing reports from those ports just call it the “SWR.” It’s not really that much of a secret, but I have another secret to share: It really works. Here’s what it is.
Mike Schoonveld: The ‘Secret Weapon Rig’ is not so secret, but it really catches fish Read More »
I was intrigued when I saw a Facebook post highlighting an unplanned, coast to coast escapade made by three men from Hillsdale, Michigan.
Tim Parker, Mitch Lige, and Mark Sigler are all retired, all boat owners and they share a passion for fishing. Sure there are places to fish near Hillsdale, but they are especially passionate about fishing big water, specifically, in Lake Michigan on Michigan’s west coast and on Lake Erie on Michigan’s southeast coast.
Every day of the year commemorates someone or something, and when I checked www.timeanddate.com to check the exact sunrise time where I planned to fish, I inadvertently learned the 27th had been proclaimed Helen Keller Day. The only reason I noticed was I’d just gotten a spam email announcing June 27th was also National Sunglasses Day.
I don’t know who gets to nominate when we are supposed to celebrate what. In this case I suspect it was the company who was trying to convince me that their sunglasses were the latest, greatest assortment ever to grace a face. I actually have a pair of that company’s sunglasses and loaned them to one of the guys fishing with me that morning.
Mike Schoonveld: Be sure your fishing sunglasses are doing everything they should Read More »
A group of friends and myself were headed out for a couple days of walleye fishing and even more friends were on a second boat. All of us were expecting the captains/guides to put us on fish during the trip and to clean, or arrange for the fish to be cleaned, at day’s end.
The first assumption was right. Limit catches were made by all and the walleyes caught were huge by any standard. Wow, what a day. When we returned to the marina, we found the fish-cleaning station was closed for repairs and the guy usually at the station cleaning walleyes for a fee was nowhere to be found.
“No problem,” I said. “I brought my electric fillet knife.”
Mike Schoonveld: Quick lessons on electric knife blades Read More »
Several months ago I wrote a column with the title, “Who Funds Fisheries Programs.” It highlighted a report issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) about the difficulty of collecting excise taxes on foreign-made fishing tackle.
Most anglers understand that each year the money spent on purchasing fishing licenses is what funds state fisheries agencies. I hope they do, anyway, but not so many understand that in many cases, their license dollars are actually used as “matching” funds to qualify for federal dollars from the Sportfishing Restoration Program.
The dodo bird, which lived only on the island of Mauritius, had an IQ similar to that of present day domestic turkeys. They were the size of turkeys and must have tasted like turkey as well. Sailing ships made regular stop-overs at Mauritius to stock up on dodos to feed their crews.
Top researchers are worried that warmer winters will end the annual magic that happens on lakes Michigan and Huron most years.
They don’t call it magic, but I do because one seemingly unbreakable rule of physics gets broken all the time by the most abundant substance on earth – water. The rule is that as things get warmer, they expand and conversely, as they get cooler, they shrink. As stuff swells or shrinks, it becomes more or less dense. This expansion or contraction works at the atomic level and only a physicist could explain it.
Mike Schoonveld: No more winter magic would be tragic for Great Lakes’ food web Read More »
Sign up for the Outdoor News Weekly Newsletter and get 2 months of FREE access to OutdoorNews.com – packed with hunting, fishing, and conservation news. No Catch.
This offer includes digital access only (not the printed edition)
We’ve simplified things. Now you only need one password to access all your Outdoor News digital content.
If you hit the help page, follow the directions so you don’t miss out on any of our great content.
Let’s get you reading!
We’ve simplified things. Now you only need one password to access all your Outdoor News digital content.
• Click Continue below.
• You’ll be taken to the OutdoorNews.com sign-in screen.
• Don’t have an account yet? Create one—it’s quick!
• After signing in, click the E-Edition Login button again. When the pop-up appears, just click Continue. You’ll either:
If you hit the help page, follow the directions so you don’t miss out on any of our great content.
We know you love the outdoors—now we want to make OutdoorNews.com the ultimate destination for all things hunting, fishing, and conservation.
Take our brief 3 minute survey to share your thoughts, and help us build the best outdoor website on the planet. As a thank you, we’ll send you a special offer!
Together, we can make OutdoorNews.com even better.
For a limited time, you can get full access to breaking news, all original Outdoor News stories and updates from the entire Great Lakes Region and beyond, the most up-to-date fishing & hunting reports, lake maps, photo & video galleries, the latest gear, wild game cooking tips and recipes, fishing & hunting tips from pros and experts, bonus web content and much, much more, all on your smartphone, tablet or desktop For just a buck per month!
Some restrictions apply. Not valid with other promotions. $1 per month for 6 months (you will be billed $6) and then your subscription will renew at standard subscription rates. For more information see Terms and Conditions. This offer only applies to OutdoorNews.com and not for any Outdoor News print subscriptions. Offer valid thru 3/31/23.
Already a subscriber to OutdoorNews.com? Click here to login.
