Every once in a while I love a surprise.
Like when a friend gave me a packet of lottery tickets for my birthday and one of Pennsylvania’s pantsless groundhogs came through for a couple of hundred bucks. But last winter I had an even greater surprise than a winning Gus.
Spoons are a ‘golden ticket’ for bass through the ice Read More »
Suddenly, the ice you’re standing on makes a terrifying noise. It sounds like the snap of a rubber band magnified umpteen times.
A thin crack appears yards away. And before you can let out a shout, the crack races right between your cold, stiff legs! Some of the less experienced in your ice fishing group – you can see from the look on their faces – experience a moment of panic; others who have heard and seen this ice phenomena many times before smile.
Listen to the ice and prioritize these winter fishing tips to stay safe Read More »
Here’s a question only time and nature will answer: After the intensely dry summer in the eastern half of Pennsylvania, were the relieving rains of October and November enough to elevate the regional lakes into quality ice fishing this winter?
Try fishing on early ice at Mauch Chunk Lake in Pennsylvania’s Carbon County Read More »
A cold and clear morning awaited us as we rolled out of our camp beds in Pennsylvania’s Potter County. The porch-post thermometer read minus 5.
As we arrived at Lyman Lake, after a hearty breakfast of course, the surrounding mountains were bathed in a warm winter sunlight. But within two hours, by 10:30 a.m., the hills were shrouded by heavy snow clouds. As the wind and snow whipped our positions on the ice, I decided to give up – but not before landing three of Lyman’s fine trout.
Tips for timing the patterns of trout under the ice Read More »
We call them “NINs,” “Nine Inch Nails,” in homage to the rock band of the same name.
NINs are what we like our winter bluegills to be. A 9-inch bluegill, or darn close to 9 inches, is a very respectable bluegill in any season and NINs make enduring the brrr and shiver of freezing days on the ice that much more rewarding.
When lakes ice over, bluegills become the ‘star of the show’ Read More »
In Pennsylvania the traditional start of trout season is in mid-April – that’s for all the open-water anglers across the state.
But for thousands of anglers who brave cold winter temperatures and stand on frozen water there is no set date. For them, trout season starts when the water solidifies and it’s safe to pull a sled where once only a boat could float.
When the water finally hardens in Pennsylvania, it’s trout time Read More »
I learned this one in grade school: The fork says to the spoon, “Who was that ladle I saw you with last night?” The spoon replies, “That was no ladle, that was my knife.”
Honestly, an elderly ice fisherman repeated that joke while the Frozen Chozen shivered on a thickened lake. The only thing that prevented us from giving him a cold bath was our compassion and the fact that the lake’s largemouth were going crazy for the spoons we jigged. While that may have been the dumbest lead I’ve ever written, spoons are a truly viable lure for catching iced-in bass.
Targeting bucketmouths through the ice? Think spoons Read More »
The simplicity of a hair jig is stark and wonderful. So is its effectiveness, especially in the cooling waters of fall and early winter.
Looking like a mustache in need of a face, the hair jig will entice bass – largemouth and smallmouth – from lakes, rivers and creeks. I’ve also caught walleyes, rockbass, redbreasts and channel cats with hair jig, but there are better cold-water offerings for those species.
In cold fall waters, hair jigs work great for bass Read More »
If the vegetation is starting to color up but not yet showing fall’s brightest hues, it’s probably time for bass fishermen to use lures that range medium-deep, according to the writer. The time to go really deep is a month or more away. Photo by Vic Attardo.
No need to dig really deep for bass in the early fall Read More »
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