Recently I talked about one of the most versatile baits in my collection: the spinnerbait. However, there is another bait that never seems to fail me and I don't think I would be caught without some shape or form of it. The simple jig is an all time favorite. The jig can be as simple as a lead head and…
Some Great Lakes fishermen prefer lures with single hooks. Other prefer treble hooks. Which group is right? Obviously, if one kind was demonstrably better than the other, the argument would be finished. Almost all of us would be fishing with one style or the other. One could surmise treble hooks would be three times as effective in hooking and catching…
Crankbaits are one of my favorite multi-species lures, but they don’t perform unless you employ them properly. Set your crankbait at the correct depth, or in a tough bite or with less-aggressive fish, fish won’t chase it. Use your electronics to mark the location of fish, then put the crankbait in their zone. We need to match crankbaits with conditions….
The United Special Sportsman Alliance recently rolled in to southern Illinois with a convoy of 12 families, 23 children and 18 anglers for its 7th annual “fishing getaway" at Rend Lake. The USSA is the largest "dream-wish-granting" fishing and hunting charity in the U.S., according to founder and C.E.O. Brigid O’Donoghue. The USSA, along with anglers from Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee…
You can't ask for a more versitle lure than the spinnerbait. These baits have evolved through the years but their basic style and design has remained the same. A simple lead head with a skirt made from bucktail or rubber attached to a wire with a spinner blade or multiple spinner blades attached. There is not a whole lot of…
After the failure last week of Senate Bill 1566, also known as the "DNR Sustainability" bill, two questions many anglers in the state immediately asked were, "Does this mean there is still a chance for a Fish Management Fund plan to be implemented?" and "Does the group lobbying for the Fish Management Fund still want to pursue it?" The answers…
With bullfrog season kicking off June 15, I find myself once again thinking of the opening line of Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “To be or not to be, that is the question.” The question for me is whether or not “frogging” is actually a fishing or a hunting experience. According to the 2012 DNR Fishing Digest, bullfrogs can be harvested by “hand,…
Springfield — The plan to raise the cost of license plates to help fund Illinois state parks fell three votes short in the Senate in the wee hours of this morning. Senate Bill 1566, which included a $2 per year increase in the cost of license plates, was pushed through the House yesterday, but the proposal fell three votes short…
Many of my favorite fishing trips are local in nature – when I fish with my dad on Lauderdale Lakes in southeastern Wisconsin. Recently I experienced a whole new type of fishing. My fishing buddy (Dad) just moved to Florida and I was dying to fish his newfound waters. My family took a trip to southwestern Florida to fish the…
After a series of strange twist in Springfield, the "DNR Sustainability" appeared on Wednesday appeared as if it was moving forward and would soon be awaiting the signature of Gov. Pat Quinn. The governor is expected to sign it, but given the odd nature of the spring legislative session, who knows? Now under the label Senate Bill 1566, the bill,…
After a series of strange twist in Springfield yesterday, the "DNR Sustainability" bill nowawaits the signature of Gov. Pat Quinn. The governor is expected to sign it, but given the odd nature of the spring legislative session, who knows? Now under the label Senate Bill 1566, the bill, which was mixed in with proposals unrelated to DNR, was moving forward…
A day on the lake or at a park full of strip pits is great when you can pull it off, but during the long daylight hours of summer, quick fishing opportunities can also present themselves when the work day ends. Those without boats, with little time or who simply like a more isolated fishing environment can have a lot…
Legislation has been introduced in Lansing to create a package of lifetime hunting and fishing licenses. On the surface, it sounds like a good idea that would save sportsmen and women a few bucks. But the devil is in the detail. The legislation, HB 5334 sponsored by Rep. Richard LeBlanc (D-Westland), calls for establishing lifetime licenses for fishing (restricted and…
My purpose here isn’t to keep rule No. 1 a secret, it’s a takeoff on the saying my high school football coach often eschewed. Odd though it may seem, he’d find a way to fit it into pep talks, chew-outs and general conversation time and again. He’d say, “Watermelon is the second best thing in the world. Everyone has their…
The Department of Natural Resources’ proposed change in the brook trout creel limit from five fish to 10 fish is more controversial than I thought it would be. It wasn’t that long ago that the daily limit was 10 fish, and it had been 10 for quite a few years. From what I understand, the change from 10 to five…
House Bill 4193, Rep. Frank Mautino’s DNR Sustainability Bill, was placed on the schedule for a second reading and short debate today. At 3 p.m., I learned that floor amendment No. 1 was filed by Mautino, and that the bill was assigned to Rules Committee. In other words, the bill is moving. Enter retired DNR fisheries chief Mike Conlin. He…
Working close to a Lake Michigan launch has allowed me to take advantage of the recent hot salmon action. And some good fishing luck has allowed me to put some great tasting silver fish in the freezer – thus defining the necessity to take my boat to work with me. My catches are often bagged, labeled and then marked with…
A formal notice was issued by the WDNR this week reminding ATV and UTV users, but only those whose machines are registered as public use machines, that the machines are required to have a back “license” plate by July 1, 2012. This requirement does not apply to machines used on private property or farm use machines. But if someone takes…
I hear from anglers who assume that crankbaits only work in warm temperatures. Not true! Crankbaits will work opening weekend and all the way through summer, trolling or casting. Most people troll crankbaits, but in a rip-rap area or other structure, there’s nothing wrong with experimenting with some crankbait casting. When trolling cranks, you have three choices: long-line, use lead-core, or…
Anglers outside of southern Illinois may not realize that some of the lures in their tackle boxes are being produced in Perry County by an organization with a history of helping mentally and physically challenged adults. Lunker Lure, which began production in late 1960 in Carterville, has been contracting with 5-Star Industries in Du Quoin for more than 6 years….
Southern Illinois high schools ruled the bass fishing finals in 2012. The Highland Bulldogs' No. 1 team of Joe Bardill and Jared Mettler landed five bass totaling 13 pounds, 9 ounces to win the fourth annual Illinois High School Association state bass fishing tournament held Saturday at Carlyle Lake. Highland No. 1's two-day total of 27 pounds, 13 ounces bested…
I believe spring 2012 is setting up for great live-bait rigging conditions. We’re in for a good leech bite if it gets a little warmer in the days leading up to opener. I keep the snells for my live bait rig averaging about 5 feet – longer when I’m in a finesse mode, say 8 to 10 feet. I stick…
Some things just never disappoint. Be it going to your favorite restaurant for your favorite dish, flushing the first grouse of the season with your favorite dog, or spending the Wisconsin fishing opener on any body of water you pick – they just do not disappoint. And for fishing opener, it usually is not always the actual catching that does…
Be it the rough economy or a change in hunter and angler shopping habits, outdoor shows in the state have have experienced difficult times in recent years. Just to give a couple of examples: the once-prominent Rosemont show has changed ownership at least three times and the Deer Classic in Collinsville shut down last year. But there is still some…
As you may have heard, the Chain O' Lakes has developed a large shad population as of late. This increasing forage base has changed the ecosystems in the lakes and will certainly affect the way you will fish these bodies of water. One can argue that the increase has bad consequences. However, if you take a minute and think about…
Thanks to an unseasonably warm March, many anglers thought that come the season opener this Saturday, that many gamefish would be done spawning and already in early summer patterns. After interviewing several bait and tackle dealers in metro-Milwaukee, and doing a bit of fishing myself last weekend, that just doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, after an entire…
