Outdoors Tip of the Week

Capitalizing on Lessons Learned As I began the process of preparing for another Canada goose hunting season, I couldn’t help but reflect on some of the hunts I participated in last year. Although it was a below average season for our crew, we did have some days when things went right and the birds flew our way...

Don’t Forget those Summer Crappies Summer is a busy time in the fishing world. There are many choices a person can make when it comes to targeting fish species. Although I do love to chase walleyes and bass in the warm season, I sometimes take a break from these fish and spend a day catching crappies...

For those of us that are waterfowl junkies, we look for every opportunity to partake in our passion. For many, the spring snow goose migration is a way of extending the goose hunting forays into another season. The snow goose migration typically brings geese northward once we reach the month of March. Thi...

When it comes to ice fishing, I am definitely someone that thrives on panfish. Crappies and sunnies have a way of keeping me entertained through the entire frozen water period.

It happens to me several times every winter. Someone that has not experienced the pleasures of modern ice fishing techniques asks me to take them panfish fishing. I gladly oblige.

It was clear we had the lake to ourselves as we drove into the landing and looked out over the frozen landscape. This out-of-the-way body of water received little pressure during the winter months, especially midweek.

It was over a cup of coffee one morning that ice angling legend, Dave Genz and I got into a discussion about the occasional bigger fish that is caught while on a panfish outing. We both agreed that when a group of anglers get together for a day on the ice, someone in the group usually sticks an unexpected quality fish.

As we drove into the lot at Island View Lodge on Rainy Lake in northern Minnesota, it only took a moment to realize this was going to be a different sort of walleye trip for our group. Instead of being greeted by the serenity of the landscape, we were greeted by sandbags and huge pumps spewing water from behind the makeshift dam.

The deep water basin that typically holds winter crappies was void of activity. There was not one single house in the area and very few old holes.

It wasn’t much to go on. The reports I had heard about respectable sunfish on this lake left us a little skeptical. Still, a person doesn’t learn uncharted territory without a little effort.