Keeping Hands Warm

Pictured - Stealth Gloves

J. Schragg asks:

Just wondering how you keep your hands warm ice fishing with no obvious heat source outside? I.e. lantern? Do you handwarmers?

I’ve always been a proponent of using the right tool for the job, and that applies to gloves or other strategies for keeping your hands warm. Different conditions and scenarios call for different ways of doing things. I own a number of pairs of gloves for fishing outside, and for the most part, I utilize 3 or 4 different types depending on what I’m doing for the day.

Long snowmobile or ATV rides across the open ice call for the warmest of warm. No matter how you stack it, you’ll likely need a mitten more than a glove in this scenario unless you’ve got heated handlebars. Even then, I once took a 45 mile snowmobile ride in -24 degrees Fahrenheit with a great pair of leather gloves where my palms were on fire, and the tops of my hands were nearly frozen. Mittens like the Tundra utilize the warmth of all fingers and some serious air loft to insulate. There’s no warmer option in my opinion. That’s especially true if you add liner gloves. Pop off the mitts and use the liners for a quick task or two, then put the mitts on and you’ve got the warmest 1-2 punch I know of.

That said, for most “cold” situations, you need a little bit of dexterity, plenty of warmth, and a whole lot of toughness for hooks, walleye fins, and rough ice. I use the Striker Combat gloves for probably 60% of my fishing, because they check all those boxes while being absolutely bulletproof.

For most other fishing or when dexterity is the name of the game, I use the Striker Stealth gloves. These are great around the fish-house, and setting things up. They’re not quite as warm as the previous two options, but are completely waterproof and allow you to perform any fine motor skills. You can run your phone with them, put pins in hitches, connect propane hoses, etc. - all while keeping your hands from getting wet. No wet equals warm on all but the coldest days.

I’m not a huge fan of handwarmers except when deer hunting, and even then I use them exclusively in a warmer muff wrapped around your waist. Ice fishing for me is more active than that, negating the use of them as much as I do when hunting deer.

Joel

Ice Fishing - To Swivel or Not to Swivel?

Photo Credit - Matt Addington Photography

Products Featured:

St. Croix - Croix Custom Ice Perch/Eye Spoon Rod - CI28MLF

Daiwa QG750

Darren B. asks:

There seems to be an ongoing debate on whether or not a fisherman should use a barrel swivel above a fluorocarbon leader or if one should tie a uni knot. Are there certain times that one should be used over the other? What is your preferred presentation?

The long and short of the matter is that I prefer a swivel when I can.  Especially for flutter type spoons as they really swing, tumble, and roll around. Your average lead spoons still will impart some line twist, but not nearly that of a flatter spoon design.

That said, when the bite is hot and something breaks, I choose time and efficiency over tying in another swivel.  I’ve never used a uni-knot to connect on ice, but would do so in the event I needed braid.  Whitefishing in deep water would be a prime example of that, but I might take the opportunity to use a swivel there as well, unless my leader needed to be long.  Green Bay Walleyes and Whitefish again would come to mind given the clarity of water you’re fishing them in.  Hope this makes sense, and hopefully it answered your question. 

Thanks!

Joel

Jigging Rap Tips and Tricks

Karl J. asks:

I have been ice fishing with jigging raps for a couple years without success. What are a few jigging cadences to try with the jigging rap that will help my catch rate increase? Thank you for any information you provide.

Great question Karl. 

Jigging raps are great lures I’ve been fishing a long time, especially for panfish, but have really re-discovered using them over the past few years for walleyes.  A trip with Grant Sorenson a few years ago triggered some extra looks from me, and I kept finding myself using it more and more.  Especially as zebra mussel infested lakes become clearer, water bodies like Mille Lacs, Leech, and even Pepin have become better jig-rap lakes at least for me.  I think that has something to do with the way the lure aggressively swings, zips, and darts around, triggering reaction strikes from walleyes that get a great visual on the lure.

Keep in mind, there’s a lot to the rod and line combination.  The new St. Croix Search Bait and Outside Eye Rods were designed for this lure and others in the same weight/displacement category.  I’m pairing it with Sufix Fluoroclear and in deeper water I like that there’s a bit of flex and stretch, but not too much. 

Something that will help you unlock some great cadences is literally just studying it on an underwater camera.  Last year I tested some new baits and kind of have it down to a process at this point.  I get in a comfortable place, either wheelhouse or portable, and drop that Marcum Quest Camera.  Examine everything from big rips to small shakes, and everything in between, exactly as a fish would see it.  Learn what it takes to rock a bait back and forth, and specifically for the jigging rap, how to swim it in a circle.  Practice those and know what the bait does so you can pull the camera so it won’t spook walleyes later with fish on screen. 

Keep in mind that it’s not summer, and a fish’s metabolism is not at the same rate either.  Fish can be aggressive, but overall you won’t fish a jigging rap in the winter with the same amount of lift/swing that you would an open water setup.  What relative big swings you do are for drawing in fish, but the jigging rap can scare more fish than it catches if you continue to rip with fish on screen.  Smaller lifts and slack can be too aggressive too, as without knowing where the bait is darting you can actually turn them off by having it unnaturally charge them.  Once a fish is on your flasher, higher above them is a safe zone, and I usually only drop to reset the cadence or pound the bottom and stir up sediment, the latter happening only after a fish is starting to drift off screen.  From there, I try to unlock that rocking motion as best possible, relying on my underwater camera work to inform that jigging stroke. 

As always, take a fish’s temperature and interpret the aggressiveness of the mark.  My biggest fish on a jigging rap is also my biggest walleye to date, nearly a 13lb fish from Lake Erie that came among a flurry of 3 fish that went well over 25lbs.  Those fish reacted like bait perch, flying around the graph, and vapor-trailing up to smash baits from 5-7 feet below.  Big rips didn’t intimidate them, and drew the attention of that school I’m convinced.  Conversely, last winter on Mille Lacs I was having more success fishing it with a few darts and more subtle dancing in circles, then just quivering it rapidly with fish on screen.  Point being – each fish and water body is different, and what works one place may not work well in another.  Getting good with that lure, then offering fish a variety of looks is usually the key to success.  Target-rich environments help narrow down the winning look that much more quickly.

Good luck, and keep at it!

Joel    

Which Shallow Running Crankbaits for Walleye?

It’s tough to beat a Shad Rap for multiple applications (trolling and casting) in both rivers and lakes.

Matt K. asks: Hey man, I was wondering if you have any recommendations for crankbaits being used for walleyes in shallow rocks (river dam)? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the question Matt.

Truth be told, there’s alot of crankbaits on the market that work well for running shallow in river (or lake) situations. Fall is the perfect time to start transitioning to more of those offerings as well. The trick is really how you’ll be running them, and where-from. I’ll break down below the two applications I see most commonly, and some recommendations for each.

Keep in mind too that fall is a great time to up-size your offerings, but that it can run in conflict with your mission to fish shallow. Most larger crankbaits will have a larger lip and will dive to a deeper depth, but there’s ways to get around that too.

Trolling - Fall is a great time to go hawg hunting, with pronounced trolling bites occurring on full-moon nights, as well as large wind events in the shallows. For these bites, it’s good to think larger stick-baits once waters drop into the low-mid 50’s. Above that, think shad-style baits. In cold water, there’s a number of great options for popular stick baits, from #12 and #14 Husky Jerks to Rattlin’ Rogues, there’s a bunch of great lures to choose from that have been staples for some time.

For the shad style baits, I’ve had great success with variations of the Rapala Shallow Shad Rap. Both Jointed and Non-Jointed options work well, and I’ll run the jointed versions (which rattle) in murkier water, and larger (#7) versions of the bait in clearer water. Both are trolling go-to’s when shallow water is the key.

Specifically in rivers, I’m a huge fan of the #4 Shad Rap. The thing is smaller than you think, dives only slightly more shallow, but seems to be about right for most of the rivers I’m pulling when targeting late-summer and fall walleyes. It seems to be a good size for eater fish as well, and you’ll catch all kinds of other species on this downsizer crankbait!

Casting - I grew up fishing shallow rivers, and whether you’re on shore or on a boat, you’ve got some great options. The venerable shad raps are a perfect choice, especially in #4 or #5. They can get hard to cast with much wind or a rod that’s too stiff. This rod launches those small balsa baits a long ways, as it loads slowly and throws it more like a dart than the dreaded end-over-end tumble that tangles your line and robs your distance.

You can also consider lipless cranks in the right situations, and just work them quickly with a high-rod to avoid snags. Stick to #5 Rippin’ Raps in lakes or rivers for shallow fishing, and you can be rewarded with some great fishing. These are definitely big-fish baits.

Along with larger minnow imitations, keep those craw patterns in the lineup as well to test against. They can continue to produce, even in the hot colors, well into late-fall. For that reason, especially on small rivers, a classic has always been the Wee Crawfish. It’s another staple that will see a ton of multi-species interest.

Don’t forget for any crank you’ll be throwing or trolling to use some good quality snaps. Larger sizes will give the bait more range of motion, which can make all the difference. I use these for their larger loop-end.

Good luck and tight-lines!

Joel

Best Walleye Rod for $100?

Here’s a question (paraphrased) from a Scheel’s Mankato Customer on April 27th this year:

Customer - I’ve got a few old walleye rods I’m looking to upgrade, but everything new I’m seeing is a few hundred bucks. Is there anything of quality I can get under $125, or even $100?

Me - What are you looking to do with them and how do you fish?

Customer - Mostly jigging, some vertical fishing but more casting than anything.

My answer was pretty simple in that especially at the $100 price point, there’s rather few options for a quality stick. Still, a few familiar lengths, powers, and actions lend themselves well to both walleye AND bass rods, meaning that the St. Croix Bass X rods were my pick for $100. Specifically, the 6’8” MXF and 6’10” MLXF Spinning for jig applications. Depending on the weights you’d be fishing, either the Medium or Medium Light Powers would be good choices.

It’s rare to see any rod in the $100 category with true X-tra Fast (XF) actions, which are so critical to proper jig fishing. It’s even more rare to see them as lightweight with quality components, another hallmark of any good walleye jigging rod. I promise that the “Bass-X” on the blank will work just fine for any walleye application, and the fish certainly won’t care!

Joel

Which Line Color?

Isaak W. asks:

When it comes to fishing line (more specifically braid) do you have a preference between low-vis and hi-vis colors?

I’m currently running alot of braid with some mono for most of my setups, and admittedly I’m pretty boring when it comes to line color. For most reels, I’m filling Sufix 832 in low-vis green. Hard lines really stick out underwater because they’re outlined so well, with little to no opacity. I fight that effect with a good fluouro leader, but I still prefer to blend in with turbid or stained environments when it can. With the low-vis green, I’m able to direct-tie in select bodies of water with good color to them.

I’m also running the new Sufix Advance, also in low-viz green for panfish situations this year, as it fishes so much like braid while being more translucent. I used some last year and lost less jigs because of it, while still being able to pitch into brush.

I do fish hi-viz however for river jigging and slip-bobber setups (also with fluoro leader). For the braid I’m using 832 again in neon lime, and Sufix Elite in Hi-Viz Yellow. In current situations, I’m often relying on line-jump to detect bites, along with feel, and current can do funny things to your jig. That hi-viz line helps you keep better track of what’s going on overall. The same is true with slip bobber fishing as so often you’re resting bobbers on slack line. Hi-Viz helps you determine how much slack you have, and where, giving me a better hookset when it’s time to drill them.

Joel

Flasher and Shelter for the Southern Half of the Ice Fishing Belt

David P. asks:

Now that my children are grown and off to college, I am thinking about getting back into ice fishing. That is if we ever get enough ice here where I live in northern Illinois. I would like to know if you have a recommendation for a flasher and a shanty. I like what I have read so far about the Marcum M series flashers. Maybe the M3. I see you use Otter shelters. I will likely be fishing alone and I like a dark or blackout shelter. Is the Otter Pro X Cottage shelter a dark or blackout shelter? It is difficult to find these items around here as there isn’t much ice for very long and very few ice fisherman. So any insight you can provide would be very helpful. Thanks, and have a great day! Dave

Hi David – thanks for the question, and I can appreciate where you’re coming from. In some years, even southern MN doesn’t get the ice that the rest of the state does. That leaves you wondering how far you really need to go in terms of an ice purchase you may only get a few weeks of use from. Still, as I think you’ve identified, it’s great to go with quality equipment that’ll best serve your needs. 

In your neck of the woods, I think you’d be very happy with either a Marcum M1 or M3.  Major differences between them being a bit more power/target-separation and adjustable zoom anywhere in the water column with the M3.  The M1 will still have bottom zoom and is a great unit that should not be overlooked! Pound for pound, it does the work of sonar that was cutting edge only a few years ago, and for a fraction of the price.  

As for the Otters, I’d recommend either the Hideout or the Cottage.  The XT Hideout is a stealth option, and both will be nearly full dark with the Cottage being the darkest.  It has a complete seal all the way around to prevent light from entering the back edges.  Both do not allow light through the canvas, which is a major benefit to the Otter shelters in general. 

Hope this helps, and good luck out there!

 Joel

Which Otter House to Buy? Cabin or Lodge? XT or XT Pro?

Featured - Otter X-Over XT Lodge

Photo Credit - In-Depth Media Productions

Sam O. writes:

Hi Joel,
I'm a big fan. I always watch your Youtube videos and TV shows.
I have 2 questions. First, I live in central Minnesota, and there is a lake right by my house with huge walleyes that don't get fished much to any fishing pressure. It’s called Lake (OMITTED) near the town of (OMITTED). I try to fish this lake as often as possible because it is close to my house but do not know where to fish for them. If you could maybe give me a place to start or something that sticks out to you that would be great!
Also, I'm in the market for a new otter shelter and am unsure what to buy. Looking at the Cabin vs the Lodge. XT vs the Pro. Any advice? Maybe know of someone with one used in good condition? Thanks a ton.
Sam

Hi Sam – thanks for the question and for watching what I do!  Always appreciate hearing from people that take the time to check out what I’m up to.

As for the lake, I try to make it a point not to comment on lakes, locations, and advice regarding where to fish.  It’s been tricky in the past, and it can be negative for the resource. Not to mention, no one person could know the predator/prey dynamics and other environmental conditions enough to make such predictions.  So I’ll have to pass on that one, but I can certainly help you with an Otter.

You’ve effectively got two comparisons going on here, Cabin vs. Lodge, XT vs. XT Pro.  Here’s how I’d break it down and what I use:

Cabin vs. Lodge –

• Transport – Cabin fits inside a standard truck bed, and underneath a Tonneau cover, while a lodge may have issues fitting under the cover and does stick out onto the tailgate.  You may need additional help to load a Lodge in the back of a truck, whereas the Cabin is a bit more manageable solo.

• Space – I’m 5’10” and can’t stand up without touching my head to the top of a Cabin.  I can standup in a Lodge.  As for floor space and seating, unsurprisingly the lodge will comfortably fish 2, and up to 3 people with gear. 

• Weight – Depending on style (XT vs XT Pro), you’re looking at up to 103lbs on the Cabin, and up to 124lbs on the lodge.  While Otter is the lightest shelter in class, both models work better behind an ATV or snowmobile.  Hand dragging anything over 100 lbs is difficult, especially with snow on the ice, and even more so when you add auger, electronics, rods, etc.

• Price – Lodge is larger and more expensive.

XT vs. XT Pro

• Seating – Seat options are different in each, and the XT comes with a bench, and XT Pro comes with bucket seats independently mounted on an aluminum bar that runs the length of the sled.  The bench is comfortable for me and offers space to lay out tackle and other items when fishing by myself.  It also has a nice backrest that I like.  The bucket seats are considered the premium option, and very nice to ride out the entire day on.  For most people, it comes down to buckets vs. bench, and that’s the deciding factor right there.

• Warmth – you’re looking ThermalTec at 600 denier (XT) vs. 1200 denier (XT Pro), and in my opinion, that’s not the lead story.  For those in extreme environments, or who are focused primarily on warmth, I’d lean XT Pro, but keep in mind that even the 600 denier and the proprietary insulation Otter has in Thermal Tec is far superior to the insulated shelters of even a few years prior.  I’m warm in both under almost all circumstances.

• Accessories – You can add a sportsman’s caddy (great option) to the center of your XT Pro, but not the XT as it mounts on that crossbar which is not on the XT series. 

• Ease of use – I find the XT bench, specifically in the lodge great to flip all the way up and over to the back of the sled, for one-handed access to the full length of storage for augers, rod boxes, etc.  The XT Pro version has independently lifting seats and sportsman’s caddy, making getting full length access a bit more of a process. 

• Price – XT Pros are more $, but offer the bucket seats and more insulation

My personal choice of shelter each year is the XT Lodge.  I prefer the bench seat and like the extra room it provides for a third person, and I don’t miss personally the extra insulation in the pro series.  I spend the extra difference on pins, a hitch pivot, rear sled hitch receiver, and cargo net accessories.  That said, Otter makes different options so you can get the shelter that best fits YOU!  Pick the one that best satisfies your situation, and you’ll always be happy with it.

Joel