Which Reel - Spinning or Inline?

Justin Carlson asks:

Hi, I was wondering does a spinning reel have an advantage over an inline reel in certain situations. I have been building my own fishing rods and I have noticed that the line seems to be more smooth with an inline reel over a spinning reel. Does the size of the rod make a difference? Example an ultra light that one would use for bluegill or a heavier rod for walleyes and pike. Thanks Justin

Hi Justin - There is certainly alot more interest with in-line reels over recent years.  Much of this attention centers around some design advantages of an in-line, namely smoother uptake, less line twist, and a larger spool arbor to resist kinking and memory.  While the latter especially may be true, I've been somewhat disappointed with in-line reel designs over the years that promise these benefits without losing the traditional strong-suits of your higher end spinning reel.  Still, there are situations where finicky panfish especially require it. 

While I have not tried them all, I've found many in-lines to have poor quality drags which are crucial when using light line.  Another issue can be the gap between the spool and the base allowing loose line to find its way inside and get buried.  All of which adds to a more frustrating experience.  For better or worse, the standard we judge everything against is the spinning reel, and the familiarity we have with it, in my opinion requires these inline multipliers to not only match their performance, but to exceed it.  I'm guessing that eventually the market will produce one that fits the bill, but hopefully it's priced "in-line" with spinning reels of a similar quality.  

You can certainly pair an in-line with any kind of rod, and I've seen Tony Roach use one quite successfully for walleyes many times.  Just pair the rod and line for appropriate use, and you should be good to go.    

Good luck!

Joel

Slab Rap and Rippin' Rap Differences

Photo Credit - Ben Larson - In-Depth Media Productions

Paul Bercott from Ft. Wayne, IN asks:

Hey Joel what are the differences between the Ultralight Rippin Rap and the Slab Rap?

Great question Paul!  I think it's tempting to think of these as the same bait with a different shape, but not only do they represent a minnow-like profile (Slab Rap) vs. a shad-style profile (Rippin' Rap), the Rippin' Rap has rattles.  

I use the Rippin' Rap in extremely stained water, and heavily in shad-based systems like the Mississippi River.  It flat calls in fish from an incredible distance due to the sheer amount of noise these things put out.  When fish are on the bite, there are few baits that will get fish to cover distance and eat like this bait.

The Slab rap, while a hard bait of the same general size, rapidly departs from there.  The Slab Rap does NOT rattle, but works much like a blade bait in that it vibrates vertically through the water column similar to an open water crankbait.  Pull sharply, and you'll feel it, as will the fish.  That said, it's got a few more tricks.  Being a bit longer and thinner, I feel that neutral fish close on this bait a bit better than the noisier Rippin' Rap.  While you may not be able to call them from the same distance, the Slab Rap covers water horizontally as well.  Think Jigging Rap with vibration, just not with the same super wide swing and travel.  

Both of them are deadly when rocked back and forth, with a slight edge given to the Slab Rap for less-than-aggressive fish.  Similarly, both should be a part of your strategy depending on where you fish.  

Joel 

Which Boots?

Colten Gehring of Bozeman, MT writes:

Hey Joel I've been watching your videos from the beginning and always liked the shows you’re on. My boots of 12years finally fell apart and I'm in the market for a new pair. In your opinion what would be the best boot to get? I don't have a permanent house so I'm on the ice all day, And I'd say 99% of the time I'm driving out to the spot. 

Tough question, but one I get a lot and wonder a good deal about myself.  I’ll be honest in saying I’m still searching for the perfect boot.  As all the rest of our gear gets specialized, and fits into certain niches depending on the ways we fish, I think of boots in much the same manner.  A boot that works great for nearly stationary anglers, may not work as well for someone that puts on some serious steps while out punching holes. 

I’ve worn nearly all of them at one point or another, and a key consideration is how much your feet sweat.  If your feet sweat very little, then the Mickey Mouse style paratrooper boots you can pick up at Army Surplus stores are great.  Sadly, mine do, and even straight neoprene tends to not work as well for me.

LaCrosse Ice Kings have been really great to me over the years, and are ultra-warm but unfortunately are a bit bulky.  Baffins are great too, but I put them in the same class of heavier/bulkier footwear.  To combat that problem, I’ve worn the lace up GoreTex versions with leather uppers over the years but have had leak-thru issues. 

I’m currently wearing the Muck Arctic Pros and still giving them a good run through in more situations before putting them up at the top of the heap.  I roll down the neoprene to allow a little bit more breathing room when possible, and they’ve worked great thus far. 

If you’re mostly stationary, I’d go with the Ice Kings or Baffins and enjoy the warmth!

Interpreting Targets on Your Flasher

Featured: Marcum Lx-7

Jake Williamson writes:

Hey Joel, I really enjoy reading the articles you have been posting on your page. I appreciate the helpful advice I gather from them! I have been using a flasher for a few years now and it has made a huge difference in landing fish on the ice. One of the struggles I have is interpreting what I see on the bottom while searching holes for fish. A lot of times I interpret lines as fish while later finding they are just weeds along the bottom. Do you have any advice or links for better interpreting what we see on the bottom?

Thanks for the question Jake.  I know what you mean, especially when you’re in search and destroy mode.  You’re bopping along and see some lines here and there, and decide that you should fish them.  As you later find out, those lines are stationary and don’t add up to much. 

One thing to key in on is the strength/color interpretation of the target or mark.  On a Marcum, only the densest of weed growth and usually only cabbage or other high-climbing greenery that you see up in the water column a bit will actually show up as “red.”  Most weeds along bottom will always be green or weaker sonar returns.  Fish, especially anywhere near the middle of the cone angle will show up as distinct red targets, usually separate from bottom instead of faint signals that flicker or seem attached to bottom.

In extremely shallow systems (less than 10FOW), it can be difficult to drill right on top of fish and have them stay directly below you.  That can account for not finding or seeing much when you’re hole hopping.  For everything else, you’re looking for more than just a flicker of small hint of fish, you’re looking for strong red returns that are distinctly separated from cover or the bottom. 

In terms of reading bottom content or hardness, a larger or longer tail behind the leading edge of bottom indicates soft muck or mud.  The thinner that red bottom target, the more likely you are to be on sand, gravel, or rock, in that order progressing from thick to thin. 

Nothing beats time on the water with a sonar, but an underwater camera is an invaluable tool to help you visually pair what you’re seeing on sonar, with what you’re mind’s eye interprets that as being.  Work with them in tandem, and you can get really good with your sonar!    

Jig/Spoon Storage?

Mitchell Louden writes:

Hey Joel! I have a few Plano tackle cases and whenever I ride my fourwheeler on the ice they roll around in them and chip the paint. So I am wondering the best way you recommend storing tackle? 

Well Mitchell, there's not alot of great options for the larger lead lures and spoons.  These are the ones most affected as they're the heaviest and do the most rattling and moving around.  That said, for jigs, one key is to get a tackle box like the Rose Creek Polar box or Rapala Utility Box that holds each lure individually in place.  

These work fine for smaller items, but to protect spoons and other lead items with paint, I think the best way is to make your own or look at the Clam Spoon Box.  To make your own, start with a Plano Deep 3700 box and go to Walmart to find the type of hard foam insulation you'd like.  Use a drill bit to drill small, evenly spaced holes in that foam which you've measured and pre-marked ahead of time.  Experiment with different sizes for different lures until you find which matches most of your tackle.  Glue it into the box for a good fit.  While these boxes are quite a bit bulkier, they do hold a pile of tackle and keep it much safer.  

Good luck!

Joel

Photo Credit - Ben Larson - In-Depth Media Productions

Keeping Your Equipment in Good Shape

Photo Credit - Ben Larson - In-Depth Media Productions

Featured: Otter Sport Sled

Otter Sportsmans Case

Otter XTH Lodge Hub

Ben Vicere writes:

Joel, I've watched you fish a lot and wonder what simple tips you can give on keeping your equipment in good shape (reels, rods, sonar etc.) so they function reliably in the harsh conditions of an ice fishing season?

Friends of mine would say that I'm the wrong person to ask that!  While it's true that I can be hard on my gear, that fact also makes me qualified to comment.  I've learned the hard way, multiple times, as to the very best way to keep equipment through the rigors of an ice season.

First off, if you tow your equipment in an Otter sled, you need one crucial piece of equipment.  In my experience, the ice auger is most likely to get damaged (notice all of the vehicle mounts for them), but also does the most damage inside of a sled.  It sounds like a shameless pitch, but the Otter Auger Shield covers the flighting and takes away all of the sharp and protruding edges that destroy electronics, minnow buckets, and anything else plastic or less rigid.  

Rods get a hard case as few soft-sided cases on the market withstand long hauls without some form of damage.  A hard case does a good job with the reels attached too, as they can't move/rattle around too much.  

Packing your gear is really important too.  On long hauls over rough ice, the auger needs to be suspended above the bottom of the sled or somehow cushioned.  Everything should fit tightly, as loosely packed items, especially heavy ones like propane, act as a wrecking ball inside otherwise.  Sonar should go on the sled or ATV.  It's just too expensive, and no matter what you're using it's plastic that can get destroyed.

I guess one thing too I've learned from guides over the years, is that gear prep gets attention immediately after you come off the ice, and again well-before you go out again.  Put it away well, and it usually rewards you when you come back to it.  I hope this helps, and good luck this winter!

Joel

Underwater Camera Questions

Photo Credit - Ben Larson - In-Depth Media Productions

Featured - Marcum Pan Cam

Rob Stachowski from Cannon Falls, MN asks:

What are some of the best ways to use an underwater camera for ice fishing? Is there a recommended distance from your fishing hole to have a camera hole drilled?

For years I think the ice fishing community was entranced by the question, "are underwater cameras a tool or a toy?"  True, they are a cool way to keep kids interested, and it's always fun to positively ID what's swimming below you.  

Today, I think we've moved past that idea towards the thought that there are a variety of situations and uses for the cameras.  First and foremost, for catching.  I've been part of a number of bites where having a camera not only helps you catch more fish, it's critical to catching ANY fish.  Trout in small lakes, perch that require the bait on bottom...I can think of nearly a dozen bites I've been on in the past five years where it was a difference maker.  Beyond that though, underwater cameras are a great way to find fish.  The Marcum Recon 5+ is compact and allows you to drop all over the place, identifying areas that are fishy, even if your flasher doesn't indicate that they currently hold fish.  I've found brushpiles, clam-beds, rock outcroppings, and all kinds of other neat areas I've returned to via the camera that I might have overlooked with a flasher.

The last and perhaps best way to use a camera however, and one few people utilize, is to view jigging action of baits.  You can learn how to fish any bait better, by seeing its action on an underwater camera, and then, translating that jigging stroke to what you're seeing on the flasher.  It's amazing how much better you can get on a Jigging Rap or even your average panfish jig.  I try to do this annually for a refresher when the bite is slow.  

As for recommended distance, rule of thumb is to keep it as far away as possible while still seeing a clean image of your jig.  This gives you a broader field of view, and prevents tangles when a good predator eats.

Good luck Rob!

Joel 

Small Water Gills

Joel Gohman asks:

When going to a new small body of water with no idea of structure or where the fish will be, what are you tactics to finding them quickly and efficiently?

Perhaps the best part about backwoods secluded gills is that the water is small!  Many of the location issues and difficulty finding bluegills we have in larger systems can be eliminated in the smaller ones by brute force.  Plain and simple, sometimes you need to drill out the likely depths until you find what's there, or are satisfied that you've looked long and hard enough to find them if they were.

Still, there are some tips to finding a place or two to start.  First and foremost, I scour the aerial photography and look at the shape/structure of the lake.  Perfectly round lakes are somewhat rare, and any irregularity can be a tip-off.  Inside turns at the bases of points, neckdowns, or where the lake comes to a corner, especially if it's surrounded by steeper shoreline can be a great location to start.  This is doubly true if you've got great weeds at the top or upper end of the inside turn once you do start your drilling.  

To get a better feel for lake contours, even when none are available, I use LiDAR elevation data to get a good feel for the surrounding shoreline.  This has been recently acquired for the state of Minnesota, and in parts of Wisconsin too.  For Minnesota, go to the MN Topo viewer to look at incredibly accurate (1m ground resolution) terrestrial contours along lake edges with the idea that steep shorelines (or broad and flat ones) extend into the lake itself.  

You can also use these data to eliminate poor water.  A swamp to one end generally indicates shallower water a good ways into the lake, so you can eliminate exceedingly shallow and non-gill habitat that way.  You can also eliminate water by looking at Google Earth and its various years of photography available.  Water that is weed-choked and annually blanketed by emergent and submergent vegetation will typically not hold good gills unless it's the last available habitat.