Peak Gobbling Activity in the Midwest

Brad Uitdenbogerd writes:

Hi, I attended your seminar at the deer/turkey show in Minnesota last weekend, and enjoyed it. You briefly had a slide up showing a graph of a few years of peak gobbling times in Minnesota. Where can I find that graph on your website or elsewhere, I would like to look at it closer.
Good hunting,
Brad

Hi Brad.  That information was adapted from some years of data collected by author and guide T.R. Michels, here in southern Minnesota.  His Turkey Addict's Manual is a great read!  Attached is the graph, but as I described in the seminar, more important is what it tells us.  Keep in mind, the red line is the general trend for most years and does vary season to season.  That said, it helps us understand the progression through the breeding season and what it means for our hunting.

In the early season, gobblers are willing to breed but hens are not and toms do a great deal of gobbling for a variety of reasons.  This peak can and usually does happen just before the season opener in MN.  Then comes somewhat of a lull, similar to the "lockdown" phase of the deer rut, with toms staying in close visual contact with ready hens at all times.  There's less of a need to gobble under these circumstances.  Then another peak happens in early May with the majority of hens going off to nest.  My experience has shown that while gobbling doesn't necessarily pick-up in the morning hours only, it continues well into the middle part of the day, this time period is great for hunting whenever you have a chance to hit the woods.  Then the late season decline happens as hens' interest declines. While toms are still ready and willing, food is plentiful and the breeding season is winding down so they're not as likely to come a great distance or gobble with the same gusto they did earlier.  Of course there are exceptions to every part of these phases, but they've held mostly true for as long as I've hunted in the Midwest.

Keep these in mind as you select seasons and head out there to hunt birds, but remember, there's never a bad time to hunt turkeys!

Joel

What's Your Favorite Turkey Call?

Photo Credit - Ben Brettingen

Dylan from Hayfield, MN asks:

I've used a box call and slate call before, but I was at your turkey seminar last year and saw you use a mouth call.  What's your favorite type of call and what mouth call do you use?

Thanks for the question Dylan.  The call types you listed are all ones that I carry in my vest no matter what, but there are definitely some I use more than others.  There's a pile of simply personal preference that goes into answering this question too.  They're all my favorite, but mouth calls and box calls in that order are two types I don't know that I would want to do without.  The mouth call because of how versatile it is, and the box call for the sheer volume and rasp I can get.  

There's plenty of good calls on the market, but I've been blowing one for a few years that's a cut above as far as I'm concerned.  Jeff Frederick is a 10-time WI state champ and calling aficionado who builds and hand-stretches his own.  His Champion's Choice call is the most versatile call I've ever used, and also happens to be the easiest to blow from any I've ever tried.  

The key is to try a few and figure out which one you have the most confidence in.  If you sound best on a slate call, then use that one above all others!

Joel

Late Ice Crappies - Where to Look?

Henry Loew asks:

Hey Joel! How have you been? I recently found out that you weren't on IDO anymore and I was wondering where you went... well I found your page and its awesome! I really enjoy reading all of the stuff you got on there and I really admire how much you love the woods and the lakes. I created my own kind of fishing team called gotta love it outdoors we really enjoy fishing and hunting anyways I was wondering where are the larger crappies at this time of the year? Are they moving in shallow?  What do they like to bite on?  Also the bigger gills too. I know you are a huge pan fish guy so I thought to were the best guy to ask.

Thanks for the kind words Henry, and you're right, I love fishing for panfish year round.  It's funny, late-ice has come to mean a number of different things depending on where in the ice-belt you live.  I just got back from a photo shoot where we were looking for gills and crappies all over northern Minnesota, and found them very much still in their mid-winter patterns.  That should come as no surprise with subzero temps, plenty of snow/ice, and the fact that the calendar was just creeping into March.

True late-ice conditions to me means a pattern of melt during the day, with below freezing temps at night, over the course of a few weeks.  As ice separates from shore, some of the best angling is still to be had provided you can find a way onto the ice sheet.  It's some of the best fishing of the year, but also some of the most dangerous.  Wear a floating suit like a Striker and always be mindful of your exit plan at the end of the day.  

Late ice is great for a few reasons.  Movement of water washes in nutrients and even early terrestrials, while increased sun angle and light penetration breathes life to the shallows.  For a true late-ice pattern I'm looking in less than 15FOW, primarily around the best standing weed growth in the lake.  Cabbage and coontail both are great weeds to focus on, and one of the best big crappie patterns I've ever been on is a sight-fishing gig that happens over these expansive weed flats.  

Start with a clear lake that holds quality crappies, then focus on the closest flat to traditional mid-winter holes.  Knowledge of where crappies are mid-winter only shortens your search.  Drill holes in as shallow as 5 FOW across the flat, all the way up to 15 FOW and fish terrestrial patterns.  VMC Tungsten Flies and  VMC Wingding, Nymph, and Wax Tail Jigs are what I use for this bite, especially in the largest sizes, as they are "buggy" yet offer plenty of lifelike action.  

It's a slow process and takes a healthy dose of patience, timing, and stealth.  Setup in an Otter hub-style shelter and use it as a dark-house to get a leg-up on those crappies, and don't lean over the hole.  Rather stand back and let your line drape across the front of the hole and down.  Position yourself on a chair or focus on being as still as possible while looking at only a sliver of underwater real estate.  Any quick movement, and fish will be gone.  Jig aggressively to draw in crappies from far away, and work the fish visually from there.  

It's not a numbers game, but is a pattern I've successfully repeated in many clear trophy crappie waters for the biggest fish in the lake.  Remember to release those tanks, as brute crappies are as rare as big gills these days!

Good luck,

Joel  

Late Ice Panfish - Look for Bass

Jason from Perham, MN asks:

We have alot of lakes in our area that have bluegills, but how do you narrow down good late-ice panfish lakes?  What spots would you start looking for them and when?

Thanks Jason - it's funny but one of things I look for in a great late-ice panfish bite is the presence/abundance of large bass in the system.  I can think of a number of late-ice filming trips where we found the bass first, and eventually some great standing weedbeds (coontail or cabbage), then the great gills that go with them.  Healthy largemouth populations seem to go hand in hand with great bluegill lakes, and while the gills can be tough to find, the bass usually aren't.  Often, they're the tip-off you're looking for to keep the hunt on.

This weekend, we punched a pile of holes all over a small lake known to have some good gills, but never came across any.....until dark and after.  Underwater camera work, gobs of hole-drilling, and some meticulous jig-work within weed beds only yielded small panfish or bait-perch.  After dark, those bigger gills drifted out of the weeds they were buried in and were more than willing to eat.

Inside turns coming out of deep water with a strong, standing weed-growth at the top could be the strongest location I've fished for late-ice gills, regardless of lake size, depth, or location.  As for when, the later the better, as daytime melting washes terrestrials into the system, and night-time lows lock things back up again.  Latest ice is best, but be careful, it's also the most dangerous.  Fish fast and aggressive, and don't be afraid to fish the 3rd shift should you encounter nothing but quality bass during the day.  

Good luck!

Joel 

Lake of the Woods Resort House Advice?

John Steinhauer asks:

Hey Joel finally making my first trip to Lake of the woods ice fishing. For a few days. Going out of Arneson's, any pointers or must have lures? I've only ever been there for the spring sturgeon bite before so an absolute first for me.

Thanks for the question John.  In a phrase, fish loud and proud. One person should be trying to attract fish in at all times with blade baits, rippin' raps, slab raps, etc. VMC rattle spoons work well as a slightly more subtle, yet still noise-making approach. 

Two colors, gold and glow red have accounted for most of the fish I've ever taken up there, with a gold perch color being a close second to those.

Fish aggressively to draw them in, and make sure to have setlines with free swimming shiners and more subtle jigging presentations too.  When I know I can't be roaming the open ice to go to the fish, I do my best to draw them from distance to me.  The added benefit to being stationary is that you can provide a virtual buffet of baits, colors, and sizes to them, helping you get closer and closer to cracking the code of the day.

Enjoy it!

Joel

When To Go Fishing?

Jacob Kruse asks:

I've been a big fan of your work since your time at In-depth Outdoors and have enjoyed your latest videos with Tony Roach. I always love watching you catch big gills.

What are your thoughts on time of day, weather, barometric pressure and lunar phase affecting fishing or when you should be looking at getting out? Particularly relating to bluegill and other panfish. With young children my fishing time is limited, so I figure why not try to optimize when you can get out.

It's funny, the exact moment I read this I was eating lunch at Hunter's Point on Mille Lacs with Tony and I showed it to him.  His response?

"Go fishing anytime and every-time you can.  You may get hit by a train tomorrow."

My thoughts these days are much the same as his, but I fully understand when you're coming from.  More and more often, the pressure to catch fish surpasses the idea of just going fishing.  So to maximize your time on the water, I've found that 60% of the time the following works everytime:

• Fish pre-frontal conditions - These are signified by any change in the weather, typically for the worse, where calm stable weather gives way to precip, winds, or other storms.
• A stable barometer provides the best long-term fishing as fish settle into more predictable locations and patterns, while the hottest or fastest fishing is in the hours when the barometer has reached the "shoulder" of the slope and is starting to decline.  Continual peaks and valleys make for yo-yo-like fishing patterns and inconsistent action.
• Use a site like Weather Underground to show the graph of relative barometric conditions.  
• Lunar phases tend to affect predatory fish more from the research that's out there, and bluegills don't feed after dark in "most" lakes.  There are clear water bodies and lakes with active night-time invertebrates that are the exception to that rule.
• Early and late is always the best, but it's better to find them during the day and move with them if you can.

Per Tony's advice, don't look for reasons not to fish, but if you get the choice you're usually best served by heeding the above advice.  That said, I've had incredible days in bluebird conditions with pressure high enough to give every fish in the lake a headache, but they didn't mind.  All the more reason to hit it when you can!

Joel

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