Not all ice sleds are created equal. In the video, you’ll see why a rotomolded sled, with high sides and a strong constitution make all the difference on ice.
Hello, World!
4 Walleye and Perch Style Baits You NEED!
Here’s a few categories of walleye and perch baits I always have when I hit the ice. Better yet, here’s how I organized them.
Panfish Tacklebox Hack - Organizing Your Jigs
Ever find yourself digging through bags and boxes, still unable to find what you need when you need it? Here’s how I organize my panfish tackle to have everything handy, and easily see what needs replacing after losing a few jigs.
10 Essential Items for Every Wheelhouse Angler
Photo credit - Matt Addington
There’s a great many ways to fish out of a wheelhouse, across a diverse fish-scape for a host of species. Yet, no mater what you fish for or where, there are some items that are simply indispensable in a wheelhouse. Many of which, don’t necessarily just relate to the fishing aspect of the experience, but range in category from simple comfort items to food prep and beyond. While the list is certainly longer than just 10 items, here are a few that I’m always thankful to have when heading off for a long weekend trip.
Slush Bucket – Before you ever get to fish, you need to drill holes, and that’s where problems can start. Especially with a speed auger, ice chips and water fly around the house, making for a cold and slippery floor the rest of the trip. Start it off right by drilling through this bucket, and emptying slush outside. It doubles as a holder to temporarily store my catch cover hole covers, and fits conveniently in my shower while fishing.
10” Electric Auger – There’s a lot of great ice augers that’ll put a hole in the ice, but this one does it with power to spare, great torque, and with electric, fumeless energy. The standard blade style is less touchy than curved blade systems, stands up to frequently drilled ice, and has a smooth, top-to-bottom cut no matter where you fish. There are lighter augers on the market, but this one is an ultra durable steel 10” design that’s perfect for drilling a few holes in a wheelhouse.
Pizza Stone – Cooking in RV/fish-house ovens can be a challenging task with a design that overheats at the bottom, and tends to under-perform throughout. Whether you’re cooking pizza or not, you can nullify the scorched bottom effect by simply placing a rectangular pizza stone at the bottom rack of the oven, and cooking on the top rack. This one is heavy duty, deflects heat well, and fits perfectly inside the oven of my Yetti Fish House.
Fish Ruler – A quality ruler is always in style, as no matter the lake you’re fishing or species you’re after, there’s bound to be a target size. Some lakes even have special regulations that require you to measure before keeping. This one is heavy duty, will last, and is tournament approved.
Kitchen Organizer – Drawer and cabinet space is at a premium, so you might as well store commonly used items on the wall within easy reach. This one holds everything from spices to spoons, knives to napkins, and everything in between. Better yet, all the items stay put during transport, making this both a space-saver and a convenient way to store your kitchen goods.
Bait Cooler – Wheelhouse bait buckets can take a beating during transport, going back and forth between the truck bed and fish-house. Not to mention, in cold weather, they’re a pain if they leak, freeze, or are prone to tipping. This one solves most problems associated with bait storage on ice, and is just as good on the open ice as it is in the Yetti.
Rattle Reels – Let’s face it, many of us are casual about our fishing when it’s time to eat, watch a movie, or otherwise just enjoy ice camping. That’s why it’s critical to set a good trap when our eyes are off the rod-tip. The Rattlesnake Rattle Reel design is as much about the wall disk system it’s mounted on as the reel itself. That allows anglers to interchange rod holders, drink holders, and a host of other accessories anywhere a wall disk is mounted. That gives an angler ultimate flexibility while preserving maximum fishability in the process.
Generator – There’s a pile of good ones out there, but this one keeps finding its way into the back of my truck. It’s been exceptionally reliable, has a larger gas reservoir that makes it throughout the night on eco-mode, and starts in the coldest of weather. Did I mention it’s a bargain compared to other units in its power range? This one has lasted well for me, and I think you’ll like it too.
Fish-Finder/Camera Combo – It’s hard to argue that a finder/camera combo is absolutely essential to catch fish, but it’s tougher to ignore the impact of ice electronics for the average wheelhouse experience. If you know you’ll need both items, why not get them in a package, save some cash for bundling, and get it with lithium lightweight power along the way? Better yet, project what you’re seeing on the graph and camera all at once to the big-screen TV.
Plastic Storage Bins - While you’ll need to measure your own cabinets and storage compartments to see what sizes fit, plastic storage cubes like these keep me organized between winter and summer. At the end of the season, I simply swap out the bins that are needed for summer or winter, and keep the odd season on the shelf in the garage for a few months. It results in less wasted space, easier load-out/in, and faster finding of all kinds of items from tackle to basic conveniences. It’s where I store rattle reels, line, rod holders, lures, and a host of other items. An organized wheelhouse catches more fish!
So there you have it, a few items I probably couldn’t live without, or at least, wouldn’t want to. They’re essential to making all parts of my wheelhouse experience what they can be. More importantly, they truly do help me get on more fish, by keeping me efficient and happy on ice. That’s half the battle, especially when mother nature isn’t cooperating as well as she should be.
Catching More Big Fish
BIG FISH
Lots of anglers seek big fish almost as a matter of trade. They've experienced smash days on the water...have been there, done that. They can wait hours and even weeks for one big bite, habitually finding themselves on premier waters, at prime times, fishing in a way that few are willing to rise to because of the sacrifice it takes. They live for exceptional fish, and are satisfied with few others. After all that build-up....I'll be the first to tell you, I'm NOT that angler.
That's not to say I don't respect those anglers or that way of fishing, because I really do. There was a time when I lived by those ideals, tested my own mettle to achieve big fish fame-dom. Striving to be the best, to catch the best, to a fault, is something that's kind of hard-wired into me. Yet, these days I find myself taking what pleasure I can from whatever the day may give me.
BIG FISH STORIES
On a recent trip, that was a 10 year old's very first big fish - a near 20lb. bigmouth buffalo that pulled like a school bus and kicked like a mule when it hit the boat floor. A "junk-fish" by some people's standards, few things but a sturgeon would've pulled like that fish did on that day. We caught walleyes sure, even a few "keepers" - but his little chest puffed out 3 sizes bigger that day because of what surrounding boats thought was just a carp.
Perhaps what's better, is that we weren't trophy hunting. We were dropping baits around big schools of shad, looking to catch anything that ate. Eat they did, from smallies to walleyes, and buffalo to white bass, we had a great time, and even caught a big fish. More a family cruise in the fall sun, we enjoyed ourselves first and foremost, stowing the rods when light fell behind the bluffs in favor of dropping leaves and hoodie weather around frying fish back at the campsite.
3-days prior was a different trip altogether, and led to the big fish pictured. I was scouting that same bite, looking for the best bite I could, and fishing hard. The big girl, a 29" old female, ate off a 24' current break behind one of the largest rafts of river shad I've ever side-imaged. At first, she just stayed deep and rolled, almost catfish like. Then, she came unglued, and rose beneath the boat, revealing a white tipped tail but with no sight of the buried #7 purple wonder puppet minnow in her mouth.
CATCHING MORE BIG FISH - A STRATEGY
And so it goes, at least in my experience with big fish. You can hunt them like a trophy whitetail, with time on the water seeming to be that which separates the best from the rest. These fish just show up randomly sometimes, but that's not to say that catching a big fish happens at random. Doing the right things at the right times, with the right equipment for the job increases your odds not only in contacting a big fish, but in actually landing it when your chance comes. Ultimately, those details are the great equalizer, as so many anglers have brushes with big fish without ever knowing. Connecting, then making good on your opportunity when it counts is what ends up mattering most.
Which brings me to the white-out rod in the portion of the shot. It's a proto-type I'm testing for St. Croix like I have many rods before it. It's the best rod I've ever tried for this very application - working that bait to perfection, offering incredible feel and dexterity through the handle portion, and pinning that fish better than a gold-medal olympic wrestler. After fishing with it for several trips and many hours, I filled out a 45 minute questionnaire that's about as rod-nerdy as they come. Fun stuff for a guy like me, and hopefully some valuable information when combined with other anglers' data, such that the engineers can make the next revision even better - if that's possible.
Someday soon, you'll get to fish it too, but until then, no matter what your stance on big fish is, your angling pursuits or passions may be, know that I've found being ready is perhaps your vert best big-fish strategy. Rig right, use quality components and materials throughout, while utilizing the best tools for the job at hand. So many times, it seems like the rest just takes care of itself.