It’s late December… temperatures are racing towards 0 degrees. Ice is covering most of the lakes in Wisconsin and getting thick on the lakes in the Northern half of the state.

This is the time of the year when the die-hards come out to take on the bitter cold to do what they love… fish!

But ice fishing doesn’t have to be just for those fishing fanatics. If you usually put fishing into the back of your mind during the cold winter, you might want to think about reaching back and pulling it to the front a few months early. Ice fishing is definitely different than fishing in the middle of a muggy Wisconsin summer, but it may be more fun than you might be thinking it is.

Ice fishing isn’t just about staring down into a dark hole in the middle of a big cold lake freezing your butt off… if you put your line in the water and do nothing but sit and stare at the hole and never get a bite, that could end up being a long boring day, but you can make it fun (but if the fish are active and biting, then it will be fun regardless!)…

Go with friends! Unless you need some “alone time,” ice fishing with friends or family always makes for a better experience. Since ice fishing is more of a waiting game than fast-action summer fishing is, if you don’t have somebody to talk to, you might start talking to yourself! If you do go along, at least bring a radio.

Got snowmobiles or ATVs? Do you know somebody who does? Take them out on the lake with you. Set your tip-ups up, and then go for a ride around the lake… as long as you don’t get to far away from your tip-ups, you may be able to do a little exploring or have a little fun while your waiting for that 8 pound walleye to take your bait.

Don’t forget that hot chocolate or coffee! If it’s cold, nothing helps keep you warm like a hot drink… and to me, no other hot drink beats hot chocolate. Soup is always good too… and if you plan on making a lunch on the lake from all the fish your catching, be sure to bring cooking supplies, including something to actually cook the fish with.

If you’re going with friends, bring something to toss around… a football, frisbee, hacky-sack, whatever… just don’t kill yourself diving for a catch on the ice! These things will at least keep you busy while you wait for that tip-up flag to spring up.

Just remember, to make sure that you stay close enough to the tip-ups at all times so that you can respond within a reasonable time of the flag going up.

So, if you’ve always stuck to summer fishing and never wanted to venture out fishing during the winter months, you ought to give it a try this winter… you might just find out what a great rewarding experience it can be…

And just remember, unlike Wisconsin’s muggy summers, there are absolutely no bugs biting you while you are ice fishing, so you can keep that mosquito spray at home!

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Scott Pinkert runs a great Wisconsin fishing resource site called Go Wisconsin Fishing. The website is an excellent resource for everything you want or need to know about fishing in Wisconsin. You can check out the site by visiting http://www.go-wisconsin-fishing.com. For more articles like this, sign up for his monthly newsletter at http://www.go-wisconsin-fishing.com/newsletter.html

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Perhaps the most rewarding element of fly fishing is the variety
of beautiful natural surroundings in which anglers often find
themselves; a secluded stream up in the mountains, a peaceful
meandering river deep in the forest, or a tranquil blue lake
somewhere out in big sky country. For some, it may be the
opportunity to test ones’ individual skill against nature - in an
intricate game of cat and mouse (but in this case, man against
fish.) These are just some of the compelling reasons why many
thousands of people enjoy the challenges of fly fishing every
year.

For beginning fly-fishermen, however, learning fly fishing can be
difficult.

We have compiled this e-book to give anglers, especially new
anglers, some guidance on how to get the most out of the exciting
sport of fly fishing. While there are many other resources
available about fly fishing on the internet, few of them touch on
the techniques, tactics and strategies commonly used in fly
fishing. If these topics sound interesting, then you’re in the
right place because this e-book was written just for you.

We’ll explore in detail the various fish most people fish for,
we’ll cover casting basics, how to read the water, how to take
care of your gear, how to tie knots, dry flies, and fly lines.
We’ll also explore hatches, cover insect entomology and much,
much more. In short, this e-book will teach you everything you
always wanted to know about fly fishing! (maybe even more than
you’ve ever wanted to know)

Fly Fishing: Trout & Their Habitat

Successful fly fishing involves lots of things, including having
the proper fly fishing gear, using the right flies, being able to
cast correctly, and many more little things that often determine
whether a fly fishing adventure is successful or not. However,
one thing that many anglers frequently neglect to learn about is
the fish that they are fishing for.

A strong knowledge of the various types of trout is of critical
importance. Knowing more about the various types of trout that
you are fishing for, their habits, tendencies, and
characteristics, can help tremendously in improving your catch.

In our next article we have covered the primary types of trout,
their senses, and other important traits unique to each variety.

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The next few days in Ohio are supposed to be in the 50’s, so, guess what I plan on doing if the lakes thaw out? Yep, go fishing for bass.

As you know the bass are not going to spend a lot of energy going after your bait, so offer them something a little larger than usual. A 10″ worm comes to mind, a pig and jig or something to that effect.

Where you might have this in the water for 30 seconds in the summer, now it might take 4 or 5 minutes. Work it slow…….very slow.

Does this work? Well, one day it was so cold outside I never even got out of the truck, my fishing partner wanted to fish this new lake even though the wind was blowing about 20 miles an hour.

Can you imagine my surprise when he came back about 10 minutes later with a bass over 5 pounds? He was working a grape colored worm very, very slow.

I have fished in the winter ever since that day.

Charles E. White has fished for almost 50 years for bass from California to Florida. In his lifetime, it is estimated that he has caught over 6,000 bass. His biggest bass is a 12 pound 14 ounce that hangs on his wall in his office.

Charles has fished with people who have never fished for bass before and taught them how to become successful anglers and also has fished with the Pros in Florida.

His new website about fishing for bass is at http://www.bassfishingweekly.com.