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Winter has come and there is nothing as exciting as the rush I get from my first expedition on early ice. That first step on the ice is the beginning of a great new season with endless opportunities on the hard water. One small step for Walt, one giant leap for new innovations! Because you see, I am always tinkering with new ice gadgets, new lure styles, lure colors and ideas in general that make it easier to catch more fish on the ice. Safety on early ice With a quick, hard freeze I’ll go for it on three inches of ice and take that first step. Thankfully I’ve never f …

We’ve had some great fishing trips in Canada. We’ve gone to drive-to destinations and brought our own boat and we’ve taken all inclusive fly-in trips. With few exceptions, they have all been great trips. A week fishing in Canada still carries a mythical quality. A Canadian fishing vacation is still the holy grail of angling to the Midwestern angler! For our money, nothing beats bringing your own boat loaded down with all the fishing lures. Whether you have a 16 footer rigged with the basics or an 18 footer loaded up with all the latest gadgets, chances are your boat will be better than us …

If I had the choice of one lure and only one lure to use in Canada, it would be the jig’n twister. Many anglers might choose a Daredevlil, Doctor Spoon or a Rapala Minnow but give me a jig’n twister every time! Why is it so effective, because it is so versatile. A jig’n twister can be used shallow, deep and everywhere in between! It can be used on all species from walleye to muskie. It can be crawled along bottom, swimmed at a brisk pace or even bulged just under the surface. My favorite jig’n twister combo is a little bigger than most anglers use. I like to use the 5" K-Grub made …

There are so many ways to use a jig that the average angler could be overwhelmed. But, let’s take a look at the basics, here is a great way to use a jig that will help you catch more walleye... it’s time to get NAKED! The NAKED jig is by far our favorite jig. By NAKED, we mean there is no plastic added, but we will add a minnow, leech or nightcrawler. In spring, leeches are not an option, since they are not available. Fathead minnows are the norm, but in many regions nightcrawlers are moving up fast. There are a lot of ways to hook a minnow but are two favorites are through the …

Color selection is always a hot topic when it comes to any sort of fishing. In ice fishing there are basics that seem to work for many species, but one that is very different, and extremely productive is a selection of "glowing" lures. My first choice for panfish is Custom Jigs & Spins glowing colors of Glow Brite/lime, Glow Brite/pink, Glow Brite/blue and plain Glow Brite. While there are several models in which these colors are available, a good selection would consist of the Ratfinkee, Demon, Ratso, Shrimpo and Nuclear Ant, in sizes 12 through 4. The sizes that I use most are 10 a …