Blog

Like most over-the-hill 60-year-old anglers, one of my first lures was a white Mister Twister tail on a jig.  I caught a ton of fish on that combo as a kid.  It was cheap, virtually indestructible, and very versatile.   Times were simpler back then; I’d ride my bike to the Skokie Lagoons, ditch it in some bushes, and spend hours casting repeatedly, hoping for something pulling on the end of my line.  I snagged more trees than I caught fish, but I was doing it!  A private pond nearby was full of nice bass and bluegill, but expensive houses surrounded it.  …

I learned how to fish from Old Man Doser. Mike Doser was an old German janitor who lived in the building across from ours when my father, Poppee got his first janitor job in Chicago on Irving Park Road.  Old man Doser and his wife Mutti loved to fish, and loved to eat fish, even more. Double-dipped in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, then pan-fried in Crisco, was the only way to go! He taught me how to catch fish, but greasy, fried, lard-laden fish was not my way to go.  I’ve since modified his techniques for catching (and cooking) different species throughout the season.  Whe …

Jigging a live minnow is the most popular way to catch river walleye and sauger. However, there are a few alternatives that will sometimes be more effective each Spring.  I, for one, have been using plastics, blade baits, and spoons more often in recent years and have caught some of the biggest walleyes of my life as well as limits in the process.  I used to grab five dozen minnows and a few dozen crawlers every time I went fishing, but now, instead of spending $60 on live bait, I'll spend under $10 because, of course, I still MUST get a few dozen “SECURITY MINNOWS” just …

The ice is here, and I’m out chasing bluegill and other panfish.  It could be in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, or Minnesota. Just give me some solid ice, a shallow weedy bay, channel, or backwater, and I’m on my way! Are you catching fish? I’ve been chasing panfish for more than forty years, and it has never gotten old, even though I have.  I’ve learned a few things along the way.  The first and foremost goal is to catch a bunch of fish. There is absolutely no reason to invest in all the gear, expend all the effort it takes to go ice fishing, and be satisfie …

The last couple of years have offered some great ice fishing for me, especially in shallow water less than ten feet deep.  It is here that bluegill, perch, crappie, and pike roam freely and are readily caught, especially at first ice, that is, right now! Flutter spoons for the win!  It is here that old school flutter spoons still produce.  Standbys like Custom Jigs & Spins Demons, 2-Spots, and Rockers, Demon Jigging Spoons, Lil’ Cecils, and Slender Spoons are killer producers in these shallow weedy areas.   Small tungsten jigs are most effective in clear wate …