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When I was a kid my father Poppee used to take me fishing. The only problem was that neither of us knew how to fish. I was the one that had the urge to spend all of my free time fishing and when you are five years old, you have a lot of free time! All I needed was a pole, some bobbers, hooks, worms and some water. We spent a lot of time fishing and not catching fish until we met up with a fellow janitor, neighbor and my honorary Grandpa, Mike Dozer. Mike had a house on Pistakee Lake in Northern Illinois, a little 14' Sears boat with a Ted Williams 9.9 outboard and all the tackle and know-how w …

We love spring fishing and May is one of the best times of year to go fishing. Fishing each May is exciting to me because there are so many different species to fish for and so many different techniques to use, the possibilities are endless! In May all species start getting active, so whether you are looking to catch fish for fun or for the frying pan, this May's for you! A lot of times I have a plan in mind but by the time I hit the water the plan has changed. I dream of getting to one of my favorite fishing spots, but when I get there, somebody else has beat me to it. Or, I t …

Oh panfish. I love panfish. They are fun to catch and good to eat. If you’re new to fishing, you may wonder what is a panfish? It isn’t a specific species. It’s a term that refers to many different species of fish that are small enough to fit in a frying pan but large enough to be legal and fun to catch. Perch, bass, crappie, are all panfish and we talk a lot about how to catch them. Once upon a time the Fox Chain in Northern Illinois was a yellow bass factory. Everyone complained that those pesky yellow bass were infiltrating on their bluegill and crappie fishing, but not me and Popp …

Check out the H2O Precision Jig The H2O Precision Jig features premium quality Mustad® hooks (the sharpest hooks available), an integrated plastics keeper that holds the body of your bait tight, and paint that just will NOT chip! The H2O Precision Jig is designed to function perfectly with live bait, plus these jigs are perfect walleye jigs for fishing with AuthentX plastics, like the Pulse-R, Moxi, Ribb-Finn and 4" Ringworm. R.I.P. Poppee, you were a true jigmaster! No other jig combines the needed balance, premium quality over-sized hook, and paint scheme found in the H …

There are more ways to catch walleye and other gamefish than on a jig-n-minnow on opening day. While I have caught my fair share on them, I've since found other ways, too. Jig and Plastic combinations made from AuthentX Plastic like Ringworms, Moxi's, Paddletails, K-Grubs, and pulse-R's have been added to my arsenal. The Dubuque Rig I've fished in Dubuque, Iowa. It's about an hour away from my house. Up there on the Mississippi River is where the Dubuque rig was born. This river rig works well for slipping or dragging downstream or pulling upstream in low water conditions. A good s …