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There is nothing as exciting as the rush I get from early ice. That first step on the ice is the beginning of a great new ice fishing season with endless opportunities on the hard water. One giant step for Walt, one giant leap for new innovations. But, the last few years I’ve cheated… I can admit it to you now. I’ve gone ice fishing out of my boat!Fishing early ice by boat What’s a guy supposed to do when the perch, bluegill and walleye are stacked? It’s a nice day, Temperature above freezing and my favorite lakes haven’t frozen over yet. Yet I want to be out there catching fish. T …

My father, Poppee, hobbled out on the ice. His surgically repaired titanium hip squeaked a little as he walked. When he smiled, his tungsten teeth sparkled in the sunlight. He turned and reached into his bucket and pulled out 26” Frabill Quick Tip ultralight ice rod with a titanium spring bobber tip. “HASTA LA VISTA, BABY!” He whispered and lowered a tiny 4mm tungsten Glazba jig down the hole.Chekai is the stuff of fishing nightmares! Immediately he had a bite. It was heavy, screaming drag, but soon he gained ground. Finally, out popped crazy cousin Chekai from the hole, flopping on th …

Without a doubt, when it comes to ice fishing, I have put forth more effort panfishing than other larger species. Looking back on thousands of hours I have spent ice fishing and ice jig making, two things are certain, a fish is a fish as long as it is the same species. It doesn’t matter if its bluegill, crappie, perch, or white bass, each species reacts, eats and attacks prey differently. If you build the right jig...they will come! I love my Livescope I have spent a lot of time staring at a spring bobber, wondering what was going on down below the ice. I spent more time watching a …

I icefish for two reasons; to catch fish to eat and to catch fish to release! I don't go for the camaraderie, to cook a pot of chili or to drink beer and shoot schnapps, I can do that at home or in the garage. I've been ice fishing for more than 30 years now and I might be more excited about it than ever before. I've got my areas I like to fish, some secret spots and all the tackle and gear to make me successful. I like to go ice fishing to get away from the crowds, LOL! Some spots I fish are shallow, no need for a flasher, drill a dozen holes real quick and hop around until I …

Chuck Thompson (AKA the Legend) once told me that he employs 16 different jigging motions until he finds the hot one for the exact time on the lake he is ice fishing, but at any given moment, that could change. So if you are using jigging motion #4, you better be ready to switch to motion #9 or you will miss the bite window. Unfortunately, I couldn't even remember jigging motion #1. Sigh..the challenges of jig fishing! Jig fishing way back when Back when Chuck was in his prime, there were no tungsten jigs available, he relied on lead jigs and copper spoons. He believed that jigging …