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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 …

Some of the best bluegill, crappie and perch fishing occurs early on in the ice season on ultra-clear water. Shallow weedy bays are the first areas to produce and excellent fishing can occur over water only two feet deep! It’s true, these are areas that most anglers walk right past because they believe that good-sized fish can’t possibly be that shallow. But in reality you can catch some of the biggest panfish of the season if you follow some basic presentation ideas. Many anglers I know will make a quick trip before or after work. These prime times of 4 to 8 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m …

When a fish hits a blade bait, she'll try to rip the rod from your hand!  Even when you have 34-degree bodies of water, when walleye can only be caught on a jig head with a stinger hook, they will still hit a blade bait with reckless abandon.   While the trend on new lures is to soften them up, scent them up and adapt them to make the fish hold on longer, none of this applies to a blade bait.   A blade bait is a flat metal spoon with weighted nose that vibrates on the retrieve and vibrates on the lift.  Blade baits are fairly heavy for their size, so …