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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.  …

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 …

Have you ever been catching bluegill like crazy and the bite shuts down? Have you ever been pounding the perch, and then the pounding just ends? Well, chances are a predator has moved into the area, been attracted to all the commotion, and is looking for an easy meal. The predator could be a walleye, bass, pike, muskie, or catfish. I’ve known this was true for the forty-some years that I’ve been ice fishing, but I’ve never really seen it happening live and haven’t capitalized on it enough, until now. Watching for big predator fish with a scope Livescope, better known as …

If all you are catching is little fish...you better have a back-up plan! I’ve learned a lot over the years on the hundreds of ice fishing adventures that I’ve been on, but nothing is more important to fishing success than having a back-up plan. Reason being, a fish's moods will change from day to day, their location changes, their feeding time varies and they just get downright ornery. Because of all this and of course Murphy’s Law (anything that can go wrong, will go wrong)...you need a back up plan every time you go ice fishing. I’ve done it all, once I left my minnow bucket full of …

What’s a Bladed Jig? A bladed jig is also known as a Chatterbait. Chatterbait is the name coined by Z-Man tackle company that invented and named their bladed jig the Chatterbait. Since these baits have become a success story on the tournament bass trail, every bass tackle company has got one, but I still like the originalChatterbait and I prefer the 3/8 ounce size for most of my fishing. At first I didn’t think much of a Chatterbait,. I had one that sat around in my tackle box for 10 years, just waiting to make it to casting rotation on my old reliable St. Croix Premier casting rod …