IT’S ALMOST THAT TIME!
Months ago, when ice started to form on our lakes and winter was setting in, it was hard to believe that we would get to be in a boat again. I love ice fishing, but winter just always seems so long, especially back in December. Well, another open water season is upon us, and we get to enjoy warm weather, great fishing and being back in the boat for the next several months. Let’s make the most of it.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR ELECTRONICS
It seems like I’ve been writing about electronics a lot over the past few years. There has been a lot of advancement with forward facing sonar, improved mapping, and the use of bigger screens. There has also been some negativity around this new technology with some worried that we are going to “fish out” our lakes and that it’s not available to everybody because of the cost.
The cost of keeping up with the latest in fishing technology is brutal for sure, it’s not a cheap activity. The reality is, you don’t need any of this stuff to head out and catch a few fish. I make my living by catching fish, in tournament competition and guiding, so I need to have every tool available to me, to stay competitive and relevant. If I choose not to adapt to the new technology, I’ll be left behind.
LET THE EXPERTS DO IT!
For the first ten years of fishing professionally, my boats were all rigged up in my garage, with the help of some friends. We always got everything done and functioning. Things have changed dramatically recently with the use of bigger screens and transducers requiring more power!
Rigging the boat properly gives your electronics the best chance to work the way that they should.
This year I mounted the trolling motor and Talons on my boat before I headed south but I decided to leave the electronics to the experts. On my way to Florida prior to the start of the 2023 season, I brought my boat to Hennessey Outdoors in Dayton, Tennessee to have my electronics rigged up. They used some of their special wire harnesses to power my units and added on/off power switches at both of my X2 group 31 batteries that I use for cranking the big motor and powering all of the accessories on my boat. It was a nice treat to have these guys rig this stuff up nice and neat.
INCREDIBLE DIFFERENCE
The result is that my electronics are working better than they ever have. I have four screens on my boat this year, two at the console and two at the bow. I went with two Humminbird Apex and two Solix machines this year. At the console, a Solix is dedicated to mapping, while an Apex is used for sonar – traditional 2D, Side-Imaging and Down-Imaging. At the front, an Apex unit is dedicated to Mega-Live, while a Solix is dedicated to mapping, sonar and Mega 360. They are all linked together via ethernet to share all sonar, mapping and waypoints together.
The Mega-Live forward-facing sonar is the most important electronics item on my boat. This is my third year using this technology and this is by far the best it has looked. A combination of some updates that Humminbird has had for Mega-Live and the clean power that it’s getting from the rigging job is allowing me to see my bait 90 feet out in front of the boat. If there are fish around my boat, I’m going to see them, it’s incredible.
FORWARD FACING SONAR
If you have not jumped on the forward-facing sonar wagon yet, you should consider it if you can swing it. It’s a lot of fun to use and it will without a doubt help you catch more fish on every outing.
Almost every day on the water I catch a fish and I’ll say to myself, “without Mega-Live, there is no way I catch that fish”.
I might see a single fish or a school out behind the boat, maybe a fish suspended, or I see a piece of cover like a rock, grass clump or log that I would have never known was there. I can pitch my bait to it and often a fish will reveal itself and bite. It really is incredible.
WITH SUCCESS COMES RESPONSIBILTY
Obviously, there is some responsibility on all anglers to not exploit our fisheries with this technology. Crappies, which group up in large schools through the fall and winter are the easiest fish there is to clean out of a lake. This technology makes finding and catching them very easy so anglers need to be careful not to hammer on them as hard as they can. Keeping a few fish to eat is great, I love eating fresh fish at shore lunch or for dinner, but we must be careful not to damage our fisheries or we’ll continue to lose more fishing opportunities.
Tackle trends
Heading into a new season there are always some new trends in tackle. While I can’t say there is some magic, never-before-seen lure hitting the market this year, one trend is using baits that function well with forward facing sonar. For me, two different soft plastic baits are tied to my rods all season long, everywhere I fish for walleye and bass. These baits catch most other species as well.
LURES OF CHOICE
A jerk shad style minnow bait, rigged on a jig head has been a popular bait for over a decade in central Canada but it is a phenomenal bait to use in conjunction with forward facing sonar. When I see fish on my electronics out in front of the boat, swimming this bait a couple of feet above the fish is an awesome way to catch them, especially if the said fish are focused on eating pelagic baitfish like smelt or cisco, which are present in many of our waters.
My bait of choice is a Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ rigged on a jig head like a Northland Mimic Minnow or Smeltinator head.
OPTION # 2
The second bait for me is a Ned rig, which I can use to pitch to specific targets like a boulder, a log or fish that are located closer to the bottom. I almost always use a green pumpkin Z-Man Hula StickZ, rigged on a Northland Elite Series Ned jig, which features a Gamakatsu hook. I catch more fish on those two baits than anything else throughout the year.
I like a medium action spinning rod for each bait, my preference being a G. Loomis NRX 872, a 7’3” rod that is a work of art. I like a 3000 sized spinning reel like a Shimano Vanford, spooled up with 10 lb Power Pro yellow braid and a 10 lb fluorocarbon leader, attached by an FG knot. I like the yellow braid because it’s easy to see, so I can watch it. I’ll notice bites and when my jig hits the bottom.