RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS SUMMER 2024

Rambling Angler Outdoors Outdoors

Keeping Our American Traditions Alive SUMMER - 2024 - 1

Rambling Angler Outdoors Issue 2 Summer 2024

DEPARTMENTS

EDITORIAL

COOP’S CORNER tells from afield 10

NEWS-TIPS-INFORMATION

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Ken McBroom

knowledge from afield 12

ALASKA CONNECTION stories from the last frontier 18

EDITOR AT LARGE Bill Cooper

THE FLY

at the bench & on the water 22

CONTRIBUTORS Bill Cooper Troy Seal Mike Schoonveld

OUTDOOR READS reviews and suggestions 23

ENJOY THE HARVEST recipes from afield 36

SEAL THE DEAL tips and techniques 46

BACK IN THE DAY

Reelfoot Lake/ A Fight for Fishing 62

FEATURES Limb Lining for Catfish Bobber Scoping Summertime Slabs Redear After The Spawn Where Walleyes Go For The Summer

4 14 26 30

Froggin on the Rez

38

Hooked on the Outdoors Shallow Water Cattin’

42

Trolling for Crappie

54

Processing Skipjack For Bait

60

2 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

50

On The Cover

Poling Into The Hotspot Photo Bill Cooper

EDITOR’S NOTE

Welcome to our second issue of Rambling Angler Outdoors. This issue is a little late due to tornadoes and storms that knocked out our internet for several days. In this issue you will find some great content on catfishing, summertime crappie tactics, Redear fishing and more. It is our mission to bring a wide range of topics to our subscribers. We now have subscribers in many states, and we want to offer content for them all.

My dream of becoming an outdoor writer has taken me on a journey I never imagined. The people and places this journey have afforded has been a rewarding part of it all. While meeting new people and traveling to new places is great much of my time, as comes with the territory, is spent alone. I enjoy this part of writing as well as I conjure up great memories of the past and research new stories like Reelfoot Lake-A Fight for Fishing in the Back in the Day department.

Another great thing about starting this magazine is working with great anglers and hunters that have the same dream of becoming an outdoor writer, but just needs a little encouragement and a platform. I am happy that Rambling Angler Outdoors can provide the platform and I try my best with encouragement. I have seen over the years that the love of writing is the first perquisite. You can encourage all you want but ultimately, it’s up to the individual to, as they say, put pen to paper.

I have always felt like we need more outdoor writers to help keep the outdoors and the lifestyle alive.

You will notice the Department called Seal the Deal with Troy Seal. I met Troy on social media, and we talked about catching big Redear. It was clear that Troy had a passion for these amazing fish and loved catching all the members of the sunfish family. I was envious of the simplicity of Troy’s approach to fishing. Small aluminum boat with a small tiller outboard and no electronics.

I say envious because I long for the years as a kid fishing with my dad or grandfather this way.

My progression as an angler and hunter has brought all of the latest technologies into my outdoor world. I enjoy them all but it’s still refreshing to see people still hang on to the simple.

I arranged to meet Troy at his small piece of land to camp by a lake where he loves to chase Redear in his little boat. It was here that I knew that Troy knew his stuff and he voiced his desire to write. We had a great couple of days fishing simple and it felt great to get away from it all. I wanted Troy to write for my website but then started this magazine and created his column. I used a Facebook post as his first entry. This has inspired Troy to write and that feels good.

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Limb L

for

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Lining

r Catfish

L

imb lining for catfish goes hand in hand with camping, cooking and friends. A laid back endeavor, limb lining is one of those things that seems to call us to the lake, river or creek in pursuit of eater size channel cats or giant flatheads.

Some anglers target any catfish they can catch, feeling fortunate when a big flathead finds their bait. On the other hand there are anglers that prefer not only the size of the flathead but also the flavor. They target flatheads exclusively and while either set can catch either species, there are some differences in tactics for each species. I will touch on each one but this article will mainly focus on limb lining for big catfish.

THE PERFECT SETTING FOR LIMB LINING

Limb lining is a great way to unwind. You can get as serious as you like with anything but for me limb lining has always been a laid back and relaxed way of fishing. Don’t get me wrong limb lining for big catfish can be work for sure, but the work is mixed in with chilling at the campfire telling fishing stories to your buddies or just listening to the frogs and owls and sounds of nature. My favorite time to limb line for catfish is right after the crappie SUMMER - 2024 - 5

and the Redear have stopped biting. The weather is still bearable and the catfish are moving into the shallows. Also the water levels are at least to summer pool and often higher, making more and more limbs available for hanging a line.

BEST LIMB FOR LIMB LINING

I Like to find those nice green overhanging tree limbs about 1 inch in diameter.

The limb should be hanging over at least 3 feet of water. Catfish hunt very shallow at night and you can catch catfish in water as shallow as 10 inches deep. The only issue with limb lining for big catfish in shallow water is the chance or likelihood of getting tangled or broke off on rocks. Set your bait at least a foot off the bottom. This will usually keep your limb line out of trouble when a big catfish is struggling to get loose.

RIGGING LIMB LINES FOR BIG CATFISH

No need to get fancy with limb lines. All you need is a heavy cord, a heavy hook and some bait. You can add a swivel and it is a good idea if you only plan to check your limb lines once a day. Big channel catfish are known to spin while fighting and if left unchecked for several hours will create a twisted mess and could possibly break even the heaviest limb line cord, even when using a swivel.

BEST HOOKS FOR CATFISH

It goes without saying that your limb line hook should be heavy duty. A classic O’Shaughnessy hook will work, especially if you plan on using dead bait, cut-bait or stink baits or chicken livers.

All great baits but they will attract the smaller catfish. If you’re limb lining for big catfish then live bait is the best. Even channel cats prefer live bait when you’re talking about the big ones. Flathead catfish, being the only true predator of the catfish, will take live bait over dead any day. When using live bait the best hook is the circle hook or the octopus circle hook. The octopus circle hook isn’t as rounded as the true circle hook.

The circle hook was created to help keep fish from getting off when hooked on various commercial line sets and finally made it into mainstream sport fishing applications due to its ability to not only keep a fish from shaking the hook but also reducing swallowed hooks because the point is 6 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

Octopus circle hook for limb lines

rounded and tends to penetrate as it slides to the fish’s mouth. The circle hook also helps keep the live bait from slipping off the hook. This is another great reason for using circle hooks when limb lining.

LIMB LINE BAIT

There are many available options for live bait for limb lining. You can use big minnows, spring lizards, shiners, suckers and others. The most popular live bait for big catfish I would say is the bluegill. Bluegill are readily available if you don’t mind fishing for a few before your trip. My favorite size bluegill or sunfish for limb lining is any between 3 and 5 inches long. You can definitely use larger bluegill to bait your limb lines, but this size range seems to attract all sizes of catfish in that “big” range.

TIP FOR RIGGING BLUEGILL ON LIMB LINE

Hook your bluegill or sunfish in the tail and submerge it just a few inches below the surface. You can adjust your limb line to obtain this. As the bluegill struggles it will break the surface of the water causing a splashing sound that drives big catfish crazy and will get their attention from a pretty good distance.

HOW TO FIND CATFISH IN THE SUMMER

Depending on when you do your limb lining for big catfish will determine where you might find them. Early in the summer catfish are searching for places to spawn. They will be found not only in shallow water but also in the back of coves. A great place to look is in the back of coves where there is a lot of gravel, rip rap rock and a creek coming in. Of course suitable limbs must be present for limb lining to work.

As the summer progresses the catfish will move out toward the main lake.

If there are suitable limbs for limb lining on the main lake you can give it a try.

Usually the better limbs for limb lining are found back in coves and the protection from the wind make these areas more comfortable for limb lining.

BEST LIMB LINE SETUP

Limb lining for catfish can be a simple line tied to a limb and hook. This method has caught plenty of big catfish. However, if you want to have better success, especially when you hook a big catfish a swivel is needed. Big catfish pull hard.

They turn and roll until the line twists and shortens. This pulls the head of the catfish out of the water. When this happens the hook seems to come lose easier and you lose the fish. At minimum I would suggest a single swivel at the hook to prevent the twisted line. The swivel helps with line twist and keeps the line farSUMMER - 2024 - 7

ther away from the catfish’s rough mouth that will saw through heavy line. You can also add a rubber bungee to help with the shock and pull of a big catfish. Usually a limb will have enough give to handle a big catfish. However, when you find yourself needing to attach your lines to logs and trees, the bungee works great.

HOW TO HANG LIMB LINES FOR CATFISH

The easiest way to hang limb lines is to just tie it to the limb of choice. There are some fancy bungee cords and yo-yos that are used, but if you pick the right limb that has some spring to it and hangs over some fishy looking waters then just tie the limb line to the limb and adjust for depth. Keep it off the bottom to avoid hangups. Also be sure that your bluegill or whatever live bait you’re using can’t get into brush or rocks and hide or get you hung. Adjust the length of the cord to keep this from happening.

HOW TO STORE LIMB LINES FOR CATFISH

Limb lines can get in a mess in the bottom of the boat if not tamed with a storage system. You can use a bucket and hook the hooks along the edge of the bucket with the lines inside. Another way is to stretch a rope inside the boat along the side and hang your lines from the rope. The best way that I have found for storing and transporting limb lines for catfish is with a pool noodle. Cutting slits in the pool noodle allows you to slip the end of the line into it and wrap the limb line neatly around the pool noodle. Then just slip the point of the hook into the foam and everything will stay put no matter how much it gets thrown around in the boat.

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The line on the left is great for regular limbs with plenty of spring. The line on the right , with the bungee attached, is used when tying to log or base of tree where you need some spring in your set up to save the line and catch the fish.

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Bill Cooper has published over 1,500 articles and hosted TV and radio shows

Bill is also a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame and still going strong. We welcome his experiences and outdoor communicator skills to Rambling Angler Outdoors and look forward to all the remarkable stories and Bill Cooper adventures ahead.

Return of the Meramec Brown Trout

Avid St. James, Missouri angler Lyle Staab began my love affair with brown trout over 40 years ago. In the mid-1970’s Staab’s photograph appeared on the front cover of an outdoor magazine. He held a brown trout that weighed almost 15 pounds. Staab caught the behemoth brown from the Meramec River in the Missouri Ozarks. I have been searching the cold, free-flowing Meramec for a brown trout of those proportions ever since. I’m still searching.

Corner

over a half century as an outdoor communicator. Recognized on the floor of the Missouri House of Repesentatives in 2016 for his career of promoting the outdoors, Bill has stood the test of time through his unwavering love of the outdoors.

the 1980’s, with more restrictive regulations.

Only lures and artificial flies could be used, increasing the number of fish which survived after being caught and released.

The Missouri Department of Conservation continued releasing brown trout from 8-to-12-inches once a year in the fall. Most fly fishermen regarded the browns as being very finicky. Regardless, competent anglers that knew how to catch brown trout, continued to catch them over the years. But none the size of Staab’s 1970’s catch was reported. During the summer of 2014, brown trout fishing in the Meramec River The Meramec River became Missouri’s first took a turn for the better. A one-time supply of Trophy Trout area in 1974, shortly after I bebrown trout up to 15 inches were stocked in the came superintendent of Maramec Spring Park. river as a result on an experimental program at Maramec (note spelling) Spring is the first Maramec Spring Hatchery. Brown trout were major tributary to flow into the Meramec River, used to help control parasitic crustaceans called doubling its size and lowering the temperature copepods. These parasites attach themselves to by several degrees. The brown trout fishery was rainbow trout and thrive. a new and exciting idea. However, Missouri Brown trout were placed at the heads of racefisheries biologiosts still had much to learn ways and acted as bio-filters. The copepods atabout managing brown trout. tached themselves to the brown trout. However, Regulations allowed for the use of live bait for they were unable to complete their life cycle on those early browns. Most disappeared quickly brown trout like they could on rainbow trout. because the fish swallowed live baits and was This eventually resulted in fewer parasites to responsible for a high release mortality. As attack the rainbow trout and that was great. evidenced by Staab’s colossal catch in the midThe brown trout were held in the pools longer 1970’s, a few browns from the original stockthan normal and as a result grew larger than ing did survive to a ripe old age. The Missouri the normal 8-to-12-inch trout used in stocking Department of Conservation instituted a Red programs. They were subsequently stocked in Ribbon Trout Area on the Meramec River in 10 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

the Meramec River in the summer of 2014. The stockings were a success according to biologist Jen Girondo. “Now, with Maramec Spring Hatchery supplying a limited number of brown trout, fish will be stocked in smaller increments, multiple times in the fall season.

“This will be done to maintain the appropriate number of brown trout needed in the hatchery raceways to keep parasites in check. Girondo added, upon learning about the releases of browns into the Meramec River started the inthe-field research, with my fly rod in hand.”

“I knew brown trout don’t like bright light, so I chose a dark, blustery day to fish in late November. The results were incredible. I located a deep hole and cast my weighted sculpin fly on a sinking line into the clear waters. A jolt went up my rod on my very first cast. A broad fish rolled to the surface. The sound of my 5X tapered tippet snapping echoed down the river.

I thought, maybe I’m on to something. With a very good feeling, which only a lone angler on a stream full of feeding browns can feel, I tied on a heavier tippet and began catching one brown trout after another. The fish were on a feeding spree, and it didn’t seem to matter what pattern I used, as long as it presented a big profile and I could get it down deep. Sculpins, mohair leeches, crayfish, and big streamers accounted for most of the browns I caught from two deep holes over a three-hour time span.”

“On more than one occasion a second brown trout trailed the first, attempting to rob the fly from its mouth. I landed well over thirty browns before the feeding frenzy slowed. Also, I enjoyed several more hookups and two more break-offs. The fish struck with a vengeance as if they were starving. The brightly colored fish averaged 15-inches, with only two falling under 14-inches. Several fat 17-inch males were caught and I’m confident the break-offs were from bigger fish.”

had been released. Perhaps a few of them will survive to hit double digits in weight. I’ll keep hunting. The Red Ribbon Trout Area on the Meramec River extends for 9 miles. From the Highway 8 MDC Access, south of St. James, to the Scott’s Ford MDC Access, off Hwy 8, just west of Steelville. The 9-mile stretch contains a variety of aquatic habitats, long pools, drops, riffles, turns, rock and deep pools. Most of the bank side is in heavy vegetation, Girondo continued, with an abundance of logs and undercut banks.”

The Meramec River can also be accessed through the James Foundation’s Maramec Spring Park. Anglers should be aware of the separate regulations for fishing the park and on the Meramec River. For further information log on to Missouri Department of Conservation

A double on the Meramec River.

“Obviously, a few browns larger than 15 inches SUMMER - 2024 - 11

News-Tips-Information

Janeklass, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons As mentioned in COOP’S CORNER Return of the Meramec Brown Trout- Copepods are aquatic animals like most crustaceans. They live en masse in all depths of both sea and fresh water, as well as in puddles, swamps, and some species in moist moss and wasteland. Among them are also parasites whose appearance can be changed beyond recognition and which live on fish and other aquatic animals. Free-living copepods are only a few millimeters long (0,5-2mm) and play an important part in the water body’s food chain: they reproduce relatively quickly, and by feeding on tiny microscopic organisms, they themselves are constantly food for larger aquatic animals.

FWS Expands Hunting & Fishing Opportunities

old news but good to know “This is the largest single effort to expand hunting and fishing access in recent history,” said Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. “President Trump has made increasing public access and streamlining government functions priorities of his administration, and this new rule delivers on both fronts given the unprecedented expansion of public acreage and removal or revision of 5,000 hunting and fishing regulations to more closely match state laws. This is a big win for sportsmen and sportswomen across the country and our collective conservation efforts.”

READ MORE HERE 12 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

BLM Finalizes Public Lands Rule On April 18, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its final strategy for the agency’s management of public lands. Through the Public Lands Rule, the agency will now recognize conservation as an essential component of public lands management on equal footing as other multiple uses. The BLM states that the rule is intended to help improve the health and resilience of public lands in the face of a changing climate; conserve important wildlife habitat and intact landscapes; facilitate responsible development; and better recognize unique cultural and natural resources on public lands. READ MORE HERE

Study of Vaccinating Deer

A field study is underway in Alpena County, Michigan, to evaluate the delivery of an oral bovine tuberculosis (bTB) vaccine for wild deer. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is collaborating with Michigan State University (MSU) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Wildlife Services (USDA-WS) to explore the development of a new, future tool to manage bTB, which could help to further protect wildlife, livestock, and the public from this disease.

READ MORE HERE

DIY Slip Bobber Rig As mentioned in Bobber-Scoping for Crappie

1. Start with a simple plastic bobber for a great homemade slip bobber rig 2. Remove hardware from the simple plastic bobber with some wire cutters 3. This leaves a hole through the middle of your homemade slip bobber rig 4. Finish by rigging your slip bobber for to the depth you want to fish READ MORE HERE

Best Way to Keep Chicken Livers from Coming Off Your Hook There are several ways to help keep chicken livers on your hook. My favorite and the easiest way is with plain sewing thread. Break off a piece of sewing thread about 8 inches long and lay one end of the thread on the liver. The thread will kind of cling to the liver and allow you to wrap the thread around and around the chicken liver. Make sure to bring the thread over the inside belly of the hook. This will ensure that the thread is holding the chicken livers on your hook.

The coffee can setup seen in image will keep your chicken livers fresh and easy to access for when the bite is fast and furious.

READ MORE HERE

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The first time I used Livescope for crappie I knew I wanted to try using a slip bobber

and catch a crappie.

to fish deep brush piles. Casting jigs to cover in

ber scoping and it has been working well for

15-20 foot of water is a blast and what I prefer doing when it comes to catching big crappie

summertime crappie when they are feeling

Lately I got a chance to practice bob-

here on Kentucky Lake. However, there are

sluggish and don’t want to work too hard for a meal. Over the past year or so I have been

times when crappie just don’t want to bite a

looking for new brush piles to fish and have

moving bait or a hair jig and will only bite a

plenty to choose from now. So, I grabbed a few

minnow. dozen minnows at the local bait shop and went Now I know there are those that wouldn’t straight to them. put a minnow in their boat and swear that you Bobber Scoping Boat Control don’t need them, and I almost exclusively use Boat control is vital when setting up on brush a Li’L TUFFY Swimbait or one of my handpiles and other cover. With Livescope I will tied hair jigs to catch crappie most of the year. approach into the wind so that when I engage Catching crappie on a moving bait like the Li’L my trolling motor into anchor mode, I am facTUFFY is almost as fun as watching a bobber ing the cover that I want to fish. This is when go under. Now I do I like the homeprefer watching a made slip-bobbers bobber over a verbecause when the tically dead-sticked wind is blowing hair jig. a little it can be During the tough to cast a summer crappie lightweight bobtend to bury thember even a short selves in heavy brush and just ambush the baitfish as they hover over top of it. There is crappie that cruise around picking off minnows, but I haven’t quite mastered that technique enough to chase them around with forward facing sonar. It is fun and I have caught a few good crappie doing it but I feel like it’s such a consumer of time, for me at least, that I prefer locating brush and setting up on it to try

distance. The heavier plastic bobber will help you cast farther.

When I first tried this technique, I would anchor over the top of the cover to fish. I thought that in deep water the crappie wouldn’t notice the boat and would still bite. It took a few times to figure out that sitting back from the cover is better. I like to sit back at least 25 feet but have made casts 40 feet to get a bite. Again, this is SUMMER - 2024 - 15

why I like the homemade slip-bobber. Those

the lake the line still slides easily through the

old-school plastic bobbers can hold up that ¼ oz plastic. sinker as well.

The Line- I prefer 6-pound test line when crapThe Bobber Scoping Setup pie fishing but when using the slip-bobber rig If you have ever used a slip bobber then

I move up to 8-pound test, at least for the main

you are set. If you have not, then I will explain my setup. There are several different ways to

line. There is a lot of abuse to the setup when casting and 8-pound test will take a little more

rig a slip-bobber but when fishing deep water

of that abuse. I will list it in the terminal tack-

there are a few things to consider. Getting your bait down 20 feet, and sometimes deeper, when

le list below but if you have them you should

using a slip-bobber, requires a heavier weight. If you try and fish with your normal shallow water setup with a small slit-shot your bait can drift off target before it gets to the desired depth.

Also, the line will struggle to glide through the bobber the deeper you fish. With this in mind a ¼ oz sinker is the size I prefer.

The Sinker-With a ¼ oz sinker you will have to use a bigger bobber or it will just pull it under when it hits the bobber stop. The heavier sinker will get the bait down quick and stay on target and will help pull your line through the bobber.

There’s nothing worse than having to jiggle and jerk your line to work it through the bobber.

to protect the knot from getting beat up by the sinker when casting.

You want the bait to get to the fish as quickly as possible.

The Bobber- I like to use your normal run of the mill slip bobbers for this technique but sometimes I like to build my own. When the wind is blowing a little, I like to use an old-school bobber, you know the one with the spring and a little hook to catch your line. You can remove the components in these bobbers and run your line through the hole where that little hook was.

These homemade slip-bobbers do two things.

They cast easy into the wind, and they are slick so when the wind is blowing your setup across 16 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

place a rubber bobber-stop above the swivel

Here is the terminal tackle in the order that it goes on the line.

• Bobber Stop- I use the braid type • Slip-Bobber- your choice • Sinker- I like a ¼ oz egg sinker • Rubber Bobber Stop- To protect your knot • Barrel Swivel- Helps to see your rig on Livescope • Leader- Same as main line but you can go lighter • Gold Aberdeen Hook- Light wire allows to bend when hung in brush When the bite gets tough, and you need a way to catch those sluggish summertime slabs give bobber scoping a try. If you don’t have forward facing sonar you can use this technique by marking the brush, then backing off to cast to it. This technique can work all year long, and whether the crappie are biting good or a little slow the slip-bobber rig is a fun way to catch them.

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CONNECTION After 20 years as a helicopter mechanic in the Alaskan bush, and living on a boat in Southeast Alaska, my heart and soul is still and forever will be a part of Alaska. My writing career began in a tent in Chicken, Alaska and I owe Alaska a great deal for who I am and for inspiring me to write. I hope that you enjoy the stories herein as we bring you the great history, outdoor adventures and more from The Last Frontier.

Grayling Fishing the Dalton Highway

Catching a grayling has been a lifetime goal of mine. Growing up in Michigan where they were common within my grandfather’s lifetime, and extirpated before I was born, I had illusions of finding the last surviving pocket in Michigan’s most remote stretches of woods. I did not find them in Michigan; however, I ended up meeting this goal far from where I grew up, on Alaska’s northernmost road, Grayling Fishing the Dalton Highway.

Grayling In The Arctic

On this remote, winding, gravel road north of the Arctic circle, grayling are plentiful. The road crosses many small streams. Most of which look too small to hold a fish at first glance. Under fur18 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

ther inspection, these tiny creeks twist and turn, and have pockets of deep water that may hold 100 fish each.

My wife and I planned a trip to the Dalton Highway to celebrate our Alaskan residency. After one year of living in Alaska the state considers us residents and we can now hunt without paying for non-resident tags. The Dalton Highway happens to be excellent hunting. We stopped to grayling fish on our way to bow hunt for caribou.

Getting to this road is no easy feat, with road conditions being highly variable and gas stations spaced 300 miles apart. We rolled into one gas station with less than half of a gallon of gas in our Jeep. This road is also prone to slicing tires and it is a good idea to have multiple

spare tires and patch kits. A rain and wind storm kept us mostly confined to the car and tent for 3 days. When the weather broke we began catching fish immediately. Grayling fishing the Dalton highway in Alaska and our bowhunt for caribou would have to wait.

About The Arctic Grayling

Arctic Grayling are in the Salmonidae family, closely related to trout, salmon, and whitefish.

The grayling’s scales are textured like a white fish. They act as tiny iridescent mirrors, making the grayling difficult to see in shallow water. They have a large dorsal fin speckled with translucent patches of vibrant colors. This large dorsal is what gives the grayling its nickname of the sailfish of the north. The iridescence on the body makes them seem at home under the northern lights, shining blue, red, and green as the fish wiggles in the net.

The winters here are long and devoid of food for grayling. The rivers are frozen for nearly 8 months out of the year. As a result of the long winters, in the summer months they hit nearly any presentation with reckless abandon. They simply cannot afford to pass up on a meal.

The Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family Salmonidae. T. arcticus is widespread throughout the Arctic and Pacific drainages in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia, as well as the upper Missouri River drainage in Montana. In Arizona, there is a population of grayling found in the Lee Valley.

There are other lakes in the White Mountains.

They stocked grayling at Toppings Lake by the Teton Range, lakes in the high Uinta Mountains in Utah, and a few alpine lakes of the Boulder Mountains in central Idaho. Wikipedia

This nymph is casted upstream. I collect the line as it floats down towards me. I am making sure to remove all slack and make a quick hook set when the float goes down, or stops. Though the nymph proved to be the most productive fly, we also caught them on woolly bugger streamers, caddis dry flies, and even a foam mouse.

Once we found deep pockets of water we averaged about 30 fish an hour. Our fish averaged 13 inches in length with the big ones pushing 20. This was one of the most fun fishing days I have ever experienced. We saw moose, mountain vistas, and walked in the tracks of giant brown bears.

One fair warning for anyone attempting to repeat this trip. Prepare for bugs when arctic grayling fishing the Alaska road system. After the rain, or when the wind is calm, bugs were bad. We had to wear head nets and gloves so that no skin was exposed. Also, it’s wise to bring multiple forms of bear protection. Never travel alone.

This region is home to grizzly, black, and polar bears.

The video below includes the highlights of this great day of fishing I shared with my wife. A memory we will cherish, and an adventure I hope many others will get to experience.

Fly Fishing Presentation For Grayling

On this trip, the most effective presentation was a bead-head nymph. Tie the nymph about 18 inches under a float on a light fly rod. We used a 3wt Orvis Superfine and 5wt Echo Base fly rods.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR- Ben is an avid outdoorsman living in Kenai Alaska with his wife Brittany and their two dogs Bonzi and Berkley. Ben is an excellent artist and is now pursuing commercial vedeography. Check out Ben’s YouTube channel at Benjamin Stevens and be sure and subscribe.

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THE FLY

at the bench & on the water It is our goal with this department to provide fly tying and fly fishing information. While we endeavor to cover all aspects of fly tying & fishing we want to hopefully inspire and recruit more people into warm water options and our content will reflect this. Expect some history and interesting stories that involves the art of fly fishing.

Recipe

Giant Patagonia Beetle

Hook: Ahrex NS110 size 4 Body: (2) 3mm black foam glued together. I used Zap a Gap. Plus 6-8 strands of peacock herl.

Thorax:Peacock ice dubbing Antennas and Legs: Round barred rubber legs Sighter: Semperfli 2.5mm yellow foam Finish: Solarez Bone Dry

Fly Tyer Magazine- Son Tao, US Army Master Sergeant (Active), is on the Whiting Farms, Semperfli, Regal Vise, Solarez and Moonlit pro teams. He’s also an ambassador for Simms Fishing. Son has been tying for 2.5 years and was originally from Pennsylvania but has bounced around the USA for the past 18 years due to military service. Check out some of Son’s creations and keep up with him at https://www.facebook.com/sontaoflies/ 22 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

OUTDOOR READS reviews and suggestions

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Jim Mize writes from his cabin in the South Carolina mountains while his Lab, Moose, keeps the bears at bay. His award-winning books include The Winter of Our Discount Tent, A Creek Trickles Through It, Hunting With Beanpole, Fishing With Beanpole. and The Jon Boat Years. His articles have appeared in Gray’s Sporting Journal, Fly Fisherman, American Angler, Field & Stream, as well as many conservation publications. He has also received the Professional Outdoor Media Association’s Pinnacle Award, their highest honor for outdoor books.

Nationally recognized and award-winning writer Jim Mize captures the true essence of sport and living life to the fullest in this collection of stories about his outdoor escapades. In tales spanning more than five decades, Mize invites readers into carefree days hiking through the Colorado Rockies with a fly rod and leisurely casting poppers to bluegill on small southern ponds. Mize’s humorous stories entertain and return readers to their own turkey hunting or creek-fishing excursions. Black-and-white drawings from artist Bob White illustrate stories filled with laughter, quiet contemplation, and wonder.

This book will entertain, enlighten and conjure up memories of old for any old timer like me. It’s refreshing to read about someone else’s experiences afield and know that we are not alone in the trials and tribulations with the outdoor journey. As a fly fisherman myself and a long time user of a jon boat to bowhunt public land, almost every story within are things to which I can relate. From shooting arrows into bales of hay to battling those first climbing treestands that were state of the art, but only for the time. The Colorado Years was especially special to me. Since this review is about Jim’s excellent book I will just say Colorado is where I had my introduction to dark beer and fly fishing.

I used to read way more than I do now as it seems so for so many. When I saw Jim’s book in a post on social media for some reason I purchased it that very moment, like an impulse purchase that usually involves hunting or fishing gear. I had no idea that the stories within would parallel my life so closely, it must have been the correctly spelled “Jon Boat” in the title. Whether you can relate or not the stories are interesting and entertaining for anyone that loves the outdoors. It’s the little things that make a great story and something I think you will appreciate as much as I did reading The Jon Boat Years. Review by Ken McBroom SUMMER - 2024 - 23

The Beauty of Fly fishi

Son Tao Brown Trout 24 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

ing is Black and White

Son Tao South Platte River SUMMER - 2024 - 25

26 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

Redear are notorious for here today gone tomorrow. This is certainly the case during the spawn. Everyone seems to hit the water in unison. The word gets out that the Redear are up in their shallow spawning areas and the hunt begins. Redear has become my favorite springtime pursuit but over the years I have tried to extend my season on the front-end during pre-spawn as well as the backend after the spawn, or post-spawn.

One tactic I have found to catch Redear after the spawn is to look for likely feeding spots where big Redear love to frequent when the spawn is finished.

First, we must determine what these behemoths are eating during this time.

Early on I was catching big Redear after everyone else was saying the spawn was over. I believed I was just catching late spawners in my area but wondered about

this as the water surface temps eased into the 80’s. I knew this temperature was a little high for Reader to spawn, so I began to adjust my thinking.

The first thing that I noticed was that I was catching some Redear in very shallow water. No big deal, right? Redear spawn shallow right? Well, after a few springs, fishing for Redear, I began to go a little earlier and noticed that I would find Redear in 4 to 6 foot of water. These Redear were definitely spawners. They had the telltale signs, big bellies, pissing when you squeezed them, and they were stacked on a very small area, indicative to a bed.

So, why was I catching Redear super shallow in June? While their bellies were huge, sometimes bigger than when full of eggs, and no pissing. They were also scattered with one fish here, one fish

Look for cover where emerging insects can crawl from the gravels SUMMER - 2024 - 27

there. Were these Redear up shallow to feed? That was what I finally considered and so I started investigating.

Redear primarily feed on snails and mussels and the like. However, once the spawn is over Redear will stay shallow as the dragonfly and other emerging insects begin to move around searching for larvas as well as adult insects that have matured and begin to migrate from the gravels to the air. This is when fishing around grass that tops out above water-

as they gorge on these emergers, and this is when a buggy jig like the Hairy Cricket Jig really shines.

If you want to catch more Redear after the spawn and have the patience, Redear will be scattered throughout these areas unlike when they congregate on beds that are usually made out a little deeper. Covering water is key. If the Redear is there the strikes are aggressive so one or two casts to a spot is enough, if it’s there it’s going to bite. The two Red-

Nice Redear still shallow after the spawn

line can be very effective for catching a few more Redear after the spawn. Grass, those yellow flower stems that are dead or dying as well as treetops that have fallen into the water from spring storms.

These places seem to hold a few Redear 28 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

ear in the photo here were both underneath a freshly fallen tree and I bet there were emerging insects using it to crawl to the surface. Keep this in mind after the spawn is over and you can extend your season by a couple weeks or more.

Check Them Out At EZDRIFT TROLLING SYSTEMS

SUMMER - 2024 - 29

Captain Mike Schoonveld Great Lakes

It was one of my most disappointing fishas we’d fished back in June. We used the same lures and we fished the same areas. ing trips ever. In two days we caught two fish; In essence, we were making a mistake that neither of them were the walleyes we’d hoped to couldn’t be overcome. We were fishing where catch. It wasn’t the weather; it was gorgeous. It wasn’t because we’d chosen to go to a lake with a there were no fish – at least no walleyes - especially no walleyes stupid enough to bite the same poor walleye population, it was Lake Erie. lures they were biting in late spring.

I attribute our poor performance to the We should have fished different spots. Way differignorance of youth and an overall lack of understanding about the habits of walleyes in Lake ent spots - about a 225 miles east different spots.

Erie. Perhaps that’s a polite way of saying we I learned that for myself about a quarter century were stupid. Actually, I was stupid since I was the later. Admittedly, others had learned it sooner than guy who set up the trip. that.

The trip wasn’t a total loss. My fishing Fisheries people working on Lake Erie partners were two of my brothers and it’s always (as well as thousands of fishermen) have learned fun to do an away trip with family, but fun only that Erie walleyes are highly migratory. By late goes so far since our menu was summer and into the fall, the It was one of my most planned around a healthy suplarge numbers of the fish that ply of fresh fish. disappointing fish- were swimming in the western It started at a mid-suming trips ever. In two portion of the lake in the spring mer family gathering probably days we caught two and early summer are far to the around 1990 or so, based on east, in the central part of the fish; neither of them the boat we fished from on Lake and farther, all the way to were the walleyes we’d that trip. At the family picnic the eastern end of the lake by hoped to catch.

I regaled my younger brothlate summer. ers with the stories of the easy I’d heard of this, read reports limits of walleye that had been of this several times in the pulled into my boat a couple months earlier when interim years, but it never really hit home until I I’d been in the Port Clinton area to fish. was in Dunkirk, New York sitting in the Clarion One of them asked, “When are we going?” Hotel’s restaurant which overlooks the Dunkirk I thought, “Why not?”

Harbor. I was dining with Craig Robbins, the A few weeks later arrangements had been made, “outdoor guy” who worked with the Chautauour coolers were packed and off we went. All qua County Visitor’s Bureau. When Capt. Jim went well, except for finding cooperative wallSteel walked in, Robbins spotted him and invited eyes. So what happened? him to our table. Introductions were made and Remember, the “modern” era of Lake Erie I learned the captain was a charter operator in walleye fishing was less than a decade old back Dunkirk. It wasn’t long until the question that’s then, newly resurrected from being informally posed anytime fishermen meet, “How’s fishing?” pronounced “dead” several years earlier. Now, I “We caught 27 walleyes on our afternoon know exactly why we didn’t catch any walleyes trip today,” Steel said.

“Wow,” I thought, and it boosted my anon that late summer trip. We fished the same way 30 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

The first pair of walleyes the author caught at Dunkirk has prompted many return trips.

SUMMER - 2024 - 31

major impetus to the passage of the federal Clean Water Act in 1972.

It took time to plan and complete these improvements and then a few years more for the fish to respond to their improved living conditions.

Still, in a surprisingly short time, by the early 80s, walleye numbers were rebounding and in another decade (and ever since), Lake Erie has deserved the title, World’s Best Walleye Lake.

Initially, the Western Basin was part of the lake first to feel the resurgence. The Detroit River, Maumee River and the reefs offshore of Port Clinton became and are still the major spawning sites for Lake Erie walleyes. Pre-spawn, post spawn and on through the spring months, the area Migratory Walleyes was home to millions of walleyes and with an avEarlier I referred to “the modern era” of Lake Erie erage offshore depth being 40 feet or less, fishing walleye fishing. Commercial over-exploitation for them wasn’t particularly difficult and didn’t in both the Canadian portion of Lake Erie and require much specialized gear. in each of the Lake Erie states after the invenAs I said, that happens in the spring and as tion and use of nylon gill nets after WWII nearly my sad tale at the beginning of this story hinted, wiped out the walleye population in Lake Erie in things changed in summer’s heat. The walleyes the 1950s and 60s. One subspecies of walleye, the migrated. blue walleye or blue pike, as they were marketed, In small lakes (and compared to Lake Erie, was exterminated completely. every walleye lake is a small lake) fishermen A combination of industrial pollution, knew the walleyes would move from shallow agricultural runoff and poor water treatment to deep or from one end of the lake to the other facilities along Erie’s shores further reduced the seasonally. But in most cases those moves were walleye potential in Lake Erie and, in fact, when a few miles. Even if they moved into a river to the Cuyahoga River, which feeds into Lake Erie spawn, they seldom moved upstream more than at Cleveland, repeatedly caught fire, it became a 15 or 20 miles. ticipation for the agenda planned for me the next couple of days. My anticipation was well deserved. I’ve never-ever seen a cooler stuffed with walleyes of that size.

This trip was in 2015 and the huge – make that “stupendously huge” - 2003 hatch of walleyes in Lake Erie were still alive and these twelve year old fish were at their peak, size-wise. I’m not talking, “stuffed-with-eggs” huge as they would be in the spring - pushing many of the fish into the double digits, but the fish were solid 26 to 30 inchers and if they were stuffed with anything it was emerald shiners, the major forage fish at the east end of Lake Erie.

The Dunkirk, NY harbor has been revitalized and offers all the amenities a visiting angler could want.

32 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

The idea that walleyes would migrate seasonally from the west end of Lake Erie to the east end and back seemed preposterous. Salmon make long distance moves. Tuna and other species move hundreds of miles or more – not walleyes.

Roughly, a decade or so after the resurgence of Erie’s walleye population boomed in the Western Basin, walleyes numbers - and walleye fishing success - farther east, from Loraine to Cleveland, Cleveland to Erie, PA and from Erie to the east end of the lake seemed to make a resurgence, as well. Initially, it was thought that the increased numbers of walleyes in the central and eastern parts of Lake Erie were simply walleyes from the Western Basin colonizing other parts of the lake. To a degree, that was happening. But as more attention was given to walleye movements in Lake Erie, the discovery was made that a lot of the fish were truly migratory.

In the 80s and 90s as biologists and lake managers worked to cope with all that was happening in Lake Erie, one of the tools available was capturing walleyes in various areas and fitting them with a small numbered tag. It was the same strategy waterfowl biologists used to track ducks and geese from their nesting areas to the wintering grounds.

More recently walleyes are being tracked with a two part system. Transmitters called acoustic tags (about the size of an AAA battery) are surgically implanted internally into the gut cavities of individual walleyes. Each tag emits a coded electronic impulse as the fish swims around the lake. These signals are picked up by stationary receivers positioned strategically in the lake. As a fish with an acoustic tag swims close to a receiver, its position is revealed and tallied.

When this program was started in 2016 the number of fish and the number of receivers were few, but even with low numbers, data was being generated. Now, the receiving stations are more numerous and many, many more walleyes with transmitter implants are swimming in Lake Erie and beyond. It’s now known Lake Erie’s walleyes roam all over Lake Erie, some move into Lake Huron and beyond – and back again.

Now, walleyes migrating the length of Lake Erie and back on an annual schedule is an

accepted fact. Anglers making great catches in all parts of Lake Erie is also an accepted fact and codifying those facts was a whole lot more fun for me and other anglers than just compiling the data from the arrays of listening posts deployed around the lake.

Chautauqua County

Pinning down one “best spot” to fish on any of the Great Lakes is an impossible task. If an onthe-go angler wants to pick a place to go in the Eastern Basin of Lake Erie it’s both an easy and a tough choice. With a current estimate of 40 million walleyes in the lake there are no areas in the eastern basin where numbers of walleyes can’t be found and as the name “basin” implies, there aren’t any islands, reefs, channels or other features to concentrate walleyes in any one area. Summer and early autumn walleyes are suspended fish that basically roam the offshore waters in loose aggregations following bait schools, reacting to water temperatures and wind-driven currents.

So picking one area or which town or city as a destination is based as much on other factors as the availability of fish. I’ve targeted the waters off Chautauqua County, New York most often for my eastern basin outings and suggest that it’s a natural for both anglers wanting to schedule charters as well as those guys trailering boats.

Dunkirk is the largest lakefront community in the county, has the largest harbor, the most charter boats, as well as more choices of accommodations, I’ve stayed at the Clarion, right on the lake front, several times, but there are numerous other hotels. I’ve stayed at an AirBnB and have stayed at accommodations at nearby Chautauqua Lake a couple of times, as well.

I mention Chautauqua Lake specifically because when I make away trips I often choose places where there are “blow-day” options. I’m not much for pinochle, so if the evil winds are blowing whitecaps on Lake Erie (Lake Michigan, Huron or any of the other lakes) it’s nice to know there’s an inland lake reasonably close where my fishing partners and I can go. I’ve caught walleyes, bass and muskies in Chautauqua Lake on past trips.

West of Dunkirk is Barcelona Harbor in the town of Westfield and in the east part of the counSUMMER - 2024 - 33

ty you can find launch areas and mooring spots in Irving. Each of these towns and facilities are a bit smaller than Dunkirk.

being speed tolerant and I learned that’s important.

Even though walleyes can be loosely grouped, it’s not like they are in tight schools and it’s plain common sense that an angler is going Deep Down Tactics to cover more water at higher speeds. When in The walleyes are there, so how can you “search” mode, trying to find one of those loose catch them? Location is important, both where on aggregations of fish, faster speeds means quicker the lake to fish and where in the lake to position finds – as long as the walleyes are willing to bite the lures. the lures at those speeds.

Chautauqua County walleyes can be found Good news! Since the fish are basically offshore from a couple of miles out to the Cana“picking” the temperature they want to be swimdian border – mostly swimming in loose schools. ming in by moving a bit higher or lower in the waI’ve never seen packs of boats like those that form ter column, they aren’t finicky about chasing down up in the Western Basin. Still, you’ll sometimes a high speed lure. These aren’t sluggish fish either see a few boats in an area and those guys are likely with slowed metabolism from being in cold water there for a reason. Don’t crowd them, but heading or languishing in temperatures above their comfort that way wouldn’t be a bad tactic. zone. Don’t be afraid to troll north of 3 mph when The best days I’ve had however have been the goal is to get to the next fish quickly. when we would pick-off a few fish in an area, After my last trip, I found an alternative to punch in a waypoint and give that area a bit more stickbaits, even at these higher speeds. I was fishattention. One of those spots can put a third of ing with T.J. Yeltzen who splits his time between a limit, half sometimes a full cooler on the back operating Reel Time charters out of Snow’s Marideck of your boat. Remember the proven maxim, na in Irving, NY and his work as a staff member at “Don’t leave fish to find fish.”

Eye-Fish.com, makers of single and double blade The second “location” to keep in mind is worm harnesses built specifically for Lake Erie depth. The walleyes migrate to the Eastern Basin fishing. These American made harnesses feature a for two reasons – deeper, cooler water and plenweighted eye-spot inserted on each blade. tiful forage base – primarily emerald shiners. The The eye spot looks good but Capt. T.J. shiners like cooler temperatures; but more importexplained the position of the eye gives both their ant, the shiners feed on zooplankton and the therColorado blades and willow leaf harnesses the mocline is a plankton-rich zone. Follow the food, ability to be run at speeds above 2.5 mph. Then find the fish. we went on to prove it by trolling a spread which Top drawer sonars can reliably spot the included both style blades. The lake was rough ‘cline some of the time. Many anglers in the area enough we could only troll downwind and speed rely on FishHawk (or other brands) of speed and control was impossible. The walleyes didn’t seem depth probes to locate the temperature break and to care. set their lures accordingly. Long lead cores, copI didn’t care, either. I’d followed the miper wire rigs and weighted steel line set-ups pulled gration to eastern Lake Erie to catch walleyes, not wide with inline planer boards or mast and ski systo be concerned if we’d find success only by nailtems are top producers, followed by diving planers ing the critical speed or having to change lures a and downrigged lines. Get those lures down to the couple dozen times to find a working pattern. The fish. walleyes are there, they are happy and hungry. If you are looking for a “summer” walleye fishing What Lures – What Speed? trip to the best walleye lake in the world head east Matching the hatch is a proven tactic and to Chautauqua County, New York. nothing looks more like an emerald shiner than a THE END stickbait. Long A Bombers, Rattlin’ Rogues and a local favorite, Reno Rockers in natural patterns are all work horses. These brands are all noted for 34 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

Stickbaits are the lure of choice for most Eastern Basin walleye anglers.

Deeply hooked walleyes show the fish are actively feeding.

SUMMER - 2024 - 35

We eat a lot of crappie around here so I’m always on the lookout for new ways to fix them.

This recipe does not disappoint. As with all the recipes I do and write about I encourage you to tweak them to your liking and add or subtract to make the recipe your own. I have to say for this recipe I encourage you to be sure and leave the orange juice, lime juice and honey. I was amazed at the flavor that these added to the fixins’. It’s delicious.

36 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

Crispy Crappie Fajita Fajita Fixins’

¼ head of purple cabbage, finely sliced ¼ head of white cabbage, finely sliced 1 yellow bell pepper sliced 1 red bell pepper sliced 1 green bell pepper sliced ¼ cup orange juice 2 tbsp lime juice 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp honey Pinch of sea salt Pinch of black pepper

Fajita Side Toppings

Shredded cheese Jalapeños Diced tomatoes In a bowl add the finely sliced cabbage, peppers and all other ingredients and mix well to incorporate the oil, juice and honey throughout. Place in refrigerator while preparing the fish and sauce.

Fajita Sauce

¼ cup of cilantro 1 cup of sour cream ½ tsp paprika Pinch of salt Pinch black pepper Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl until creamy and put inside refrigerator until ready to serve your fajitas.

Crispy Crappie Beer Batter 1 cup of flour ¼ cup of corn starch 3 tbsp fajita seasoning 1 beer 4 crappie fillets Flour tortillas

Add the fajita seasoning to the flour. I use those premixed fajita seasoning packs. I use 3 tbsp but this is where it can be a personal preference if you like more of the fajita flavoring then add more. Slowly mix beer into ingredients.

Not too thin and not too thick. You can check the consistency by dipping a spoon and if the batter coats the spoon and doesn’t easily drain off then it’s ready.

Heat the oil to 350-375. Coat crappie fillets with the beer batter and ease them into the oil. Fry until golden brown and remove.

Place beer battered crappie into tortilla shells and place the fixins’ over top. Add the sauce and side toppings of choice and enjoy. apart.

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When I saw the area we were fishing on Ross Barnett Reservoir, memories of fishing with my dad in Florida instantly flooded my mind like the flooded vegetation before me. Me and my dad fished lily pads almost exclusively on Lake Woodruff in Florida. Today I was with professional angler and guide Briana Tucker from Alabama. Briana loves to throw a frog when there is shallow vegetation so the backwaters at Ross Barnett Reservoir, affectionately dubbed “The Rez.” “The shallow waters back in there is full of stumps.” Briana told me. “But that’s where we are headed because I love to catch bass on a frog.” Briana’s prop scarred a few stumps on our way in there, but it did not discourage her at all.

Frog fishing is just fun. It can be a challenge, especially if new to frogging. The hardest part is of course waiting that second or two before setting the hook. There is no telling how many bass I missed when learning about the technique. It was frustrating but still fun seeing those big bass blow up on your presentation.

Obviously is was much more fun when I finally “got it” and began hooking up a little more often.

On most bodies of water, the lily pads are usually only found in 3 foot of water or less. On Ross Barnett Reservoir pads can top out as deep as 8 feet. This opens many more options for the bass as well as adding more areas to search for the angler. Of course, you can use forward-facing sonar to spy beneath the pads and see if there is a lunker lurking. However, it might be quicker and easier to just fish the pads in varying depths to see where most bass are hanging for that given day.

Best Line for Froggin’

Froggin’

On Th

With deep pads it becomes even harder to get the bass out of those tough old pad stems so heavy line is necessary, especially when froggin’ on the Rez. Braid is my go-to line of choice for frog fishing. The low stretch allows for an instant hook set after that topwater pause needed for hook up. Monofilament stretches

Briana Tucker with a

considerably, especially on that long cast to get your frog in a hole within the pads. With all the stretch in mono you will miss fish or lose them before getting the hook to penetrate completely.

Best Froggin’Rod A good frog rod needs enough backbone to force big bass up and over the pads or they will find a way to tangle you up and sometimes where it’s not easy to get into. A 7-foot medium-heavy rod is the rod I would use for froggin’. Like the stiff backbone for hoisting fish the longer length aids in this as well. A fast or even an extra fast tip makes the best tip for frog fishing. This can be hard to find in your normal rod lineup. You might ask why not a heavy power rod since you have to horse the bass out of the pads. The answer is castability. Once the bass 38 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

is hooked a heavy rod would be a great asset, but in order to make oftentimes long cast with a lightweight hollow frog, the medium heavy is much better. Ever try and throw a frog accurately with a heavy action rod? This is why frog specific rods by reputable rod manufacturers could be a great investment if you plan to throw a frog very often. It is kind of like a dedicated crankbait rod, it can really make a difference in success.

Best Reel for Froggin’ When choosing a good frogging’ reel a fast gear ratio is vital like an 8:1. The faster reel will allow you to work your bait fast as you pop and walk your frog back to the boat. It also allows you to pick up line fast if the fish chooses to run straight at you with your frog and you can get that hook set in time to land it. This can happen in a split second, and you might not even realize that it was the faster gear ratio that made the hook up possible. If you seem to miss a lot of bass on a frog check the gear ratio and try a faster reel for ore success. A fast reel will also let you quickly get your frog back to the boat for another cast once out of the strike zone, allowing you to cover more water in a day.

Best Frog for Froggin’ the Rez

The

REZ

Frog fishing popularity has brought to market many, many styles of frog lures. Of course, the hollow body frog is very popular and for good reason. Weedless and double hook make the hollow body a great choice. A swimming frog, you know the ones with the rubber legs that come through the water with the sound of a buzzbait.

While the hollow body frog can be paused in small holes in the pads that might be a eating hole for a big bass, the rubber leg frog has to be retrieved through the pads without being able to pause it for very long or it will sink into the pads. Sometimes one will out do the other.

About Ross Barnett Reservoir

The Ross Barnett Reservoir, often called the Rez, is a reservoir of the Pearl River between Madison and Rankin counties in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The 33,000-acre (130 km2) lake serves as the state’s largest drinking water resource, and is managed by the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. The lake features 105 miles (169 km) of shoreline impounded on the south by a 3.5mile (5.6 km) man-made dam and spillway. The western shore is bounded by the historic Natchez Trace Parkway.

nice bass on the Rez.

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Bringing her out of the pads 40 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

Plenty of Hiding Places SUMMER - 2024 - 41

In today’s world the outdoors and fishing can

or osprey soaring overhead can give just the

take a back seat to so many other activities. To

right stimulation a kid needs when the fish

get kids into the outdoors you almost have to drag them from the TV or video games to get them to go. Once you have them out there and

aren’t biting, especially if they see it snatch a fish from the surface and fly up to its nest. My nephews had a raccoon come up to them on the lake bank. They sat motionless as it checked

the fish start biting all those other activities

under rocks for crayfish right in front of them.

they thought they could never do without fade

The raccoon sighting would have made the

into oblivion, until the fishing is over. Getting

trip in itself, but we finally found some fish for

kids interested in fishing might take a few trips to seal the deal, but after a few fish caught, a raccoon or two and maybe a mink running

them to catch.

ANY FISH WILL DO When kids are just starting out fishing any fish will do. I had to keep this in mind as I

down the shoreline, they are hooked. Here

was searching for bigger fish only to realize

are a few things to keep in mind when taking

when they caught a 3-inch bluegill they were

a kid fishing and getting them hooked on the

as excited as could be. Bigger fish is a bonus,

outdoors.

STAY ATTENTIVE It is important to stay attentive to your surroundings when fishing with kids. There is a safety factor in this, but you should also be aware of what is going on around you so you might keep the excitement rolling even when the fishing is slow. Spotting an eagle 42 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

but small fish is all you need for a kid to have fun fishing. If you know of a pond or stream with little fish don’t hesitate to make that your destination. Small fish are much better than no fish when it comes to hooking kids on the outdoors.

ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS If you’ve ever taken a kid fishing you know firsthand the questions will fly. Some logical

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and coherent and others from left field that

This has been a tough one for me because I

takes much prodding to finally realize what

love to fish so much I am hyper focused on

they are asking. This is why I love to take

finding and catching fish when I take kids or

kids into the outdoors. It’s a place some kids

anyone else. This is great but sometimes the

rarely visit and with a kid’s instinctive desire

trip takes a detour because something peaks

to learn they will have questions, a lot of them.

a youngster’s interest. When kids show an

This is the grownups entertainment. Some

interest in something other than the trip that

of my best laughs, sometimes out loud and

was planned then go with it. Just yesterday on

sometimes not to protect the innocent, comes

a fishing trip with my nephews the trip turned

from these outings. Be sure to answer any and

into a photo shoot throughout the area. There

all questions and explain those questions that

had been a tornado through and it had twisted,

don’t make sense, that’s if you figure them

broke and uprooted trees everywhere. After

out enough to answer. Some questions just

one of the boys spotted a giant tree broke in

tend to go unanswered and finally drift off

half we spent the rest of the day driving around

into that place of “I’m not sure what I mean,

looking for busted trees to photograph. They

nevermind.”

were fascinated by it and we talked for a couple

DISCUSS THE NEXT TRIP

hours about tornadoes, weather and trees. We

Be sure to plant the seed for the next trip

did finally fit a little fishing in, but not until

outdoors while they are under the influence

they asked about it and got tired of the tree

of the trip at hand. You might be surprised

hunting.

how often the question pops up from out of

BE PATIENT

nowhere, “Hey when are we going fishing with

There is plenty of things to notice and get

Uncle Kenny again? He said he was going to

into in the outdoors and kids will find most of

take us again.” Keep them thinking about the

them. Being patient is important to keep the

fun they had and the lessons they learned. Kids

excitement and enthusiasm flowing throughout

love to learn and it’s up to us to take advantage

the trip. Letting them untangle their own line

of their desire to learn by teaching them

that got wrapped up on the rod tip is just one

about the outdoors. Kids will show as much

more lesson in the outdoors. You might have

enthusiasm about a butterfly or a snake as they

to cut it loose when they are done, but let them

do about a video game. If we take them when

try. Don’t get upset with them when they get

they are young.

hung up on every cast or they will be afraid to fish. Just move if this is happening and find a

LET THE KIDS DICTATE THE TRIP 44 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

place where the hang ups are less or preferably

non-existent. If the fish aren’t biting and the youngsters begin to voice their boredom try tying on a lure, this one always works for a while. You could also begin looking for frogs or turtles that live around the lake or pond. Keeping the interest up is easy with kids and they will eventually come back to the fishing poles and by then the fish might be biting.

EAT YOUR CATCH There is something about cooking and enjoying the harvest that intrigues young people. I have yet to introduce a kid to fishing or hunting that wasn’t all for preparing and cooking what they harvested. Sometimes the fish are too small so just explain this to the kids. If you do harvest a few edible size fish or game be sure to take it home and cook it. Cooking your harvest over a fire or in a Dutch oven outside is popular with kids for obvious reasons. Kids are almost always excited about building a fire. Keep the fun trip they just enjoyed that day alive by enjoying a meal with others. Talk about the day and let them tell stories about their outdoor adventures and it could last into the night.

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Seal the Deal

Troy Seal

tackle tips and techniques

Troy is an avid angler from Bean Station Tennessee. Troy is a “nothing fancy” kind of guy well except maybe for his tackle. Troy is a multi-species angler but loves panfish, especially the sun fish. He has tinkered with and honed his tackle and techniques to target these great panfish. Fishing from a small aluminum boat without electronics or any of the modern day gadgets Troy loves getting old-school in a new world of fishing. We are happy to have Troy’s expertise within these pages and I think you will be too. Troy has the popular Facebook group The Bluegill Network

When it comes to summertime panfish it’s either feast or famine in most cases. Post-spawn fish can be willing to bite but hard to find. It’s easier if you look to moving water in rivers or creeks, or deeper water in lakes and reservoirs.

I have spent the last 25 years chasing sunfish almost exclusively with ultra-light tackle and one thing that I have found is, at least in the bodies of water that I fish the most,

is the fish will move out of the still water in the lower end and moving into the rivers and its tributaries when the water temperature gets hot. In highland and highland reservoirs that happens towards the upper end sometimes but in a lot of places they just move on to bluff banks and 45° banks and just move to the depths they are comfortable with. Either way the same lure works in both sce-

Spinnerbait Tactics for Summer Sunnies!

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Redear Sunfish and Beetle Spin. Photo Troy Seal

narios. And if a little wood cover is involved, even better. The lure that I’m talking about is the Beetle Spin. It’s been around for a decade of Sundays, and it still is as good today as it ever was.

Many people praise the ability of an inline spinner. I’m one of those people but when wood is involved and you’re fishing tight to cover or fishing deep, then the Beetle Spin beats it hands down. It fishes great in shallow cover and doesn’t hang up like an inline spinner, and it’s more versatile. You can’t use an inline spinner as a drop bait. Yes, you can count one down and slow roll it but you’re not going to get very many bites on the fall. With a Beetle Spin you get plenty of bites on the fall, in the shallows it’s snag resistant and in the depths it has better fishability.

What I Do to Make It Fish That Way

I grew up fishing Cherokee Lake in East Tennessee. Much of that time was spent bass fishing for largemouth. What I’m going to tell you is common spinnerbait knowledge transferred to the panfish world. If you want a spinnerbait to run shallow you use a lighter head and bigger blades. If you want it to go deeper or to fish faster or in current, you use smaller blades and a heavier head. That’s all I do! I bass fish with tiny tackle.

The Lure

My Beetle Spin tactic has worked for the last two decades in many creeks, rivers, ponds, and lakes in multiple states. A sunny is a sunny no matter his accent. It also helps to use the right soft plastic body. The Beetle Spins that are SUMMER - 2024 - 47

good for bluegills and crappie are usually in the 1/32 oz range but I’m here to tell you don’t get hung up on that weight. The size of the 132nd ounce is proper, but the weight is very limited. I change the 32nd ounce to 1/24th that I mold from a do-it mold. I also use up to a 1/16-ounce tungsten jig head made by Euro tackle. You can control the depth also with a blade size. If I’m running the 124th ounce I’m usually using a #00 size blade. I would use the same head if I wanted to run shallower but I will put on a #0 size blade. In moving water, the smaller blade and heavier head works extremely well especially with a trout magnet for the body or the 1.75 Lunker City finesse fish, both are phenomenal on this rig, and both are an integral part of the system. Lures with too many appendages or too much bulk don’t run correctly, and you can’t fish them at depth very well. This bait does not roll in current or 48 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

when you’re fishing it quick. It doesn’t snag around wood cover, as bad as other baits. You can work it a little deeper than the 1/32 ounce and you can fish it on steep banks in the lake simply by casting it to the bank and letting it pendulum back toward you. With a heavier head and small blade even on a tight line as it falls the blade will turn. It also allows you to fish a little deeper in current. Something that a #0 blade just won’t let you do.

Bluegills, shellcrackers and pumpkin seeds all three will crush spinners when the water is warm. In moving water find slow sections of river or creek and cast to root systems rock piles stumps anything that will break current flow. Red breasts will be more than happy to chase it down and put a tap tap up your line and down you’re rod for you to feel with your hand. Another benefit is the Beetle Spin does not discriminate, you will be catch-

ing rock bass, smallmouth and any other fish that roams the rivers that you fish. In the lakes don’t be surprised if you catch a good crappie here and there.

Line

Most of this can be done with 4lb mono. If you are fishing deep, down to 25’ or so a thin super line of sorts will be needed. For close fish and targets in heavily wooded waters 6lb mono will work too, but the gold standard is 4 lb test monofilament. It will serve most of your needs. Heavier versions of the Beetle Spin have been done before but usually have a big blade too. All one must do is a little research and you will see that most folks that fish in the Carolinas and the deep south on blackwater rivers use this type of spinner .They use up to an eighth of an ounce and tipped with a cricket and cast it with a push-

button reel. While there are ways much better to deliver a spinner than a push button, mainly because they don’t operate as smoothly or as well as the modern spinning reel, but they have their place I suppose, though I think it’s mainly tradition down there. Use what you like.

Versatility of the Beetle Spin

The versatility of a Beetle Spin is hard to beat.

With the arm made to change out the jigheads you can control the weight. And a split ring will allow you to change the blades. Yes sir, the humble Beetle Spin is indeed more versatile than a spinnerbait. Play around with it yourself and try it in different scenarios, I’m sure you can take it farther than I have and find more applications where it will shine. I do hope you find yourself in that situation.

Good fishing and God bless.

Never underestimate a sunny’s willingness to bite a Beetle Spin. Photo Troy Seal SUMMER - 2024 - 49

Time for Channel Cats When the bluegill and shellcracker bite begins to wane never fear because the channel catfish are making their way to the same areas to spawn and gorge on bluegill fry and eggs. Understanding the channel catfish and its behavior will help you catch more of them when that time arrives. My favorite way to target these little monsters is the same setup I use for bluegill fishing. I move right to channel catfishing the shallows with an ultralight or light rod with 6-pound test line, a small, fixed bobber and my Hairy Cricket Jig. The jig body is mohair yarn and I tie the Hairy Cricket with a yarn body to help absorb and hold scent longer. I have used nightcrawler scent gel and it works great when you don’t want to mess with messy worms.

Casting to the same bluegill beds, now void of any bluegills, will produce plenty of channel catfish in the shallows. However, never overlook the surrounding cover as these 50 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

catfish will be everywhere and actively seeking a place to spawn. Channel catfish love riprap rock to feed around and spawn. Always look around for this big chunk rock to cast to near those bluegill beds. Here is a few bits of information about channel catfish behavior.

Channel Cat Spawning Behavior There are 3 stages of the channel catfish spawn, pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn.

The great thing about locating these areas is that not all channel cats spawn at the same time and you will be fishing for fish in all stages of the spawn, therefore you can catch these concentrated catfish longer throughout the spawn as new waves of fish move up, sometimes daily.

Channel cats are vigorous feeders during both the pre-spawn period and the post-spawn period as well. By locating shallow bays with enough spawning area for lots of catfish, you can catch them for several weeks as new fish

replenish the area looking for a place to spawn. can slowly move your bait through the water Large shallow bays are magnets for channel column. This will help you cover more water catfish and one with varying cover from rock where the catfish are staging. I also throw out a and gravel to bushes and laydown trees is the couple lines on the bottom too. best for shallow water fishing for channel catA nightcrawler is a great bait for stagfish. ing channel cats and remember the catfish will During the spawn channel catfish are move up with the bluegills but there will still be more focused on laying eggs and tending to the some in that deeper water staging themselves bed than eating. as the bluegills spawn When they finish a little earlier than catthey are hungry fish. If your focus is the and there are days channel catfish then stay when this is eviin this area, even after dent and you can the bluegills are gone. catch a lot of fish Shallow Water when it happens.

Tackle The great thing As mentioned in the about locating a opening paragraph I like large spawning to use my light spinning bay is you have all tackle when fishing three phases of the shallow water catfish. spawn happening Most of the channel catNothing more fun than shallow water catfish over several weeks fish I catch in these areas as not all the catfish will spawn at the same are between 2 and 4 pounds with an occasional time. This is mother nature’s way of making fish a little larger. 6-pound test line might be sure there are staggered spawns just in case considered a little light for these hard-fighting something drastic happens to one of them. fish. They tend to roll and make some strong You can catch a lot of channel catfish runs and with all of the rolling they do it can well before the target water temperature of 70abrade your line so 8-pound test might be a 75 degrees is reached. If you fish for bluegills better size to use. I like to use a small hook; I you can find these catfish with them during the tie the Hairy Cricket with a size 8 hook, and I staging phase. Bluegills will stage outside their catch plenty of catfish with it. Channel catfish spawning area for a week or more. This is usuhave small mouths so I like to make sure it ally the first pronounced depth change leaving can get the hook in its mouth easily, especially the shallows toward deeper water. Using a slip since I use a bobber and set the hook as soon as bobber is a great way to fish this deeper water, I get a bite. A spinning reel with a good smooth usually 8-10 feet. By using a bobber the wind SUMMER - 2024 - 51

drag is essential to help reduce line breakage when using light line. A sharp hook is also vital to penetrating the tough mouth of a catfish so always check your hook.

If you want to back off the shallows and target bigger catfish, then you should up the size of all your tackle. 20-pound line with a spinning reel large enough to hold enough of it and a me-

Bobber Popping for Shallow Cats One of my favorite ways to catch channel catfish is to pop a bobber around the bank. A small jig tipped with a small piece of worm is all it takes.

Peg the bobber about 2 feet above the bait and cast to brush and other cover in shallow water. I use a small Styrofoam bobber with a slit in it so that I can easily remove it when I want to fish a

A nice shallow water channel coming to the net

dium-heavy rod will suffice. This is when I will go to cut bait or a big nightcrawler for bait. Big channel cats like more to eat and seem to prefer fresh cut bait over stink baits and scent-soaked jigs. Fan casting a bay in slightly deeper water, during this time, will likely produce a little bigger catfish. While these are fun to catch, I prefer the smaller channel cats for the table.

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little deeper. There is no doubt that popping the bobber, using quick jerks of the rod tip, attracts channel catfish to your hook. I don’t leave my bait in one place too long as I have learned that if it’s around it’s going to bite. Keep moving down the bank using this bobber popping technique to enjoy a great day of fun fishing in the shallows.

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Trolling for Crappie

Trolling for crappie with crankbaits is a great way to catch a lot of crappie in the summer.

I grew up mostly fishing for crappie with a bobber, gold hook and a tuffy minnow. Brush piles in the spring and then a little drift fishing that helped get those suspended crappie that were scattered throughout the lake. Recently, since relocating to the mid-west, I have found that many of the small lakes are often lacking in cover along the bank. Crappie are structure oriented and that structure can be many things.

Points, drop-offs and ledges often hold piles of Crappie.

In my search for hidden structures I was noticing large schools of baitfish suspended in the deepest part of the lake. With these suspended baitfish were schools of crappie. I decided to try to catch some of these suspended crappie and hopefully have fresh crappie for dinner. I got my gold hooks out and bought some tuffy minnows and quickly found that most of the fish I was seeing on the depth finder were indeed crappie with a few white bass thrown in. The trouble was I was catching lots of small crappie and many of them were stealing my minnows which can get expensive when none of the crappie are big enough for the box. This is where 54 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

trolling for crappie with crankbaits became an idea.

Stay With the Shad

The other problem was staying with the constantly darting baitfish. I had observed that there were several balls of bait in the area, but to try to stay with one was aggravating. There had to be a better way. I finally decided I would try to troll for crappie with crankbaits through the area with the baitfish. Most crappie anglers have heard of or did some sort of trolling for crappie and some with crankbaits, usually by spider-rigging or just slowly moving around with the electric trolling motor. This is essentially what I was doing when I was chasing the bait with my gold hook and tuffy minnow.

I remember trolling for crappie with my dad in the summer, when the crappie was suspended. The crappie we caught on those Hellbender plugs was always a giant. I decided to downsize the bait from those old days and start trolling for crappie using crankbaits. Today, trolling for crappie is even better as you have many choices in sizes, depths and colors to choose from in a crankbait.

The Set Up

My set-up starts with an 8hp kicker motor and

GPS for keeping the correct speed. I have found that speed is a factor when trolling for crappie and you need a way to regulate it as current and winds will effect that speed more than you think a GPS is the only accurate way to monitor your speed since it is not effected by those things. I have had crappie bite at 1.5mph all the way up to 2.2mph. You can use your electric trolling motor but at these speeds I just prefer

to run the kicker to save the batteries.

I start by locating schools of baitfish on the fish finder. They can be along the shore but you will find them suspended in open water.

The depth can be 40 feet and the crappie may be at six. I’ve trolled for crappie with crankbaits so shallow that the kicker motor was spooking them. I let out enough line to get the crankbait back far enough the crappie had time to recover. I have yet to do it, but I plan to

utilize side planers to help with this problem.

Don’t think that crappie aren’t shallow in the winter. I have trolled crankbaits in the dead of winter and was trolling for crappie in four feet of water. It can be difficult to figure this out when you’re marking fish at 10 feet and nothing shallower. The boat spooks shallow crappie and you won’t see them on the fish finder.

The Depths

If you are dragging 8 and 10 foot running crankbaits through those crappie but are not getting bites then on the one rod with a 4 foot running crankbait begins to get bites the deeper fish may not be feeding and you need to change all your baits to a little shallower. I usually leave one rod with a deep running bait because those deep crappie might turn on and besides that I like to have a chance at a nice walleye SUMMER - 2024 - 55

while I am at it.

Rod holders are a must so you can test various depths and colors to narrow down the winning crankbait. When trolling with crankbaits an ultra light rod just isn’t enough. You need to go with a medium light at least and maybe even a medium weight rod with at least 8lb test. I have landed many types of fish while trolling for crappie with crankbaits to include some pretty big catfish so you want to be prepared for anything. Trolling for crappie with crankbaits has drastically reduced the small fish that was always stealing my bait or just too small to keep. It was a waste of my time when I could be catching keeper crappie. Trolling for crappie has allowed me to do that.

Experimenting

When trolling for crappie with crankbaits you should experiment with colors and depths as well as speed and amount of line behind the boat, all of these factors can play a part in your success. When you are trolling look for a color and/or depth that is continuously getting more bites and set up the other rods to match and have fun filling the livewell with nice crappie.

Remember the location as it more than likely will produce crappie year after year. Good luck my fellow crappie anglers and give trolling for crappie with crankbaits a try this summer.

Trolling Advantages

Crappie spend a lot of their time suspended over deep water. Sometimes they are relating to cover like standing timber or stumps but oftentimes crappie are found to just be cruising and relating only to baitfish. Whether the crappie schools are relating to cover or not trolling can be the best way to catch these suspended crappie. Many times as you are trolling and catching crappie you stumble upon multiple schools of crappie. This is great because you can actually be catching crappie from several different schools in a relatively small area.

The advantage of this of course is the fact that when you hook one crappie you just keep trolling to your next school. This proves 56 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

to be very efficient, much more so than having to circle back to troll through the same school each time you catch one. Another advantage is that when you catch a crappie out of a school they tend to scatter and it might take a couple passes to get another bite. With multiple schools the crappie will scatter but will have time to school back up while you catch crappie from the other schools.

There are a few little tricks to trolling for crappie that will help you catch more crappie and I would be glad to answer any of your questions just drop me an email with trolling for crappie questions and I will be glad to help.

Trolling for crappie is effective during the entire season except maybe during the spawn and can help you to continue catching crappie all year long even when others have given up.

Electric or Gas

There are many ways to troll whether it be with electric motor or a kicker motor. I like to troll for crappie with a kicker motor because I don’t like to run my batteries that hard. One way to easily troll with a kicker motor (a small auxiliary motor on the back of your boat independent to the main motor) is to lock the kicker straight ahead. You can then use the trolling motor to steer the boat. Minn Kota leads the way in technology which allows you to steer your trolling motor either by a wired remote foot control from the back of the boat,up to 18 feet standard, and steer the front of the boat by turning the trolling motor with this remote.

You can also use a wireless remote. An even more impressive option is the Minn Kota GPS technology that allows you to lock in a track and troll the same route. This is a great way to troll hands free. Then you can tend to those slabs that often accompany this type of fishing. You can use the Minn Kota trolling motor alone to troll for crappie and it would be a lot more quiet and I would say more enjoyable as well. Trolling for crappie is just like any other fishing technique you have to do it to learn the many aspects involved.

Article first published in 2012 in Tri-State Outdoor News. The little girl holding the crappie is my daughter this was one of our favorite days together. Kayla caught all of the crappie that day and had a blast and we were ableto, between softball, spend some quality time together.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK THEM OUT

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Check out the All New Tinsel Trailer 58 - RAMBLING ANGLER OUTDOORS

Check Out The All New Trailer Treble SUMMER - 2024 - 59

The skipjack herring (Alosa chrysochloris) is a North American, migratory, freshwater fish

species in the herring family. The name skipjack shad comes from the fact that it is commonly seen

leaping out of the water while feeding. Other common names include blue herring, golden shad, river

shad, Tennessee tarpon, and McKinley shad. Skipjack are found in clear to moderately turbid water in

areas with flow. Because they are a migratory species, dams often impede their reproduction. Records suggest that this species was much more abundant in the Upper Mississippi River basin before it was impounded. Currently, skipjack is most abundant in the Upper Mississippi River below the mouth of

the Ohio River. They are known as an “early-run” species as they migrate to spawn in the early spring. wikipedia

If you fish for catfish, you know how well skipjack brings them in. As a major part of the catfish diet, whether the skipjack resides in their body of water or not, catfish anglers everywhere are familiar with its proven effectiveness as catfish bait.

Preserving your skipjack is vital to keeping it fresh and ready for action. For a long time the accepted belief was that catfish bait has to be stinky rotten meat or other concoctions made. While these things are proven catfish baits fresh bait seems to be the better choice, especially for big catfish. Just go to a catfish tournament, where big cats are the target, and see what the preferred bait of choice is among professional cat anglers. Skipjack can bring $5 to $6 each in bait stores and at these major tournaments and the fresher the better.

Here are the steps to preserving your fresh caught skipjack for bait. The shorter time skipjack is out of the water before being processed the better. A few hours is fine in a bucket as you make your way home to freeze them but when put directly in an ice/salt slurry, immediately after being caught, your skipjack will keep for much longer and can be used all day on a fishing trip. Wrapping your bait in plastic wrap or vacuum sealed will keep the oxygen away from your skipjack drastically extending its freshness while in the freezer. One professional cat fisherman and seller of skipjack for bait shared this process with me. He told me that he had used skipjack that had been frozen for two years and it still had blood running from the cut bait. That’s pretty good.

Watch the video for the easy steps to processing your next catch.

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BACK IN THE DAY

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Reelfoot Lake: A Fight for Fishing On a cold night in 1908 the members of the Night Riders, a band of locals around Reelfoot Lake, fashioned a noose and placed it around the neck of Capt. Quentin Rankin and hoisted him into the air for a few seconds then let down. The mob demanded that Rankin compromise by not sewing up all of the rights to the lake so that they could continue making a living themselves.

Rankin defiantly refused. At this moment Rankin was shot in the chest and killed by one of the Night Riders.

Robert Taylor, another attorney held captive, made a run for it into Reelfoot Lake, under a hail of gunfire, after seeing the intentions of the Night Riders was not to talk. Taylor hid behind a log until the mob dispersed then swam across the lake in the dark and walked 25 miles where he found a farmer that fed him and contacted authorities. Mr. Taylor’s escape took him 30 hours.

Quintin Rankin was a lawyer for the West Tennessee Land Company a company formed by Judge Harris (not a judge, just his first name). The company was created to use Reelfoot Lake and surrounding properties to profit from those that wanted to fish and recreate around the lake. The locals, who made their living in and around Reelfoot Lake did not take this very well and is what led to the murderous conflict.

Then Tennessee Governor Malcolm Patterson postponed his own election campaign and was quick to step in to hopefully put an end to the violence around the lake over lake access and fishing rights . He even sent in the state militia to help with the investigation into the murder that had made national news. At the same time Governor Patterson began to advocate for the state to purchase the lake and provide public access for all. Governor Patterson was successful in getting the lake under state control and would become the first step in the creation of State Parks in Tennessee.

Six of the men that were responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Mr. Rankin were sentenced to death. However, the convictions were overturned because of investigation protocols and trial, one being the way they chose the jury. The suspects were never retried, and none ever spent time in prison for the incident.

I encourage you to read the source below for more information about this story. It’s 131 pages and a great read on this subject.

Source: Uneasy Waters: The Night Riders at Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee, 1908 1908 Jama McMurtery Grove East T ennessee State University

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