http://www.fishingclub.com RSS feeds for North American Fishing Club 60 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2951/swimming-with-the-catfish#Comments 1 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=94&ModuleID=464&ArticleID=2951 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2951&PortalID=0&TabID=94 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2951/swimming-with-the-catfish The other day my brother and I went to our neighbor's farm pond. We had been out fishing all day on the creek for carp and catfish, but we hadn't had any luck, so we headed to the pond. The guy who owned the pond said that the pond was really low, but we could try our luck with it. The pond only had about half as much water in it as it did at this time last year, but we went ahead and threw our lines in anyway. I went to the south side of the pond and my brother stayed up on the dock that was on the north end. After about thirty minutes, I decided I needed some bobbers so I told my brother to watch my pole while I went up to the truck.  When I was about 250 feet away, I heard my brother yell at me to come back.  I took off running full speed, but I can't find my pole. My brother gets over to my side and sees my pole about 5 feet into the water. Only the very top of the pole is sticking out so I jumped into the pond and quickly found out the water is a lot deeper than I had anticipated. Luckily I fell forward and was able to grab the end of my pole. Since I was off balance and in the water, I handed the pole to my brother.  We finally got the fish hauled onto the bank.  We ended up with a nice looking 15 pound channel cat for our efforts. Our neighbor watched the show from his porch and decided we provided pretty good entertainment as we wrestled the fish to shore.  He got a great story and my brother and I got a good workout, saved my pole and ended up with a freezer full of fresh catfish. bhazelton Mon, 30 May 2011 16:05:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2951 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2946/croker-joker#Comments 0 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=94&ModuleID=464&ArticleID=2946 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2946&PortalID=0&TabID=94 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2946/croker-joker                   croker joker... Man i was fishing in cardinal asstates murky water area and man iv never cough somany croker....all i was uses was some shrimp man they loved it ...NO bobber just a  once waight and a small hook and pronto your readdy to fish you odda try it some times.. but rememb er to let the bait sinkall the way to the bottom emmy123 Mon, 23 May 2011 17:31:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2946 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2919/try-the-night-bite-for-northern-pike#Comments 2 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=94&ModuleID=464&ArticleID=2919 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2919&PortalID=0&TabID=94 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2919/try-the-night-bite-for-northern-pike I absolutely love night fishing. Its dark and quiet and you get it all for yourself. But when a 20 lb Northern Pike crashes your topwater lure (oversized jitterbugs and crazy crawlers are best I think) all that quietness goes away in a hurry. Big splashes and your drag getting ripped seem amplified by the still night as well as your feet hitting the side of your canoe as you try to keep balance while you get towed around the cove. The rush is unreal! I highly recomend trying it if you havent already. The best bite begins an hour or two before the first rays of light breach the horizon. 1largemouth Thu, 12 May 2011 16:43:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2919 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2916/new-lake-no-problem#Comments 0 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=94&ModuleID=464&ArticleID=2916 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2916&PortalID=0&TabID=94 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2916/new-lake-no-problem Tomorrow I leave for the Minnesota Walleye/Pike Fishing Opener and truth is I have no idea what lake (or river) I’ll be fishing at sunrise on Saturday morning. It’s not that I’m not willing to do the necessary homework; I can’t. No one has been able to fish yet, so there is no intelligence on hot bites, depths, baits, etc., available. However, that doesn’t mean I’m not without tools. Two key items to look at early in the season are water clarity and average lake depth as both offer clues to fish location and their activity levels. In almost all cases, the best fishing is found in the warmest water early in the year, at least for cool-water species like bass and walleye (trout species are another story). So while deep, clear lakes are spectacular fishing spots, shallower lake with darker waters are usually better now. Once on the lake, my plan is to target shallow water areas near spawning habitat. In the case of targeted walleye this weekend, I’ll be looking for shallow gravel, current like stream inlets (if available), and rocky points. I’ll be bringing live bait rigs, jigs, cranks and slip floats, and between the four something will produce enough fish for our planned fish fry Saturday night. Game planning can be a great way to increase success anytime during the year. And the more you know about the fish you pursue, the better you’ll be at finding them. Jim Edlund, Web Editor Thu, 12 May 2011 15:20:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2916 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2915/carped-nearly-to-death#Comments 4 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=94&ModuleID=464&ArticleID=2915 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2915&PortalID=0&TabID=94 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2915/carped-nearly-to-death Just so there is no misunderstanding about the following … as a fisherman I am a reluctant fan of the carp (common variety only). I grew up targeting them with a hook, sinker and can of Green Giant corn (or nightcrawlers) and many of my earliest memories are of epic battles with large-scaled golden beasts. But I also hold carp at arm’s length because of their tendency to degrade habitat for other fish species, like bass. So while I like carp, I also dislike them. Make sense? Which brings me to the other day … I was on the Mississippi River with Brad Hadsall, lead producer of North American Fisherman television show, searching for big walleye and bass. We’re both fishing jigs. Brad tipped his with a Berkley 4-inch Ripple Shad in white; I have 3-inch model in copper. While I didn’t say anything to Brad at the time, I figured a four-inch bait is too large for sluggish post-spawn walleye, so I was stunned when he set the hook on a heavy fish on his second cast of the day. When the fish didn’t stay deep, however, I figured he had accidentally snagged a carp. And he had, a thick-bellied fish running 7 or 8 pounds, only it wasn’t snagged. In fact, the Ripple Shad was so far down its throat it was hard to even see it! A carp that chased jigs! I landed one that hit a trolled crankbait last August, so the idea of a carp crashing a bait mimicking a minnow wasn’t completely foreign, but it was a tad unusual! But I wasn’t expecting what happened next. A few casts later a big fish crushed my jig as it fell along the truck of a flooded tree, then headed for mid-river. When the line rose to the surface at the end of the run, I knew immediately that I had hooked another carp and yes, it also held my jig firmly in the corner of its mouth! Two carp down and we weren’t done yet. In the hour and a half, we landed seven more, and all but one had eaten our jig/plastic combos! And as an added bonus, I landed a quillback as well, also on the jig. In a lifetime of angling, I had never seen carp so active or aggressive in pursuit of artificials. Have you?    Jim Edlund, Web Editor Wed, 11 May 2011 21:06:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2915 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2914/dont-tease-meopening-weekend-is-around-the-corner#Comments 1 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=94&ModuleID=464&ArticleID=2914 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2914&PortalID=0&TabID=94 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2914/dont-tease-meopening-weekend-is-around-the-corner I need to be clear about something upfront—if given the choice, I’d like to live in a state like Florida or Texas where there were no regulations prohibiting me from fishing whatever species I want, when I want. But genetics and life choices have combined to make me a resident of a state where closed seasons are a fact of life. Funny thing, though. As much as I like to complain, there’s a side of me that loves closed seasons if only because that means there’s an opening weekend on the calendar. Here in Minnesota, an estimated 1 million anglers will be on the water when the sun comes up on walleye/pike opener May 14th. Yes, the bait shops will be a zoo that weekend and the launch ramps will be crowded with folks who don’t know how to back down a boat trailer. And, yes, my favorite fishing holes are overflowing with other anglers. But I love every second of it because the crowds and tradition are yearly reminder that fishing is an incredible sport that positively impacts lives and the economy, and not just in rural areas. A few years back near the resort town of Walker, Minnesota—gateway to famed Leech Lake and several other top waters in northern Minnesota—we set a television camera on the shoulder to tape the number of boats on the road the night before opener. At one point, 9 of 10 passing cars/truck were towing a boat behind them, and likely 35-40 of the next 50 had boats, too. If you haven’t witnessed this kind of madness I can assure you it will impact you. I’ve never seen this type of fishing hoopla in another state, nor do I see at any other time in Minnesota (though Memorial Weekend can get crazy, too). So ... while I still want to be able to fish every day, if that meant the tradition and pageantry of opening weekend would disappear, I don’t think I could support it. if given the choice, I’d like to live in a state like Florida or Texas where there were no regulations prohibiting me from fishing whatever species I want, when I want. But genetics and life choices have combined to make me a resident of a state where closed seasons are a fact of life. Funny thing, though. As much as I like to complain, there’s a side of me that loves closed seasons if only because that means there’s an opening weekend on the calendar. Here in Minnesota, an estimated 1 million anglers will be on the water when the sun comes up on walleye/pike opener May 14th, 2011. Yes, the bait shops will be a zoo that weekend and the launch ramps will be crowded with folks who don’t know how to back down a boat trailer. And, yes, my favorite fishing holes are overflowing with other anglers. But I love every second of it because the crowds and tradition are yearly reminder that fishing is an incredible sport that positively impacts lives and the economy, and not just in rural areas. A few years back near the resort town of Walker, Minnesota, gateway to famed Leech Lake and several other top waters in northern Minnesota, we set a television camera on the should to tape the number of boats on the road the night before opener. At one point, 9 of 10 passing cars/truck were towing a boat behind them, and likely 35-40 of the next 50 had boats, too. If you haven’t witnessed this kind of madness I can assure you it will impact you. I’ve never seen this type of fishing hoopla in another state, nor do I see at any other time in Minnesota (though Memorial Weekend can get crazy, too). So ... while I still want to be able to fish every day, if that meant the tradition and pageantry of opening weekend would disappear, I don’t think I could support it.   Jim Edlund, Web Editor Wed, 11 May 2011 20:51:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2914