For many fisherman, fishing isn’t simply a sport. In fact, it is just as common to fish as a means for food as it is for sport or hobby (catch and release). In the lakes that make up the Madison chain, bluegill, crappie, and perch are abundant and are my very favorite to include in a fish fry. It can be nerve-wracking before filleting fish for your first time. It is important that you have a good teacher, so you don’t end up wasting any meat from the fish. For anyone who wants to start harvesting their catch, I recommend starting with panfish, as they are the easiest to harvest.…

As is the same with any outdoor activity, teaching young and eager kids how to fish is a really fun thing to do. It really makes you feel good when you help them catch their first fish. Their eyes get so excited and they’ll even start running in place with pure joy. I think the skill of catching a fish has been hardwired in our DNA to elicit a positive primitive response, and you can see it with little kids. Some of my favorite time spent on the water has been with my nephews. If you ever get the chance to take a kid fishing, make sure you know where…

Right off the bat– I’m certainly no expert when it comes to fishing saltwater; however, I did go with my brother-in-law’s dad, Mark, about a half-mile out off the fisherman’s wharf in San Francisco a couple years back. The experience was incredible–more than I had expected. Initially the plan was that we were going to be taking a friend of Mark’s fishing boat. Long story short, we ended up renting a small aluminum fishing boat with a 6 horsepower outboard on the back. As we were heading out to drop some lines in the water, a pod of dolphins came real close and started swimming with us. I had never…

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, a great time to ‘wade’ into the water is when you are river fishing lake trout. I like to fish Camp Creek near La Farge and Viola, WI. The scenery is simply incredible and you can easily spend a whole day there catching fish. The best part is that you’re slowly creeping upstream the entire time so you’re always moving. Many anglers will use what’s known as a fly rod. This is a technique using heavy or weighted line that you throw back and forth creating enough momentum to cast the fly on the end where you want it. I have messed around…

If you’ve never been on a wading expedition to catch fish, I understand. Not many people fly fish, and you’re definitely limited on what supplies you can take with you. However, walking out on a shoreline fishing for bass, or walking up a creek for some trout can be a very enjoyable experience. I don’t do this all too much, but if I had to pick a place to wade in the water, it would for sure be in ‘Camp Creek’ fishing for trout. All you do is start downstream and cast upstream. The scenery around you is stunningly beautiful on a nice sunny day and all you do is…

Not only is casting a skill that needs to be developed, but it’s also a completely different mode or style of fishing. Last week I talked about bobber fishing, and now we can compare that to casting in this post. When you’re set up with a bobber, you set your rod up, toss some line out, and wait. Occasionally I’ll jerk the bobber around to make the jig below dance and create some action, but in general, bobber fishing can be a simple cast and that’s it–you remain patient until something swims your way. With casting, however, you are much more involved in the process of catching a fish. Depending…

This is what I grew up on. For a young boy, there is nothing more exciting than watching your bobber submerge and take off. Most kids are introduced to fishing this way, and for good reason. It’s the simplest form in terms of set-up, and people have literally been fishing this way since the beginning of time–which means its in our DNA! That excitement when you have a fish on a line is definitely programmed into us, because before modern times, catching a fish meant dinner for your family. In the beginning, most people bobber fish for the panfish; bluegills, crappies, pumpkinseed, perch. All you gotta do is find a…

At the end of the day, nearly anyone can have a day spent fishing by renting (or buying) a relatively non-expensive kayak. In fact, some of my fishing buddies prefer fishing from the kayak. I would compare fishing in a kayak to hunting with a bow. You have to get intimate with your surroundings. You are ultimately stalking your prey. This is what’s so cool, because you really have to work to be successful. Slowly moving through narrow channels and exploring parts of the water that no other type of vessel can reach. Taking things to the opposite side of the spectrum, fishermen like to dream about owning a very…

Walking into any sporting goods store, or more specifically, an outdoor recreation store like Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shops will have you massively overwhelmed when it comes to all that you can buy. If you’re not careful you can easily walk out of there spending well over what you intended–and it adds up fast! Knowing this all too well, I will share with you what I would recommend to someone looking to get started fishing. First thing–a fishing pole. There are so many great rods out there ranging from $20 all the way up to hundreds upon hundreds of dollars. Bamboo rods even crazier. For someone just getting started, I’d…

As I mentioned in my last post, fishing has been a big part of my life. This means I never slowed down when the winter months came and froze the lake. Fishing on the hardwater is just as good as casting on an open-water sunny day. My buddies and I began ice fishing with a pop-up shanty to shelter us from the coldest days, but eventually we built our own atop a trailer so we could leave it out on the lake permanently (while the ice is good). People might think it is miserable out there in the cold, but when you have a nice shanty, plus a heater, you…