Ice Fishing Annual 2009

Editor's Note: Hello, and thanks for reading the Fox River Times 2nd annual Ice Fishing Guide! The ice fishing season couldn't have come soon enough for me, and this year I have high hopes for a successful hard water run. Ice fishing has occupied most of my thoughts since late September and I'm overly excited that it is finally here. I plan on fishing Big Green Lake a lot this year, and hope to explore new lakes too, like Lake Poygan and Little Green Lake. As I noted before, I'm excited about this coming year of ice fishing, and after reading this issue, I hope you will too. Have a great December,

Sam Goulet


Ice Fishing Song: As you probably have noticed, there is a new widget on the right side of the page. Click on the triangle to play the song. It's called "Ice Fish Baby", sung by a local Wisconsin band named Shad-Rapp. It doesn't play the whole song, just about 30 seconds of it. It's a real great song with some pretty funny lyrics. My sister help me put it on the blog after finding out about it from a friend at school. Enjoy!



Early Ice Pike on Tip-Ups: This story that you are about to read actually happened at early ice of last year, but it demonstrates how to catch northern pike on tip-ups at early ice.

The setting was our cabin living room. It was 7:30 A.M., and my dad and I were the only ones up. We both looked at each other and decided what better time was there to go ice fishing than now!?!? Our explanation to my mom was, "Well we better be doing something while you're doing nothing!" So, she let us go and we were soon there and ready to ice fish.

We first drilled a hole in which the tip-up would be placed, and then rigged the quick strike rig with a lively shiner minnow. After my dad and I set up the tip-ups, we scouted out a spot in which we would jig and were soon into a school of panfish. For panfish, we jigged small jigging spoons tipped with a waxworm or two. Also, small ice fishing jigs made by Northland Tackle were producing. The bluegills weren't that big, so we decided against keeping any for a fish fry. Every now and then between 'gills we would get a nice perch.

It started to snow, and all of the sudden we hear a "jing-a-ling-a-ling!" "Flag up!" My dad shouts. The blaze orange color of the flag was very visible through the small blizzard. We rushed over to the tripped flag and my dad did a wonderful job setting the hook, as he has never done it before. It was taking out a lot of line, but eventually came to the surface. He had to guide it through the hole and onto the ice, which is easier said than done. After a short celebration and a few photos, the pike was released to swim another day, and to brighten someone else's fishing trip.

The snow stopped long enough for us to take this photo; our first fish caught on a tip-up!






Tip-Ups, Not Only for Pike: Most times, when fisherman think about tip-ups, they immediately associate it with the northern pike. This isn't the only species of fish that can be caught using the tip-up though. Last winter I caught a 10'' perch on a tip-up tipped with a small crappie minnow! (See photo below) Tip-ups can also be used to catch walleye, trout, bass, sauger, crappie, and any other species of fish that eat minnows. Give tip-ups a try this winter, they can be a lot of fun and are easy to set up.



Here is an example of a perch caught on a tip-up.

Here's the perch with a rather large belly! He measured in at about 10 inches.

Thanksgiving...and no ice: Well, Thanksgiving has come and go and there was sadly no ice on Beyer's Cove like there was last year. An insider reports that there was a "thin layer of ice covering Beyer's on Nov. 27th" Ice is on the way though, as we have had many days where the high is below 32 degrees!


Ice Fishing Shows: To me, there's nothing more that will get me pumped about the upcoming ice fishing season than watching guys do it on TV. There are a few shows on that highlight ice fishing tactics, tips, and techniques, here are my favorites.

#1. Ice Men: This one is my favorite. It's an ice fishing tournament where teams of two compete for the ultimate title of the "Ice Men". It's fun to watch as the teams talk smack, or just about snap their pole in half after losing a fish! The guys are experts at ice fishing, and usually find a way to catch big fish at various lakes around the US. It's a must see...

Website: www.naifc.com/icemen/index.php While on here you can watch full length episodes from the previous season.

#2. In-Fisherman Ice Guide: I also enjoy watching the In-Fisherman Ice Fishing Guide for their tips, tricks, and tactics. Although this one may contain more advertisements than actual footage, the footage is well put together and very informative. I would also recommend seeing this show.

Website: http://www.in-fisherman.com/ On this site you can also read about helpful tips for all species... both ice and open water. There are also clips from the In-Fisherman Ice Guide show, and a preview to the upcoming programs.

Ice Fishing publications: There are a few different magazines devoted to the growing sport of ice fishing...here are my favorites.

In-Fisherman Ice Fishing Guide: FRT rating- 4.89 out of 5 (almost perfect)

Ice Fishing (by f+w publications) FRT rating- 3.5 out of 5

Ice Breakers (by Midwest Outdoors) FRT rating- 3 out of 5

Staying Warm on the Ice: One of the biggest problems about fishing on the ice is the cold. It's very hard to avoid unless you are well prepared. Here are some tips on how to stay warm this winter.


1. Keep your hands and feet dry: Spray your gloves and boots with waterproof spray to prevent snow and water from making contact with the skin. This will keep you much warmer.

2. Use hand and feet warmers: These cheap packets are air activated and will stay warm for around 12 hours. Insert one in each of your gloves or boots and you'll likely keep your hands/feet warm all day. EDITOR'S WARNING: Make sure you read the label before putting warmers in your gloves/boots. Only put the hand warmers in gloves and foot warmers in boots...trust me it makes a big difference.


3. Keep moving: Periodically check the bait on your tip-ups, or just "scout" out some new places to fish. Walking will keep your body temperature up. Also, catching fish may help!



The Ice Fisherman's Prayer: Here's a prayer I made up. Say it the night before each ice fishing trip and your sure to catch fish!

If ice shall form while I sleep
I pray the Lord for fish to eat

Keep me safe while on the ice

And let me fish all through the night

Amen




Ice Fishing Questions: Got a question about ice fishing? E-mail it to me at sgoulet@new.rr.com and it will be featured in the next issue. Also, if you have any jokes about ice fishing, e-mail them to me too.

Here are some of my favorite photos that highlight the 08/09 ice fishing season...enjoy!:


A plump early ice bluegill caught on a plastic.

Ice fishing is for the whole family to enjoy! Here my big sister is getting in on the action.

Capt'n Dave Resop and I scouting out some gills for the frying pan.

My little sister with a pretty bluegill caught on a 'Gill Pill made by Custom Jigs & Spins.

Just grillin'! (Oh and eating hotdogs!)

I hope you enjoyed the 2009 Ice Fishing Annual,. It sure was fun writing it and looking back on last season really gets me excited about what this season has in store. Make sure to catch the Mid-winter edition and/or every time I update it with a new adventure to tell. Until next time...Sam Goulet <><

Mid Summer Issue

Editor's Note: We have now approached the midway point of our summer, and for some species, it's the prime time for hooking on to that lunker. I've got to add that this past weekend has been one of my personal best trips of the season! (You'll find out why later in the issue.) In other news, the Fox River Times may be gaining national fame!!! More on that in issues to come... So, enjoy the rest of the summer, and remember to keep reading the Fox River Times.

Thanks for reading,

Sam Goulet

Black Otter Lake Fishing Report: Well, as you probably read at the end of last issue, I was headed to Black Otter Lake for the day. Unfortunately I didn't get the scoop that they hadn't stocked the lake yet this year, so I showed up to schools of 1" minnows!!!!! I did see 1 small bluegill in the shallows, but it probably wasn't even big enough to bite my jig. On the bright side, my sister did manage to catch a minnow with her hands. (Sorry, no picture taken)

From Dave's Dock: Last week, Capt. Dave Resop was having troubles with gar stealing all of his bait. They would run with the bait, and when he'd set the hook, they took the minnow with them. Being a problem solver, Dave took three circle hooks, and threaded a minnow through the 3 hooks. All of the sudden he felt a tug on the line and set the hook. Well, when Dave landed his monster catch, there was no gar at the end of the line...there was a 12 lb. rubberback turtle!!!!! Once again, no picture was taken, but I've offered to get Dave a disposable camera! Good work Captn.!!

Oh Give me a Home, Where the Buffalo Roam: As I mentioned earlier in the Editor's Note, this past weekend was very successful, especially for the lesser known species. Read on to find out what I mean...

On Sunday morning, my dad, Lauren, Uncle Steve (Visiting from Seattle), and I drove our boat up a little ways from our cabin to a fishing hole known to produce walleye in the summer. Well while everybody else was just getting their poles out, I had already baited up and hooked on to a giant fish!!! It was running all over the place, refusing to come near the net. Once I pulled it up to the surface, we realized that it was a bigmouth buffalo!!! (I also caught one last summer, it's posted in an earlier edition.) After measuring it, it wasn't as long as some of the fish we catch (22 inches), but it was just pure bulk and fat, and weighed a lot for a 22 incher. Later on, my dad hooked on to a nice white bass, a rare catch in the Fox River. I unhooked all of the fish that we caught today, and one lesson learned is to never squeeze a white bass while unhooking it...they will pee on you without warning!! So, after wiping off after that incident, Lauren got a nice fish on, and it turned out to be a 22" carp, real nice fighter!

Towards the end of the trip, even Uncle Steve managed to catch 2 nice sheepshead, one of which was 16''! All of these fish were caught while either drifting or jigging a minnow or crawler on the bottom. Below are pictures of the catches.

Me with a 22'' bigmouth buffalo caught on a pink jig and a crawler.

Dad with a 14'' white bass caught on a minnow.

Lauren with a 22' carp caught on a jig and a crawler.

My Uncle Steve with a 16'' sheepshead also caught on a crawler.

City Fishing: Behind the small town of Princeton WI, lays a quiet stretch of the Fox River, practically unfished by other anglers. I've always wanted to fish there, so on Sunday, I find myself behind an old antique shop, casting to large carp that were breaking the surface on the other side of the river. The fishing turned out to be better than I expected, except for the limited casting space. In the end, I didn't hook into a monster carp as I had planned, but caught a pretty nice sheepshead and a small channel cat. Below are pictures of my catches.

Since there really wasn't a good pic. of the catfish, here's me fighting it. You can tell that this is a pretty cool fishing spot by all the rocks, trees, and that other people don't fish it. (Except me)

Here's the sheepshead I caught with a jig/crawler.

Plop and Drop for More Panfish: My first few years of fishing were mainly done in the pursuit of panfish (bluegills, pumpkinseed), like most other young anglers. But while I fished for them, I developed a very successful method that I still use to this day. I call it the "plop and drop". Basically it's when you don't cast your bait out to the fish, you use the end of your rod tip and drop the bait where you want it. This is very handy when fishing lily pads, and other shorelines infested with the weeds that bass, bluegills, and other panfish call home. The best spots to "plop" your bait in, are pockets (holes) in the weeds and lily pads, and near or along side trees and cover.

This system gave me a lot of success on the Tittabawassee River, where there were many weed beds and bays filled with lily pads. I forgot to mention that the use of a bobber is necessary, but the depth depends on how deep the body of water is that you are fishing in. When using the plop and drop, make sure not to let the bait sit in one spot too long, panfish like occasional movement, and will be convinced not to bite a "still" bait. Of course, when fishing a river, the movement is already there for you. So remember, next time that your out on the water, give the plop and drop a try. You can thank me by e-mailing me pictures of your catches! Speaking of pictures, here is one of me with a pumpkinseed I caught using the plop and drop method on the Tittabawassee.

Hey! I've officially had a cheesy smile for 4 weeks running!!!! In this picture, I'm holding up a plump pumpkinseed caught by using the plop and drop.

Longnose Gar Update: Lately, longnose gar can be seen surfacing all over the river, and chasing the newly hatched shiner minnows. This is the prime time to fish for longnose gar, because when the minnows leave, the gar leave. Neighbor Capt. Dave Resop has had some close encounters with the gar, many of them just stealing his minnows. My dad and I have had many gar strikes on our home made rope lures, which are designed to get stuck in the gar 100's of needle sharp teeth. We get them to the boat, right as they make that heartbreaking, tackle busting, run towards deeper water. Hannah did manage to get a picture of one of the gar that we had on, right as it was about to do another one of its head shakes, and get off. Enjoy!

Can it be...the Lochness monster?! No, it's a gar. You can see the skinny brown outline of one, with the white rope lure at the right.



Our Readers Say: Sadly, I haven't received any e-mails regarding the Our Readers Say column, so there won't be any this week. If you've got a fishing story you'd like to share, e-mail me at sgoulet@new.rr.com

Later today if the rain holds up, my dad and I will be trolling Lake Winnebago for walleye. Last night we both bought the "secret" color pattern that walleyes are biting on after my dad got an insider's tip from a man he works with.

Catch next issue for an exclusive Bait Shop Tour '09 stop, Winnebago fishing report, and hopefully an Our Readers Say So until then, tight lines and good fishing!!!

Tittabawassee River Special

Editor's Note: Hello all and thanks again for reading this issue of the Fox River Times. This past week, I was fishing away from my "home turf" of the Fox and instead was on the Titabawassee River in Michigan for a family gathering. It was a successful week to say the least, and I think everybody that went out trolling caught a pike or two. So once again, sit back and enjoy reading this issue of the FRT. Have a great start of July!!! Tight lines,

Sam Goulet

Fox River Report: Two weeks ago Captain Dave Resop landed a 15 lb. flathead on his pier at about 9:30 P.M. No picture was taken, but we can tell you that this rare catch was caught on a live shiner minnow. For those of you who have never seen a flathead catfish I attached a picture below. FYI (I do not know the person in the picture, it's just some random guy off the internet)

Jointed Shad Rap: The Pike Slayer!- Over the past week of mainly targeting northern pike, the one lure that almost never failed to produce a strike was the Rapala Jointed Shad Rap. (See picture below) Many large pike were taken "prisoner" with this lure, including 4 or 5 past the 24" length. The Jointed Shad Rap is a lot different than the Original Shad Rap, as it gives off almost twice the amount of action. This isn't the first time the J-Shad Rap has impressed, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Below is a picture of the J-Shad Rap, along with two of the pike taken on it.

This is one of the many color options Rapala has to offer. The pike I caught were taken on the pattern above.

Uncle Dave and I with a 24" and a 25" 1/2 both taken on J-Shad Raps.

Our Readers Say: After reading many back issues of Fishing Facts (a fishing magazine) from
the 1970's I picked up an idea that I would like to feature in the FRT. It's called Our Readers Say, where magazine subscribers send a photo of a fish along with a short story about it and it is featured in the magazine. It's always fun to read about another's catch! So, if you have a fish story you'd like to share with the readers of the FRT, e-mail a photo along with a short story about the catch to sgoulet@new.rr.com I hope to include some in the next issue!

Practice C-P-R: A lot of anglers will head out to their favorite lake or river and keep everything they catch, regardless of size and species. Now, I like a fish fry as much as the next guy, but keeping too many fish can really ruin the fishing for everybody else. It only takes a few dozen anglers where I ice fish to clean out entire bluegill population of over 5"!!!!! So next time your out on the water, remember to practice C-P-R. Catch. Photo. Release.

Big July fish on the Fox: This past weekend we were able to do a lot of fishing off of our dock on the Fox River. July is usually a prime time for catfish and sheepshead (freshwater drum), and our theory didn't disappoint. Our rig was just a 1/8 ounce jig with a live river shiner minnow hooked through the back. Below are pictures of a 17" sheepshead that I caught (About as big as we can catch them on our river) and a 24" catfish caught by Hannah, (Also about as big as we can catch them on our river).

A 17" sheepshead caught on a live shiner minnow.

Hannah's 24" channel catfish also caught on a live shiner. Since I like lippin' big fish, I did the honors of holding it for the picture.

Today I'm going to be fishing a small lake in Hortonville for bluegill and bass. You'll get the full scoop in the next issue, plus (hopefully) some fishing stories from our readers! So remember to send me those stories! Tight Lines and Good Fishing,

Sam Goulet <><

Let The Summer Fishing Begin!!!

Editor's Note: Hello all, and thanks for reading the June edition of the FRT! I've been pretty busy lately, mainly with school, but once it gets out, I'll be able to devote more time to this site. We had a successful fish-filled weekend, including some nice sized fish of various species, enjoy the pics and enjoy the summer! Tight Lines,

Sam Goulet

Carpin' in the Shallows: During the time period of early June, the water levels are much lower than normal, which moves many species of fish into the deeper waters. Thankfully we have a fish called CARP on the Fox River, and this does not apply what-so-ever to them. Carp can be found along grassy shorelines and near logs, brush, and other shallow structures. I have had the best success when using a plain lead-head jig tipped with a crawler. Carp will take just about any color, but I have most recently caught one on pink. Now that you have the tackle set, just cast about a foot or two away from shore and slowly work the jig back to the boat, slowly bumping it along the bottom. Good luck!

Carp on! As you can see in this picture, a carp with the pink jig in its mouth.

Here's a close up of the 26'' carp. (How come I always have a cheesy smile?)

Walleye and More!!- Most recently, many different species of fish can be caught in the Fox. Those being walleye, catfish, carp (as mentioned above), northern pike, and the occasional bass. Below are some pictures of early June caught fish!

This is a picture of a 16'' (legal) walleye caught on a crawler/floating jig combo.

My dad holding up a catfish around 20 inches (Don't remember the specific length) caught on a jig and crawler.

Fishin' Tales Comics!- Being an avid comic book reader, I've decided to write up my own and feature them here in the FRT! I named it Fishin' Tales, and they will all be about fish and fishing! I know I'm not the best drawer, but that will come with age. :-)

Bait Shop Tour '09- Well, our first stop for the Bait Shop Tour '09 was the Original Live Bait Shop in Princeton, Wisconsin. Easily put, this is a small tackle shop loaded with lots of tackle. They offer a wide variety of lures, and live baits at cheaper than normal prices. Everything from stink bait to flags, they have 'em here. (The owner of the Bait Store would appreciate it if I wouldn't specify the prices) Also, the owner was camera shy and didn't want to get her picture taken. I would give this shop 4.5 stars out of 5, which makes it an all around great "original" bait store. I would like to thank the owner for letting us take these pictures.
This is a side angle of a small portion of the shop.
Hannah and I browsing at The Tackle Wall.



Have a great rest of June and be sure to "catch" next issue! <><

FRT Spring Fishing Edition

Editors Note: Open water has finally found it's way to the Fox River, and the fishing season has started. It has proved to be an early bite so far, and the water levels don't look flood threatening as apposed to last year. I plan for this year to be even better than last as I am looking forward to adding a few new sections including Bait Shop Tour '09 and many more. So, I hope you can enjoy the FRT Spring Fishing 2009 Edition.

What's Hot: Rock Bass, Crappie, Walleye, Catfish, Sheepshead, and Carp

What's Not: Large and Smallmouth Bass, Bluegills, and Perch

Early Tactics for River Panfish: To my surprise no one was fishing at my dad and my favorite panfish spot located on the tan rock lock wall as we pulled into the small, crowed parking lot. The river was slowly flowing along on our Holy Saturday trip to the Princeton Locks. The rods that we pulled out of our car were equipped with slip bobbers, and for bait we brought along small fathead minnows and crawlers.

Usually by the time we arrive at the locks (around noon) our favorite "nook" is already taken by another fellow river fisherman, but today they must have been fishing somewhere else. Well, I baited my hook, cast out to a metal pole along the shoreline where a lot fish hang out and started the day off reeling in a chunky 8 1/2" black crappie. Not too bad. Next cast, same as last time though now a rock bass had traded places with the crappie. It wasn't long either until my dad got his first rock bass, and that was how our afternoon turned out. 5 rock bass each and a crappie. (We didn't keep any) We saw some other people reel in small panfish and a sheepshead.

Also by the end of the day we were both strong believers in a new system of fishing: slip bobbering!! As you may already know, slip bobbering is a bobber that slides up and down your line, and the desired depth is marked with a rubber bobber stop. The best part about this is that, if you want to fish at, let's say 10 feet or more, no problem, just adjust the bobber stop accordingly. This allows a quick and easy system of depth control.

Me with one of the rock bass. Note: VERY cheesy smile! :-)

This one is with the crappie. The pole that I caught them near is behind me. Again, cheesy smile!

Website Release: For those that haven't already checked this site out, go to http://www.wolfrivercam.com/ for some great underwater camera footage that is running LIVE!!!

Catfish on the Main River: ZZZZT! ZZZZT! ZZZZT! That was the sound that I heard as a nice channel cat started peeling line off of the clicker reel. Capt'n Dave and I were sitting on his pier, tending the fire when we were alerted by the sound. I think we were both in half disbelief, but when I started reeling, a fighting form of life was attached to the other end!!! The fight began. He put up quite a fight, and I was awe struck as we pulled in the first fish of 2009 from the main river. The bait...blood bait soaked on a sponge with a treble hook through the middle. Otherwise known as a basic catfish rig. I'd like to thank Dave once again for letting me reel in this fish and for a lasting memory. Below is a picture of the 22" cat:

Me and Capt'n Dave posing with the 22" channel cat caught on stinky bait.

Bait Shop Tour '09: Starting next issue, I am going to be touring local bait shops across Wisconsin and giving a write up. Some of them will be small, and some will be large like Cabelas. The first one will be the Original Live Bait Shop in Princeton, WI. Look for it in the next issue.

It's Electric!: Most of you have seen Capt'n Dave's dock right? Well for those who haven't, it's one of the craftiest around. Complete with a wood stove, electricity, cassette player, card table, and soon to have a TV!! This dock has it all. Below are some sample pictures of "The Dock".

This is what an average night on Dave's dock looks like.

This shows one of the three lights that are currently on his dock.

How does Dave manage to get to his dock every day? In style of course...he takes his golf cart. I got lucky this time and hitched a ride!

Happy Easter!! Make sure to catch the next issue, and as always, Tight Lines!