Attract and catch more pan fish by getting aggressive I like to have a rod rigged up with a medium sized gold or silver jigging spoon like a JBlures Weasel, Kastmaster, or a Northland buckshot spoon. I spend the majority of my day searching for schools of panfish. It starts with marking them through […]
Mid-summer crappie action is in full swing. Crappies can be found schooled in and around heavy shallow weed beds in the 8-12 ft range. 1/16 oz tube jigs worked along the edges of the weeds about half way down to the bottom or just swimming through the tops of the weeds will produce fish. Mid-day […]
The Crappie action in the Park Rapids area is on fire and the fish just keep getting bigger. Crappies up to 16 inches have been caught this week using 1/16 oz jigs tipped with a small white twister tail or a Croppie minnows making a long cast and slowly swimming the jig back to the […]
The walleyes are still shallow due to the late shiner spawn. Try 5-10 ft of water with a jig tipped with a minnow. Make long casts or drag the jig behind the boat to avoid spooking the shallow fish. Smallmouth bass are just starting to head shallow, getting ready to spawn as well as the […]
The walleye fishing has really ramped up throughout the area despite the crummy weather patterns. Look for them in shallow water in the 4-8 ft range. Cast and snap jig 1/8 oz jigs along the sand/gravel patches found near shore or shoreline related flats—especially if there is a little wind blowing in. Tip the jig […]
Go big or go home! Bigger hooks for more Spring panfish. I love big hooks—bigger than what you would think. Hooks do not scare the fish, they attract fish—especially the colored hooks available today. These larger hooks will decrease the number of missed fish by increasing hooking percentage. For bluegills I prefer a #8 or […]
Spring is suffering a setback as May begins, but the loons are back, trees are budding and lakes are open. Some have take advantage of a few warm days to clean up after a very long winter and started spring rituals like raking and ditch clean up. In Downtown Park Rapids Spring 19 stores and […]
Feeling that tug on the line, an angler sets the hook and reels in a small sunfish, then asks the perennial question: Should I keep it? From a DNR press release: Sunfish, also known as bluegills and pumpkinseeds, are a go-to species for anglers looking for a meal and many anglers may be surprised to […]
It’s no secret that the biggest crappies of the open water season are found in the shallow warm waters of Spring hidden in some form of cover such as pencil reeds, sunken timber, or near the edges of cattails. The problem starts when a live crappie minnow is used under a float. It’s just a […]
