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USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

Shirtless Guy

Shirtless Guy

Old Dirty Basterd
Since I think the last fishing/hunting thread got purged from the system and I can't seem to find a new one, here I go creating a new one. It's that time of year again for the annual Sturgeon Spearing season on Lake Winnebago in central Wisconsin. I did not get a tag this season but I still get updated from my dad and the Wisconsin DNR on how things are going. Things have been slow so far, but today, someone managed to spear a 175+ pound sturgeon:
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The 78.5 inch female sturgeon was speared by Mikey Galligan of Oshkosh, WI. This fish currently holds the honor of being the 6th largest fish by weight on record since the fishery began on Lake Winnebago in 1932.
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

How's the ice up that way? We never even saw the start of the season down here in Chicago....
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

RaceBoarder said:
How's the ice up that way? We never even saw the start of the season down here in Chicago....
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It's not great. The number of shacks is a quarter of the peak last year, not alot of save ice out there. Guys are using atvs and snow mobiles to get around on the lake for the most part.
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

Ive heard its been a bad year for ice pretty much all over. Last year I did tons of ice fishing in Northern Indiana for the 2 weeks I was home at Christmas (was on 5-8 inches of ice depending on body of water). This year I dont think anyone got out for more than a day or two at a time and even then it was on 3 inches or so and only on certain waters. I did get lucky that a long dock was put in the small private lake i have access too. It sticks out into water about 13 feet deep at the end (its going to be used for cage culture of hybrid striped bass but we haven't put cages in yet. I was able to go out on it a few times so far and "ice fish" off it using my finder and ice rods and presentations. It acutally worked fairly well. Ive caught some catfish and bluegill as well as one crappie and one hybrid stripper. I know if the dock was down the shore about 50 yards it would have been even better (would have been over an area that transistions from normal clay bottom to boulders and rip rap. When we managed fishable ice a few years ago for a few weeks we absolutely nailed the fish in that area.

I've been tying a fair number of flies and hope to actually do more fly fishing this spring and summer than I did last summer. I'd like to get in at least one more trip to the White River in Arkansas this year too. Got 2 in last year. The first one in March I caught way more fish but the 2nd in November produced some larger fish including a nice 16 inch brown and a few 17 inch rainbows. I'm learning a bit more about midging too which is a very productive method down there and I have accumualted quite the arsenal of size 18-22 midges. For some reason I really like tying those. They are simple in that there are not many materials involved but the size does make it challenging as well.
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

Anyone here have any experience with Lowrance HDS series of GPS/depthfinders?
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

Haven't used one, but have heard good things... I know a lot of Lake Michigan guys that use them.... Key thing is that there is a learning curve with the newer units.... They can take a bit to learn to decipher all of the info they provide... If you aren't good with technology, they can be kinda frustrating to use... It's not a "plug and go" kind of device...
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

RaceBoarder said:
Haven't used one, but have heard good things... I know a lot of Lake Michigan guys that use them.... Key thing is that there is a learning curve with the newer units.... They can take a bit to learn to decipher all of the info they provide... If you aren't good with technology, they can be kinda frustrating to use... It's not a "plug and go" kind of device...
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I'm pretty tech savvy. Just been frustrated with some lowrance proprietary stuff that doesn't follow standard gps convention. I plan on reading the manuals and probably watching a DVD. I also have a great place to go ask questions, my local musky shop.
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

Shirtless Guy said:
should have bought one when I did...$600 after rebate for an HDS7 (generation 1, now that Gen2 just came out).
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My plan is to wait for the technology to advance and then come down in price, as it usually does on the locator front. But I also want something "easy" to use too. I don't have the patience to learn compliated stuff anymore.
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

Subscribed (for the hunting part of the title, I couldn't care less about fishing)
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

Shirtless Guy said:
I'm pretty tech savvy. Just been frustrated with some lowrance proprietary stuff that doesn't follow standard gps convention. I plan on reading the manuals and probably watching a DVD. I also have a great place to go ask questions, my local musky shop.
Click to expand...

Thorne Bros.?
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

Well the Minnesotausky Expo came and went ....and now I'm a but poorer than I was last week. A few new baits, a new T's Tackle box for the front, and a new net and I'm closer to being set. Can't wait for the season to start. Anyone in mn have thoughts on the proposed change to fishing opener?
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

Shirtless Guy said:
Well the Minnesotausky Expo came and went ....and now I'm a but poorer than I was last week. A few new baits, a new T's Tackle box for the front, and a new net and I'm closer to being set. Can't wait for the season to start. Anyone in mn have thoughts on the proposed change to fishing opener?
Click to expand...

I think it's a dumb idea. People have planned, made reservations, etc. based on the current date. And now as it has gotten cool again the spawning has slowed to where the early date could threaten the spawn on many lakes.

In other news, my kid is getting to go on a mentored turkey hunt near Redwing this weekend. Basically he gets to hunt with a guide who knows the area and will teach him and do the calling. I have to go along as guardian.
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

goldy_331 said:
I think it's a dumb idea. People have planned, made reservations, etc. based on the current date. And now as it has gotten cool again the spawning has slowed to where the early date could threaten the spawn on many lakes.

In other news, my kid is getting to go on a mentored turkey hunt near Redwing this weekend. Basically he gets to hunt with a guide who knows the area and will teach him and do the calling. I have to go along as guardian.
Click to expand...
I think its dumb overall, if they want to change it for a couple years and see how it goes, fine...Wisconsin's openers are earlier and it goes fine so the theory is there, its just dumb to make this decision at this time...
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

Been out musky fishing a half dozen times on Lake Vermilion in Northern Minnesota and I finally caught my first musky of the year:
396843_766989150497_1442249147_n.jpg


Also managed to help my coworker catch his first musky ever (38"):
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]

A very fun night after some very frustrating trips with no luck!
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

anyone else doing much fishing this summer? having much success? If I wasn't up north for work, I probably wouldn't be doing much musky fishing because the water temps are so high. Lots of talk of not taking the fish out of water for photos, etc when fishing with water temps where they are up here.
 
Re: USCHO Outdoors: The Fishing and Hunting Thread

I have been hammering the perch and white bass on Lake Mendota this year. The perch are usually 8-10" and the whitebass have been big, mostly 12-14". Also catching big smallies up to 19" while fishing for the perch and whitebass, it's been a really fun summer so far.

Next week we're going to Lake Wabagoon in S. Ontario for pike.

There have been many reports of big pike being casualties of the heat here in se WI. There were some dead 40"er's on this weed infested bass lake that I had almost no idea pike were in.
 
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