Jerry Carlson

It wasn’t much to go on. The reports I had heard about respectable sunfish on this lake left us a little skeptical. Still, a person doesn’t learn uncharted territory without a little effort.

It wasn't until March of last winter that I received the green light from my oncologist. After an extended recuperation period from my cancer treatment and bone marrow transplant, she said she would allow me to do some limited ice fishing.

The air was fresh as the wind frosted my mustache and stung my eyes. In an effort to combat my shivers, I snuggled deeper into my layout blind and readjusted my stocking cap and neck gaiter.

When it comes to Canada goose hunting, there are many different components that have to come together for a successful outing. Two of the most important ones are calling and flagging.

Every year when goose season starts, I hear people talking about strategies that will help them defeat the wiles of the Canada goose. After years of trying to solve this problem, I have come to the conclusion that there are tactics that will put the odds in your favor. However, geese are geese and there are no guarantees.

When it comes to ice fishing, Dave Genz is probably the most recognizable name in the industry. There isn’t too much he hasn’t accomplished in the hard water world. However, what most anglers don’t realize about Genz is that he knows as much about river fishing as he does ice angling.

It was the ninth year of our annual fishing trip to Island View Lodge on Rainy Lake in Northern Minnesota. During the previous years, we had been very successful in learning the routine for catching walleye on the mid lake reefs and structure. This year was promising to be a bit different.

The early bass season is a very entertaining time of the year. I enjoy chasing the shallow water fish and watching their acrobatics as they try desperately to spit the hook with no place to go but airborne. However, my favorite time of the year to target bass is in July and August when the fish are congregated on the deep weed line.

My friend, Charlie Simkins and I, have been making an annual trek to Island View Lodge on Rainy Lake with a group of anglers for a number of years. Although Rainy is noted as a quality northern fishery, by the time we get there in mid July, the northern are out of the bays and on the reefs where the walleye are located.

There are a lot of different ways to catch walleye and I have tried most of them. Some of these techniques have worked well under certain conditions, others have not impressed me very much.

Over the years, I have read a kajillion articles on how to catch spring panfish. Some of them have been excellent and some have been a little far fetched in my opinion. I believe catching spring panfish is not that difficult if one sticks to the basics.

Once the lakes start freezing over, finding an open day in the busy schedule of ice fishing legend, Dave Genz, is not an easy task. However, I was able to catch up with him in-between fishing trips and sit down for a leisurely chat and breakfast.