Tag: In The Field: Thursday Night Fishing

A few years back I built a rod for my father as a Christmas gift. He loved it – the rod was blue with white wraps and really nice guides, and it was intended to be a crappie rod (we are terrible at crappie fishing still, but we like to try to catch them and fry a handful of the smaller ones up periodically).

Well, when we fish jigs in Wisconsin each year, there is a really good chance that we will catch pike, or smallmouth bass – even largemouth in the weed beds – the occasional muskie… and all of these fish pull hard.

The rod broke.

What was weird though, was that a fish didn’t break the St. Croix blank – it broke when Dad moved the rod to the side with his hand high up near the tip. Snap. Heartbreak.

When we contacted St. Croix, we were very happy to find out that they would be willing to send a replacement blank that was similar at no cost aside from shipping. (HUGE thank you to St. Croix!) I completed the new rod build before vacation this year, and this was the maiden voyage… and boy, the smallmouth put the rod to the test!

Time to fish.

NOTE: I’m looking for new ponds, pits and creeks to fish in Illinois. If you are located in the Midwest and you have any suggestions, or if you’d like to fish some spots with me, please send me an email and let’s set something up! That’s the whole reason I do this: to make new friends, get better for my family, and find new spots to fish.

#ThursdayNightFishing

CONDITIONS:
Location: Wisconsin
Time of Year: 2nd Week of July – Evening
Weather: Post Storm & Overcast
Water Temperature: Over 80°F

PRESENTATIONS:
Power Rig: N/A
Finesse Rigs: Slip Bobbers with Live Leeches & Spinning Rods with Hula Sticks on Jigheads

Oh hey, check this out – you can still get a free copy of Ned Rig Secrets – guaranteed to help you catch more fish!

Let’s get better.

One of the nice things about staying at a place with a dock is that you have the ability to fish right out front – which is PERFECT for little ones. After a large storm passed we took the wee ones out fishing, and in the evening we took the boat out to look for smallmouth and walleye – and test Dad’s new custom rod (that replaced the old, broken one).

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 2nd Week of July
Temperature: 80+ degree water temp / post storm & overcast

In Wisconsin this year we had a chance to book some time with Manitowish fishing guide Rob Friedley. If you are considering hiring him, I suggest you do so – he is extremely helpful and accommodating, and he has been fishing the waters of Vilas, Iron, and Onedia Counties since he was a child.

I booked a day with him so that I could take my father walleye fishing, hoping that we would also learn a thing or two and be able to replicate our success throughout the remainder of our trip. We were not disappointed, and in this video I’ll share a few things I learned from Rob.

You can learn more & book time on his website: https://www.manitowishwatersfishing.com/

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 2nd Week of June
Temperature: 80+ degree water temp / sunny & calm

Fishing tips for Minocqua Wisconsin – that’s what we’re talking about today. My family makes the time every year to head up north and fish the great state of Wisconsin on and around the waters of Minocqua and Vilas County. We typically load up on supplies at Townline Sports (5198 US-51, Manitowish Waters, WI 54545) before we head out on the lake in my Dad’s boat.

On this trip we decided to start by looking for new spots while fishing presentations that would appeal to many different species while we were exploring. Some of you already know what I’m talking about…

Plus – I got to fish with my wife for two days. Awesome!

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 1st Week of July
Temperature: 80+ degree water temp / sunny & slight wind

Illinois fishing can be difficult at times. However, with the proper tools and presentations (based on the area you are fishing – the cover, the bottom color and composition, water clarity and local forage etc.) you can have some really successful days. Even if you are stuck fishing the bank like we were today – and yes… even if you are stuck fishing small city lakes… like we were today… and even if you are fishing pressured waters… like we were today… you can still have a great time.

DO WHAT YOU CAN WITH WHAT YOU GOT!

Now tie on a power presentation, a finesse presentation, start bankin’ and get to work!

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 4th Week of June
Temperature: 70 degrees / morning / overcast & slight wind

The Rapala Scatter Rap is a unique little hard bait that incorporates an oddly shaped lip that causes the lure to wiggle back and forth erratically on the retrieve. Since I didn’t have a lot of experience working crankbaits, I decided to tie this one on hoping it would “do some of the work” for me.

This was not because of laziness… it was simply due to my lack of confidence.

Fortunately, I got some good fish, some good casts and some good experience – and that’s what it’s all about! Getting better. This was the beginning of “Crankbaits 101” for me, something that has paid big dividends throughout the remainder of the season. I definitely had a lot to learn though… and this was only the beginning.

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 4th Week of June
Temperature: 78 degrees / afternoon / slight wind

Jig worms are one of the easiest presentations to use when it comes to targeting bass, especially if you are new to fishing or want to get your kids using something that is a bit more active than a bobber. They have the potential to catch numbers of fish – or a monster. Largemouth and smallmouth bass love these little bite-sized morsels. They look like an easy meal.

A minnow. A leech. A little snake. Who knows? Food. Easy food. That’s what matters.

You can fish them from the shore just as easily as you can fish them from a boat. Skip them under docks, work rip-rap shorelines, pick apart underwater timber, points and cuts, or other familiar structure where fish set up shop.

Remember to be mindful of that exposed hook.

Over the years I have caught bass ranging from bite-sized themselves to just under 4 pounds on a simple plastic worm less than 4 or 5 inches in length on a small jig head. I’ve used many brands… but the brand is less important than the size and color which should be selected based on the local forage and bottom composition (at least as a starting point).

In this video we’ll use Hula Sticks, a Z-Man product that floats – which means the worms stand straight up off the bottom when they are at rest – on an Eagle Claw / Trokar jig head that weighs in at 1/16 oz. My son used a Gopher Tackle Mushroom Head Jig in the same weight. This is perfect because the local forage is small baitfish – not shad, but minnow-shaped… small… well… minnows. I’m not sure what species, but they’re slender!

Wind was not a factor, and the water was no deeper than 7 feet at any point.

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 3rd Week of June
Temperature: 76 degrees / morning / slight wind

One time I wanted to fish a frog for largemouth bass, but I lost my black frog a few days earlier and all I had left was a bright orange and chartreuse monstrosity (Sebile Pivot Frog). I wanted a more natural color… so I spray painted it.

It was ugly – but it worked.

I also wanted to fish a Strike King Ocho (stickbait), but the one I had been using was ripped after very little use. I figured there was more life in the bait… so I melted it with a lighter and stuck it back together.

It was shiny – but it worked.

Then my friend Leslie came to the lake with her poles and decided to make a few casts. She had not done so since her husband passed 3 years earlier. We got to fish together.

What a good day. Interesting – no doubt – but a good day.

Sometimes the good Lord puts you where you are supposed to be.

You can pick up your own Sebile Pivot Frog here.
You can grab a pack of Strike King Ochos here.

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 3rd Week of June
Temperature: 70 degrees / morning / no wind

Bass fishing for quantity over quality – fishing for a large quantity of fish, versus fishing for a few quality fish. Yes, this is a decision you need to make every time you are on the water. You see that decision manifest itself in a fisherman’s bait selection most often – however – if you are lucky enough to fish multiple bodies of water, you may notice trends and patterns surrounding each pond, stream or lake. You may also notice that some lakes have a healthy population of larger fish, while others have a slightly stunted population with many more fish that are smaller in size.

Once you have made this type of discover you have the option to select what you are fishing for before you hear out to the water, before you tie on a presentation, or before you spend precious “free time” at a location that is not going to help you meet your own personal goals.

There are many reasons to select one over the other, and we’ll cover several of those in this video.

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 3rd Week of June
Temperature: 78 degrees / evening / light wind

Want to catch more bass from shore? Keep your eyes peeled and make a point to bank fish high percentage spots. Recently we posted a video called “Bank Fishing Tips for Small City Lakes“, and this tip is meant to be an extension of that information – so make sure to check that out.

As I continue to improve, I want to see you do the same!

We’ll have more information coming soon regarding bank fishing, and we recently made some new modifications to the jon boat and took it out to test. We have a lot coming down the pike!

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 2nd Week of June
Temperature: 55 degrees / morning / no wind

Fishing with kids can be a great bonding experience, but remember this: it’s ok to let your kids fail at things from time to time. Without failure, they will never understand how special a victory – something that comes as the result of their hard work and dedication – truly is.

If your kids are ready to move from bobbers to more active presentations, to target bass or other species and really feel like they are “fishing” and not just “sitting” or “waiting” – this video should help.

Just don’t make it too easy…

In this video we’re going to discuss some of the lessons I have learned over the years – both things I have done right, and things I have done wrong. Hopefully this helps you have a great trip with your kids and avoid some of my mistakes.

Enjoy the outdoors with your kids.

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 2nd Week of June
Temperature: 58 degrees / morning / light wind

Looking for bank fishing tips that work well in small city lakes? Start here. Not everyone has the option of fishing from a boat – but being land-locked doesn’t have to be frustrating. Several whopper fish can be had with the right gear, the right location, the right knowledge and a little bit of luck.

Actually now that I think about it… these bank fishing tips will work for MOST bank fishing situations. At the very least, they will help.

In this video we are going to discuss the things I have learned over the past year after spending quite a bit of time fishing from the shore… and catching some really, really nice bass along the way.

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 2nd Week of June
Temperature: 80 degrees / morning / no wind

Fishing with kids can be a ton of fun… and an extreme test of patience. If your kids are ready to move from bobbers to more active presentations, to target bass or other species and really feel like they are “fishing” and not just “sitting” or “waiting” – this video should help.

My son set the goal of landing a nice largemouth bass all on his own. It took several trips, but he stuck with it and got to learn the value and reward that comes with working hard to complete a goal that you set for yourself. He didn’t want a handout – he wanted to catch his own fish.

In this video we’re going to discuss some of the lessons I have learned over the years – both things I have done right, and things I have done wrong. Hopefully this helps you have a great trip with your kids and avoid some of my mistakes!

Enjoy the outdoors with your kids.

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: Early May & Early June
Temperature: Varied

Physical activity is a good way to deal with depression. In my case, getting out and fishing – walking – casting – landing fish – all help. If you are struggling with bouts of depression or anxiety, it would be worth testing this out for yourself… especially if you already have experience fishing!

Get out.
Catch fish.
Test theories.
Make progress.
Get better.

Both the act and the progress will help improve your mental state.

Take care of yourself – and keep your chin up.

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 2nd Week of June
Temperature: 92 degrees / afternoon / 5 mph wind

Fishing a Strike King Lightning Shad (Mr. Crappie) is a great way to target panfish, crappie – and in some cases… 4lb largemouth bass. The main takeaway here is that fish eat what they want, when they want, and it is in our best interest to be on the water as much as possible so we can catch them when they are willing to bite!

Keep at it – you never know what you are going to catch.

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 1st Week of June
Temperature: 73 degrees / early morning / 10 mph wind

Whether you are fishing or not – it is important that we make the best out of every situation. When it comes to fishing, that means LEARNING no matter what. If the bite is on fire and you’re slaying fish – make sure you are learning, but if the bite is tough and the weather sucks… MAKE SURE YOU ARE LEARNING.

This is one way to make sure that each and every fishing trip you are lucky enough to head out on serves a greater purpose in your life. That purpose is increasing your experience and education, and becoming a more weathered and knowledgeable fisherman so that you can share that knowledge with other anglers, your kids, your spouse – even complete strangers.

Test things out.
Learn from people you can talk to.
Watch other anglers and see what they’re doing.
Figure out where structure and cover can be found.
What is the forage?
Is there current?
Work on your casting accuracy.
Explore the area and look for new hot-spots.

There is so much we can do to make the most out of the slowest of days.

So focus… and don’t take ANY days (even the slow ones) for granted!

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 1st Week of June
Temperature: 78 degrees / afternoon / 15 mph wind

Fishing bigger baits for bigger bass sounds like such a simple concept. Bigger baits should mean putting more & bigger bass in the boat – right? Pulling more largemouth out to the shore, or sticking a better breed of smallmouth?

Well, it can… if the fish are keyed in on larger baits.

But what if the fish are focused on smaller forage?
What if you feel uncomfortable using bigger baits?
What if smaller baits have been working?
How do you gain confidence?
How do you reassure yourself that you’re not missing fish?

Simple. You test. You make changes and see what happens. One of the most important things you need to do is spend time on the water, and the truth of the matter is that a lot of that time needs to be spent testing new concepts. Otherwise, you’ll never grow, and progress goes a long way when it comes to happiness.

As I mentioned, a 5.5″ stickbait is a morsel for some fish – but up until this day I had only been using a smaller 4″ stickbait. It was shorter and skinnier… and it had WORKED to this point. I wanted to try to see what would bite the larger bait.

I found out, and I suggest you try a similar test on your body of water!

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 4th Week of May
Temperature: 58 degrees / morning / no wind

When everyone is zigging… don’t be afraid to zag.

That sounds like free-form jazz.

Boo-whop skoopa doop. Beedely boop!

My man Don over at Show-Me Fish Tales has a very interesting little modification he makes to his Z-Man TRD MinnowZ… he calls the end result “MinnerZ”, and you can see on his channel that he absolutely slays all sorts of fish with it.

Well… he and his sis would probably say they “reap”.

Make sure to take a look at Don’s channel for examples of the baits he modifies, field tests and more!

I was glad I took an extra rod today, along with my trusty stickbait and swim jig for good measure. These presentations have both been very good to me this year – but the lake is changing. The algae is getting thicker, and the sun is setting on my swim jig… fishing is slowing down a bit… or is it?

The next few weeks will tell the tale, but for now, let’s focus on getting bit.

One other change I noticed is that all of the fish that were up shallow doing their spring-thing seem to have moved out. Now what remains to be seen is whether “out” means out about 25 feet further from shore, or our across the lake to thicker cover – but either way, they ain’t sitting in 2 feet of water like they were!

Time to fish.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 4th Week of May
Temperature: 65 degrees / early morning / 5 mph wind

Not all that long ago I was force-fed humble pie.

It was brutal.
I lost sleep.
I grumbled.
I sulked around the house.
I kept thinking about redemption… redemption…
Am I a hack?!
Can I redeem myself?!?!

Well… nothing else to do but try…

For this trip I left early, about 6:30 in the morning with bright conditions, a comfortable 68 degree temperature & little wind. Lots of bass were up shallow, but they were mostly interested in doing their spring-thing. They was all twitterpated.

I rigged up my trusty swim jig with a new, more compact trailer, and also tied on a PowerBait General (5″ stickbait) incorporating a weightless TX rig. This bait seemed to sink faster then the Ocho I had been using earlier in the year, but it was also something that the fish I missed 4 times – yes you read that correctly – on the last trip had reacted to. This also used a larger EWG hook as opposed to the VMC Wacky hook I had been using…

When life gives you lemons… tie on a bigger hook.

There was a lot of congestion this morning as well, so I decided to walk far away from the pack. This paid off almost immediately, and I watched them from far away to see if they pulled anything out of the lake.

They didn’t.

They didn’t even move.

It seems like these guys are willing to work a spot for hours – to live or die there. I do not recommend this approach, and after the guys moved out of the area I had planned to fish – I swooped in, slowed down and made contact.

Quick note: the first fish I caught completely ignored my swim jig, he also ignored my stickbait when I brought it THROUGH the muck, but when I tossed it past him and brought it back on top of the algae, then allowed it to sink down next to were he was at vertically – he picked it up. The second fish I caught hit on the right side of a little algae cover – but not on the left side.

Try different retrieves!

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 4th Week of May
Temperature: 68 degrees / early morning / no wind

Yesterday was amazing. Today I was force-fed humble pie.

Most people would delete this kind of footage. They’d act like it never happened. I was tempted to do the same… but… who does that help?

If we truly are going to get better, then we need to be honest about the victories AND the losses.

This was a loss.
It made me lose sleep.
It made me doubt myself.
It made me crazy.

It also made me want to go back.
To redeem myself.

Have you ever had an experience like that on the water?

Don’t give up.

Don’t give into the temptation to ignore it or act like it never happened – instead, learn from it. Get better.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 3rd Week of May
Temperature: 62 degrees / afternoon

One of the most frustrating things for an angler has got to be seeing a fish, but not being able to get them to bite.

Recently at my lake, I came upon this situation… oh… about every 15-25 feet along the shoreline. Bass were up shallow on what appeared to be beds, and they were thinking about spawning… but they had yet to do the deed.

They were clearly visible, but they simply ignored every bait that was put in front of them.

Question is – does this have to do with the spawn?

Maybe.

Does it have to do with the fact that they could actually see people on shore?

Maybe.

The fact that they could feel the vibration from footsteps coming towards them in shallow water?

Maybe.

The fact that the baits were entering the water with an unnatural SPLOOSH unlike any local forage?

Maybe.

I was always under the impression that spawning bass were very aggressive, but this was clearly not the case, and I would venture a guess that everything we just mentioned played a role in the lack of strikes.

So, instead of getting hung up on the fish that I could SEE, I decided to start to cover water and look for active bass that were back off shore a bit – the ones that I couldn’t see.

Thankfully, it worked, and the added benefit was those fish could be left alone on their beds to do their thing. (I have nothing against “bed fishermen”, and will do it from time to time for a bit, but I struggle with whether or not this is actually ethical or good for a fishery.)

So if you find yourself in a similar situation, don’t get hung up and spend all day on uninterested fish – go find active ones! We’re always trying to get a little bit better – and today, this was what I learned.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 3rd Week of May
Temperature: 62 degrees / afternoon / 10 mph winds

Have you ever done something that you’d like to “undo”? I have… about a thousand times… and this is just one example of that. The silver lining is that it made me realize “Let’s Get Better” doesn’t just apply to the technical aspect of fishing.

It applies to being a good human.
It applies to being a good outdoorsman.
A good sportsman.
A good father.
It means making progress and becoming a BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF.

Every. Single. Day.

I almost didn’t post this video – but after thinking about it, I had to show the remorse that I felt and (hopefully) help a few other people learn from my mistake.

There will be more of those of course… but let’s focus on this one for now.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving, or a pond or creek to fish, or just want to say hey in the comments or on social media. I’m always trying to improve and appreciate your input. Thanks much!

@aj.hauser

Let’s get better.

Time of Year: 2nd Week of May
Temperature: 75 degrees / afternoon / 15 mph winds

Before the spawn of time… heh heh…

Before the spawn this year (that’s better) I was able to catch 3 nice bass on a swim jig. However, in the Midwest it’s not uncommon to see 30, 40, even 50 degree swings in the temperature from day to day – especially in the spring.

This trip was rainy, cold, and it took place after a stretch of really nice warm weather.

I don’t know how much of an impact this had on the water temperature – but the bass certainly responded. I had to adjust my tactics to land any – but I’ll show you what I did and why.

Remember that the water temperature can be very different than the air temperature. Bass obviously care less about the air, and more about the water.

Fish accordingly!

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.