STURGEON SPEARING ON LAKE WINNEBAGO

The 2015 sturgeon spearing season ended this past Saturday, Feb 21. On the Lake Winnebago system, a total of 2,158 sturgeon were harvested making it the 6th highest harvest on record. The largest sturgeon of the season was a monster weighing 137.5lbs. Lake Winnebago is located in Wisconsin near Fond Du Lac. Thousands of ice houses are present during the annual spearing event and all members of families participate. Roads are constructed through the snow and "cities" of ice houses pop up everywhere. The DNR places harvest caps each season and all sturgeon are tagged and registered with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Great ice action at the Giant Goose Ranch

Had the opportunity to fish a few ponds at the Giant Goose Ranch which is located near Canton, Illinois on Saturday, Feb 22. The Giant Goose Ranch is owned and managed by the Herman Brothers. The Goose Ranch lays on 8.8 acres of land with access to 52 lakes and ponds which are loaded with monster fish species such as bluegills, perch, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and many more. During our trip we I fished along with a good friend plus guide Todd Kent and his 4 clients. Bluegill action was insane at the first pond we fished. I figure everyone in the group landed at least 200 bluegills each which is well over 1,000 gills!!! Sounds crazy but true as your jig was not down for over a minute without a big gill being on the end of the line. Later in the day, we moved to a perch pond and all landed some monster perch and more gills. Guide Todd Kent does a fabulous job of putting clients on non stop fishing action. I highly recommend taking a guided trip with him for some of the best fishing you can imigine! Todd has a great facebook site so look him up and contact him with questions on the Goose Camp and other fishing opportunites in the Canton area.

WOLVERINE TACKLE INC. SUPER RINGS IN SIZES #9 AND #10

Wolverine Tackle Inc. has recently come out with super strong size #9 and #10 triple coiled split rings. These are without a doubt the strongest rings on the market. They also come in sizes #4-#8 along with the 2 new sizes. They are constructed out of either zinc/ nickel with trivalent chromate which have a pull strenth of 335lbs on the larger sizes and stainless steel which has a pull strenth of 270lbs. I have used these rings for the top of top freshwater battlers including Papua New Guinea black bass and golden dorado. Never have these rings failed me to catch these monster. Why spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on tackle with inferior rings which can lose the fish of your dreams. Obviously the new size rings will be for monster sized lures. For more information contact Terry at sales@wolverinetackleinc.com

HERMAN BROTHERS LAKE AND LAND MANAGEMENT

Recently had the opportunity to fish along with a few avid fishermen fiends a few ponds owned and managed by the Herman Brothers. The Herman Brothers are the leaders in Lake and Land Management. They stock lakes to your species needs and can manage the land for your dream house/cabin. Trophy fish are a norm by these lakes managed by the Herman's. We had the opportunity to fish through the ice for monster bluegills at one of the Herman's ponds. Many of these monster gills exceed 12 inches and are very plentiful. Also the ponds is teaming with bass, catfish, walleye, muskie and others. The next visit was split between Nate Herman's pond and his brother, Justin's for monster perch. The perch in Justin's pond are quite abundant and grow to monster sizes many of which exceed 14 inches. The Herman's are based in Canton, IL and have built their dream fishery at the Giant Goose Ranch. There are campsites, cabins, and guided fishing available. Check out their site at www.hbpondmanagement.com. The entire Herman family is involved in the management and are a very friendly, very tight family. I highly recommend you contact them to manage your dream pond or just to rent a cabin or campsite and get some of the best fishing you will ever experience!

LEADERS

When preparing for a trip, one of the most important items to consider is which type of leader should I take with. Normally when fishing toothy critters such as golden dorado or tigerfish, heavy nylon coated wire is used. The wire is practically impossible to cut. However it normally has to be crimped which is definitely a weak link in the setup. Mono leaders are also used. The advantage is mono has some stretch so you will not rip the jaws off the fish during a hard strike. Large diameter mono is extremely thick and knots are difficult to tie so crimps are also often used. Mono floats so it is good with topwater lures. However mono can cut easily. Another disadvantage is mono absorbs water so it weakens throughout the day. Fluorocarbon is another choice. It sinks so baits run deeper. It is more abrasion resistant than mono. Mono however is suppler than fluorocarbon so knots are easier to tie. Flu0rocarbon has a refractive index very close to freshwater which means it is practically invisible in water. However, fluorocarbon is expensive when compared to mono. However fluorocarbon is resistant to UV rays making it last much longer than mono. The new kid on the block is leaders make out of Kevlar. Kevlar is 5x stronger than steel. It is very fast sinking and abrasion resistant. It has superior knot strength than either mono or fluorocarbon and you do not have to use crimps. Kevlar has practically zero stretch. However, Kevlar is not UV resistant and can easily be seen in the water.

I have used all of types of leaders mentioned above. For my upcoming trip to Suriname, I am making numerous leaders out of 300lbs Kevlar. However, I have used 300lbs mono leaders for golden dorado and have yet to have one fail me. So the choice is yours. I recommend becoming familiar with all 4 types of leaders and put them to use in different locations depending on size and type of fish you are seeking.

UNINI RIVER-AMAZON

Rumors are spreading within the peacock bass community of a possible opening of the Rio Unini.The Unini was closed in 2008 to sportfishing by the Brazilian government. In early 2000's the Unini was known as the water of peacock bass monsters with many peacocks exceeding the magical 20lbs mark. The Unini is a tributary of the Rio Negro located approximately 210 miles northwest of Manaus. This river is approximately 200 miles long with numerous connecting lakes and lagoons. The Unini is a black water river which holds no mosquitoes due to the tannic acid environment. In January 2001, I along with a few other friends were one of the first groups to fish the Unini under the direction of Dr. Jon Wilt. Dr. Jon was a pioneer in peacock bass fishing building such outstanding lodge such as Ecotur Park on the Agua Boa, the Itapara, and then the Unini. I have not heard anything on Dr. Jon for a few years. He and his wife built 2 hospitals in the town of Boa Vista where they were doing research on stomach cancer using bark off of certain trees in the Amazon. While fishing the Unini, we encountered high water which is a minus when peacock bass fishng as the baitfish flee into the protection of the jungle thus followed by the peacocks. However, I was able to land my 2 largest peacocks in my 20 years with a 231/2 lbs and 22lbs both caught on giant woodchoppers within 5 minutes of each other. Should the Unini rumors of reopening to sportfishing be true, you can bet bookings will be expensive and fill rapidly as peacock bass fishermen are some of the most die hard fishermen on earth and would do practically anything for a decent shot at a 20lbs peacock. So keep tuned for more news on this rumor!

OWNER- JOBU BIG GAME HOOKS

When planning International Fishing trip, a key question arises such as which type of hooks should be used. For my upcoming trip to the remote Amazon jungles of Suriname, I have to find a hook which can hold up to the enormous power of monster catfish species such as the Jau, Lau Lau, Pirarara, and Piraiba. Hopefully we are able to hook up to cats in excess of 200lbs. After numerous phone calls and reviewing postings on the Internet, the Owner Jobu Big Game hook was highly recommended. The large J-hook is ideal for battling the meanest, strongest fish on earth! The Jobu features XX heavy forged shank and deep throat bend. As with any outstanding Owner hook, it has razor sharp cutting point with black rust proof finish. The hook is pricey however. It comes in sizes 7/0 to 12/0. So, before you are off to catch the fish of your dreams, the last item you want to fail is hooks! Do your homework and ask around for recommendations.