Monthly Archives: February 2018

Alaska Ice Fishing Update

By: Dustin Slinker Early ice season in South Central Alaska was tougher than normal due to erratic weather patterns. However, as winter winds down conditions are improving and we are now on solid ice. With more than 20 inches of good ice on the majority of the lakes we’ve been on the fishing opportunities are […]

Learn to Make the Perfect Egg For Spring Chinook

By: Duane Inglin When fishing bait for steelhead I prefer dime size egg clusters. Meanwhile, when I get larger, more mature skeins I cure them for springers. Spring Chinook are finicky biters. These plump, juicy eggs that milk out well and emit a strong scent trail increase strikes. With springers combining multiple baits that springers […]

Learn to Brine Cut Bait: Catch More Trout

By: Jeff Goodwin Anchovies are one of the most overlooked baits when it comes to catching rainbows, browns, and King salmon in lakes and reservoirs. When properly prepared whole or filleted anchovies catch fish. Anchovies are rich with fish attracting oils and leave an awesome scent trail in the water when trolled and attached as […]

Steelies & Browns On Tap in Southeast Wisconsin

By: Kyle Deavers In Southeast Wisconsin this has been one of the better ice fishing seasons we’ve had catching brown trout in many years. Recently some steelhead have started to show too. With this week’s heavy rainfall more fresh steelhead are likely to arrive. We haven’t caught as many steelhead this winter as we are […]

Learn A Quick & Easy Steelhead Cure

By: Bob Kratzer The new age of egg curing has become more complicated. There are more steps and more ingredients. Meanwhile, if you ask an old time steelheader they would tell you to “just use borax cured eggs.” When I’m short on time and need to cure quality eggs I do something similar. Rather than […]

Learn to Fire Brine Shrimp For Ice Fishing

By: Dustin Slinker We are well into ice fishing season in North America and I continue to load up on bait. When packing my gear before setting out on an adventure to target multiple species I make a trip to the grocery store and pick up uncooked shell on tail on shrimp from the seafood […]

Splake Showing Now Through Ontario Ice

By: Tom Armstrong The Chartreuse Fire Dye minnow was practically glowing on the tube jig as I dropped it down beneath the ice in search of an aggressive splake. Cameras were rolling inches from my face as we attempted to film Pautzke Outdoors on a remote Northern Ontario lake. I was jigging the bait about […]

Big Milwaukee Browns Showing Through the Ice

By: Chris Shaffer I was prepared to wait. Wait for hours. That’s hours standing on 12 inches of ice and in single digit temperatures while watching our 12 Automatic Fisherman’s waiting for one to spring up. It was almost 6:50 am and the sun hadn’t beamed against the Milwaukee skyline yet. Meanwhile, five minutes passed […]

Fire Balls West Coast Test: Big Dave Manners Chimes In

By: Dave Manners I love using new stuff. Pautzke sent me the new Fire Balls in the fall and I was blown away with how good they looked, but needed to make sure the salmon and steelhead liked them, too. I was tipping my jigs with them while salmon fishing and catching fish. I was […]