fishing – Page 2 – Fishing Iowa and the Midwest

Lunch Break Bass Fishin’

September 4, 2019September 5, 2019 TeamOGTH

I have been fortunate to work for the same nonprofit organization for the last 13 years. My “reel” job is fun, but if you know me, you know fishing is my passion.

When I first started I found out there was a pond within a few hundred steps from the back door. I fished it off and on over the course of 10 years and didn’t have much luck catching large fish. About three years ago I started fishing it more regularly, especially over my lunch break.

Jump ahead to this year and if you follow my social channels you see that I fish it at least once a week if not three times per week. I have found the “hot spots” and am very lucky to be able to spend my lunch breaks fishing.

On my side of the pond I’ve found every tree, stick or rock a fish could live on. In the spring I had good luck on blue/black jigs with a blue/black craw for a trailer. I’ve also come to love chatterbaits.

Throughout the summer, depending on the day, I continued to catch fish on a variety of baits including: lipless cranks, spinner baits, swim jigs and wacky rigged senkos.

More recently the fish are in a seasonal transition and I’ve had to slow things down with a Texas rigged craw and slow cranking a chatterbait.

Overall I’ve been really happy with how the fish in the pond have grown with plenty of bait fish like bluegill and crappie. As the fish slow down for the fall I look forward to catching some big mamas next spring.

Thanks for following along this spring and summer. I’m not giving up on fall fishing, but things may slow down.

In the meantime, enjoy these photos of my favorite fish, the largemouth bass, from April-September of this year!

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Multi-Species Angling in Iowa

August 26, 2019 TeamOGTH

One of the great things about fishing in the Des Moines River system is the chance to catch a variety of fish. From bluegill and bass to catfish and drum, they are live in the lakes and river and it seems like some days they will bite anything.

On this particular day my old man and I were targeting white bass (which are damn good to eat if you clean off the red meat), and we ended up finding some good size fish along with some nice channel catfish. We hadn’t had a day like this on this particular lake for a few maybe ten years. It was great to see the number of fish and see other boats catching fish.

We ended up cleaning 38 white bass and 5 catfish. That should give my old man a nice mess of fish to put in his freezer.

Check out the video below for the full day of fish catches!

fishing

Take a Kid Fishing • Hudson Sets New Personal Bests

June 12, 2019 TeamOGTH

I recently had the opportunity to take my good friend Mike and his son Hudson out on the boat for a day of bass fishing. I had been on the ice plenty of times with Hudson, but this was the first time in a boat. Let me tell you…this kid is a riot and one hell of a fisherman.

I’m not going to lie, he struggled a little bit when we first started. It got me thinking about when I first began bass fishing. Fishing with Texas-rigged baits and jigs is tougher than cranks. It takes a special skill and it is more of an art. Definitely something that takes practice and I’ve done it for nearly 30 years and I still miss fish. Needless to say, Hudson finally got the hang of it and it was awesome.

There is something about watching kids excel at something they love, and Hudson definitely loves fishing.

As the day went on he gained more confidence and was able to land some beautiful bass and caught a surprise walleye. Walleyes like bass jigs if you didn’t know that. At the end of the day both Mike and I were pumped for Hudson as he had caught is personal best largemouth bass and walleye.

Check out the video below and when you get the chance…TAKE A KID FISHING!

fishing

Heading Out to the Farm

February 19, 2019February 19, 2019 TeamOGTH

If there is one thing Iowa has a lot of it is farm ponds. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to fish a few in my day, but gaining access to them is not always easy. This particular pond is smaller in size, but is often mighty when it comes to the fish catches.

With only a few hours to fish, this pond was perfect and we had some insight on to where the fish were located or had been caught over the past couple weeks. I don’t want to say this pond is over populated, but it does need a few fish taken out of it and that is why we kept a few fish on this trip.

Thank you to Mike and Hudson for a fun morning of fishing. If you have the chance and have the ability and access, fish a farm pond…more often than not you catch some fish.

Check out the video below from our morning of fishing.

fishing

Iowa Crappies

February 18, 2019February 18, 2019 TeamOGTH

Mike and I headed out and in search of walleyes and stumbled upon some crappies. In all reality we had only fished the lake a couple of times in the past and had high hopes. No walleye, but some nice crappies.

It was a fun day of catching crappies on rippin’ raps…with Mikes 3 pound bass as the kicker.

Check out the video below for a day of fun and fishin’!

fishing

South Dakota or BUST

February 13, 2019February 13, 2019 TeamOGTH

When we booked our 2019 trip back in the late summer of 2018, we didn’t know what to expect, but we did know we would be fishing with Marcus Quam and Reel Therapy Guide Service.

We had fished with Marcus the year prior for a day and knew he was pretty damn good for the area. Fishin’ Friend, Mike Vroegh, fished with him this past summer and set the world on fire. There was no doubt we would schedule him for our trip this year.

So months past and finally the day came to hit the road to South Dakota. The 442 mile trip is easy, nearly all four lane interstate and highway. So I picked up Mike and Laramie in Bondurant, then Tyler in Ankeny. In sub-zero temperatures the truck was rolling (we hit -25 degrees at one point). We made it to Webster in a little over 7 hours and spent the rest of the night preparing our gear for the next 3 days.

After some sleep and dreaming of giant perch and walleyes the alarm clocks blaring, Marcus and Eric were outside ready to roll. Day 1 we headed off the beaten path to fish a lake that had not been receiving a lot of pressure. We had 4 guys in our group, planning to fish with Eric, but Marcus only had 2 guys in his SnoBear. These guys from Nebraska graciously said that one of us could join them. I volunteered and it was awesome fishing with Mark and Matt.

It was great fishing all day. Not fast, but big perch.

Day 2 – We had the same group of 6 guys rolling in 2 SnoBears for the second day. Mike fished with the Nebraska boys and I had the chance to fish in Eric’s SnoBear with Laramie and Tyler. We headed back to the same lake and thought it would be on fire. The sun was out, temperature rising, but damn it was a tough day. We really had to work for the perch we caught and moved around. If a spot was hot that day it only had 3-4 fish, but they were still big fat “footballs”.

Day 3 – We headed east to a new lake and were planning to fish with our group of 4 in Eric’s SnoBear and a flip-over shack in tow. We were on the move all day and it turned out to be a good one.

Thanks again to all for a great trip and check out the video below for some highlights and fish catches!

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New Fishing Spot Using Google Maps

January 14, 2019 TeamOGTH

One of the best parts of fishing is finding a “new” spot. A few weeks ago I was searching Google Maps and found a few new areas and one I stumbled upon was relatively close to a pond I had fished in the past. This new pond is kind of secluded and is about 1/2 mile hike from the road.

On this particular afternoon I had a couple hours to kill and knew I needed to check this pond out. With fresh snow on the ground I had my opportunity to get the small sled and pull my equipment to the pond. I knew it was going to be a hike, but what I didn’t know it is all up hill. After a ten minute hike with my sled in tow I reached the pond only to find it still had open water. Disappointed at first, I soon came to my senses and realized this pond is going to be something special, but it will have to wait for safe ice.

Check out the short video for my afternoon adventure.

Family, Life

What’s in a Knife?

November 26, 2018November 26, 2018 TeamOGTH

Whether you hunt, fish or you are a person of the outdoors, a knife can save your life, but more importantly a knife can tell a story.

My favorite knife is this Swiss Army knife. I use it regularly to open a package, tighten a screw or cut fishing line.

This knife belonged to my grandfather, LaVern Zunkel. He was born May 24, 1923, in Boone County, the son of Clifford and Marie Elliott Zunkel. He was a graduate of Ogden high school and in 1944 entered the United States Army, serving with the 90th Infantry Division during World War II. He was honorably discharged in 1946 and received the good conduct ribbon, European Theatre Ribbon, two Battle Stars, a Victory Ribbon and a Combat Infantry Badge.

On November 25, 1948 he married my grandmother, Beverly. For those that remember LaVern and Beverly, they were the sweetest little couple and I’m thankful to have grown up with them being a big part of my life.

Grandpa passed in 2001 and Grandma passed in 2008. It wasn’t long after grandma passed that we were going through different things and I came upon this knife. I’d never really carried a knife, but I thought this was something that would be great to hold on to remembering my grandfather.

Since 2008, this knife has made it’s home in my right pocket. I’ve carried other knives, but it isn’t the same as carrying this red Swiss Army knife.

The funny thing is I’ve lost several other knives over the past decade, but I’ve never lost this one. Sure I’ve misplaced it a time or two, but it always shows back up. Most recently, I misplaced it…I wasn’t mad it was more of a sadness. The weird part is I had a feeling it would show back up. And guess what…I was cleaning out my closet and there it was under a pile of dirty laundry.

This knife to me is not a knife, it is a piece of me and a part of my grandfather that I will always carry. This knife has a story from an Iowa farm boy, a WWII veteran, a father and a grandfather.

fishing

Fish of a Lifetime?

November 19, 2018 TeamOGTH

Some say the Muskie is a fish of a lifetime. I do agree, but this one was only pushing 10lbs. I’m not disagreeing, it is a nice fish.

I know there are bigger ones swimming in this lake because I’ve seen them caught, and I was lucky. I was fishing for walleye this cold fall day and it hit my 3/8 oz lead head and 4 inch twister.

I’m not going to complain, it put up a great fight, but was it a fish of a lifetime? I’m going to say NO. A 30 plus pound Muskie is a fish of a lifetime.

Until next…tight lines and fish on!

fishing, ice fishing

Stay Safe…Be Smart This Ice Fishing Season

November 13, 2018December 15, 2020 TeamOGTH

As the temperatures drop and ponds/lakes begin to freeze, we all get a little excited to get on the ice. Across the ice belt, anglers will be prepping their gear and patiently waiting to hit their hot spots. Every winter we hear of anglers going through the ice whether it be walking or driving.

Here are a few tips to keep you safe this winter:

Always carry your ice picks
Always carry rope
On early ice be sure to carry your spud bar and check conditions every few yards
Stay light…if you don’t need all of your gear, leave some of it on land
When possible…take your buddy, but don’t walk too close together, especially on early or late ice
If you are unsure of conditions check with a local bait shop or your local DNR office

Below is a chart which gives you some guidelines as far as ice thickness