Fishing Secrets - Catch More Fish, Catch Bigger Fish

Nice dorsal fin.

Nothing better than dry, warm feet.

Hooks can not penetrate the orange glove you see. Medium size small mouth are the most dangerous for getting you hooked and on the way to the hospital.

Northern are usually aggressive fish.

Perch.

Nursing the fish by moving him back and forth in the water to allow the water to go through his gills to give him oxygen and revive him.

Success.

There he goes gliding away from the boat heading for the bottom.

The 37 inch musky Tom caught was laying under this tree.

Looking for another good fishing spot.

The more walleye the better. Where is your big brother?

I need better clothes for these pictures.

Our pier in front of our cabin.

We needed the bigger ruler for this one.

The secrets we learned fishing in Michigan:

• tie your line directly to the lure.
• put new line on every year, six or eight pound test.
• fish the shoreline. Big fish can often be found in six inches of water six inches from shore.
• fish by fallen trees and cast along piers. Bass love to hang out under a pier.
• fish at the edge of weed lines.
• fish rocky points.
• fish drop offs.
• change lures, find the pattern. One day they will be mostly be going after one color.
• have four rigs set up before you go out. Two different sizes of floating Rapalas, a shad rap in gold to go deeper, and a Mepps spinner.
• after catching a large fish, or after catching several fish, cut off about ten feet of line. NEVER throw discarded line in the water.
• have backups, replacement hooks, extra lures of the colors that work. Red hooks were good this year.
• expect to lose some lures; some snags can't be retrieved, they are too deep or too high in a tree, some swim off with the fish after the line breaks.
• when you have a big fish on keep the line taunt, the rod up, the drag set so the fish can take out line, don't let the fish see the net, put the net in the water in front of the fish, he will swim into it, avoid letting the fish get around the motor
• learn to work with an electric trolling motor so you can work the shorelines
• catch, take a picture and release
• have what you need in the boat so you can stay out and fish; clothes and hats for hot weather, cold weather, and rainy weather; Gortex waterproof shoes are one of our best investments
• lunkers love night crawlers, so do little fish; fish instead with artificials
• the important thing with lures is size, shape, color, and presentation; find the lures that work for you
• part of the fun of fishing for us is keeping records of the fish we catch each year; the species, the size in inches, the lure, the lake, the weather conditions, and the person that caught them