Trumbull Lake

restoration

Driftbusters begin

membership drive

Trolling on ice

January 2013

OUTDOORCONNECTION

When I first movedto northwestIowa back in

1978, one of the lakes Iwould frequent, especially inthe winter, was TrumbullLake located south of Terril.The 1,200-acre lake wasprime for catching jumboperch in the winter, and dur-ing the summer, my son andI would fish it for northernpike.

At that time, TrumbullLake was also excellent forwaterfowl. However, overthe years Trumbull Lakebegan to suffer from poorwater quality and a fisherythat became dominated bycommon carp. Waterfowluse also significantlydeclined.

Yet all you have to do is goback to 1916 when the StateHighway Commission madethis statement aboutTrumbull Lake. “Trumbullis a clear open body ofwater, five feet in depth. Thebeaches are covered in grav-el. Fishing has always beenconsidered good, and manybig pickerel as well as quan-tities of smaller fish are

taken during the season. Theshooting is good: the outly-ing sloughs and shelteredbays afford both shelter andfeeding places for wild-fowl.”

Now, nearly 95 years later

the lake was nothing but aturbid shallow water lakethat offered little recreation-al benefit to anyone. Thenthis past spring, with thesupport of area residents, theIowa DNR began a partialwater drawdown similar toone done a few years ago atWest Swan Lake locatedsoutheast of Estherville.That drawdown helped bringback aquatic vegetationalong the shoreline helpingimprove water quality andfish and wildlife habitat atWest Swan, and the goal

was for that same thing tohappen at Trumbull Lake. Itwouldn’t take care of every-thing like a total drawdownwould, but it would help.

Low and behold, MotherNature took over and withthe drought-like conditions,an extended drawdownoccurred, making it a drylake basin, which, accordingto Mike Hawkins, IowaDNR fisheries biologistheadquartering out of theSpirit Lake Hatchery, givesthe stakeholders the chanceto totally restore the lake.Hawkins, who has beeninstrumental in working onseveral successful shallowlake restoration projects innorthwest Iowa, saysTrumbull Lake was on thelong range restoration plan,but the recent drought makesthis the right time.

“Trumbull has an enor-mous watershed so we needto take advantage of thisopportunity that MotherNature is granting us torecharge the marshes andimprove the lake by gettingplants to return and to elimi-nate the carp,” notedHawkins. The TrumbullLake watershed includes48,552 acres in a four coun-ty area: Clay, Emmet,Dickinson and Palo Altocounties. This is a 42 to 1watershed to lake arearation, which is huge. Withthe huge watershed hascome sedimentation issues.In 2012, the ISU LimnologyLab stated that 12 inches ofsediment has built up on thelakebed since 1894.

Bryan Hellyer, wildlifebiologist for the DNR,echoed Hawkins’ assess-ment. “This could be a bless-ing in disguise. While thingsdidn’t go as planned with thedrawdown, we now have anopportunity to reset the lake-marsh system and go from ashallow lake with murkywater and no vegetation to

one that benefits waterfowl,shorebirds, and all kinds ofwetland wildlife with emer-gent and submergent vegeta-tion. That’s exciting.”

At a public meeting heldon October 23 at theDickinson County NatureCenter, Hawkins shared thevision for restoringTrumbull Lake. The restora-tion plans begin this comingspring. First, Hawkins noted,is the need to dig a channelin the early spring to keepthe lakebed dry. This willgive a greater chance foraquatic vegetation to takehold during the critical latespring period and for lakebottom compaction to occur.

“Trumbull Lake has beenin a dismal state for years. Ithas a history of some boomand bust cycle of fishing, butmostly poor fishing and poorwater quality. What thisproject should do is improvethe water quality and makethe fishery more consistent,”Hawkins said.

Water quality stats supportthe poor water quality state-ment. It all begins with anincredibly high phosphoruslevel that is typically more

than double that of otherpublic lakes. Phosphorus isthe leading cause of algaeblooms that cause very poorwater clarity, which in turnleads to a lack of aquaticvegetation (which helpincrease water clarity). “Allof the information we haveshows that Trumbull Lakewas a healthier lake histori-cally,” says Hawkins. “Thisproject should pushTrumbull Lake back in theright direction. Phosphoruswill get locked up in aquaticplant life instead of algaeand green water.”

When all of the work iscompleted, Trumbull Lakewill be carp-free for the firsttime since carp were intro-duced over 100 years ago.“We have eliminated all ofthe carp in the lake itself,and Round Lake, and wealso surveyed the creek forsigns of carp,” addsHawkins.

“Even though this projecthas gotten a jump start, wedon’t want to forget theother important parts of ahealth lake,” says Hawkins.“For a lake to be trulyhealthy, its watershed (land

that drains to the lake) mustbe healthy.”

According to Hawkins,that takes landowners prac-ticing good land use prac-tices, key wetland restora-tions and addressing bankerosion in drainage ditches.“Most watershed workbegins long before work atthe lake takes place, butMother Nature didn’t careabout our schedule!” So, asthe lake restoration takesplace, conservation profes-sionals from the four-countyarea will discuss the incen-tives and programs thatlandowners can participatein to help ensure the proj-ect’s long-term success.

The restoration planincludes allowing the lake toslowly refill beginning inJune, which will allow thenew vegetation to get a goodstart. If conditions are right,the timeline for completionlooks like this. “We wouldlike to have the water levelscome up as the vegetationgrows and have the lake fullby late summer. Stockingyellow perch and northernpike will begin in the springof 2014.”

2-Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, Jan. 4, 2013

STEVEWEISMANOUTDOOR EDITOR

Trumbull Lake on its way toward restoration

Aerial view shows only a little sheet water left by late summer. Photo by Mike Hawkins

This map shows the immensity of the Trumbull Lakewatershed.

BY MARK OLSONSTEWARDSHIP TIPS EDITOR

Editor’s note: Each month the OutdoorConnection tab will feature a column byRecycled Fish, a nonprofit organizationfounded by Teeg Stouffer in 2003.Originally a Catch and Release educationorganization, it is now a national movementof anglers who live and promote a lifestyleof stewardship both on and off the water.

Have you been in a position where fishwill come to your bait quickly or check itout several times before leaving? Ice Teammember and renowned guide Jim Hudsonhas, and he notes “when fish are movingaggressively, coming in two or three times,and you are seeing this from multiple fish –it’s time to hunker down and downsize abit.”

When targeting larger lake trout, Hudsonwill use 1/16-ounce jigs or small spoonssuch as the Forage, Buckshot, or MachoMinnow.

Since he is chasing larger fish, Hudson

uses tackle that can handle the quarry he isseeking even when using small jigs orspoons. He uses a stouter rod and Berkley’sNanoFil. Even though he uses 10-poundtest, the line still has a very thin diameterfor “stealth purposes.”

Selecting a line with a beefier test illus-trates one of our principles of SAFEAngling:

Use a rod, reel, and line matched to thefish

This will allow for a timely landing offish. Using a rod, reel, and line of appropri-ate strength for the fish you are seeking isresponsible conduct. It allows you to catch,control and land your fish safely.

When you use gear that is too light, yourun the risk of extending the fight andexhausting the fish. A fish builds up lacticacid during a fight and, without the properamount of oxygen, may not recover proper-ly. This could lead to delayed mortality.This is especially important on the ice

where you may have a limited amount ofspace to resuscitate your fish.

With many of the technologicallyadvanced fishing lines, an angler retains thestealthiness of lighter tackle while main-taining the advantages of a stronger line.Using a line that will allow you to land yourfish in a timely manner will reduce the

amount of lactic acid that builds up in thefish’s muscles, which, in turn, will allowthe fish to recover more quickly andimprove post-release survival rates. Afterall, if we let 'em swim, we want to knowthey live, right?

We are more than sportsmen, We AreStewards.

When requests fordeer feces start-ed filling-up my

inbox, I began to questionmy profession. Why do mycolleagues seem so interest-ed in deer poop? Not onlywere there requests to col-lect deer feces, but I wasasked to bring the “pack-ages” to a conference.

At the conference, Ilearned what all the excretawas about. CWD orChronic Wasting Disease isa neurological disease thataffects deer, elk, andmoose. An abnormal pro-tein referred to as a prionalters brain function andleads to a loss of appetite,extreme weight loss, excessurination, drooping earsand head, and loss of bodyfunctions.

The effects of CWD havebeen compared to MadCow disease. Unlike MadCow disease, CWD has notaffected humans.Neurological studies have

not proven whether trans-mission to humans is possi-ble.

Humans share the sameprotein that has been affect-ed in deer. That same pro-tein has been injected intomice to test whetherhumans may contract CWDand so far none of the micecarrying the human proteinhave acquired CWD.

In 2002, CWD was iden-tified in the white-taileddeer populations ofWisconsin. CWD spread tothe remaining states thatborder Iowa. Not until2012 was CWD identifiedin Iowa.

A white-tailed deer at ahunting preserve in DavisCounty (Southeast Iowa)tested positive for the dis-ease in July. PottawattamieCounty also had a deer testpositive in a breeding facil-ity. The deer from DavisCounty and the deer fromPottawattamie County weretraced back to a breedingfacility in Cerro GordoCounty where a deer testedpositive for CWD.

Transmission of the dis-ease is believed to be trans-mitted through consump-tion of the abnormal pro-tein. Because deer are her-bivores, they consume thisprotein through grazingover contaminated soils.Infected deer may carry theabnormal protein for a longtime without showing anysymptoms. The diseaseappears to remain dormantuntil a threshold of abnor-mal protein is reached.

Why all the hubbub aboutdeer excrement? The prion

(abnormal protein) isexcreted by infected deerand can be found in theirfeces. Excrements of deerhave been tested to deter-mine at what level a deerbecomes infected and howit is spreading across Iowa.

Why do some deerbecome infected while oth-ers do not? Soil type mayhave more to do with trans-mission than the amount ofprion excreted. Clay soilcontaminated with aninfected deer’s feces mayprove more detrimentalthan a different soil type.

Researchers believe thatclay soil carrying theabnormal protein stays inthe digestion system longerallowing more time for pro-tein uptake.

While much remainsunknown about the trans-mission of CWD in deer,for the past decade peoplehave continued to hunt andconsume deer without anydetrimental health effects to

humans. This may beexplained by the fact thatmany hunters don’t con-sume the brain matter, eyes,spinal cord, or bone matterwhere the prion collects enmasse.

We may observe a rise inCWD across the state, butIowa DNR and the IowaDepartment of LandStewardship (IDALS) andstate veterinarians are pre-pared to limit exposure. Forthe past decade over42,550 wild deer and over4,000 captive deer havebeen tested and monitoredto survey CWD. Huntingconditions in NorthwestIowa remain unaffected byCWD.

Another disease thataffected deer this fall isEpizootic HemorrghagicDisease (EHD) or BlackTongue. The disease isspread by a biting midge. Adeer usually dies within 36hours after being bitten.Symptoms include high

fever and the heart, lungs,diaphragm and other inter-nal organs will weaken andhemorrhage. The deer seekswater to combat the feverand hemorrhaging. A deerthat dies from EHD orblack tongue may be foundalong a river or creek.

EHD is spread at watersources where the midgeshatch and deer gather todrink. During dry years,like 2012, more deer areforced to share water areasthus increasing the numberof infected deer. Heavyfrost helps kill the midgesthat spread EHD.

Rain also reduces contam-ination rates by providingmore watering areas fordeer to disperse to. Whiledeer numbers may declineduring drought years, deernumbers usually reboundwithin two years.

If you’re interested inlearning more about CWDor EHD, visit the IowaDNR website.

Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, Jan. 4, 2013-3

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Stewardship Tip – Match your tackle to your quarry

BY JASON MITCHELL

Editor’s note: JasonMitchell hosts the popularoutdoor program, JasonMitchell Outdoors whichairs across the Midwest onFox Sports North and FoxSport Midwest. In addition,Mitchell has earned arenowned reputation as atop walleye guide on NorthDakota's Devils Lake oftenguiding well over 250 dayson the water and ice eachseason.

Slow rolling walleyes thatdo not accelerate up to thelure and just nose in can befrustrating. Anybody whohas spent any time fishingfor walleyes can relate totimes when the fish almostappeared timid. Too high ofa lift or too hard of a poundresults in a sediment cloudas a hard tail flap scoots thefish away, when fish areturned off… we can actuallyscare them at times withlures.

Some days, walleyesmight bight during peaktimes and than get turned offas the sun gets higher, othersituations that shut down abite might be a change inweather or fishing pressure.These fish can still becaught and an angler canstill salvage a great day onthe ice if you make someadjustments and really knowhow to read your Vexilar.

There are a few ways totackle these tough critters;honed down jigging tech-niques and dead sticking.

The key with jigging inthis situation is getting thelure to bob or rock in a slowswimming motion. Smallspoons like NorthlandTackle Forage Minnows areexcellent. Another go toweapon is actually one ofmy favorite panfish jigs…the largest size Hexi-Fly.Swim the lure like youwould for panfish. Using thesmall, subtle stuff alsorequires some lighter actionrods and lighter three to sixpound test line so that therod tip loads up slightly. Thebights are often distinguish-able by just some extraweight or the absent of jigweight, that feeling of noth-ingness.

The ultimate rod for thissituation is our popular 28inch Jason Mitchell MeatStick which is a sandedglass blank that features afeather light tip that quicklyloads to some serious back-bone for setting the hook.Pair that rod with fourpound test Bionic Braid sothat you have more leverageon the hook set with lessstretch. When working thejig up or down, slow is thegame. Slowly swim the jigup but a killer move on thesefish is a slow free fall back

down.With the Hexi-Fly, I like to

tip them with just a minnowhead or sometimes a gob ofwax worms. With spoons,minnow heads are an optionbut I picked up a really use-ful trick from Ice Team Pro,Jeff Andersen on Mille Lacsa few winters back.Andersen often pinches theminnow off about half wayback so that the air bladdercauses the minnow to ridehorizontal on the hook.Andersen theorizes that onreally tough bites, the hori-zontal minnow is easier forfish to inhale when theynose up and flare on theminnow. I have used thehalf minnow trick since withgreat success on tough fish.

The other option is deadrods or set lines. Again, thesoft tip of the 28 inch MeatStick makes the rod a gooddead stick weapon. Jigs witha wide gap hook like theclassic Northland Fireballare tough to beat. Ice TeamPro, Keith Kavajecz showedme a wrinkle in the dead rodgame recently on Lake ofthe Woods that was deadlyeffective for him. Kavajeczdead hooks a large minnowthrough the skull and thanhooks a small minnow aliveon top of the dead minnow.

There is something to that

4-Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, Jan. 4, 2013

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TACKLING TOUGH WALLEYES

The author, Jason Mitchell shares a few finesse tactics that can trigger reluctantwalleyes on a tough bite.

Photo submittedTurn to WALLEYES, Page 5

BY STEVE WEISMANOUTDOOR EDITOR

Snow, yes! That was the col-lective feeling of snowmobil-ers across northwest Iowa asthe first real snowfall of theyear accompanied by strongnorthwest winds filled areaditches. Then came the 27thand another 2-3 inches offluffy snow arrived.

After last year’s pretty much“brown” landscape, the snowbrought a sense of hope thiswould be a “good snowmo-bile” winter.

With all of the excitementabout the newly fallen snow,the Emmet CountyDriftbusters, the local snow-mobile club, will be holdingits annual membership driveon Jan. 7 at J & KSnowmobiles in Esthervillefrom 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

According to TysonEnerson, Driftbuster leadersare hoping that the snow willget snowmobilers fired up andinterested in joining the club.The club’s mission is to pro-mote snowmobiling, bringpeople together to enjoy thesport and the camaraderie thatcomes with it. Looking on theEmmet County Driftbusterfacebook page, one of theirmembers said during one ofthe recent snows, “It’s snow-ing, yah! Keep it coming!”

Enerson said, “Our January7 get-together will includelots of talk about snowmobil-ing and ideas for club activi-

ties this winter. We encourageanybody interested in snow-mobiling to come on out.We’ll have chili, chicken noo-dle soup and sandwiches.”

Cost for an individual mem-bership is $25, while a familymembership costs $30.

The membership drive isextremely important notesEnerson. “We currently havearound 25 members. The

more members we can get, thebetter opportunity there willbe for us to get funding foradding new snowmobile trailsand improving the existingtrails, along with money for agroomer.”

An activity that has beenpopular in the past and willagain be offered this year willbe a youth ride. In the past,the club members have ridden

down to the Emmet CountyNature Center, ridden trailsdown there and topped it offwith a barbecue.

“We want to get kids inter-ested, so we encourage adultsto bring their kids ou,” saidEnerson. “We also invitethose who are between 12-15and have their snowmobileeducation certificate to joinus.“

Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, Jan. 4, 2013-5

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DRIFTBUSTERS PREPARE FOR MEMBERSHIP DRIVEWALLEYES, Continued from Page 4big/small minnow combination through the icethat really triggered reluctant fish. Besidesadding bulk, the dead minnow adds weight andreally limits the mobility of the smaller minnowso that the whole package can only roll andsquirm in place. When a fussy walleye moves in,the minnow can’t swim away. I have alsopinched off the tails of minnows and have hadsuccess with that.

Making the minnow a slow easy target is onestrategy, the other strategy is to use lively shin-ers, chubs or rainbows in an attempt to trigger anaggressive response. When trying to triggeraggression with live minnows, a plain hook andsplit shot is still often the ticket. Some folks usesmall treble hooks with success but my best setup remains a size four long shank Aberdeenhook, taking the minnow and knicking the hideright behind the gill on the side of the minnowwith the hook point facing towards the head ofthe minnow. That particular hook has enoughbend and shank where the minnow doesn’t tearoff very easy and the batting average with hooksets on fish seems better.

If you are missing fish with dead rods, one trickI would often share with people when I was guid-ing was to simply set the hook with the reel.When the rod tip drops, pick up the rod and spinthe reel handle until the rod really loaded andthan lift up on the fish. With dead rods, anothertrick that can work well at times is to hang theminnow a few feet higher than where the fish arecoming in. The higher minnow can be seen fromfurther away and when a fish would raise thathigh to look the minnow over, they typically ateit.

All of these techniques and tips can work won-ders for tackling tough walleyes. Typically, thesetactics are a last resort when more aggressive tac-tics fail to produce fish. Often, we look for fishand break down water with aggressive tactics butsometimes need to switch gears when times aretough. Passive or subtle presentations can com-pliment the more aggressive fishing strategieswhen conditions dictate.

BY MARK STRAND

From one section of a laketo another, winter water clar-ity differences can be detect-ed, says Dave Genz. Subtle,but noticeable. Riled-upwater leaves clues aboutpossible presence of shallow‘gills.

More and more, this seriesof ice fishing articles willfeature the latest thoughtsand theories developed byDave Genz as he spendsdarn near every winter dayon the ice somewhere. Noone ever has, or ever will,fish as much through the icein as many different statesand provinces – and nobodywill ever have the impact onthe sport that Genz has had.

What sets Genz apart goesbeyond the sheer number ofdays, weeks and months hespends seeking and catching

fish through the ice. He’s aone-of-a-kind talent, blessedwith the instincts and cre-ativity of an inventor, thetenacity of a real-worldtester.

Dave’s theories are worthhearing even in their earlystages, but he usuallydoesn’t bring something upuntil he’s seen it happenenough times that he’s start-ing to rely on it.

Such is the case with hislatest discovery leading himto shallow-water bluegillbites.

Conditions for ShallowGills

In his book, Bluegills!,Dave described his simpleand surefire method of pre-dicting bluegill location.Water clarity and weeds areeverything, he says. No mat-ter where they’re found, the

most important factor con-trolling bluegill location iswater clarity.

Think of all bluegill watersas clear, dirty, or somethingin between. If the water isdirty, there can be someshallow weed growth, butusually only extremely shal-low. Often, if the water isdirty, there are few or nowinter ‘gills in shallowwater.

If the water is clear – evenrelatively clear – there canbe good weed growth inshallow water. In some fish-eries, you’ll find winterweeds standing uprightdown to 8-12 feet. Those arethe prime candidates to holdshallow-water bluegills inwinter. But even if weeds aredying, laying down, perhapsonly rising a foot or so abovethe bottom, they can still

provide effective cover andabundant food.

Whether nice bluegills areusing shallow water andavailable cover depends onseveral factors. Here’s ahuge one: anywhere iceremains for more than abouta month, and snow piles upon that ice, limiting sunlightpenetration, formerly goodshallow weeds can die off,water temps can become toocold, and oxygen levels candip to the point that bluegillsand other fish scoot on out todeeper water.

But where the potentialexists for bluegills to beholding in shallow weeds,how do you know for surethat they’re there? The tradi-tional plan has always beento drill eleven million holes

in the ice, look down intothem, fish your brains out,keep moving, take a breatherwhen you can’t do it any-more and find what you canfind.

But what if there was away to make an initialassumption about whether‘gills are currently usingshallow weeds?

If you could make an edu-cated guess about that, youcould go forth with moreconfidence, knowing thatthere are likely rewards to behad if you stick with theshallow water. It would giveyou more energy to drillthose eleven million holes,which would help you avoidgiving up before you find agood pod of nice biters.

The Riled-Up Water

TheoryIn his travels, Genz has

seen a connection betweenwaters with varying clarityfrom one section to the next,and the occupation of shal-low water by big bluegills.

“Something I’ve experi-enced quite a few timesnow,” he begins, “is noticinga difference in water clarityfrom one end of a lake to theother. I can think of numbersof lakes where this hasoccurred. It might be a lakethat’s two miles long, andyou have one whole end of itthat’s a big flat, relativelyshallow. Based on the clarityof the lake as a whole, youknow what to expect whenyou start drilling holes (and

6-Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, Jan. 4, 2013

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If I had a dollar for everytime I heard the words,“There is not such thing assafe ice,”…I’d be a rich man.But if I heed those words, I’llalso be a safer man.

I’m not one of those guysthat can’t wait to get out ontothe ice. I watch the ice care-fully for weeks to see howthe lakes freeze before ven-turing out. I got wet once upto my waist. Far enough toknow I don’t ever want tohave my entire bodyimmersed in freezing coldwater.

To avoid that unpleasantexperience, I live by a fewrules on the ice.

Never be the leader. Followthe leader. However, justbecause someone has driventheir 4-wheeler or truck outbefore me doesn’t mean it’ssafe for me to follow.

Always drill your way outonto the ice. Never walk ordrive where you haven’tdrilled.

Stay away from points.They are classic areas where

currents can degrade the icefrom underneath. Or sunshining through onto a sandor rocky point may cause theice to melt dangerously thin.I always take a path way outaround shallow points that Iknow stick out into the lake.

Stay away from pressureridges. Ice breaks easily onthe low side of the ridge. Iwas fishing near a pressureridge once when a 30+ footchunk of ice broke. As theice sheet corrected, my shackand I and a friend flew atleast 6 inches in the air. Hadwe been closer, we couldhave been sucked under theice with no escape.

Always carry a minimalamount of safety equipment.

Rope is number one on thatlist. I hate the thought ofbeing on the ice when afriend or neighbor goesthrough and I can’t eventhrough a life line. I have 30foot of rope in the bottom ofeach of my portable shacks.

I also carry a pair of icepicks or nails to give me agrip to get out if I do fallthrough. Another must haveis a good pair of creepers orspikes on your boots. Thesewill save you the pain of afall. And possibly save you atrip to the emergency roomwith a broken bone or per-haps a concussion.

I think a certain level offear is healthy on the ice. Agreat deal of respect for theice is critical to be as safe asyou can be.

Remember: “There is nosuch thing as safe ice!”

Sponsors of JTG Expeditionsinclude Great Lakes Marine andSkeeter Boats, Eagle Claw, Purefishing, Ice Force, Otter, Dura LiftBoat Hoists and the Dry DockRestaurant and Four Season’sResort.

Be safe out there

JOHNGROSVENORJTG EXPEDITIONS

Riled-up water and shallow bluegills

Turn to BLUEGILLS, Page 7

Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, Jan. 4, 2013-7

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looking down them).“But if the bluegills are in

there using those shallowweeds, the water in thoseplaces seems to be dirtier(than it is in other areas ofthe same lake). Even whenthe weeds are mostly down,the fish can be in there, usingthem, hiding in them, feed-ing in them.

“The bluegills can be run-ning around in what’s left ofthose weeds. They getchased in and out by thepike, and that riles up thewater and causes it to be dirt-ier that it would be if thosefish weren’t in there.”

It’s not the differencebetween super clear andsuper dirty water, stressesGenz. The differences aresubtle, but noticeable ifyou’re paying close atten-tion. “That slightly lesserclarity,” he notes, “is a cluethat shallow bluegills are inthat lake.”

Timing the BiteOnce you know or suspect

bluegills are using shallowwater, pick a day with lowbarometric pressure tosearch for catchable fish.When those high-pressure,bluebird days come alongand you’re squinting to seeanything, “they bury downin the weeds farther,”explains Genz, “whichmakes them less accessible.”

If you’re going to drilleleven million holes andhope to come away with a

good catch, choose one ofthose softer, cloudier days oflow pressure. Under thoseconditions, working hardacross vast riled-up flats,your efforts are much morelikely to be rewarded.

Editor’s Note: Dave Genz,

known as Mr. Ice Fishing,was the primary driver of themodern ice fishing revolu-tion. He has been enshrinedin the National Fresh WaterFishing Hall of Fame andMinnesota Fishing Hall ofFame for his contributions to

When conditions are right – fairly clear water andavailable weeds – nice bluegills can be found in shal-low water under the ice. A cutting edge clue DaveGenz has been looking for: riled-up water on shallowflats.

Photo: davegenz.com

BLUEGILLS, Continued from Page 6

Iowa residents may begin purchas-ing hunting and fishing licenses for2013 on Dec. 15. License feesremain unchanged for 2013. The lastincrease for a hunting license was in2002, and for fishing license was2003.

2012 licenses are valid throughJan. 10, 2013.

Starting Jan. 1, hunters and anglerswill have new licenses from which tochoose, including:

Bonus Line License – allowingresident and nonresident anglers tofish with one additional line (the reg-ular fishing license allows two), for$12.

Outdoor Combo License –annualresident hunting/fishing/habitat

combo license for $47.Angler’s Special – a three-year

fishing license (for 2013 license pur-chases, it will expire Jan. 10, 2016)for $53.

Hunter’s Special – a three-yearhunting license with habitat included(for 2013 license purchases, it willexpire Jan. 10, 2016) for $86.

These new license offerings weredeveloped based on results from alicense buyer survey that helped theDNR identify customer needs. Thenew licenses offer time saving con-venience of purchasing a bundledlicense, lessens the worry aboutexpiring every year and expandsfishing opportunities with a newthird line option.

HUNTERS AND FISHERMENGIVEN NEW CHOICES FOR 2013

8-Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, Jan. 4, 2013

BY BOB JENSENFISHING THE MIDWEST FISHING

TEAM

Most anglers know thattrolling is an effective wayto present a bait to fish in thesummer. Trolling on the icemay sound like a strangething, but once you under-stand what "trolling on ice"is all about, you'll under-stand why it's an effectiveway to present a bait towalleyes, perch, crappies,and anything else that youmight want to catch. Here ishow and why you troll onice.

I was first introduced totrolling on ice by TonyRoach several years ago onLake Mille Lacs in centralMinnesota. Tony is an out-standing ice-angler andguide who works hard to gethis clients on fish. MilleLacs is a huge body of waterwith lots of places to catchwalleyes and perch throughthe ice, but you've got to beon the fish to catch them.Trolling on the ice increasesyour odds of showing yourbait to more fish, and themore fish that see your bait,the better your chance ofgetting bit.

When Tony hits the ice inthe morning, he knows whatarea he wants to fish. Withthe help of a GPS and amapping chip, he's able tosee exactly where the bot-tom contours are. Then,keeping an eye on the map,he can drill holes along theedge of the drop-off or alongor on any structure he wantsto.

After drilling some holes,he checks the depth of thearea to make sure his holesare where he wants them tobe. After confirming that theholes are where they shouldbe, his anglers start fishing.

The series of holes is con-sidered the "trolling pass".Once you get your trolling

pass set up, it's just a matterof moving from hole to holeuntil you find a hot hole. Putthe transducer for yoursonar in the hole, drop a baitto the bottom, and watch forfish life. If you don't seesomething within five min-utes, "troll" to the next hole.

A stop at the bait shop onyour way to the lake is usu-ally a good idea. Get someminnows or snacks or some-thing and ask about hot baits.Try to get an idea what baitshave been working the best.

Let's say you hear thatBuck-Shot Rattle Spoonshave been producing. That'snot unusual: Buck-ShotRattle Spoons usually dowork. Let's also say that youheard that the Golden Perchcolor has been best. Youmight as well start with aGolden Perch Buck-ShotRattle-Spoon in the appro-priate size.

If fish come in and look atbut don't bite that bait, try adifferent jigging action,slower or faster. Try pound-ing it on the bottom.Sometimes that gets thefish's attention. If that does-n't work, try a differentcolor. If that doesn't work,try a different size. Stillnothing, try a completelydifferent bait, maybe some-thing with a slower or fasterfall.

Most anglers, whentrolling on the ice, use aportable shelter for their"boat". The portables fromFrabill are as good as it gets.They're comfortable to fishfrom, and they have lots ofroom so you can get plentyof equipment in them.

If you want to catch morefish this winter, try trollingon ice. Once you do, you'llsee why this approach is soeffective.

TROLLING ON ICE

Mr. Walleye Gary Roach trolls on ice to cover more areaand to catch more fish.

Photo by Bob Jensen

BY LEE A. SCHOENEWE

Editor’s Note: Here are the results for theNorthern Iowa Prairie Lakes AudubonSociety’s (Dickinson County) bird countheld on Saturday, December 15 in conjunc-tion with the National Audubon Society’s2012 Christmas Bird Count.

This year’s count was a record 73 specieswell past the prior record of 67. A welcomerain overnight mostly subsided by daybreakand mild temperatures with light wind,some fog and open water on West LakeOkoboji and several other lakes as well asthe Little Sioux River and Milford Creekattracted lots of birds.

Snow and cold to the north brought a newpush of waterfowl migrants, and we had 23species of ducks and geese including, forthe first time ever, all five goose species.High counts of 41,340 Canada Geese, 597Cackling Geese plus six Snow Geese, fiveRoss’ Geese and one Greater White-frontedGoose gave us the quintuple.

Other waterfowl singletons were WoodDuck, Gadwall, American Widgeon,Northern Pintail, and Green-winged Teal.

There were eight Trumpeter Swans withone at the north end of West Lake Okobojiand just for Christmas, seven “swans aswimming” at Miller’s Bay.

Other notables were:■ 33 Greater Scaup■ 1 Gray Partridge (although I still

haven’t seen one this year)■ 1 Horned Grebe■ 1 American White Pelican■ 1 Double-crested Cormorant■ 2 Rough-legged Hawks■ 1 Red-headed Woodpecker at a feeder■ 2 Northern Shrikes

■ 1 Horned Lark (found in the open coun-tryside)

■ 3 Harris Sparrows■ 1 Yellow-headed Blackbird■ 37 Common Redpolls (all in the field)The only real misses that could be consid-

ered were American Kestrel, RustyBlackbird and Song Sparrow. A CommonLoon hanging on at Spirit Lake this pastweek expired as ice covered most of thelake including the loon’s location.

Thanks to Carole and Wendell at BirdHaven for coordinating the feeder countthis year and to the intrepid field parties forbraving damp and drizzly conditions to findthe good birds that were out there.

Merry Christmas to all, and may the birdsbe with you in 2013!!

Results of the 2012Christmas Bird Count

While the waters of Smith Bay filledwith Canada geese prior to the recentfreeze, the species was still prevalentin the area during the 2012 ChristmasBird Count.

Photo by Steve Weisman

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