Anyone in the market for a new fish finder? Well I've been looking and trying to find the perfect sonar/gps unit for awhile now...but my search maybe over. As a long time Lowrance fan, i'm a bit disappointed in the customer service and the products durability.
I've been talking with Johnson Outdoors...home of Minn Kota Motors, Humminbird Electronics, Lakemasters Maps, and Cannon Downriggers just to name a couple of there brands...
I'm anxious to use these Humminbird Sonar Units....I've been looking at the 800 & 900 series and talking with Tim Price of Johnson Outdoors, and I'm on board with the Humminbird brand. Both the units I'm looking at have GPS, 7 inch screen (horizontal), down imaging, and also side imaging...seems like more than I need, but the graphics are incredible and there unit price is better than others. The ease of these units is also a huge PLUS...very easy to see the temp., depth, and split screens. I think my favorite part is the customer service thus far...they answer emails, respond to my questions, talk honestly about there products at sportshows...I'm liking everything about Humminbird and there fish finder products.
I encourage everyone to give these units a GOOD luck...ask questions and I'm sure Humminbird has a unit for you!
As most of you know, I winter in White Bear Lake
and work as a paramedic. In early Jan. I was reading our local paper
and noticed an article on "Eco Jigs", a local company that is all about
glass jigs to reduce the amount of lead that goes into our lakes...
It
is a problem, but as fisherman we have so many GOOD jigs in our tackle
box, how could we ever part with them...I'm not asking anyone to part
with there box of jigs but these crazy looking glass jigs had me excited
with one look. I was thinking: will these break? Do they have the
same weight and size as a normal jig? I was so intrigued that after
reading the article and realizing the creator of Eco Jigs spends summers
on Kabetogama...I need to contact this guy.
I called the person
listed, and spoke with Brad Yaritz. Brad loves to fish, and he has a
passion for his new jigs and new tackle company called "Catch it Tackle
Co." He and I spoke about the glass jigs and he reassured me that they
"throw the jigs across a room and onto the floor" to test durability!
They are slightly bigger than lead jigs, but they do have them in the
standard weighted varieties. I visited Brad and his crew at the St.
Paul Sportshow with my boys...and I gotta say...I love the look of these
glass jigs. Yes, the cost a little more...but if you're looking to put
a few more walleyes over the side of your boat this summer take a look
at these glass jigs from Eco Jig. I'll be trying them out and I'll make
sure I give you some feed back!
Thanks to everyone that came fishing with us in 2011...we hope you had as much fun fishing Kabetogama or Namakan as we did. This time of year, I'm checking my reels, checking jibs & lures...and beginning to feel the fever!
I tuck my 5yr old at night and he asks, "dad, can you tell me a fishing story"...I love it!!! I'm studying "new" spots, and always trying to find out where those fish are hiding. So here is your invetation for fishing in 2012, come join me or my Uncle Tim for a fun day on the waters of Lake Kabetogama...we would love to show you around!
Being away makes you realize the importance of each moment...I love fishing, but I missed my wife and kids...so I'll be back to Kabetogama in 2 weeks or so! Working a few shifts as a paramedic in Stillwater and time with the family! Thanks again for the recent guide trips and I'm sure I'll see you on the water soon.
Let me know if you have questions about the conditions or any recent fishing trends...I always keep a pulse on the Kabetogama and Namakan fishing bite!
Voyageur Park Lodge was our resort to pick up from again, as another daring couple joined me on the waters of Kabetogama for a cold and wet beginning of the week. Jennifer and Scott are first timers to the area and our weather outlook for the week probably couldn't be any worse...winds, rain, and cool weather...
Well maybe the fishing will make them smile...first spot, bam! In 10-12 ft of water we each caught a "throw-back" walleye...19-22" all 3 fish. Great start, but it didn't last. The bite again was very light...and with cold hands and new to the walleye game...the guide had the upper hand. We all caught fish, and over the morning Jennifer and Scott began to get a better feel for the bites...they told me at the beginning of the trip they wanted 1 walleye for a meal...well at the end of the 1/2 day trip we had 5 or 6 keepers for them to eat...a beautiful 25.5 inch walleye Jennifer is holding in our picture gallery...and several other throw backs. Thanks for a great day...I know the weather didn't cooperate, but I hope you realize that is abnormal and the area is a beautiful place to come fishing...thanks again for letting me show you some of Kabetogama!
Dave and his step-father joined me, along with some friends in a follow boat on another cold rainy day...slow morning all around, which had me a little puzzled since we did so well the previous day. The wind was howling out of the East, and it had been east wind for 5 days now...after several spots we only and a few bites and one fish...not good. We went into their cabin at Voyageur Park Lodge and rested for 15-20 minutes and decided to head east down the lake. We found several small rock piles hold a few fish and our luck began to turn around. The bite was extremely light and if you didn't give the walleyes line at the first sign of a bite...the fish were gone. It took time, but we caught walleyes, and at the end of the day...after several spots we had our limit of walleyes. Thanks for not giving up on that ugly day...hopefully the fish fry for your family was great. Thanks guys!
Pooring rain is nice when you're snuggled in your cabin and looking out the window, but I put on the rain gear and met Mike & Steve in the parking lot of the visitor center. If they were excited about fishing...then I'm willing to go. No storms, just rain, rain, and more rain... We started slow with a 10" walleye and one big one caught by the guide. Decided to try jigging a little in 20-25ft of water and found some fish. We dashed in for a dry shirt and the lunch I forgot in my truck and headed back to find the walleyes down the lake a little bit. We found them stacked on several wind blown pts and stacked from 18ft to 27ft of water down the slopes of these pts...we pounded 15-16 inch keeper walleyes and when we drifted into several shallow bays...we found BIG walleyes...fun day, good fishing...and great guys to fish with in ugly conditions. Thanks guys for making it a fun day...hope you found fish the rest of the week because I know the weather wasn't cooperating!
Willy spends the summer at Kab, and he brought a few buddies to fish for a few days...I had the pleasure to take them out to find the walleyes on this Friday and it was a great time. Fun stories, good laughs, and all of us found a few walleyes to reel in the boat. I think Willy and Pat started the day with a few deeper walleyes, a few saugers, and even a giant perch or two...John found the biggest fish of the group, and Mack and Pat ended the day with several nice keepers...we caught a total of 32 fish this day, and I hope everyone had a blast. I did, thanks guys...and thanks for the chili that night as well!
Second year fishing with these guys...and anything would have been easier than the hurricane-like winds we fished in last year. Even better it was sunny and light breezes...perfect fishing day, and the fish were biting good. We hound walleyes in shallow bays feeding on shinner minnows, crayfish, and the start of the mayfly larvae. We used Jigs and minnows to pull some keeper walleyes and saugers off several deeper rock piles as well. Fun day...nice picture fish as we through back 5-8 big walleyes...and had a limit to take home at the end of the day. Thanks guys, hope to see you again next year!
My father-in-law joined me for an overcast, drizzly day on Kabetogama...talk about pressure. Oh, we've been married 8 yrs now so really all I had to do was provide a few fish. He likes to cast and even before we got the boat launched he caught a nice, fat green & gold walleye around the Nat'l Park Service docks. It was 21" and a great start to the day. We spent the morning going from casting bays to trying for a few walleyes in the deeper waters. We found some small northerns, 19-23" walleyes and even a smallmouth when we were casting...keeper walleyes came out of 20-25 feet of water using a Lindy Rig and leech...and yes, we did get enough to send him home with several nice meals. Thanks Popper!
