Panfish, specifically bluegill and crappie, are the most sought after fish throughout the entire United States.   Anglers of all ages pursue them for a lot of reasons.  They are good to eat, plentiful, and seem to always be willing to bite throughout the entire year.  Walleye and bass anglers can get skunked on any given day but a panfish angler seldom fails to connect in an outing on the water.

This makes them a perfect species to pursue anytime you have the family and or kids on the water.  The great thing about summer is that it can be really easy fishing.  By mid-summer the fish have completed their annual spawning and have transitioned out to where they will spend the summer months.

TONY ROACH AND JOEL NELSON TALK ABOUT THE PAST 20 YEARS AND EVERYTHING THEY HAVE LEARNED A ANGLERS THROUGH THE LENS OF AN UNDERWATER CAMERA.

There is just something about seeing it happen with your own eyes.  Imagine a jumbo perch roaming through a weed bed in search for an easy meal with its eyes going to and fro looking for its victim.  They casually swim the edge of the cover until they catch a glimpse of the bait hovering just above the top of the weeds.  Because you are fishing amongst the weeds, underwater cameras simply give you the best opportunity to be successful.  Flashers and depth finders will often pick up the weeds making it hard to see fish and your bait.  Underwater cameras allow you to see where the fish are and where your bait is.    

Crappie are probably the trendiest fish to pursue.  If there is a hot bite out somewhere it doesn’t take long for the multitudes to find out about it.  They are also pretty willing biters and some of the tastiest fish out there.  Crappie can commonly be found in and amongst the good bluegill areas although the crappie will be found higher in the water column.  Crappie will also be found suspended over deeper basins throughout any given lake.  This makes them relatively easy to find with your flasher or digital sonar.  Find your way out onto the basin and drill a hole and look for suspended fish.  When you get on top of them then drop your presentation down right away.  Be warned, because it is a basin with no structure to hold them in a certain area, a lot of times these fish will roam about.  The challenge will be to stay over them the best you can by drilling extra holes and hole-hopping.  Using lithium batteries in your electronics makes this much more doable.  Do your arms and back a favor and replace the heavy lead-acid battery in your electronic unit.

Panfish, walleyes and other game fish receive the lion’s share of angling pressure throughout the winter months – mainly because they are so accessible. Some of the more neglected targets during the ice season include stream trout species – rainbow, brook, and brown trout more specifically. Fortunately for ice anglers, states like Minnesota and Wisconsin put forth a great level of effort to ensure there are catchable trout opportunities available.

Stream trout are stocked across the Midwest in a variety of lakes and ponds. They are worthy adversaries for any ice fisherman and offer a unique experience. Determining the right combination of preparation, location, and presentation can lead to winter trout fishing success.

Organization is important no matter your craft. When it comes to fishing, however, a concerted effort for organization should hold a higher precedence. The number of rod, reel, line, and tackle configurations an angler might handle are truly endless.  This is particularly evident with fishermen that target more than one species.

and categorized rod, reel, line, and lure selections. Many professional anglers rely on their organizational and inventorial skills to keep them successful on the water. They know what specific rods and reels they have, what lures they have, and whether they need to restock something in the near future.

Fishing is full of choices. Walk into any sporting goods store or bait shop and you’ll find hundreds to potentially thousands of options for rods, reels, tackle and electronics. In some instances, making a purchase decision can seem like a no brainer, while other scenarios require a serious amount of deliberation. Regardless of your purchase decision, it’s important to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages for a given product.

Choosing the right fishing line is no different. With countless options on the market, it’s vital to understand the advantages and drawbacks for each major line category, as well as how they can help you or hurt you in specific scenarios.  

Underwater fishing cameras are recognized as a valuable tool for ice; however, they can be just as beneficial during the open water season – and for many of the same reasons. Open water electronics continue to evolve to new lengths every season but they still leave things open to interpretation. Underwater cameras, however, are capable of answering questions that other electronics cannot, as well as teaching anglers more about what they’re seeing on their electronics. They are an angler’s eyes below the surface.

Walking and wading quietly are vital aspects to success. Think Navy Seal-esque stealthy when you hit the bank. Be cognizant of shadows to go undetected to roaming trout. Task yourself to make long, precise casts to avoid spooking fish.

Minnesota and Wisconsin alone have more than 15,000 miles of trout streams. With so much trout water to cover, mobility is crucial for continued success. Don’t waste too much time in one area. A few casts per spot is all that is necessary. If limited success ensues, then it’s time to keep ‘er moving.

Trout will hold in a variety of areas depending on the stream and the conditions. Common areas that will often congregate fish include deep holes or pools, current seams, and log jams.

The hardwater season is fast approaching. All across the Northern United States and Canada, anglers are taking their first steps on frozen water. Now is the time to ensure electronics, rods & reels, and augers are in working order — and that tackle is fully organized. Aside from the obvious fishing gear, there is some vital equipment you should have before you take that first step on hardwater. Safety concerns are very real throughout the ice fishing season, and especially at first ice. Safety precautions for first ice can be categorized into a handful of major groups.

It’s a magical time of year. The ice on the lakes is pretty much absent. The landscapes that were not so long ago covered in snow now show glimpses of life again. Grass is turning greener, plants are blooming, birds are chirping. Spring has sprung.

To many anglers that means one thing – the Wisconsin Fishing Opener is coming. The Wisconsin Fishing Opener is traditionally on the first Saturday in May. This year it falls on

The “dog days” of summer mark the end of the early summer feeding binges that most fish including bass go through. Not only are lakes really warm but they are chock full of food including insects, frogs, crawfish, baitfish and fry from all species. Suffice to say that fish have plenty of food and cover available to them. So consequently it can make it just a little tougher to entice a fish into taking your presentation.

A lot of anglers will set their minds on fall when temperatures will cool down and fishing will generally be a little easier. However you don’t have to leave the boat in the garage until then, simply refine your strategies to start catching fish again.

It’s amazing how many anglers have an underwater ice fishing camera for winter use, and forget to pack it in the boat for fishing opener. In fact, open-water applications abound when it comes to everything from species identification, to finding green weeds, or simply identifying water clarity traits from one end of the lake to another.

The fact that now your underwater camera for fishing can be so much more mobile is a major benefit to its use, and the fish-finding information you unlock with it is rather limitless. Here’s just a few ways and reasons to get more use from your winter camera, come spring, summer and fall.

Underwater cameras are undoubtedly one of the greatest technological advancements in the sport of fishing these past few decades. Anglers in recent generations have come to depend on cameras to do far more than help them watch fish eat, but to observe their surroundings, study fish behavior and movements, even learn how fish certain baits better. Not only then has it been a technology that’s useful in its own right, but the simple fact is that underwater viewing has helped push forward the sport of fishing in general. From evolutions in tackle design, reels, and line, to changes in the way we fundamentally fish, looking at the underwater world through a camera is here to stay.