Rek, or anyone else who may be interested may like this feature on winter spearfishing. Mike is a great guy and teacher, as well as decoy carver from Michigan. In states like MN and MI both pike and whitefish are legal targets for spearing. The Dakotas and Montana allow spearing within normal limits for other game fish as well.
Interesting. Ill have to watch that video when I have a few moments. Ive never heard of this kind of fishing before. Looks interesting. Out of curiosity I will have to look it up to see if we can do it in BC or Alberta.
Anyone going out today? Heading out in a few hours a bit west of here on 14,000 acre Lake Minnetonka for some panfish angling and pike spearing. Big Buddy heater will be on high in the portable.
Sean. Did you find anything out about this possibility in your neck of the woods? I know it is illegal in our neighbor Ontario.
Sean, thanks for that great video! The decoys are amazing- what a great hobby that must be. It’s illegal here to spear anything in fresh water. All the spear fishing regs for New England states only mention spearing in salt water. The ice around here is questionable. We had a good cold snap but it was followed by 50 degrees with heavy rain. I’ll get back north soon when my son gets some time off from school.
No I havent looked into it yet although I suspect it isnt allowed. Ill be hiking into this area today with the pooch for a bit of rainbow and kokanee salmon fishing this afternoon. Will the skunk follow me again??
I just filleted 20 sunfish and a small bass for my nephew to eat with his family tonight. We only saw two pike, both too small to bother with spearing. I didn't take any pics today, as there was really nothing too noteworthy, and we were kind of scrambling around setting up and taking down in the cold and snow, but a beautiful morning anyways. We saw a bald eagle fly overhead at daybreak, and enjoyed being out in the light snowfall, warm in the portable with hot coffee and snacks. I hope you had a nice day too outdoors. Love the picture of hiking into one of you spots. It is beautiful!!
df The other carver featured in the video is Harley Regan. The folks that do this well are very patient and are really detail oriented. You are right about the decoys. They are true American folk art. There are large decoy shows with competitions all over the great lakes areas during the winter and early springtime. I used to go all the time to them, but they can get a little expensive, and I have plenty now! But still fun to go to one show a year to meet and talk to people, and pick up something cool like an old spear, ice tongs, chisels, decoys, etc..
Heres a few pics of our hike in this afternoon. Its heavy on scenery and not so much on fishing. How long does a girl have to wait? We had a pack of wolves give us a very eerie but beautiful long wolf song. It struck me that they were very close. My husky sat right up and kept her eyes up lake. Ive never had a problem with wolves but smelling like trout and hiking out for an hour or more in the dark makes one think. In the end I stayed until dark anyways hoping for a late afternoon bite which didnt happen but I was still happy to catch this clean tasting spring fed lake rainbow for the smoker. We hiked out in the dark with no light until the very end. I prefer to let my eyes adjust to the darkness instead of being blinded by head lamp when its possible. It also adds to the ambiance.
That looks like a nice day outdoors Sean. I was always most nervous about wolves when out with our dogs. They have been known to lure them into the bush, and kill them. It has happened to more than one of our neighbors in the Hovland/Grand Portage area. Anyone heading out today?
Yeah agreed, its a real concern here with the dogs as well. We watch the dogs around coyotes as well. I kept her real close yesterday with no chance of her wondering out in the woods. We also have cougars take peoples cats. This stuff happens although its not a common thing. Hey, how big are those sunfish you cleaned up? We arent known for our bass and pan fish around here although we have a few bass lakes and there is one lake where I can catch the odd sunfish but they fit in the palm of your hand.
Sean. The fish I cleaned yesterday were 6-8" bluegill sunfish and a 14" large mouth bass. Our pike range up to almost 40" in the metro and surrounding area, and few that exceed 40" in size are caught annually. I have one over 22lbs mounted caught in the greater Mpls metro area and I see several well over 15lbs every winter while spearing which get a pass. Bluegill and pumkinseed sunfish over 9" are pretty rare in my neighborhood, but I catch them every year, primarily in the spring. In the Mpls area we have several two story lakes with rainbow trout and warm water fish such as sunfish, crappie, yellow perch, northern pike, walleye (pickerel) and large mouth bass. North of Duluth, the lakes are populated with indigenous lake trout, whitefish, northern pike, yellow perch and walleye. There some natural brook trout lakes as well. I know of and have fished some of these that are unnamed. Smallmouth bass are prevalent in many of these lakes as well. There are many of these lakes in the famed BWCA wilderness area that is largely unmotorized within the 3 million acre Superior National Forest. Lake Superior is well populated with native lake trout, herring and whitefish. Steelhead, coho, chinook, pink, and Atlantic salmon have been introduced and offer a decent sport fishery as well. In short there is more than several lifetimes of fishing areas to explore, even in the greater Mpls and surrounding areas.
That ice fishing looks like a blast, but here in Arkysaw the only fish on ice you will see is in the meat and seafood department at the grocery store.
Kids had me put some traps in earlier this winter. It's easy to fish when sitting in the house! Haven't traveled yet this winter
We call the tip ups here in the midwest. But I have heard of the term "trap" as well. Did you get any flags?
Just 2. Didn't want to drive into town to get bait so I used worms. 2 bass I use traps (tips) Jack Traps Ice Fishing Traps and Tip Ups | Made in Maine | 26" Standard
This is the preferred style and brand here in the midwest. It is a Beaver Dam Tip-Up made in Wisconsin. Very durable. I have some that are over 35 years old still in use.
Kids bought me a tip up 3 or 4 years ago. The first and only time I used it was when I caught a 25 inch pike in Alberta. In my area of BC we are only allowed to use one rod per angler ice fishing so I prefer to hold my ice fishing rod and feel more of the fight. As a side note when Im trolling in my boat I can be fishing alone and have two lines out.
