Hard Water Fishing Show

Guest Matthew from Amped Outdoors talks about the benefits of using lithium batteries to keep your electronics running longer on the ice.  For more information on amped outdoors go to https://bit.ly/3SVhMDb 
A Minnesota record hybrid sunfish was caught.  Here are the links to all the Minnesota state fishing records https://bit.ly/3zHslTr 
Thomas asked about some entry level flashers.  Jason likes the Marcum M1 https://amzn.to/3sRbmdE and Jeff prefers the hummingbird ICE-35 https://amzn.to/3SZz5mA .  Another good option is the Vexilar FL-8 SE https://bit.ly/3froaV5 
We went fishing on the Alma float on the Mississippi.  More information can be found here.  https://bit.ly/3UmjApL 

In this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show Jeff and Jason talk about the latest trends in portable hub and flip over ice fishing shacks.  Jeff asks if you toot like a train whistle or bark like a husky dog when participating in a snow dog train.  Jason wonders if we are shaped like pillows or kegs. A legend from red lake long ago is told.

Jon from from Nailed It Builds reviews his custom ice sled builds.  Jon also shares a legend about a fishing pole that his buddy has mixed feelings about. You can find him on YouTube https://bit.ly/3dNLU4F  and Facebook https://bit.ly/3f81Yi0
Fact Checks
Berkley Flickr shad in pearl white https://amzn.to/3eWEpZz - Referred to this as a Rapala in season 6 episode 1.
Mepps Syclops  https://amzn.to/3BNMUza  - Called this lure a Lazy Ike in the last episode.
Other Topics
We talked about how Roger's Rigs filets fish, check it out here https://bit.ly/3RR55c5 
 
 
 
 
 
 

In the first episode of season six Jeff and Jason cover our summer fishing, and take a deep dive into the electrifying world of bow mount trolling motors.
Beers
Jeff - Indeed brewing - Day Tripper https://bit.ly/3BpqnHg 
This beer had dank hops, and we discuss this in detail.   It was very tasty but would not make my top 10.
Jason
There might be a little dust on the bottle, its a home brew.  Made by Jason's dad.  
Fishing Report
Jason went fishing this summer in the BWCA.  Fish were snapping on worms and lindy rigs.  Caught a few but then switched to a Berkley flicker shad in pearl white.  Here is the link to it in amazon https://amzn.to/3eWEpZz   Wore the paint off of it so many small mouth, walleye and pike were caught.  Bugs were bad, worse ever but had to wear a head net, hat, long sleeves and pants.  You don't have to worry about bugs in ice fishing. 
Fishing depth was twelve feet.  This goes against common knowledge.  In August everyone says fish deep but they were in 12 feet.   Speed fishing out of a canoe is slower than you would do in a boat.  
Jeff talked about fishing on the flats on Mille Lacs with Bobbers and leeches in August.  Trolling for pike at 3 MPH, pulling Mepps Syclops  https://amzn.to/3BNMUza caught a walleye fishing for pike.  Jason says he has more pike tactics to play with. 
Jason caught crappies on a flat with a small hole using a yellow jig head and a black tail. 
Gear Update
My Frabill Magnum Bail Cooler broke its latches last year.  It took a while but Frabill sent out some new ones and now its all fixed.  https://amzn.to/3xrQMTK  
Jason uses a rock to sink his minnows in the lake to keep them on the bottom and make sure the don't die.  Tell us if you use this pro tip.
Jeff wishes for a snow dog this year, but its probably no in the cards
Topic - Bow Mount Trolling Motors
Jason's Motor
Jason got a used Minnkota Terrova 24 volt 80 pound thrust  https://amzn.to/3BnEVav .   Got two group 27 deep cycle  batteries from the Menards.  He has it  on a Alumacraft  Lunker. Fished all day.  Did not use a anchor all week.  It was awesome.
Jeff's Motor
12 volt 55 pound Minnkota https://amzn.to/3dk7Jsx  on a 16 foot Lund rebel.  Works well but will not last as long as Jason's due to the 12 volt system.  Does have the link feature to hook to a helix head unit and use follow the contour on the lake.  It makes fishing so nice and relaxing.
Mount
We both use this mount for our boat.  Its a quick release to get it off easy https://amzn.to/3eWFqkl 
New vs Used 
You can save money but there is some risk. Maybe check for parts. make sure they are available.  Jason had good luck with his used unit and saved some money in the process.
12 vs 24 Volt System
The foot pounds does not matter as much. Its about how long that the trolling motor can last. A 24 volt will outperform a 12. Cost is a factor 24 costs more and you also need two batteries instead of one for a 24 volt motor
Charger
Jason got something on Ebay to charge at 24 volts.  Back feeds and charges the batteries.  35 dollars vs Minnkota dual bank charger for like $100.  I have a normal battery charger and trickle charger hooked to mine so its always ready to go. This is the battery charger I use https://amzn.to/3eQf3MJ  It works well to keep it topped off but need something with more charging power if you fish back to back days and need to charge in between. I got that charger at Menards but any normal 12 volt battery charger will work.
Wiring
Jason used jumper cables to rig the boat.  Big gage wires are expensive.  Note we are not electricians.  Don't do what we do.
Link
This is really nice but adds a lot of cost, with the link you get to follow the contour in the lake.  Jason said he does not always follow the contour, he zig zags.  So think about how you fish before you spend the extra money.  
Spot Lock
You wont use your anchor, but for some reason Jason is still using a throw buoy.  hmm jeff disagrees.    Buoy or not to buoy that is the question.  Jeff says no Jason says yes.
Shaft length
I think mine is a 54 and Jason has a 60 but you really should get a long one.  My motor comes out of the water when it gets really rough. That means your boat is not moving.  I would get a 60 inch if I was going to do it over again.
Mods
Jason build a custom mount so when you go across the lake and it does not break.  Custom made from parts in his garage.  It was 150 dollars for the official part.  Jason said it can deploy when you are running across the lake.  I don't have one on my boat, maybe I need one?
Auto Deploy
Minnkota Ulterra https://amzn.to/3RTpuhc has auto deploy is pretty cool and safety item. Neither one of us spent that kind of money on the motor. 
Boat Cover
Make sure the boat cover fits with your trolling motor unless you are going to take it off each time.
Legend - No Room at the Inn
 On the way to his summer fishing trip Jason's cabin got double booked. Blue Water Resort at Webb Lake  https://bit.ly/3LkPsYu took care of Jason and got them a cabin for the week. Saving his vacation.  It can be hard in June finding a cabin for 8 people the same day.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

In the final episode of season five of the hard water fishing show we talk about our Fish Donkey tournament winners and ice fishing out of a snow bear. We also have a on site wrap up of the 22nd annual Hard Water Invitational from the shores of Devils Lake.
 
Fish Donkey Tournament 
https://www.fishdonkey.com/ 
Congrats to the winners and thanks to everyone for participating. 
 
Snow Bear Rental
Here is a link from where we rented the snow bear from.  https://www.snobearrental.net/  What a great machine. 
 
Legend
Jason tells the legend of the stinky northern caught by the Itasca Stallion. 
 

In this episode Jeff and Jason attend the Hard Water Freaks annual ice event and record live.  We four guests join us from the event Max from Hard Water Freaks, Caleb from Fishing For the Heart Meagan from Casting Queens and Robert from DryHootch.
 
Max from Hard Water Freaks
Max from Hard Water Freaks joins us for a quick interview about the annual ice event. The ice event benefits many amazing causes with the goal of brining the joy of the great outdoors to Veterans and children alike.  For more information you see the event link https://fb.me/e/2lmQDytL2 
 
Caleb from Fishing for the Heart
Caleb  joins us to talk about his organization fishing for the heart.  Fishing for the Heart is a non-profit organization designed to connect kids, families and friends to each other and God through the sport of fishing!  You can find more information here https://www.fishingfortheheart.com/ 
 
Meagan from Casting Queens
Meagan joins us from Casting Queens, a women's only fishing brand for women who love to fish and love a little glam!   You can find more information here https://castingqueens.com/ 
 
Robert From DryHootch
Robert joins us to talk about DryHootch.org. DryHootch is a nonprofit organization formed by combat Veterans to help Veterans in their return home.  You can find more information here https://www.dryhootch.org/ 
 
 

In this episode of the hard water fishing show Jeff and Jason talk about sunfish identification and minnow hooking tactics.
Identifying Sunfish
Here is a great video on identifying sunfish by angling buzz on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJLq371hYSU 
 
Here is another link for more details about sunfish from the Minnesota DNR https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/sunfish/biology.html#:~:text=Cheeks%20and%20gill%20covers%20are,bars%20on%20their%20olive%20backs.
 

On this episode of the Hard Water Fishing Show we talk to Roger Houck about yellow perch fishing in upstate New York.  You can find more information about Roger and Roger's Rigs on his website https://bit.ly/3fJVCCz He is also on Youtube https://bit.ly/3IqFwKl 

Jeff and Jason talk to Brian "Bro" Brosdahl about all things ice fishing. For more information about Bro check out his website https://brosguideservice.com/ 
 
Current Events
Hard Water Freaks Event
We will be attending the Hard Water Freaks Event in Wisconsin at the end of January, you can find more information on the event here https://bit.ly/3rgKylV 
 
Hard Water Fishing Show Fish Donkey Tournament
The hard water fishing show now has a tournament open on fish Donkey. It's your chance to win some HWFS Swag.
 
Cost is $5
 
To Enter
1. Download the Fish Donkey app on your phone
2. Search for Hard Water Fishing Show 2022
3. Join the tournament
 
Gear
Fish Monkey Mitts https://amzn.to/3Kb6Pdl 
I got a new pair of Fish Monkey mitts, they arrived in the mail today. Will be putting an review out soon on how well they work.
 
Boots Red Head Snow Machine https://bit.ly/3npgrrn 
My Kamik boots were warn out also.  I found a good pair of pull on boots at Cabelas.  Will be doing a review of them soon.
 
Frabill Magnum Bait Bucket https://amzn.to/3tr8Pbr 
My Frabill bait bucket which I love got a bit stinky because I left my bait in it. I talked about a few tricks to get rid of the smell. Will be following up in a future episode on how my de-skunking of my bait bucket goes.
 

Jeff and Jason talk about recent ice fishing trips to Lake of the Woods and Mille Lacs Lake. It is the first week of January 2022.
 
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
Jeff was fishing out of the Red Door Resort  on Mille Lacs Lake.  Walked out to the first break and caught some walleyes and perch.   I was fishing out of my one man Frabill Recon 100 ice shack.  Its super tiny but just big enough for me to fish out of and super light to walk out with.  I have no seat so I use one of those tripod chairs.  Not everyone likes them but I find them superior to bag chairs where you sit to low. I can fish out of them for hours.  This is not the one I have but its similar https://amzn.to/3JTnMsA  
For Presentation I used a few different lures. I was using a perch talker 1/4 oz drop chain with glow pink and white.  You can find a three pack here.  https://amzn.to/3n4eAIa . This lure got bit off on a big fish and I only had one.  Still searching for a replacement.  That is why I always buy two of them incase you loose one or to lend to Jason.  I also used a glow spoon, I have talked to a few anglers that have had success with these.  They work even if your glow stick is not glowing anymore.  I would go for the green and gold ones.    https://amzn.to/3zvdKJy https://amzn.to/3JOdf24 And get some extra glow sticks too. I prefer the red glow sticks https://amzn.to/3G79a6T red seems to work the best for me.  
I am running 6lb Trilene fluorocarbon line https://amzn.to/3q3EEFh  This stuff is a bit stiff and can have some memory, but I have been told it superior. I switch back and forth between this and mono. I have a ant swivel https://amzn.to/3f5nPn7 on this to take the twist out.  Also running a quick clip https://amzn.to/3qVH4oF  from northland to switch lures super easy. 
For location I was fishing on break from shallow to deep with a rocky bottom in about 19 feet of water.
 
Lake of the Woods Fishing Report
Jason was fishing lake of the woods on the Canada side, and had a ton of success.  He ran into some rod issues because he was using the wrong action rod for the target species of walleye.  He was running a medium light rod from St. Croix.  Because it was to light it did not have the backbone to get the fish through the hole.  Also it was not giving him the action on his lures he was looking for because the tip of his rod was to quick.  He will be looking for a new rod very soon with medium action when targeting walleyes.  
For Lures he used a few different ones but found that the VMC Rocker spoon really worked well.  https://amzn.to/3t8F1R0 .  He also found success with a red buckshot https://amzn.to/3G6iqbm and of course the go to glow perch buck shot https://amzn.to/3n8JhvY 
 
Legend
Last week I forgot my bibs when I went ice fishing.  This caused me to have to drive 45 minutes to Brainerd to find something to wear the next day for ice fishing.  It was an adventure for sure.