We all know the feeling;the first 50 degree day in March when the ice is melted.  The official sign that the true fishing season begins.  For most of my life I struggled to catch a lot of fish during this period, and couldn't understand why.  For years, I thought it was just being "rusty" after the five month off season.  Of course, I was wrong.

The problem was I wasn't targeting a specific species.  I was throwing different types of lures, different colors, utilizing different techniques...I switched locations and tried ponds, lakes and rivers but nothing gave.  After a couple months into the season, suddenly all my techniques started working.  I quickly learned, I was simply using June/July techniques too early in the season.

The one thing I have learned more than anything, is that Northern Pike really never shut off.  So, a few years back I switched things up and starting fishing the Des Plaines River with live roaches (shiners work almost as well, but die quicker) on a steel leader attached to a swivel.  Make sure to hook the Roach through its mouth bringing it up and out of its head right between its eyes.  I would give myself a two foot gap, and use a standard bobber with a split shot sinker.  The key would quickly become, fish shallow.  I mean, SHALLOW!  People walking by probably think I am crazy, but my bobber is literally only 1-2ft off the shore.  Unlike Bass, Northern run the shoreline pretty consistently throughout the year as long as its not beating hot outside.  This is where the bait fish hide out, and the Northerns know it. 

The truth is nothing beats live bait this time of year, nothing!  March is probably the only month of year you will see me fish live bait, but it is so worth it.  Make sure to have a good rod holder, and keep that line relatively tight with just a little drag.  You want the Northern to be able to run a little before he feels your pole bend and take off.  The second you see that bobber go under, you are half way there.  The key now switches to picking up the rod SLOWLY trying to ensure the fish doesn't feel you just yet.  Hold the rod lightly, and wait for the next bite, you won't be able to miss it.  Set the hook, and the fight is on!  The absolute hardest part here getting used to this technique, is understanding not to set the hook just because the bobber is under the water.  If you have a foot of residual line out there, that could be enough to miss him, and keep in mind there is no guarantee the roach is fully in its mouth just yet.

Look for areas with a sudden change of structure or drop offs.  I tend to target the overflow drains, bridges, and sometimes even the upper part of a dam.  Yes, the upper!  Fish will often come down stream, get to a dam, and stop.  Hell, I wouldn't want to go over either!  But, they stay because the bait fish do exactly the same.  Its like a free delivery service dinner for them. 

So, River Fishing for Northern in March with live roaches is where its at!  You can bet my first few trips of the year will be using this technique, and I'll have pictures coming soon letting you know it really works!

Most of you know already, but on July 28th, 2012 my cousin Will and I will be traveling to Big Hook Wilderness in Ontario, Canada.  A seven day, six night adventure,literally the middle of nowhere with some of the best Northern Pike and Walleye fishing in the world.  Big Hook Wilderness is a Fly-In Camp located 185 miles north of Red Lake.  We will begin our travels with a 16hr drive, just to catch a float plane to be dropped off in Central Lake; one of seven lakes in Opasquia Provincial Park.  From there, we are practically on our own; a real life version of the TV show, "survivor".  Don't worry, emergency satellite phones are provided as the closest road is over one hundred and fifty miles away.   

Central Lake is setup as the base of the entire camp, and holds two cabins.  Since we chose the lake that houses the base camp, we were able to strike an amazing deal.  The organizational structure of the camp ensures we will have the entire lake, boats and camp to ourselves.  As a matter of fact, five 14' and 16' Lund boats with seats and Yamaha 4 Stroke 15 hp motors are available just for us and located at every portage.  Basic staple foods are provided, as well as a cabin w/ solar lights, fridge, freezer and propane stove. 

As far as the fishing, Big Hook is known to land trophy size Northern Pike and enormous amounts of quality Walleye.  There is a catch and release law on all the lunkers, which protects the quality fishery.  Fish within a slotted range can be taken to eat at a dinner lake side fish fry.  We have already been told, catching 200+ fish a day is realistic.  So, the investment begins six months early.  I think the only positive thing about limiting us to 100 pounds of luggage is that it will help us limit how much we spend in new equipment and lures. 

The trophy size Northern is my main interest here.  I can not wait to fish top water and troll for the pike, as well as get the opportunity to throw lures over a foot long.  I want to catch one of the monsters.  Actually, I'm not going to lie, I want to catch a lot of them.  However, lets not forget I've never caught a Walleye.  I would love to add another chapter to the "How It Began" section, and that is practically guaranteed.  So, let the research continue just like I've learned everything else.  

So, Operation "Big Hook" is in full preparation.  For more information on the camp as well as a lot pictures, please visit the Big Hook website @ www.bighookcamps.com.  So, the investment into the trip of a lifetime continues.  Stay tuned. 

Let me begin by saying Ice Fishing is still relatively new to me and I wouldn't exactly call it my specialty. I've always enjoyed fishing for size, so jigging for Crappie and Perch rarely get the blood flowing to full capacity. So, if I am getting out on the ice, you can bet we'll have a good amount of tip-ups out there with live roaches in the attempt to catch some nice game fish.

The day would not go exactly as planned. Initially, my cousin Will and I attempted to fish Crystal Lake and join an ice fishing derby. However, wind gusts of 50mph on unprotected water made it even impossible to set up our shanty. On top of that, we started running into technical difficulties with the ice auger, and lets be honest - it was frickin' cold. We had no choice but to pack up, move on, and look for the next destination.

So, after a couple hours of running errands, we decided to set-up at the premiere Bass Pond, where we are known to catch 50+ Largemouth a day in the summer. At worst, we would have more cover to protect us from the winds. We set-up five tip-ups with roaches, and did a little jigging inside the shanty with wax worms. This was my first trip ever bringing and using the Marcum VS380 underwater camera. I must say the system itself it pretty sweet, although I could see it becoming more of a distraction than anything else. Visibility seemed to be about five to six feet on the black and white monitor. The highlight of the day was witnessing a Largemouth enter the screen and eat our roach while we successfully set the hook. It was so cold outside, my actual camera stopped working after the first picture. Nonetheless, we got one nice picture out of it and some pretty sweet video of the Marum V380 in use.  Total Fish Count was 4 Largemouth, no lunkers - 2lb average off Live Roaches/Meal Worms