Grubs are the preferred live bait for most types of panfish such as bluegill.

White ice can be either snow covered ice or ice mixed with snow and is about half as strong as new clear ice.

ICE FISHING BASICS By Ken Poor      Ice fishing season is just around the corner. First ice normally provides some of the best action of the ice fishing season. By mid-December ice begins to form on the lakes in Northern Illinois and Southeast Wisconsin and by the end of the month most of our area…

ICE FISHING CAN BE A GREAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE By Ken Poor      Icefishing season provides a great opportunity to study our local lakes and rivers. Every winter I spend a lot of time on the ice with my lake maps and a fish locator collecting lake data for my personal use. What started out as…

Panfish such as crappie and bluegill are typically caught by jigging grubs or minnows through the ice.

This nice bass was taken while ice fishing on a southeast Wisconsin lake.

Crappie will often suspend in deep water. Locating them even with a electronics is challenging, without them almost impossible.

LATE ICE PANFISH By Ken Poor      The normal pattern for icefishing is fast action at early ice, slower action during January and February, then back to the fast action until ice-out. Late season ice fishing always provides good numbers and larger than average fish. As this year’s icefishing season winds down – whether you…

Like many Southeast Wisconsin lakes early morning fishing is a good way to avoid the crowds.

SANDY POINT Ipswich, Massachusetts By Ken Poor      One of the biggest regrets of my life is that I didn’t always have a camera to capture the memories I was living and this story explains just part of the reason. In the spring of 1956 or 1957, I was about 15 years old at that…

LAKE GENEVA Walworth County, Wisconsin By Ken Poor      On their initial trips to Lake Geneva, most anglers seek locations to fish that are similar to the spots they fish on the numerous small, warm water lakes that dot the Northeast Illinois and Southeast Wisconsin countryside. Additionally, the fishing techniques they bring with them are…

SNAKE PROBLEM By Ken Poor      Ever wonder why there was a sudden surge in the stock market recently – specifically for Depends. It is possible that I know why and here is the true story. I was working part time as an emergency first responder at the Heritage at Lowman – a large assisted…

HOW TO SPOOL LINE ONTO A REEL By Ken Poor      When choosing your fishing line, line size (pound test) and its handling characteristics are much more important than the brand name. Select the line size that best matches the type of fishing you plan to do. There is no single type of fishing line…

LATE SEASON PIKE By Ken Poor      My boat never goes into stowage until after the launch ramps start to ice up or there is ice on the lakes. The main reason I wait so late in the season is because I like to fish late season northern pike. Late in the fall season, when…

LAKE ELIZABETH (Lower Twin) Kenosha County, Wisconsin By Ken Poor      Southern Wisconsin has so many good lakes to fish that it would be a tough call to pick “the best one”. If I did, certainly Lake Elizabeth in Kenosha County would be close to the top of my list. Lake Elizabeth, also called Lower…