Gearing for Fishing - Williams Wobbler

The Williams Wobbler is a classic spoon that can be used a variety of ways. I tend to pull mine out in the summer when fishing weed beds and want to see what is around. They are successful jigs, can be used for casting, and used as a substitute for live bait behind trolling rigs like hammers or "Christmas Trees" when trolling for trout.

Although I've focused mostly on spring gear and I use this mainly in summer, it deserves a mention as one of those lures I'd like in my box if I had to choose my top ten. Casting off the dock has netted me whitefish, pike, bass, and walleye. Casting by weed beds often bring a pike in if there is one around. Sometimes I'll use a Williams to bring fish in, then follow up with a minnow or worm on a hook. One thing is for sure, that flashing attracts fish. There is no reason why trolling a Williams in spring wouldn't net a trout as well while they are up high. Once they go deep, you'll need lead core or a downrigger to get down to them.

A quick tip on use when casting - you'll have to give them some time to sink towards bottom. When you reel in, some of the best action is to jerk them forward, then reel in slowly as you bring your rod back, letting the lure flutter back down towards bottom, then jerking again to bring the lure in. This jerk-flutter-jerk-flutter action mimics a minnow that is injured and shooting forward, then sinking, then shooting forward. Nothing attracts a fish like an injured minnow. You can get fish just using the slow and constant reel in method, but adding the jerk and flutter gives the lure that much more action and some of those lazier fish.

Gearing for Fishing - Hot N Tot

Today I want to look at another lure that might find its way into several tackle boxes, the Hot N Tot by Storm Lures. I first tried one of these out last year and found it well liked by most species of fish. It does have a deeper range than the previously mentioned Rapala and is not suited well to very shallow shorelines. The depth range on the box says 8-15 feet, and given I bounced bottom when trying it in some 6 foot trolling territory, I would say it is fairly accurate, unless you keep it reigned in and your pole raised.

I pulled this one out in late spring when fishing the real shallow spots for walleye became too difficult with the numerous smallmouth bass nests and weeds starting to infest the area. Other anglers that fish slightly deeper areas than I do in the spring start out with the Hot N Tot right away. I know when I tried one at the end of June for walleye I caught two pike within minutes. My father-in-law

used one I got him for his birthday in about 20-30 feet in the early spring and caught lake trout simply trolling around.

Overall, the Hot N Tot seems to be an all around go getter. I'm not sure if there's anything available in Lake Temagami that wouldn't take one. As with the Rapala lineup, there are many different color options. I have used my silver and black mostly, while my father in law has a silver and blue with some red that he was getting his trout on. Mine has seen walleye, pike, bass, and I believe a whitefish. Once again, don't be afraid to switch up colors if one isn't working.

The lures by Storm can be found at Walmart, as well as other tackle shops. Walmart doesn't carry as much in the line of colors, at least the one I was in. They tend to be cheaper than a Rapala, but they also don't have the durability. Mine still works, but as you can probably see by the picture, the paint has worn, both from hooks scraping it and from fish teeth. Still, it performs, and might be good if you are looking to hit that 8-25 foot range on a budget.

I did pick up a Storm Thunderstick, rated for 2-7 feet, which I look forward to trying this spring to see how it compares to the Rapala. It is similar in look, and I hope it has the same attraction that the Hot N Tot has. Until next week!

Geocaching in Temagami

I won't lie, I have not as of yet actually been geocaching. Until two weeks ago I had only heard of it but never considered trying it. I guess I didn't think there would be a lot of caches around and we didn't own a handheld GPS the last time I heard about geocaching.

I was very surprised to do a search and discover that there are 29 of them within 20 miles of the town of Temagami! I enjoy doing things outside and hiking through the bush. I've always loved a treasure hunt so this has me quite excited for nice weather and spring to come so I can try finding them. Imagine, a treasure hunt that anyone in the world can find. Someone had a really good idea :)

There is one quite close by on the way up to the fire tower somewhere so I hope to try looking for it this week if the weather cooperates. Unfortunately they are calling for wet cold weather for the next few days so it may have to wait. I'll post my adventure here once it happens and let you know if it really is as much fun as I think it will be.

A lot of the caches are located on Lake Temagami itself and would be a lot of fun to try finding while houseboating. I wish I'd known about this earlier: so many 'treasures' I could have already found!

If anyone is reading this who has never tried geocaching and thinks it sounds fun check out www.geocaching.com. You can create a free membership and find the coordinates and clues for caches in the area of the lake you are interested in traveling while on vacation.

If it really is fun I hope that we'll be able to do a bit of caching when we go houseboating in June. Abby loves being outside so as long as the bugs aren't too bad I know she will love the walk in the bush even if she is too young to know what we are doing.

We're tossing around the idea of creating a series of caches for our customers to find in 2012. If enough people are interested we'll put something together. We're thinking of making it a series of puzzle caches where you need to find all of the caches to get the pieces to the puzzle. If you return to base with the puzzle solved then you get a prize. Does this sound interesting to anyone? Let us know!

Rapalas - Colors and Models

There are many, many different colors in the Rapala lineup. You can browse colors and they've even got a nice video of the lure action you can see on the product page here : http://www.rapala.com/products/lures/original_floater/

As I said before, I've used these lures over a long period, and they continue to perform very well. If I'm trolling shallow shoreline, most likely that is what is on my line. I tend to stick to black and silver, but I've had very good luck with blue top and chartreuse, especially in darker water. I've been to lakes that are cloudy and you can't see bottom easily in 8 feet of water on a sunny day, and had good luck fishing walleye at that time with a chartreuse Rapala. A friend of mine always seems to end up with a pike when he puts on blue. Just like jig heads, feel free to test out different colors - you never know what mood the fish are in, and often one color will perform better than another on a given day.

Likewise, Rapala offers different models with regards to size and number of treble hooks. I tend to like the bigger two and smaller three hook models. I don't like fishing with huge lures, because I've never had trouble getting big fish on smaller bait, so why limit yourself and risk not catching a smaller fish as well? The smaller fish taste better usually anyway!

If the fish are slow, you might want to try something with a rattle or maybe a jointed. I've swapped between jointed and straight floater and found them equally performing. Both provide good action, although the jointed tends to have a bit more pull on the line while trolling.

Regardless of spring, summer, or fall, the Rapala always gets wet at some point when I'm fishing, and has netted me many walleye over the course of my years fishing. They do great with bass and pike as well, and I've caught the occasional surprise whitefish while fishing a 30 foot bay too. Don't think of them as just trollers either - I've used mine to get bass from out of structure by just playing them on the surface of the water close to shore while casting. They can be ackward to cast though, and tend to snag your line in the air, so it can take some patience and failed casts.

One last thing on Rapalas. They are durable. Yes, they will get mangled in time, and I have a couple that have seen pike and walleye aplenty, and show it in teeth marks, but the paint is still good and doesn't scratch off easily. One thing - don't let them dangle in the water as you go from spot to spot at high speed - you will tear off the plastic dive scoop. Treat them well, and your Rapala will likely serve you until a fish or underwater structure steals it.

Next week I'll visit Storm Lures Hot N Tot and discuss some pros and cons for walleye using those.

Spring Fishing Gear Tip - Rapalas

Every fisherman has their set of "must haves" for their tackle box. Sure, they might be hidden among the other tackle that piles up over the years as gifts, fads, and experimentation... But these lures are the ones that, if the tackle box was lost to the bottom of the lake by accident, and you had to replace tackle on a budget, they would make the first round of lures and gear from the tackle shop.

I have my go to lures as well, and I will attempt to show a few of them to you each week leading up to the start of the spring fishing season, when I hope I can bring a bit more "live action" tips of the week to you as well. Hopefully I'll be able to bring you a new tip each week of the year, but please understand, things do get busy and I might miss a week here or there in the process.

This week I want to look at a lure that has been around for a long time, the Rapala. I remember fishing with these 25 years ago, and not much has changed in the design since then. But then, why change something that works... The floating Rapala is one of my first lures to get wet in the spring, hunting for the Walleye along the shorelines in the bays where streams present a spawning site that they will have gathered weeks before to lay their eggs.

I usually hunt for a 6-8 foot depth along the shoreline and strive to keep that depth by weaving further or closer to shore. Sometimes with a sudden rise you'll hit as high as 4 feet. A small boat really helps in these types of areas, easy to manoeuver where you need to go.

The floating Rapalas offer the ability to stay shallow. If you hit a sudden rise, you can easily lift your fishing pole high and have the lure climb to a shallow depth usually before your lure reaches it. If you figure your target is close to shore in shallow water, the floating Rapala will hug it for you, and offer some great natural swimming action to entice your prey. Having a medium-light action rod and lightweight (6-8 pound test) line will help you feel bottom during darker fishing hours and react to those times when bottom reaches up to grab at your lure. I've found often a quick lift of the pole will save your lure from a snag, and it helps to let your pole drift back as well, lowering the speed your lure is travelling while minimizing the chance it will grab something with a hook, and letting it rise both with line lift and its natural floating ability.

Next week I'll talk a bit more about different color and model options within the Rapala family.