Andrew Ragas splits time between the Chicago area and Wisconsin's Northwoods. Based in Minocqua, WI, he specializes in trophy bass fishing and offers guided trips from May thru October. While big bass is the passion, he dabbles in multi-species as well. He may be visited online at www.northwoodsbass.com
Catch smallmouths quickly from lakes, rivers, flowages, and streams. This 4-inch slender swimbait personifies fishing on the fly, in search of quick bites. I quickly discovered the effectiveness, efficiency and productivity of Z-Man’s 4-inch Diezel Minnow during the ice-out period of April, 2022. Its fish catching powers continued to carry-over into the spring spawning
Whether guiding or leisure fishing, we’re always looking for the best available and most unique weed habitat and shallow cover differing from the rest of the fishery. Across many Wisconsin lake systems, some of our best summer season fishing locations are around impenetrable, heavily vegetated areas.
Smallmouths know when seasons change, and have the ability to prepare and adapt to all conditions. Their activity is always a product of changes whether they be seasonal, temperature, location, wind and weather, or some other biological influencer. If able to pattern accordingly, your fishing strategy, and the day’s potential fishing destination, must revolve
Across northern lakes, largemouths tend to seek the deepest edges and weed cover available, but where dense shallow cover is available, fish will also gravitate to these lake areas as well. Largemouths thrive in slop, utilizing it for their living quarters and prolific feeding. In these locations, largemouths frequently hunt for small prey that
There is no bad time to catch big largemouths in mid-summer, because they are prolific feeders with voracious appetites, and tolerate well to summertime heat. If I had to identify the best summer season windows, they are the bluegill spawn in June, the establishment of deep green weeds at summer’s peak, and the offshore
