THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER
"The family that plays together, stays together and we are lucky, because sometimes we get to watch.
Natalie, along with her brothers Andy and Oliver have been coming to Kabetogama on the annual family ice fishing trips for a while now. It’s been fun to watch them grow, learn and as 12-year-old Natalie proved last fall, mature.
Demonstrating more patience than many adult hunters, Natalie let several potential bear targets walk in and out of range of her stand as she waited for something “better” to come along. Finally, one did, the 300-pound chocolate that you see pictured here.
Natalie knew that persistence would pay off, but the knowledge didn’t come out of nowhere. Her persistence was developed, nurtured and developed over time, we think, because of getting outside, hunting and fishing with her family. Anyway, we’re proud of her and we’re pretty darn sure that we’ll be seeing signs of her influence on her brothers, Andy and Oliver in the near future too.
Our wildest dreams would come true if we are able to watch scenarios like this play out over and over again, right here at Kabetogama. We genuinely believe that our outdoor heritage depends on more families playing outside, together.
As we roll into the final few weeks of the walleye season, we’ve generally been pleased with the fishing on Kabetogama. While there haven’t been many “hot bites”, there haven’t been many totally down days either. Most every group have been able to parley their catch into a fish fry for the family.
Walleyes, like we reported last week are coming from a wide range of depths and have been caught on a variety of presentations. When push comes to shove, a combination of tip-ups and jigging lures, all in action at the same time will produce results. Use large lively minnows on the tip-ups to produce both large walleye and big pike.
Set a tip up out and away from structure, but near sunken reefs or underwater points. Drill holes nearby, but closer to structure for using the jigging presentations. Periodically re-position your tip ups and drill a few fresh holes for jigging.
We have experimented with jigging lures and had some success with most of the popular presentations. Glow Spoons, Rattl’n Flyers and Quiver Spoons are a few that come to mind, but stop in the store on your way to the lake and we’ll fill you in on what’s hot at the moment you arrive.
Perch, sauger perch and pike have come along as bonus fish, part of the overall catch but not the specific targets. For folks interested in adding more perch to the creel, one thing we can suggest is to fish softer bottom areas. Rocks and hard gravel are fine for perch at times, but late winter is when insect larvae begin to pull fish away from defined structure.
Marl is a semi-soft material that’s ideal for bloodworms and it is found in areas that transition between a hard bottom and mud. When you locate areas like these, be deliberate in your search, perch are almost sure to be roaming the flats nearby. We can help point you in the direction of some likely areas where this strategy can work.
Fishing from our Ice Castles, or for that matter, any rental shelter offers anglers opportunity to develop specialized strategies. We suggest experimentation and advise our guests to offer an array of lures that cover the gambit from attracting, to enticing to triggering.
Rig a couple of rods with large flashy lures to get the fish’s attention, but always have a couple of rods set up with more subtle, lifelike baits too. When you see fish that don’t strike the aggressive presentations, quickly offer them the more subtle ones.
For a family, this could be accomplished by taking turns at offering specialized presentations. Maybe mom could handle the jigging rod, using something like a Glow Streak, while dad watches the set line rigged with a large lively minnow as the kids present smaller blade style ice jigs tipped with smaller minnows or waxworms. Have fun mixing it up and forming your own “family plan”.
Our Sno Bear and lodging packages have been well received this winter. In fact, we’re already adding reservations to the books for next year. Even though the season is winding down soon, there are still a handful of openings during mid-week. If you’ve pictured yourself moving across the lake in total comfort, drilling holes and fishing spots without needing a jacket, then the Sno Bear is for you! Give us a call to find out what we still have available."
— The shelves are stocked with everything you’ll need to convince those fish to bite; so be sure to stop in and let us help. For More Information >> Contact KAB OUTDOORS or Call 218.875.2281
