Fish Finders for Ice Fishing
For years, ice fishing was one of those things on my bucket list that I had never actually done, but wanted to do at least once. Yes, I don’t necessarily like the idea of sitting on the ice freezing, thick or not, cutting holes in the ice and hoping to catch very warm blooded fish. However, it’s a unique experience that even experienced fishermen don’t necessarily try.
However, as little as some may know about it, one of the most important tools you can have in any ice fishing expedition is a fish finder. It makes your job easier, and you’re more likely to actually catch a fish while you’re sitting out there freezing.
The Types
There are actually two types of fish finders. One is a traditional flasher and the other is more modern and found in boating expeditions. The flasher is a simple depth and fish finder that gives you the bottom echo and depth of the area as well as echos from solid masses in the water, which you hope includes fish and the depth they happen to be at.
The modern fish finder on the other hand shows everything including the structure of the masses and fish, helping you to get a better idea of what you are actually looking at. These modern fish finders are becoming more and more popular, and it can run all day on one simple battery, which is fantastic.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Fish Finder
• Battery life – How long will it last? Do you need extra batteries just in case? How long are you actually planning on staying out?
• Zoom – Can it zoom into particular sections of the water? Is the zoom adjustable?
• Can it give readings before drilling?
• Is there a warranty?
Make Your Own Fishing Gear
Growing up in a fishing family, I learned early on how to create my own fishing gear. Yes, I used the snoopy fishing pole, but I never saw anybody in my family pay for a single fly or a single lure. Everything was homemade from scratch, and it literally saved us hundreds or even thousands of dollars over the past 30 years or more.
However, not everybody knows how to do it or can consider the cost difference. The fact is that if you want to tie your own flies, your best investment is if you are actually a dedicated fisherman and you actually want to take the time. There is equipment to buy in the beginning to stabilize your flies as you run the string around and around to get it right. You have to learn the best techniques to get better looking flies that are more attractive to the fish, and chances are, it won’t be perfect your first time around.
Over time though, not only could you save money on flies and gear, you could actually end up making money by selling to fly shops and online if you know how to do a good job. You make more money if you can find cheap deals on feathers, foam, and other important materials, but that’s for the more serious without question.
The simplest floaters can be something as simple as a twig tied to your line, though some prefer corks or certain types of foam. You could make a floater from a corn cob that you bring as part of your lunch.
While flies have become more of an art for some, there are tutorials online on how exactly to tie your own flies, and some have even started to build their own fishing rods. However, how far you go with all of this depends entirely on you and how invested you are in a regular fishing experience.
Top 10 Fishing Apps
In the spirit of the moment and in light of Steve Jobs’ passing, we figured it would be the right time to go over some of the best fishing apps that can help you to find the right spots, know your fish, and be better at fishing on the iPhone. Some are games, some are more informational, and all tend to be made for amateurs and experienced fishermen alike.
Orvis Fly Fishing
Orvis is one of the bigger and older fishing companies, they know what they are doing when it comes to fishing. It gives you animated videos of everything from knots to basic fly casts to common casting mistakes. You have to pay $24.99 for it, but there’s a fair enough chance that it might actually be worth it. However, you do get a $10 gift certificate.
Animated Fishing Knots
It gives you exactly what the name suggests: animated pictures of fishing knots, how to tie them, etc. It’s basic information, and it only costs you $0.99. For what it provides, a lot of fisherman and amateurs believe that it is worth every single penny.
Flick Fishing
It’s a way of fishing on your phone. It gives you 7 fishing locations, 9 baits and tackle, 12 tournaments, and dozens of fish, both common and unique. This sells for just $0.99 on your iPhone or iTunes, and considering the fact that there have been something like 2.5 million downloads, makers have done something right.
Navionics 5.0
Considered to be the world’s best-selling marine chart, this sells for $14.99 on your iPad, iPhone, or iTunes account. It gives you a very basic navigation chart in your phone, and you can download new charts as you go if you want.
Trout Fishing Season Begins
Salmon fishing season is coming to its end as trout fishing picks up in Alaska. Chums, pinks, and silvers are still spawning down the river, but the reports in Anchorage are that rainbow fishing in the Matu-su has been increasingly impressive lately.
Water conditions are excellent for trout fishing, and the locals are suggesting that anybody looking to fish Alaska this time of year have a variety of fresh flies (pink, ginger, and off-white) on hand. You should also keep a few maggot flies with you to get better results with trout fishing.
The Upper Kenai is boasting active spawning and the rainbows and dollies are picking up. The same goes for the Parks streams.
The Prince William Sound has become a good source of silvers according to Mountain View crew and it is recommended that you be prepared with hoochies tipped with herring if you want to fish this particular area. The fish are generally fishing 25 to 50 feet deep. So be prepared to get your line a little deeper.
The Nancy Lake System seems to be improving with low water temperatures, and so far, South Rolly, Nancy, and Red Shirt Lakes seem to be the most promising for virtually any fisherman. Get there before the crowds roll in.
In Alaska, you can choose your season depending on what kind of fish you want to catch and the results you want to get. If you want trout, this is your season. However, if you want salmon specifically, you will have to wait til next year.
What to Do When Bears Attack
Maybe you haven’t thought about it before, but there are quite a few bears in Alaska, and we don’t always know what it is that we have done to offend them. We don’t always know what an animal is thinking, and while bear attacks are actually quite rare, people don’t always know what they have done to set them off. By nature, bears can be somewhat unpredictable. If there are multiple bear attacks associated with one bear, park rangers will typically deal with it, but there are a few things that you can do to help yourself.
1. DO NOT feed the bears
This may seem like common sense to some. We feed squirrels and other small, cute animals. However, some leave food for bears, thinking that they are helping. This is not a good idea. Just like with small animals, it makes them dependent, and it makes them expect food when they see or smell humans. You are helping everyone when you avoid doing this.
2. Hang Your Food In Trees
Whether you are actually at the camp or away, bears will try to steal things like fish. The best thing to do to prevent this problem is to hang your food in taller trees. Yes, it can be a little bit inconvenient for you, but it’s worth it when you think about that versus being attacked by a bear again for your food.
3. DO NOT Approach a Mother Bear
Whether you are simply trying to get a picture or you stumble upon them, a mother bear with small cubs can perceive your presence as an immediate threat, and she will charge. The best thing that you can possibly do is to avoid the problem.
4. Leave Your Fish Behind
As you might want to do if a mugger attacks you, just give up your fish. I know you have worked hard and spent hours looking for that fish, but if it’s the fish or your life and health….I don’t think of that as much of a choice.
5. DO NOT RUN, Stand Still
Yes, it seems like our first instinct to run like hell, but any bear, even the smaller ones, will outrun you and will take you down. If you stand still, arms at your side because it can be hard to hold them up for extended periods of time, the bear may push you a little bit, but it will perceive you to be more like a tree than a human threat. If you try to shoot a bear, chances are you don’t have the bullets to take it down. Your best bet is to stand still and allow the bear its time to feel you out and eventually leave you alone.
Mafia-Style Rule Over Alaskan Fisheries
Who Gets the Money?
Just as the majority of modern-day ruling powers, the Management Council reserves the rights to please any party they wish and this preferential power has come into question as of late, particularly this summer as this group shake hands under tables in order manipulate where this money goes.
To begin, we can tell you where this money is NOT going…the Management Council currently wants to take 1.4 million pounds of halibut away from local, ma and pop-owned establishments and hand it over to charter fishing businesses in Southcentral Alaska by giving it to commercial fisherman. Without keeping the local charter fishing companies in mind, the Management Council has the ability to bankrupt these small communities who are truly the heart of the Alaska Fisheries and have been for centuries.
The “Family’s” Reasoning
Before we jump to conclusions, let’s hear the mobsters out. According to recent research, the biomass of Halibut is steadily declining in the waters off Alaska. Due to the decreasing environment and therefore decreasing number of fish, the larger commercial fishing companies have been regulated on the amount of fish they’re allowed to catch in the area, while the smaller charter companies have actually been able to catch more.
This doesn’t account for the fact that the price of halibut has soared since the mid 90′s. In 1995, a pound of halibut was selling dockside for $2 a pound and today sells for nearly $6-7 per pound. Overall, the commercial fisherman are getting to work less, catch fewer fish, and making a lot more money.
Conclusion
Apparently, the “council family” has grown tired of the entire issue which leads us to believe that they’ll be reaching a decision soon. The question now lies, will this mafia-family of Fishery Management take the local plight into consideration when coming to their own conclusion, or will the commercial fisherman who produce more at a lower cost ultimately win reign of the Alaskan halibut coast?
Fishery adviser is guilty of $100,000 in illegal fishing
Arne Fuglvog, U.S. Senates Lisa Murkowski’s top fisheries advisor was a recent candidate to become head of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Now, Fuglvog is pleading guilty to $100,000 worth of illegal fishing.
Fuglvog was a commercial fisherman for many years and has been the top fisheries advisor for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council since 2006. This illegal fishing charge will cost him $150,000 in fines and restitution along with 10 months in prison.
In 2005, Fuglvog took 63,000 pounds of sablefish, which is nearly twice what he was allowed to catch. Then he falsified the records to suggest that half of the fish had been caught in the central gulf instead of the Gulf of Alaska as they were.
Fuglvog has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the Lacey Act which was set in place to fight trafficking in illegally taken wildlife, fish and plants.
Gulf of Alaska ship sinking
Recently, the Navy has gained permission to blast and sink as many as two real ships every year for the next five years in the Gulf of Alaska as “target practice” for pilots and gunners.
A Navy spokesman said that there is currently no schedule to start the Alaska sinkings, but opponents of the practice want to ensure this doesn’t happen. Even Decommissioned, stripped-out ships, like the ones the Navy intends to use as targets, hold lingering dangerous materials that can poison the Gulf’s habitat for years.
Back in May, the Navy finished an environmental review for the new target practice and authorized itself a maximum of two ship sinkings a year. The Sierra Club and Basel Actin Network petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency this month hoping to but a stop to the Navy’s nationwide SINKEX program. They say that instead of allowing these decommissioned vessels to pollute the Gulf, they would rather see them completely recycled.
Colby Self of the Basel Action Network, a Seattle based environmental group says this: “The Navy’s plan to extend SINKEX operations to the Gulf of Alaska, one of the richest fishing grounds in the world, while also acknowledging their intention to sink vessels without first removing all toxins, is a threat to marine life in the Gulf of Alaska.”
Alaskan Photoreel
Alaska, a wild, desolate tundra, teeming with life. A place where unbound adventure is still sought out, found, and quenched. Below is a photoseries of our favorite photos of Alaska, to wet your appetite for this exquisitely cold ice palace.
Fishing Alaska
When you bring up fishing in Alaska, the most common thought are of Alaskan Salmon. The Salmon runs in Alaska are famous for a reason, thousands of fish, clear waters, gorgeous seasonal environments. 
Halibut fishing should be famous for all of these same reasons, but is not. What some people don’t know is that Halibut can sometimes be considered to be a higher quality fish than Salmon. For some the taste and texture are simply preferred. Halibut is a lighter type fish, white in color in stead of the pink you get with salmon. The fish itself is much larger on average in comparison to Salmon and as such, if you get the right cut out of a Halibut you get the tender, amazing fish you’ve come to expect from salmon, but in larger morsels and portions. If you’ve never had a good cut of Halibut, you’re missing out. One of the most amazing culinary delights I’ve ever had in my life was a six ounce cut of Alaskan Halibut pan sauteed in a garlic parmesan cream sauce and served with a Lettuce wedge with ceasar dressing. The fish itself is saturated with the creamy garlic flavor and cooked well Halibut flakes away from itself in the lightest, fluffiest way in huge chunks of succulent fish. For all the fishing fun and culinary amazement you can get from Alaskan Salmon Fishing with half the crowds, Halibut fishing. Welcome to Alaska.