THE OUTDORKSMAN

https://anchor.fm/theoutdorksmanpodcast/episodes/Episode-1-e1cvofi   In this episode, Jake and John talk about how ice fishing has changed through the years, as well as catfish, augers, and lures specifically for ice fishing. Have a listen!

Welcome to 21' leaderboard. It's absolutely amazing to see these stats roll in again.  15 units produced 40.5%   of the state's harvest numbers. Minnesota had 130 Units for 2021.   To put that into perspective: (as a public land hunter whose very interested in these things) 11.5% of the DPA's produced 40.5% of the deer.   Clean off your dork-glasses, we're getting serious. We're going to have 2 separate classes.  1. Harvest Numbers  &  2. Deer Per Mile   Lets's get to it. Harvest Numbers: DPAs 👇   Harvest #'s 👇 15.    649          3331 14.      227          3347 13.      246          3613 12.      239          3860 11.      225          4245 10.      604          4287 9.        157          4395 👈 **Down 400ish from last year**16 day firearm season** 8.       221          4554 7.        184          4556 👈**Also a large unit w/16 day firearm season** 6.      215          4564 5.      214          4998 👈 **Down 500

That’s a question I used to ask myself a lot when we lived in Moorhead for a couple years. I had seen a few portable ice houses out on the Red River in Fargo and asked the folks at the local bait & tackle shop about it. They said that: “Anyone fishing the Red River in January was most likely fishing for Goldeyes, although the occasional Walleye or Northern Pike will also be caught.” “Catfish don’t really have an appetite in the winter.” But, Could it be done? Are the catfish even around? What do they eat?  For these questions I called Brad Durick out of Grand Forks. He’s a professional fishing guide, highly sought after catfishing educator, author of two catfishing books, and the host of the Catfish Best Source Podcast. Brad is truly an expert on channel catfish in the Red River, so when I asked him about ice fishing for catfish, Brad went on to explain how it’s mostly done in the southern parts of the state, for flathead and channel catfish, not not really for channel catfish on t

There's a small, flooded lake on the county line close to where I live. Rumors of fish swimming between the dead standing timber were more than I could handle, and last summer my old boat found its way onto the water. I had only just pushed off from shore and was looking down through the clear, waveless track that the boat leaves behind when I spotted them. Hundreds of small bass followed in the shadow of the boat as I traveled backward off of the shore. Their eager presence pushed the surface of the water around the same way rocks do under a creek.  I committed something of a sin when I fired up the boat motor. That little puff of blue smoke into the air felt like I just cracked a beer in church. I idled the old boat around in that pristine setting checking the depth on my Vexilar and trying to see into the lake, curious about what other mysteries the water contains.  I filleted a few bass later that evening.  Yesterday was completely different. A lot has changed. I have a beautif

I recently purchased a self climbing stand off of Facebook Marketplace for $25. The seller said it might be garbage. And for some strange reason, I think he's wrong. The stand is definitely old school. It's dark green paint has faded into a chalk and the wood under the padded seat has cracked, highlighting questionable integrity. To my amazement the jaws look like they’ve never climbed a tree. I couldn't find a single nicks in the paint on the teeth. I still can't find a brand name on it.  The only readable tag had a phone number, which led to a Google search, which led to a list of recalls. Fancy . Using my sub-par "never need directions" intuition, I cobbled the aluminum contraption together and commenced a series of rigorous test runs. To my surprise, "Ol’ clanky" performed very well. It's clever two-piece design allows the user to shimmy their way up the tree fairly quickly. It does require quite a bit of upper body strength to ascend and des

Not just for fancy trout fisherman...  Sometimes they're called FMA's.  Aquatic Management Areas or AMA's are usually shoreline or other wetland habitats that are managed by the local fisheries department. AMA's OR FMA's are other types on public lands in Minnesota that are open to public use. Often, because of their odd shapes and small sizes, they are too commonly overlooked as a viable hunting spot. I think that's a big mistake. You do have to check every AMA or FMA for specific rules regarding hunting as some only allow for easement or fishing. It will say on the sign which identifies the AMA if you can or cannot hunt on that particular part or area. And remember, you can look it up on the handy Recreation Compass Tool or call the DNR during office hours. The General Scope: Hunting on the AMA is alot like hunting a refuge for WMA,  packing your hunting stuff (blinds, stands, boat, etc..) with you in and out every day. You cannot leave it out overnight.  Off

"It's kind of like TV Guide for lakes" If you didn't know, and most people don't, the MN DNR put some serious work into collecting fish population and other data samples to keep lakes balanced and stocked. That information isn't top secret per se but, it isn't easy to get a hold of either. Luckily, the DNR has changed that. Somewhat.  Have you ever driven past a lake and wondered to yourself,      "Is there really anything worth fishing for in there?" Well let me let you in on a little secret: there probably is and it's easy to find out.  A couple times a year I try to tell folks about the Lakefinder section on the DNR's website. So here I go again.  In the Lakefinder app you can search nearly any lake in Minnesota that is large enough to sustain fish. LakeFinder Link Here   👈👈 Follow along This will go pretty quick!   Homepage provides you a few options for searching... I use the map feature. ('Cause I like maps)   Click on the la