Outdoors column: Ice fishing season almost here
It hardly seems possible that we are getting ready to turn the page from fall hunting activities to winter. For many of us, winter means spending time on the ice.
Although I love ice fishing, I don’t really relish the thought of facing a long, cold winter. Once I do get established into the world of ice fishing, I hate to see it end in the spring. It is just my initial motivation for hard water that is sometimes lacking.
In an effort to help my ice fishing motivation along, I decided to spend a morning with someone that is always motivated to be on the ice. That would be Dave Genz.
Genz has done more to promote ice fishing and educate anglers on how to be successful during the winter months than anyone else I know. He is truly an ice fishing guru.
Once the coffee was poured and a few “remember when” stories were out of the way, Genz got serious about discussing his passion. In a few moments, the kitchen table transformed itself from a table to an impressive display of ice fishing equipment.
Since Genz is always thinking of new ideas for winter angling, I prompted him to tell me more about some of his latest techniques. We started with an add-on product called a Silkie.
Although I have some Silkies in my arsenal, I never found them to be magical. This simple gadget is made up of silk threads that can be attached to any jig. The fine silk creates an undulating and breathing action that attracts panfish.
The mistake I was making when presenting Silkies was my placement. Instead of pushing them up to the head of the jig, Genz leaves them on the curvature of the hook. He claims it is a real game changer.
Genz also went on to talk about moving the Maki plastic he uses to the curvature of the hook. Again, this was a concept I have never tried.
Like I stated earlier, Genz is a real innovator and very willing to experiment with new techniques. Although I learned a lot in our conversation, these two simple adjustments will definitely be put to use this hard water season.
This is the opinion of outdoors columnist Jerry Carlson. Contact him at jerrycarlson@cloudnet.com.
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This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Outdoors column: Ice fishing season almost here
