Trolling on Ice

Posted on February 24, 2018February 25, 2018 by Julio Silva

I was ice fishing today at a lake that I had only fished once before. Using a depth map from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, I identified an area that I wanted to fish. I rigged up my Jack Traps tip-ups in an inline-five formation from shallow to deep water. This formation has always worked for me. Always! Until today!! Plan B: Trolling!!!

Fish360 Ice Fishing Trolling

I drilled another set of five holes five yards away from and parallel to the inline-five formation. I jigged each hole from the lake’s bottom to the water’s surface. Nothing! I drilled another set of five holes five yards away from and parallel to the second set of holes. I jigged each hole from the lake’s bottom to the water’s surface. Nothing!! I repeated this pattern until I found fish!!!

Fish360 Ice Fishing Trolling

This fatty yellow perch hit a 1/8 oz blue/chrome Kastmater like a freight train! In addition to horizontal swimming, Kastmasters clearly also work well for vertical jigging.

At the end of the trip, I had 40+ holes covering an area the size of a football field. Good thing I had my Jiffy Pro4 Propane Auger. Time is fish!

No matter how much you plan. No matter how good your gear. No matter how good your technique. There are NO guarantees in fishing. Always have a plan B! 😉

Night Tides

Posted on February 11, 2018February 11, 2018 by Julio Silva

In Night Tides Michael Cinquemani tells the story of his mentor: Billy Legakis (a.k.a. “Billy the Greek”, “BTG”). For some fishing is a hobby, a passion, a pursuit, or an addiction. For BTG, fishing is the thing beyond addition: life’s purpose.

Fish360 Night Tides Billy Legakis Billy the Greek BTG

The stories in Night Tides are entertaining and a pleasure to read. As I read through the book, I began to think that BTG was mad. When I finished the book, I realized that BTG was not mad, but mad in craft. BTG’s ability to catch large fish on a consistent basis can be attributed to his skill and the methods he exploited:

Fish a specific spot or a set of spots all season, during all stages of the tide, during all moon phases, under various weather conditions, and at different times of day to identify the most productive patterns.
Employ heavy gear to increase your changes of landing big fish and not exhaust the fish to a premature death.
Fish from boat, surf, and bridges to expand your knowledge and perspective.
Read fishing reports to forecast where the fish will be.
Selectively harvest fish to feed your family. Release the rest.

These methods produce results. No question. But, you do not need to fish 7 days a week and risk divorce or being terminated at work. The key to success in fishing while balancing life is to maximize your limited time on the water by keeping a smart fishing journal and building a small network of trusted anglers. Work hard. Fish harder!

Linesider69 Custom Plugs

Posted on February 1, 2018February 1, 2018 by Julio Silva

I first met Charles Carlow from Linesider69 Custom Plugs at the New England Saltwater Fishing Show. He stopped by my booth and showed one of his plugs. I have been hooked on his plugs ever since.

Fish360 Linesider69 Customer Plugs

Charles Carlow is a prolific plug builder who has been building plugs for 15+ years. He has 40 different plug models that are available in 2 or 3 sizes. He paints his wooden plugs in standard and custom colors. Charles Carlow has round, off-set, and carved plugs. He has done for offset plugs what John Haberek did for needlefish.

Each plug model goes through an extensive design and testing phase. During the construction phase, Charles Carlow uses templates to ensure that all his plugs are crafted consistently. Because wood is a natural porous product, he keeps his workshop at less than 20% humidity at all times. After he paints his plugs, he coats them with a two-part epoxy/resin mixture for maximum durability. All of his plugs are assembled with quality hardware: stainless steel thru-wire, stainless steel swivels, Rasco split rings, and VMC hooks.

The design, color, construction, and action of the Linesider69 plugs attract a variety of fish. For example, a 53″ striped bass was hooked and landed a Linesider69 plug. A 200 lb class blue fin tuna engulfed a Linesider69 popper; the line could not hold the fish as it raced towards the Azores. White perch, yellow perch, large mouth bass, small mouth bass, pickerel, northern pike, rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout, bluefish, yellow fin tuna, jack crevelle, and sea robin have also been landed on Linesider69 plugs.

I fish Linesider69 plugs because they are well designed, tested, and built with a consistent action. With 40 different plug models in various sizes that can hook multiple saltwater and freshwater species, Linesider69 has a plug for you! 😉