Opinions on what role color plays in making fish bite are as varied as the colors of the rainbow. Color, when it comes to fishing, can be a controversial topic. One thing for sure is that every single angler has his or her favorite color and they typically have an opinion on which color makes fish bite. Buck Perry, the father of structure fishing and one of the sport’s greatest thinkers, has said that the keys to fishing are depth and speed, but he added that, in his opinion, color is a trigger.

It will wear you down, give you a headache, test your character and maybe even your equipment. In fact; it may even force you to throw in the towel and head home early.There’s no doubt that a hard wind and monster waves can take the fun out of just abouteverything, but if you’re a hardcore walleye fisherman it’s part of the program.

As a child I remember waking up at the crack of dawn with grandpa tickling my toes saying “It’s time to go fishing, time is a wasting.” A quick orange and a bowl of Special K from grandma preceded a race to the car to see which grandkid would get there first and earn the right to sit next to grandpa for the ride to the river. Once in the boat grandpa always seemed to know right where to go and his next stop, Grandpa's magical honey hole, always seemed to be a randomly picked spot out in the middle of the river channel! At least this is what I thought as a young lad on those earliest fishing trips. These were the spots responsible for producing the memories of all the laughs and arguments between my brothers and I. Laughs from catching tons of fish to arguments about who was fishing in who’s spot. Most arguments were short lived as no kid will argue long when there's fish being caught!

We all have something we are very confident in. That confidence lure or tactic may vary from lake to lake or change over the years but we all have our go to weapon. One of the most difficult things I encounter as an angler is fishing when I have no or little confidence. I know there is more to fishing than catching fish but there is a certain gloom that shrouds the boat when you get in that situation where you no longer think you are going to catch anything. This is why so many anglers avoid new concepts or different tactics… mostly out of confidence. It is hard to stray from what has worked in the past.

Other fish might fight better, pound-for-pound, than smallmouth bass.

We just don’t know of many.

The bobber is a perennial favorite among anglers of every skill level. Float fishing can be as easy as soaking a chunk of night crawler for bluegills on a small pond or as in-depth as power-corking for walleyes on Mille Lacs. Bobbers work well because they can hold a bait in the strike zone for long periods of time; often enticing bites from inactive fish. They allow a bait to be fished in cover without hanging up. They are a great strike indicator, and with their added weight on the line an angler can cast a small lure a much longer distance than would be possible on its own, which is very helpful for spooky shallow fish.

If you have ever read a book or article about catfishing, for the most part you will almost never read about fishing the fast water with the exception of tail races. You will read about fishing holes, runs, snags, a combination there of, or if the article is about blue cats drifting. One thing that seems to be left out or maybe just not realized is fast water opportunities.

On many walleye fisheries across the Midwest, young of the year fish hatches play a huge role in where to fish and what to fish with. Really strong reproductive efforts of just about any fish species are taken advantage of. Heavy predation has been documented on just about every species of fish if the conditions dictate. While the significance of young of the year yellow perch, crappies, white bass, gizzard shad and even bullheads are well known. There are situations where walleyes will feed heavily on young of the year paddle fish or even other walleyes. When conditions are right for a tremendous amount of eggs to hatch and emerge into fry, walleyes usually take advantage regardless.

When it comes to finding midsummer bass you better throw in a heaping helping of green weeds. They can provide everything an adult bass needs including cover that can hold plenty of baitfish, as well as nooks and crannies where bass can set up and fill their bellies. To a bass; that's about it, nice and simple! For an angler the challenge is finding the daily hotspots and giving them what they think they want.

It’s that time of the year again, time to go through your rods, reels, and tackle. Every year they have something new on the market. A hot new lure, a rod that is lighter and more sensitive, and a new stronger/tougher kind of line.