Campers Info Source

Last summer we packed our fishing gear and I took my son Ryan and my 4 1/2 year old grandson Jacob fishing to one of my favorite lakes in Minnesota…. Lake Jane.  Jacob had gone fishing several times before but this was a special trip.  Jacob had practiced casting for hours in my front yard before we left to go fishing.  We were out on the lake in my 16 1/2 foot Alumacraft fishing boat but we

Jacob Caught All The Fish

hadn’t caught anything.  So after a little while, we decided to move the the other side of the lake.  Jacob had been doing a great job of casting his bait into the water.  He had always been safe that day and cast his bait almost 100 feet out from the boat every time.  Then it happened.  Jacob caught a fish (a small sunfish) but he had trouble getting it in the boat.  So his dad (Ryan) showed him how to lift the fish from the water by the edge of the boat into the boat.  Jacob was so proud of himself.  I told Jacob that if he wanted to catch more fish, he had to kiss the fish on the lips.  I showed him how by kissing the fish myself then after a little reluctance, he kissed the fish on the lips and threw it back in the lake.  He actually touched the fish all by himself.  We all laughed and shared a toast of pop by clanking our cans together as it was getting really hot.

Then it happened again… Jacob caught an even bigger fish (a big 2 lb Largemouth bass).  This time Jacob was able to get the fish into the boat all by himself.  This fish had much bigger lips but he still kissed the bass on the lips before throwing it back.  Ryan and I went back to our casting and we wern’t paying any attention when Jacob caught his 3rd fish (another small sunfish).  We couldn’t believe it.  Jacob was catching all the fish and we hadn’t caught any fish.  After an hour passed by without anyone catching any fish, we headed home whereby Jacob told grandma about his fishing success over and over and over again.  He was so proud of himself and we were even more proud.  It had been a great day. 

Besides Jacob catching all the fish that day, it turned out to be a success because we packed the right fishing gear, brought lots of night crawlers, had a fishing boat and practiced safety throught the day, including wearing life jackets.

I have lived in Minnesota for most of my life and I’ve seen lots of Pontoon Boats but they’ve always been big wooden or aluminum platforms on top of two or three aluminum pontoons capable of holding 8-20 people.  Some have even been called

Classic Accessories™ Fremont Pontoon Tube

“Barges”.  I’ve often gone fishing with an entire Cub Scout pack or my family and another family all fishing over the side rails of the pontoon.   One man pontoons are now gaining in popularity as effective rafts or fishing vessels to add to your fishing gear.  These unique boats are now inflatable and can fold and fit into a compact 46-lb. carrying case making them very portable and easy to store over the cold winter months. 

These boats are great for fly fishing and getting up close and personal with those under water monsters like Northern Pike, Large Mouth Bass, Walleye, Sun Fish and Crappies. 

You should consider adding a one man pontoon like the Classic Accessories Fremont Pontoon Tube to your fishing gear or get two and paddle around with a friend or family member.  It’s a fun past time and a unique alternative to kayaking.

Many people in Minnesota fish because we have so many natural, fresh water lakes.  It’s very common to see hundreds of people traveling around the state with a boat trailing behind…. either a Lund, Crestliner, Alumacraft and many other 12′, 14′ and 16′ fishing

Colorado Pontoon Boat

 boats with tiller motors and all kinds of fishing gear.  I have to admit I love going fishing and going in these kinds of boats.  But another kind of boat is growing in popularity.  A One Man boat that gets you up close and personal with the water and the big fish beneath the surface.   These are Inflatable Pontoon boats and you an really catch some big fish in these boats. 

Why get one of these Floating Pontoon Boats and add it to your Fishing Gear if only one man can use it?  You should look into these because they can be deflated and packed into a small storage space inside your vehicle thereby saving you space at home.  You can also save on gas in your car because you don’t have to pull a trailer which causes your car to become a gas hog.  You can quickly land these inflatable pontoon boats and easily navigate rivers, streams and lakes. 

You can also use these Inflatable Pontoon Boats for hunting squirrels along river banks or ducks and geese on your favorite lake, pond or river.  The Green/Sage color blends in well with the background of a hunting blind and will need very little camouflage to keep it hidden from you flying feathered friends.

Little Ryan was 5 years old and he loved fishing for big fish.  One weekend he went fishing with his dad and some other dads and sons.  They all brought their own fishing gearand camped out in a big camping tent.  Ryan had more fishing gear than all the other kids so he was real proud.  Ryan was the first boy to wake up the next morning so he got his new fishing

Telescoping Rod & Reel Set

pole rigged for a big fish.  When all the other dads and boys woke up they went to the dock by the lake and started fishing.  Ryan was the first to catch a fish and it was a big one; his pole bent in half and the fish almost dragged Ryan into the lake.  But Ryan didn’t want that fish to take his fishing gear (fishing lure) so he turned around and walked the opposite direction… towing the fish behind him until it reached the shore.  It was an eight pound Carp.  All of the other boys we amazed at the size of the fish and congratulated Ryan.  Ryan then did a brave and wonderful thing.  He first took the hook out of the fish’s mouth, then he put the hook from another kid’s line and put it in the fish’s mouth.  He then carried the fish to the lake and let it go.  Now that kid had a chance to see what it was like to catch a really big fish.  When that boy landed the fish, Ryan did the same thing for 4 more boys until every boy had a chance to catch a really big fish and the fish was all wore out.  Then Ryan finally released the fish to live another day.  Ryan had lots of fun watching each of his friends catch a big fish and all of the boys became good friends of Ryan.  Ryan’s dad was really proud of him that day.  Ryan packed away all of his fishing gear and returned to the camp site where all of the boys had dinner and told stories about the big fish they caught that day.  Ryan is now 25 years old and to this day, he practices “Catch and Release” with all the fish he catches.  He taught all the boys and dads a valuable lesson that day.  Remember, “The Joy is in the Journey”.

After hiking all day long and eating a great meal in the evening, its time to tell camping stories around the campfire.  Sharing stories is one some of the most fun things you can do with friends and family members around the campfire.  The little one are mesmerized by the fire and the scary stories and they remember them vividly.  So here’s one you can tell on your next camping trip.

There once was a boy named Bobby who was about 15 years.  He had many friends in school and he loved to play guitar, fish, swim,

Zebco® Platinum 33PLC® 6' Spincast Combo

hunt and go camping.  One day while walking through school, he saw a sign that read: “Goldfish Eating Contest in the cafeteria at 10:00am today”.  So the boy went to the cafeteria and saw a huge aquarium filled with Goldfish.  Next to the aquarium was a big piece of paper with kids names on it and how many goldfish they had eaten.  He couldn’t believe his eyes as one girl was eating a goldfish right there in front of him.  You don’t chew them.  You just swallow them whole.  The person on the list with the highest number of goldfish eaten was a girl named Pam.  Bobby had never liked Pam and thought is was his job to eat more than her.  He just couldn’t let her win the $50 prize for eating the most goldfish in the school.  So Bobby started eating Goldfish.  After he had eaten 33 goldfish which was one more than Pam, he quit.  But when he turned around, Pam was standing right there staring into his eyes with an angry and ugly face.  Pam then started to eat even more Gold fish.  She quit when she was full and had eaten 52 goldfish.  Bobby just could let a girl beat him so he started eating more goldfish.  He finally quit after eating a total of 64 goldfish. 

Bobby won the content, beat Pam and was the happiest boy in school that day.    It was noon and Bobby wasn’t very hungry for lunch that day but his friends encouraged him to have lunch with them to celebrate his big victory.  So Bobby went to the lunch room with his friend and guess what?  Do you know what was on the school menu for lunch that day…….. A fish sandwich with fish sticks.  Bobby put a fish sandwich on his tray but the fish sticks were more than he could eat.  He was so full.  He sat down with his friends and started eating.  Pam walked by and sneared at him.  He just laughed.  Then a couple of teachers walked by and congradulated Bobby on his victory.  He was so proud.  Then it happened.  The loudest, nastiest, worst thing he and his friends had ever smelled.  Bobby burped the longest burp anyone had ever heard.  It lasted a full 90 seconds before it was over.  But when he was done, he felt a lot better.  Bobby and his friends then went to their afternoon classes.  Bobby sometimes felt as though the goldfish were swimming around in his belly.  He went home later that afternoon and told his mom and dad about his victory.  His dad said his story sounded a little fishy.  But Bobby knew better.  He had won something special that day and was very proud. 

Do you know what Bobby bought with his $50?  He bought some fishing gear.  He bought two new fishing poles, two new reels and some fishing lures.  The end.

Bob and Gary

After a 6 year stay in Texas, I moved my family back to Minnesota in November of 1993 from Plano, TX as part of a Job transfer and a need to re-kindle relationships between my kids and their aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas and grandpas.  One of the first things I did was buy a speed boat.  A 1994 Rinker 180 Runabout.  It was awesome and the family loved it.  I also re-bonded with my cousin Gary who was never a lover of tent camping but was in love with fishing.  He lived, ate and slept fishing.  I even thought his middle name was “Fish” sometimes.  In the spring of 1994 Gary and I went Bass Fishing near Brainerd, MN at Gilbert Lake, a favorite for both of us when we were younger.  What I didn’t know at the time is that while I was in Texas, Gary had become an expert bass fisherman.  He knew exactly where to go on any lake, what bait or lures to cast, what depth to fish and the size of the fish he was going to catch

Zoom® Soft Plastic Baits - Old Monster® Worms

even before he’d catch it. 

One of his favorite lures was a Grape 6″ plastic worm.  I remember a bass surfacing about 20 feet from the boat and Gary said “3 pounder, Bob you go to the right and I’ll go to the left of the splash”.  So we both reeled in and cast our exact same grape plastic worms to either side of the splash.  Two seconds later, Gary says “Fish On”.  That’s what he always said when set the hook in a bass.  All I could do was watch in awe as he landed the monster bass.  Sometimes he’d  just throw it back so he could watch my jaw drop like a brick.  Other times he put the bass on the stringer, then he’d put a new, grape plastic worm on and start casting again.  He’d usually end up with a limit of good size bass, throw back about 20 and I’d be lucky to catch 2 or 3.  But we both loved fishing, spending time together, telling stories and talking about our kids and wives.  Now Gary prefers catching Crappies over Bass but he’s still a fishing expert as far as I’m concerned.

Gary was convinced you had to always have fresh lures just like fresh, live bait.  If you are planning to go fishing anytime soon, inspect your fishing gear and make sure you have fresh lures.  Get yourself some grape plastic worms and head out to the lake.  Make sure you have lots of fresh fishing lures packed as part of your fishing gear and check out your rods and reels too.  You don’t want old line on your fishing reels and things binding up when you’re trying to make that cast for the big one.  Take a kid fishing too and remember, the Joy is in the Journey.

It’s no stretch to say that Zebco 202, 404, and 808 reels have been responsible for introducing more people to fishing than any other reels on the market.  And as always, they are priced to attract new anglers.  These Zebco Reels are simple and reliable, with easy push button casting and durable construction, and they’re perfect for family fun.  I have personally used

Zebco 202- small Fishing Reel

each of these reels and I have to tell you they are great and work well.  In fact, while all my friends, in-laws and my own son Ryan prefer open face spinning reels, I still prefer the spincast reels I used as a kid and continue to use to this very day; Zebco reels. 

I also like the Zebco model 33 spincast reel and I have used it a lot.  I use them for fishing sunfish, crappies, large mouth bass and small mouth bass.  They can also be used forliterally any kind of fish.   

I suggest you get a 5 1/2′ or 6′ long, graphite fishing rod with a little bend in it and you’ll catch lots of fish.

This past Saturday was the fishing opener for Walleyes in Minnesota.  I don’t fish walleyes very much and actually prefer fishing for sunfish, crappies and bass.  The weather was beautiful so really wanted to get out in my boat and test the water.  I spent most of Sunday morning checking and testing my fishing gearthen I headed out to the lake with my son Ryan, my grandson Jacob and Ryan’s girlfriend Falon. 

The water on Snail lake was really shallow which made fishing very difficult but after about an hour, we found a spot where there were some fish.  Ryan caught a small bass that flipped off the line just as he was lifting it into the boat.  It was a small 1 lb bass and he would have thrown it back anyway.  We were still waiting for the first fish to come in the boat.  Then it happened.  Ryan sat with Jacob on his lap and helped in set the hook on a monster sunfish.  Jacob reeled the fish in the rest of the way and with the help of his dad, he was able to get the fish in the boat.  We took lots of pictures and released the fish back into the lake.  Ryan and Jacob were so excited.  Minutes later, Jacob landed a bass all by him self.  His dad was so proud and I was thrilled to watch his excitement.  Then he caught one more little sunfish before we called it a day.  We all had a blast and Jacob now thinks he is the best fisherman in the world.  We think so to.

When we packed our fishing gear for the trip to Snail lake, we all took life Jacobs, we all had our fishing licenses, we all had a fishing rod and reel like the one pictured and we released all the fish we caught.  It was one of the most fun days I have ever experienced.  So next time you go fishing, take a rod and reel like the one pictured, take a kid and remember, the Joy is in the Journey.

I live in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and when I stepped outside of my house yesterday, I could not believe my eyes.  Cotton was falling off the trees and blowing in the wind.  This doesn’t normally happen in Minnesota until mid to late May.  I know because that’s when I do a lot of pan fishing and the cotton gets caught in my fishing reel.  The winter in Minnesota was very mild this year and it’s been unusually warm through March and April.  So we’re almost 1 full month ahead of schedule weather-wise.  I fully expect the pan fish to be biting much earlier this year and spawning much earlier as well.  The water is warmer and the air is warmer than usual to.

What does this all mean?  It means you should get your boat cleaned up and tested.  You should get your fishing gear ready.  This includes getting your tent and camping gear out and testing it.  If you don’t have a boat, I suggest you look at a kayak, canoe or raft.  One really nice water craft to use for fishing pan fish on a small lake is the Sea Eagle 12 Foot FoldCat Catamaran Pro Angler Package.  This water catamaran plus kayaks and canoes are a lot less expensive than a fishing boat and are perfect for pan fishing.  What are pan fish?  Sunfish, blue gills, crappies, rock bass, and brim.  These are all different specifies of pan fish; the best tasting and hardest fighting fish on the planet for their size.  Go camping this spring, catch some pan fish and eat them.  Fillet them into small slices, toss them in a small baggie with some Frying Magic then deep fry the fillets for about 5 minutes.  The fresh caught fish tastes so good that you’ll think you’ve gone to heaven.  Enjoy your next fishing expedition and camp out and remember, “The Joy is in the Journey”.

I was recently asked: “What’s the quality of frozen bait available, does it catch fish in it’s own right, and just how much of a disadvantage is it if you need to rely on frozen bait?” so I thought I’d answer these questions here so you can make some decisions about what kind of bait to make part of your fishing gear. 

1. What’s the quality of frozen bait available?  First of all, the quality of frozen bait available is good so long as it is fresh when it is vacuum sealed and then shipped separately from Live bait.  There are many places to order Frozen bait on-line.  Just do a Google search on Frozen Fishing Bait.  

2. Does frozen bait catch fish on it’s own right?  No, Bait does not catch fish.  People do.  Bait just helps a little.  You have to be really good at fishing if you expect to catch fish using frozen bait.  Why?  The number one thing most fisherman know is that bait that moves like live bait attracts more fish.  Movement is important.  I personally feel that frozen bait works better in salt water.  For example, Striped Bass, Tuna, Red Drum, Bluefish, Red fish, Cobia, Sharks, Weakfish, Mackerel, and other large game fish will be attracted to fishing bait that is frozen fresh and it’s great for bottom fishing, chumming, and crabbing.  Live bait such as minnows, night crawlers, wax worms, and grub worms will work better in fresh water to catch sunfish, crappies, walleye, northern pike, and large mouth bass.   Lures, spinner baits, plastic worms and crank baits also work well when fishing for large mouth bass, and northern pike but my personal preference is to use live bait.

3. How much of a disadvantage is it if you need to rely on frozen bait?”.  Quite frankly I would not rely on frozen bait unless I were a commercial fisherman on the ocean trying to catch lots of fish for resale and doing so on a boat where I have to stay out on the ocean a long time.

My recommendation is to always make the following part of your fishing gear.

• Night Crawlers and wax worms for sunfish
• Plastic worms and night crawlers for Large Mouth bass
• Minnows for Crappies, Walleye, and Small Mouth Bass
• Mepps Spinners for Large Mouth Bass, Small Mouth Bass and Northern Pike
• Rapala (Size F11) Floating Minnow for Northern Pike and Large Mouth Bass
• Frozen bait for Salt water fishing in the ocean