Early Ice Techniques

Each year, as the open-water fishing season winds down, ice-fishing fanatics eagerly await the lakes to freeze. No matter what date it’s finally safe to go, Wisconsin guides Jesse Quale of Green Water Walleyes Guide Service and Captain Troy Peterson of Mr. Bluegill Guide Service will be there immediately, as they both agree that early-season ice is generally the best ice fishing of the year.
Why Go Early?
The early bird gets the worm in many instances, and both guides say that can be the case for ice fishing. While it can be good all winter, both say there is something unique about early ice.

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It’s a Bike! It’s a Plane! It’s a… Llama?…… Carrying Fish?

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game stocks an eye-popping total of more than 30-million hatchery fish into Idaho waters each year. Stocking by the Department has been ongoing in one form or another for over a century. The number of species and strains can vary from year to year, but generally, stocking is primarily made up of 16 different species of trout and salmon. The Department uses all kinds of transportation to get fish to their final destination – including bikes, planes, and llamas.

Typically, fish are stocked from hatchery vehicles ranging in size from pick-up trucks outfitted with small fish tanks all the way up to semi-trucks capable of transporting millions of fish at a time. Staff take into consideration road and trail access, trail use restrictions, past stocking records, the species, size, and number of fish planning to be stocked, time of year, weather conditions, personnel availability, and cost before deciding how and when to stock fish in each location. At locations where staff are unable to access the waterbody with a hatchery truck, we have a variety of alternative fish-stocking methods available.

Since the 1940s, the Department has utilized fixed-wing aircraft to stock alpine lakes. As the pilot flies over the lake, a passenger in the plane releases fish with water out of the bottom of the plane. For remote lakes that are surrounded by challenging terrain including mountain ranges and trees, helicopters can be used. These helicopters are equipped with a specialized bucket that hangs below the helicopter from a cable, enabling the pilot to open and close the bottom of the bucket. This set-up allows the pilot to lower the bucket into the lake to collect water, fly to a landing site where staff can load the bucket with fish, and then return to the lake to release the fish by opening the bucket just above the water’s surface.

In certain situations, ATVs, bikes, backpacks, or even pack animals are used. Read more

Youth Writing Contest From National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame Now Open

The National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame has published details and an entry form for the new Lindsay Sale-Tinney Awards program, a communications contest for youth ages 12 to 15. Cash prizes totaling $600 will be awarded in three places for stories written about the entrants’ most memorable fishing trips of the year. Winning entries will appear in various print and online publications as well.

Stories are limited to 500 words (approximately one full page, single spaced) and will be judged by qualified journalists, photographers, and/or educators with outdoors experience. Entries for fishing trip stories that took place between January 1 and December 31, 2025, must be submitted online by January 10, 2026. Contestants are encouraged to include content about things they see and do before, during, and after their actual fishing experience. Read more

Fish Monkey: Beat the Chill, Even on the Ice

When the mercury bottoms out and the lakes lock up solidly, cold-weather fishing becomes a test of patience, preparation and having the right gear. Those braving the extreme cold and ice know that wind, moisture and exposure can turn a promising day into a short, uncomfortable grind, and that staying warm is the only way to stay focused. Fish Monkey’s cold-weather lineup is built exactly for these conditions, offering the kind of insulation, wind resistance and moisture management that keeps hands, feet and faces working long after the thermometer dips into the single digits.

It starts with the hands, because nothing ends a winter bite faster than numb fingers. Fish Monkey’s heavyweight gloves—led by their Yeti Series Gloves and Mittens and other insulated designs—deliver high-loft warmth with weatherproof shells that block icy gusts and stand up to constant handling of slush, gear and wet line. The gloves’ grippy palms and articulated construction let anglers work with jigs, tip-ups and electronics without the clumsy bulk that often comes with extreme-cold protection. The result is a glove that stays warm even when the wind picks up and the hole starts freezing over, but still gives you the dexterity to stay in the game.

The Stealth Dry-Dec Sherpa Gloves and Mittens also offer outstanding protection thanks to their incredible waterproof and water-shedding design. They don’t soak up water and become soggy, but rather they shed that water and remain featherlight all day long. In both styles, the mittens flip open to give you fingertip dexterity when you need it and the added warmth of a mitten when you don’t.

Face protection is just as critical. Read more

Fish Monkey’s Holiday Gift Guide

The hardest people to shop for are often the ones who spend their lives outdoors. Anglers, boaters, captains, guides and sportsmen usually have the gear they need, but rarely the upgraded pieces that make long days on the water warmer, drier or more comfortable. That’s where Fish Monkey comes in. Whether it’s sun protection for the diehard fisherman who chases redfish and trout all summer, cold-weather insulation for the buddy who refuses to store his boat until the lakes freeze over, or simple comfort essentials like merino wool-blend socks and breathable face guards, Fish Monkey gear delivers useful, real-world performance. Protection from the elements. Lightweight, quick-drying protection from the sun, and from nicks and cuts from sharp gill plates, braided line and hooks. If you’re shopping for someone who measures life by the tides, the seasons and those before-sunrise departures, these gift ideas are sure to hit the mark.

Fish Monkey Free Style Fishing Glove

This is a top “all-around” glove that’s quick-drying,, with synthetic-leather palm for grip and reinforced pads for cut resistance. Customize it by removing the fingertips you want without it fraying or splitting. Great for fishing, boat work, or general outdoor tasks. Read more

Whitewater Fishing’s New Merino Wool Fingerless Glove

What are the top three things you can do wearing Whitewater Fishing’s new Merino Wool Half-Fingered Glove

  1. Play the alto saxophone outside on Christmas Eve. (Think Kenny G.)
  2. Write a manifesto on a traditional keyboard in an unheated garage.
  3. Fish in cold conditions with authority, dexterity, and that critical “feel”

Mostly, the new Merino Wool Half-Fingered Glove is getting traction for being outstanding handwear for anglers who demand warmth and comfort without sacrificing dexterity or sensitivity.

Crafted with ultra-fine 19.5-micron 60g merino wool, these gloves deliver a soft, natural feel while offering superior warmth without the bulk. Designed with colder conditions and versatility in mind, the naturally moisture-wicking and antimicrobial properties of merino wool help regulate temperature—keeping your hands dry and fresh for cold weather excursions. Moreover, merino wool is known to warming properties even when wet. Read more

Eggs today, trout and salmon tomorrow: Fall and winter egg collections wrapping up at DNR facilities

In all, fisheries staff collected more than 16 million trout and salmon eggs this season

Coho salmon eggs were collected at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery Weir from Oct. 16 to Oct. 28.The Department of Natural Resources stocks fish in Michigan waters every year, providing fishing opportunities and helping maintain healthy ecosystems. Where do the fish being stocked come from? It begins with collecting fish eggs, and the DNR has been working hard this fall gathering the necessary eggs to produce fish for stocking. Fall egg collections have been completed for wild Chinook and coho salmon and for captive broodstocks of brown, brook and lake trout. Egg collection for rainbow trout will soon begin.

Chinook salmon eggs were collected Sept. 29 through Oct. 8 at the Little Manistee River Weir. Eggs and milt (sperm) are gathered from fish during the annual salmon run. At the weir, salmon swim up a fish ladder and into holding ponds. From there, fish are brought into the facility, where eggs and milt are collected and the eggs are fertilized. Read more

Hunt Monkey: Best Gloves and Gear for Extreme Cold Hunting

When winter fully settles in and the woods turn cold and unforgiving, maximum protection is the priority. This is especially true at the higher elevations of the mountainous west but hunters in the east and south can also face brutal cold in pursuit of their quarry. That’s when you need the best cold-weather systems in the game for your head, hands and feet: Hunt Monkey.

Start with your hands. Any hunter knows that having frozen fingers isn’t just uncomfortable but also dangerous. The Heater Hunting Glove is built for those brutal late-season deer hunts, delivering unmatched insulation, wind protection and stealth. Engineered for long sits in the stand, it features a 220-gram Polar Fleece exterior, Sherpa Fleece lining, and 100 grams of Thinsulate insulation for maximum thermal retention without bulk. The flip-top mitten design with magnetic stays allows quick, silent access to your fingers, while built-in glove fingers and a fixed thumb offer dexterity for gear and firearm control. It’s available in Mossy Oak Original Bottomland and Terra Gila camouflage to hide hand motion in the field. This is the ultimate glove for cold-weather concealment and performance. Read more

Ports of Grand Haven, Muskegon and Whitehall/Montague under single-pointed hook regulations Nov. 1–30

Nov. 12, 2025

One single-pointed unweighted hook measuring a half-inch or less from point to shank, as pictured here, is allowed from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30.The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is alerting anglers that the ports of Grand Haven, Muskegon and Whitehall/Montague are covered by new regulations restricting allowable fishing gear at these locations from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30.

The goal of these regulation changes (approved by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission in Fisheries Order 202.25) is to protect spawning lake whitefish by reducing snagging, as well as overall harvest of adult lake whitefish in these areas. Lake whitefish populations in Lake Michigan are in decline, due to pressures from invasive zebra and quagga mussels, which have altered the food web of the Great Lakes. Read more

Retired Barge Enhances Artificial Reef off Georgia Coast

The Coastal Resources Division (CRD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, deployed a 130-foot retired barge to Artificial Reef A, located approximately seven nautical miles east of Little Cumberland Island in about 40 feet of water.

The steel-hulled vessel was thoroughly cleaned and inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard prior to deployment to ensure all hazardous materials and pollutants were removed. The barge now rests on the seafloor, where it will soon begin serving as essential fish habitat, providing shelter and structure for a wide variety of marine life, including snapper, grouper, sea bass, and other reef-associated species.

“Artificial reefs like this one play a critical role in supporting Georgia’s coastal fisheries,” said Paul Medders, CRD’s Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Unit lead. “They not only improve fish habitat but also create exciting new opportunities for anglers and divers.”

The project was funded by the sale of Georgia recreational fishing licenses and through the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, a national program that reinvests excise taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat fuel back into conservation and public access projects. Read more

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