My+own+experiences

When I was little, I learned how to fish at my cabin in northern Minnesota. I go up there lots of times every summer and go fishing because that's all there really is to do. I have gone trolling, fly fishing, ice fishing, and standard fishing. Here are some pictures and tips based on my experience.



__Methods of Fishing__
1.Standard Fishing Standard fishing is very easy, yet quite complex. There are many different strategies, methods, and types of standard fishing. For example, the reels can be different. There are normal reel, beginners' reels, and bait-casting reels(pros use those-they are better but harder to use and more expensive). I just use a standard spin-casting reel because they are good at all methods. 2. Ice Fishing Ice fishing is easier but I do not like it as much as fishing in the summer. First of all, it is always very cold. Also, it is a pain to drill a hole in the ice, which is usually 18 inches thick. I do not have a gass auger so I manually drill holes in the ice. A gas auger would scare away the fish because they are very loud. Thirdly, ice fishing is not as rewarding. It seems that you either catch a lot of fish, or you do not catch anything. The good parts are it is very easy and you almost always land the fish safely. Also, you use the jigging method so you do not have to hold your rod; you can just set it on the ground and keep an eye on it.
 * Trolling- I think trolling is not that good of a method. The pros are that trolling gets you only big fish and no panfish(term used to descricbe small fish that fit in a pan) and that you just sit back and wait for a bite, opposed to constantly reeling in and casting again. The cons are that trolling is generally very loud unless you are using a trolling motor, which has batteries and eventually it will die. Also, if you find a good spot, you can't stop and stay in that spot for a while. Trolling is dull and I never catch very much fish, too. So all in all, I do not like trolling.
 * Casting- I like casting a lot better than trolling. The pros are that, first of all, you can cast the bait virtually anywhere in the lake, opposed to trolling, where you are only limited to the sections where the water's deep enough for the boat. Second, you don't have to use a large fishing boat or speedboat. You can use a canoe, sailboat, paddleboat, or any other raft. Canoes are actually better because they are quiet and they do not send an electrical current through the water. You can stay in one spot too. The cons for casting include it is harder work and it is less efficient for catching larger fish, like pike and it is nearly impossible to catch a walleye while casting(I've only done it once). All in all, casting is better than trolling.
 * Jigging- I have mixed feelings on jigging. The pros are when you drop it into the middle of a school of fish, you will catch a lot. Also, it's almost the only way to catch walleyes. The cons are that it is really inefficient and you catch a whole lot of nothing(especially seaweed:). So basically jigging is sometimes good and sometimes bad.

__My Expert__
My expert is Dean Birkholz. He is my grandpa. He is in his 70s and has been fishing his whole life. My grandpa has told me tips and helped me be a better fisherman. Here are some tips he has shown me:


 * Do not just fish in any random spot. Find a good location where you think there are fish.
 * Know from experience what kind of bait works good for your lake and what does.
 * Be patient and remain in one spot for a while before you get bored.
 * The easiest way to catch walleye is using the jigging method at a drop off in the evening.
 * A lot of times live bait works better.
 * The best way to catch pike is to keep your bait moving, so use trolling or casting.
 * Make sure that the fish does not swallow the hook, so reel in when a fish bites.
 * Be safe and do not stand up in a small boat like a canoe or a little fishing boat.

[[image:100_2329.jpg width="530" height="343" caption="A Crappie I caught while ice fishing"]]


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