Here in the Midwest we tend to associate trolling with game fish like walleye and muskies; seldom do we ever consider panfish. Sure, every once in a while you may hook a White Bass or Crappie with eyes seemingly bigger than its stomach, but that's about the extent of your contact with panfish. Well, what if you downsized your tackle to specifically target those panfish? Would it work? Madison Angling Experience Guide Dustin Murphy with a spring Crappie Trolling for Crappies i

Spring can be a challenging time of year to catch muskies, especially here in Madison. Generally speaking, game fish are chasing smaller forage and are much more likely to eat a smaller profile lure with subtle action. The Rapala Husky Jerk in size 13 and 14 is an all-time favorite of mine and seems to produce about half of the muskies caught in my boat in the month of May. Right out of the box they are perfectly fishable, however there are a few little tweaks that make them

Fishing highly pressured waters such as the Madison Chain can prove difficult at times. This is especially true when chasing trophy muskies. Generally speaking, using a lure or presentation that is different than anything the fish have seen before can be the key to success when other presentations aren't producing as well. In this product review we will be looking at the Lee Lures Flap Tail. This bait has been producing LOTS of fish on the Madison Chain and given its design a

I’ll never forget growing up fishing on Grandpa’s dock, sitting anxiously holding a fishing pole rigged with a hook and worm, waiting for a hand sized blue gill to bend the tip of my rod. Grandpa always used to say that the bluegills would bite the best in the evening and early morning. This translates to around 5-9 am and pm depending on the region and time of year. Periods of light transition are well known feeding times for just about all fish species. Many fishermen r

Well, the inevitable is upon us. Parts of the Madison Chain are already loaded with slimy, disgusting slop surface weeds. Before you pack all your gear and head elsewhere, there is a silver lining: the weeds under the water are also booming and loaded with fish. For those of you chasing panfish, crappies are still holding to shallow water structure in 3-5 feet. Channels and bays with wood, boat lifts, or docks will produce fish. Crappies can also be seen in 5-10 feet of wat

Have you finally detoxed from Madison Craft Beer Week?! Good, me too! And luckily, even though craft beer week is over, there is still a ton of events in and around town getting us pumped for summer! New beer releases, outdoor fests, the whole shebang. Continue to check out which events I'll be at (and maybe the guys!) on our events calendar. Here's a few highlights coming up quickly: May 19th marks Ale Asylum's 10 year anniversary and they are having a party! All day happy h

This past Saturday, April 23, was the 20th Annual Spring Fling tournament hosted at Lakeside Bar and Grill on Lake Wisconsin. There were a total of 56 boats. 1-7th place was paid, and 8th place won a big pack of baits. The weather was warm, sunny, and relatively calm for this time of year on Lake Wisconsin. With such a great turn out the weigh in was one of the biggest in recent history. I was able to bounce around with my GoPro documenting the event at all stages. I was e

The bite continues to be holding in warm, shallow water around Madison. Live bait, particularly crappie minnows have been producing larger fish, however wax worms and Gulp have also been working well on small jigs. Crappies have been holding tight to structure such as boat lifts, docks, stumps and rocks. The game fish have also been more active in the last week, so should you accidentally catch one, be sure to release it immediately. Good luck and tight lines! Below you will

Most people have probably never even heard of lead core. No, it’s not a new genera of death metal, nor is it a new type of ammunition. Lead core is an old-school trick that is vastly underutilized in this day and age, but can produce when the going gets tough. So, let’s get into why fishing with lead core should be something to keep in your back pocket! The main idea behind using lead core line is to let the line itself sink, enabling whatever lure you are trolling with to re

Springtime is by far my most favorite time of the year to fish. You get to go outside after being cooped up for months, use a normal sized fishing rod, and catch some of the biggest fish of the year. One species that is popularly targeted in the springtime, particularly on river systems where you can legally target them all year is the Northern Pike. Yeah, I’m a walleye guy by trade, but I love all fish with teeth! Pike generally spawn right away at first ice out and occasion