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By Louie Stout

Back in the day, you could walk into a tackle store prior to the ice fishing season, pick up an inexpensive rod, a few jigs, a box of wax worms and even a few accessories for about $10-$15.

Those memories flitted through my head as I wandered through the Clear H2o Tackle Shop near Edwardsburg during its recent Ice Tackle Open House. Several buyers stood in line at the checkout counter with arms full of gear valued at a heckuva lot more than that.

They held $40 to $80 rods, $500 fishfinders, $400-$500 in specialized clothing and lightweight $200 ice augers.

Obviously, today’s ice angler is a lot more sophisticated and dedicated to the sport than my generation.

Does that mean you can no longer catch panfish by sitting on a bucket while jigging a tiny leadhead jig with a maggot attached?

By Louie Stout

Ken Price with WalleyeKen Price with Walleye

A few weeks ago we wrote about how fishing can be so darn unpredictable and cited several examples where anglers had some exciting battles with big fish.

We noted that several state records or giant catches were made by anglers not targeting that particular species or who were novice fishermen.

Since then, several anglers have written to share their unique catches that involved some luck as well as skill.

But, is luck really required in fishing? I posed that to a professional angler a few years back.

“If luck plays any role in fishing, it’s because you put yourself in position to be lucky,” he said. “You made the decision to make the right cast, with the right lure in the right place.”

Apparently, Ken Price of Granger did just that.

By Louie Stout

Bow Hunter Gets Two Deer with One ArrowBow Hunter Gets Two Deer with One Arrow

When he’s not tending to his congregation at the United Pentecostal Church in Bourbon, Ind., Pastor Mark Cottrill is deer hunting.

He’s shot his share of deer during the 30-plus years he’s been hunting Indiana, but his experience Oct. 27 was one that few hunters can claim.

He wandered into the woods late afternoon that day and propped his bucket next to a tree. Unlike some hunters who prefer hunting from a tree stand, Cottrill likes sitting on the ground.

“I’ve always done that,” he said. “I’m completely camouflaged. I don’t like getting up in trees and I like hunting at ground level. I feel it’s more a challenge.”

Cottrill is not a trophy hunter. His family loves venison and he’ll take two or three deer a year.

By Louie Stout

If you like to fish, now’s the time to be out there getting after coho, steelhead, muskies, yellow perch and crappie.

Fishing activity has waned with the depreciating weather but the action has been pretty good for those anglers willing to battle cooler, and oftentimes, wet conditions.

For example, Mike McNulty at Midway Bait in Osceola said anglers are getting limits of trout and salmon on the St. Joseph River while Jim Housman of the Tackle Box in North Webster said muskies are “going crazy” in Kosciusko County lakes and perch limits are being caught on Lake Wawasee.

Brian Hensley of Clear H2o near Edwardsburg said a lot of really nice bluegills are being caught in southwest Michigan lakes and Bonnie Kelley of Kelley’s Bait in Lakeville said the few anglers getting out are doing well on bluegill at Riddles, Pleasant and even Potato Creek.