If you’ve never tried fishing I suggest you get yourself a rod and reel and go give it a try. Almost everyone I know has friends who fish so you can ask one of your friends for some advice or you can ask on this blog. Anyway, you’ll have a lot of fun fishing, either alone or with a group.

Fishing is also a family sport and if you get kids hooked on fresh water fishing it’s not as likely they’ll get hooked on drugs or other things you don’t want them to get into. Be patient when you’re teaching your kids to fish and teaching them about the outdoors. They don’t have the patience or the knowledge you do so take it easy on them and above all, find a lake here the fish are biting so they don’t get bored and want to go home.

When I move to South Dakota I got a place on Lake Thompson close to the towns of DeSmet and Lake Preston. Most of you know that DeSmet is where Laura Ingalls wrote some of her prairie books. There and Walnut Grove Minnesota. Heh, I’ve lived one town over from both places.

When I found the spot I wanted to ice fish for northerns I used the exact same techniques I had before. There were several old guys fishing and talking to them I discovered they were all using small smelt and catching small northerns and they basically said they would catch a bigger one every few days.

I moved about 50 yards from them and drilled my four holes, added the smelt and the juice and started dropping them down the holes. Before I had the fourth one ready I already had a bite on the second tip up. I pulled it up and it was a ten pound northern. Naturally it drew all the old guys over to look at it. Lol, while they were there looking I caught another one around eight pounds. Read more northern pike fishing tips now.