LOOK FOR IMPROVED BITE WITH WARMER WEATHER FORECAST!!!

Greetings All:
With the weatherman forecasting some much warmer temperatures in the upcoming days, you can usually look for the late season ice fishing bite to pick up. Right now the bite has been rather slow in many areas due to heavy ice/snow cover and oxygen depletion in many locations. You can look for most species to start making a move to more shallow, better oxygenated locations for survival. This happens most every year when we have these heavy ice conditions like we have now.

Farm ponds have slowed but I look for a resurgence in the bite with the warmer weather coming. Most of the fish I have been catching have been more shallow than a week ago and I look for this migration to continue. Same thing in Mississippi River backwaters, fish are moving more shallow. With this in mind, you the angler have to make the move also to stay on the fish. One last thing. The late afternoon and evening bite seems to be the best right now and look for that to continue. 

Good Luck and be safe on the ice.

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com     

MORE OF THE SAME!!!!!

Greetings:
Well, here in the Midwest it is more of the same. Cold, snow and more cold. Some ice anglers going out with mixed results. Panfish are still available on farm ponds and some on Mississippi River. As we get later into the season, best bite seems to be happening in the afternoon hours and also at night. I have been having good luck with the crappie after dark fishing from my shanty. Crappie biting well at night on both minnows and ice jigs tipped with wax worms. Try some glow lures also, the crappie are loving them. Remember, this time of the year, fish deeper that earlier in the year. Hopefully we can get some moderation in the temps so more folks can get out and enjoy the good ice. 

Stay warm and wear that PFD on the ice!!!

Regards: Lastcast  Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com   

EXTREME WEATHER KEEPING MOST ANGLERS HOME!!!

Greetings All:
The extreme cold weather and snow has kept most ice anglers inside. Very frigid temperatures in the dangerous range have been blanketing the Midwest. Very high sustained winds causing dangerous wind chill factors also. Not a good time to be outdoors. Some moderation in the forecast for later in the week expected so there may be a window to get out and fish then if the prediction comes through. There is already talk of another major snow storm hitting the Midwest early next week. stay tuned for that one. 

Don't know about you folks but I am tired of this brutal Winter we have been experiencing. All we can do now is THINK SPRING!!!!!

Regards:  Lastcast   Mike cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com

WALLEYE THROUGH THE ICE!!!!

Greetings All:
Well, the great ice fishing of 2014 continues with lots of good, thick ice. Along the Mississippi River ice fisherman are fishing the main river with excellent results. Good ice available down from the dams making finding many spots easy right now. Also the backwaters areas are excellent. 

Right now there is some good ice fishing for walleye on the river in Pools 11 through 14. I have been fishing the outside of river bends that have sunken timber and the fish have been biting. Best presentation has been a dead stick rod in one hole while using a flashy jigging spoon in the other hole. Tipping the jigging spoon with a minnow head has been working well also. Don't work the spoon fast, just use a nice lift and fall motion for best results. Also, make sure you follow your line back down as the spoon is falling since the majority of hits are coming on the fall. I fished Pool-12 today and there are some really nice walleye biting.

With lots of good thick ice available, try and make some time to enjoy this wonderful ice fishing season.

Regards:  Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com

MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT DUBUQUE, IOWA

Greetings All:
For all you folks that ice fish the Mississippi River, just a quick note that there has been some excellent ice fishing going on in the Dubuque, IA area. Anglers are fishing the ice below the dam with good results. One spot that has been producing well is O'Learys lake on the Wisconsin side of the river up near the dam. Fished there the last two days with excellent results. All through the day, Stripers and other panfish were moving in and out of the area. Some nice yellow perch were also caught. This is a great place to ice fish due to the many species of fish you might catch. Don't be surprised if you also tie into a walleye or sauger in this area also. Both minnows and larvae type baits were working. Friendly group of ice anglers there will help you with any questions you may have. 

So while this relatively mild weather continues, you might want to consider hitting the ice there and trying your luck for a seafood dinner. Good luck and as always, wear that PFD on the ice for safety.

Regards:  Lastcast   Mike Cyze   Lastcast13@yahoo.com

GREAT WEEKEND TO BE ICE FISHING!!!!

Greetings All;
With the relatively mild temps compared to just a week ago, it's a great time to be out on your favorite body of "Frozen" water doing some ice fishing. Here in the Midwest many spots are producing good catches. Backwaters of the Mississippi have panfish biting along with a good supply of Northern available for the angler fishing for them. Set a tip up with a frozen smelt or big minnow and the Northern will find it. One thing though, be quiet in the area you are fishing for the fish spook easily from noise. Crappie are being also caught with many nice fish on minnows and waxworms.

Another spot that is producing excellent fishing is those farm ponds. Great catches coming in on larvae baits. Make sure you get permission to fish them as most are on private property. 

All in all, this mild weather is a wonderful time to get out and shed some cabin fever.  Be safe and enjoy the Great Outdoors!!!

Regards: Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com 

IT'S "SHOW TIME"!!!!!

Greetings All:
Here we are moving right along through the very cold month of January and it is time to start thinking about what I call "Show Season". It's getting to be that time of the year when sport and boat shows all across the Midwest are taking place. What a great opportunity to get out of the house during this very long Winter season and wet your appetite for the upcoming Spring season of adventure in the great outdoors. From hunting to fishing, camping to boating, you will find it all at the sport shows that are oriented to the sportsman. 

Personally, I will be traveling the Midwest and Canada doing many seminars and look forward to meeting you folks at the shows. Make sure you stop by and say hello. It is a busy time of the year for me but a really enjoyable one also.  Stay tuned to my show on ESPN Radio for more updates on where I will be appearing.

So check those listings now for a sport show near you in the coming future. You will have a ball and also get that "Spring Fever"!!!  Hope to see you there.

Regards:  Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com 

BRUTAL COLD HAMPERING ICE FISHERMAN!!!!

Greetings All:
Well, the Polar cold has arrived here in the Midwest making for some truly brutal conditions to be outdoors. Even though many ice fisherman fish from some type of an ice shanty, getting to your spot and setting up can be a real challenge in these very frigid conditions. Wind chills near 45 below zero making outdoor activity not advised at this time. I was out very early this morning before the winds picked up and believe me folks, it was cold!!!  Managed to catch a few small sauger through the ice from the comfort of my ice house but heading home was really cold and uncomfortable. 

Best advise I could give right now is to stay inside, keep warm and do some necessary cleanup and repair if needed on your equipment. When this brutal cold passes in a few days, you will once again be ready to head out and enjoy some great ice fishing that is happening this year in the Midwest. 

Well, gotta run for now, have to get back to my recliner by the fireplace so I can relax and watch the football playoffs all day long. Life is Good!!!!!

Regards:  Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com 

BACKWATER CRAPPIE FISHING RED HOT!!!!

Greetings All;
Well, the backwater areas of Pools 11-12 & 13 are producing some great crappie catches through the ice. Was out this morning in Pool-13 and caught many nice sized crappie. Keep in mind that with the year classes of fish available you will most likely have to cull your catch of the smaller fish to get some keepers for the frying pan. Make sure you release those smaller fish back into the hole so they can continue to grow. Don't do like some ice anglers and toss them out on the ice to die. That is a waste of a valuable resource for the future. 
Best baits have been small minnows followed by wax worms. I like to set one "Dead" rod and slowly jig another. Doing this will many times get two fish on at the same time and what a blast that is. Small gold rocker style jigs, Rat Finkie jigs and also small ant imitation jigs tipped with bait doing the best. If you find the minnow bite slows, try switching to the wax worms. You can usually catch a few more fish by doing this.

One last thing. Start your search for the crappie in the deepest water you can locate in the backwaters and move as necessary from there. Also, these fish will suspend so make sure you check out all depths. You will find the crappie using different depths at different times so adjust as necessary.

Dress warm, wear that PFD and have a ball catching some backwater crappie on the Mississippi River.

Regards:  Lastcast   Mike Cyze   lastcast13@yahoo.com  

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY 2014 TO ALL!!!!!

Greetings All;

Well, in not being politically correct these days, I still say MERRY CHRISTMAS, not happy holidays. With that in mind on this Christmas Eve, I would like to wish all of you wonderful folks that use my outdoor blog, listen to me on the radio and also read my print media work a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY 2014. May the season of the birth of Christ bring many smiles and joy to you and your family. Also, may your hearts be filled with many great memories of family and friends, both here and departed. 

I sincerely wish all of you an upcoming year filled with many new and great adventures in the outdoors. Peace be with you.

Regards:  Lastcast    Mike Cyze     lastcast13@yahoo.com