By Nick Simonson
It’s a sure sign of spring when you begin to see the little mounds of dirt popping up between the segments of sidewalk, evidence of ants hard at work getting active and ready for the warm weather months.
As these industrious insects ramp up their efforts for the betterment of their colonies, their adventures often take them up trees and bushes and into the grasses which line the waters of our area. Be they lakes or streams, hungry bluegills and trout await the feeding opportunity created by an untimely gust of wind that blows these bugs onto the surface and having an ant pattern or two is always a good option when these insects are present.
By Nick Simonson
Amidst all the discussion of global warming, climate change, and pollution on a level so great that a second landmass made of plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean can be seen from outer space, it’s the smaller areas where I encounter garbage that stick with me each spring.
After a winter under ice, and snow-covered shorelines opening up to spring anglers, the water is where our impact – hopefully not so much as fishermen, as I like to think we have a special connection with the water, but as society in general – can be seen.
Sure, there’s the occasional tangle of twisted monofilament tucked into the shoreline rocks along with a worm container or maybe a couple of pop cans from someone in our sporting ranks who obviously doesn’t know better. But in the branches of trees and along the water’s edge, it’s becoming more and more common to find plastic bags, Styrofoam containers, plastic bottles and other everyday items that make their way from where t
By Nick Simonson
The warming waters of spring herald a movement for largemouth bass into the shallows of the lakes and reservoirs in which they reside.
Often, those dark bottoms releasing the first green-and-red curls of lily pads or sandy stretches with verdant spikes of emergent reeds and those locations’ elevated temperatures are the first sites that largemouth stake out as the spawning season sets up in the coming weeks. While getting in casting range without spooking these fish can sometimes be a challenge, especially when the water is clear, one bait shines in setting off the feeding instinct of these fish with other things on their minds.
Beginning April 29, Dakota Edge Outdoors is teaming up with experienced catfishing guide Brad Durick to share the exciting catfishing opportunities available to anglers on the Red River in northeastern North Dakota.
As a licensed catfish guide and promoter and supporter of the incredible fishing resource that is the northern Red River, Durick’s insight will help anglers explore this unique opportunity and share ways to catch catfish on flows throughout the state.
“Brad’s incredible experience and ability to put bruiser catfish in the boat will help our readers expand their fishing horizons and find more success for these unique fish, not only on the Red but on rivers throughout the upper Midwest,” said DEO Managing Member Nick Simonson, adding “we look forward to his regular seasonal contributions, along with tips and tactics for finding the biggest catfish that North Dakota has to offer.”
By Nick Simonson
I can recall my first smallmouth bass as clearly as the blue skies of the late spring day on which it came to my jig.
Sitting on the shoreline casting the eighth-ounce ballhead out over the small muddy point on the Sheyenne River just a few days after school had let out for the summer, an endless supply of slime-covered bullheads came to the nightcrawler-tipped offering I dragged up the break. In the middle of the two dozen or so spiny creatures was the odd sensation of a non-circular dash by the small bronzeback that bit, and after an impressive battle, I released the orange-eyed fish back into the flow and wondered how I could make more of that happen as I sorted through the continued selection of brown and yellow barbed denizens.