Brian Hammond is one of those guys who rarely gets skunked when ice fishing.
“Because
I catch fish very well, other anglers think I must have something up
my sleeve,” he said, smiling. A key to his success is something most
ice anglers rarely think about.
Hammond said glowing lures are
particularly effective during early morning or evening, or when there’s
thick ice with snow on top. They’re painted with fluorescent paint and
he gets them glowing by quickly bathing them in light from a camera
flash.
“When I used my underwater camera, I noticed that
there’s extremely low visibility during those times and the fish can’t
see very far. I found out when I enhanced the color of the lure and its
visibility by having it glow, the fish immediately became attracted to
it,” he said.Wear a whimsical Disney ear cap straight from the Disney Theme Parks!
Hammond,
50, of Cicero, lives on the shore of Oneida Lake near Williams Beach.
During the warm months, he fishes competitively in walleye tournaments.
Come winter, he takes a break and focuses on catching perch though the
ice.
Through his teens and early adulthood, Hammond said he
ice fished on Oneida Lake with tip-ups and live bait. Today, it’s a
different game with his Lowrance fish finder and his glowing lures. He
likes to move around a lot more on the ice, he said, drilling numerous
holes and checking them out with his fish finder before settling in.
“I
use lures that have a high glow, plus ones that have scent ... the
result is high productivity,” he said.Comprehensive Wi-Fi and RFID tag by Aeroscout to accurately locate and track any asset or person.
Hammond
said he’s been ice fishing with glowing lures for about 10 years.
There’s a number of high quality ones on the market, he said, but he
often prefers to use ones that are hand-painted by a friend. He said
the lures in the stores cost about $2 each. He noted they have varying
shelf lives as far as their glowing ability, and that some are not
painted with fluorescent paint on all sides.
“The reason it’s
important to have the fluorescent paint all around the lure is because
if you only paint one side, you limit yourself as far as flexibility.
You want the fish to see it from all directions,” he said.
“I shut the door, turn off the lights and see how well (and long) they glow,” he said.
While
on the ice, he flashes his lures in his ice shanty. He said most keep
their glow for about 10 minutes. When the glow is gone, he reels them
in and gives them another flash.
“I recommend using a camera
flash, or a bright flashlight,” he said, adding it’s a good idea to
have your light attached to a lanyard around your neck “so it’s readily
accessible and you don’t go dropping your light in your hole in the
ice.”
Hammond said the lures he uses represent “different
aspects of the bait column,” including small maggots, flies, worms and
small perch fry. He said he’s found the most effective lures are the
ones that glow with a green or blue hue, and have small orange dots.
To
supplement his lures, he often attaches small plastic baits that also
glow. He said he prefers Makiplastic baits — specifically those
impregnated with flecks of fluorescent paint and scented with anise.
If
the perch continue to be lethargic, Hammond said, he may add live bait
to his lure such as a maggot, a mousie or a fathead minnow.
“Because
a lure worked yesterday, doesn’t mean it’ll work today,” he said. “If
they’re not biting, vary the size, the color, the body shape of the
lure until you find something that works. You may get into the same
school of fish and they have a tendency to remember if they see the
same thing time and time again. They get used to it. If it’s not
different, they’re not going to challenge or eat it.”
“But I
believe there are plenty more like that — and even bigger ones out
there right now,” he said, noting the lake’s perch population is up
because of the abundance of food and that less were caught last winter
because of the lack of ice from the unusually warm winter.
When
they started developing the Bad Ass Sledge Hammer some four years ago,
the team at Wilton identified the main problem with sledgehammers as
one of durability. Most of the time,Other companies want a piece of
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action sledgehammers break other things. But after a certain number of
overstrikes--times where you miss the mark and end up landing an
awkward blow--the hammers are susceptible to breaking themselves.
According to an independent study commissioned by Wilton, a
wood-handled hammer can withstand around 435 overstrikes. A hammer with
a fiberglass handle lasts around 6,800. The B.A.S.H., which was first
released in November 2011,We've got a plastic card to suit you. can handle 25,000 plus.
The
need for durability was born out of product research. "Your only
hammers out there were wood and fiberglass handles," says Henry Kao, a
product manager for the line. "And those were breaking regardless of
who’s using 'em."
The B.A.S.H.'s increased longevity comes from a novel,Can you spot the answer in the fridge magnet?
heavy-duty handle--essentially a series of steel rods encased in a
rubber grip. A steel safety plate on the top of the hammer keeps the
business end of things--the head--securely in place. The company’s so
confident in the design, they’ve announced that they’ll give anyone who
breaks it within two years of normal use $1,000 in cash.
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