The fish are starting to perk up

[Spiel]

The fish are starting to perk up

 

Terry Curtis / northumberlandtoday.com

 

They're almost over. The February blahs, that is. Pretty soon we'll be moving into the best of all ice fishing months: March.

 

The longer days and sunlight start to penetrate the ice and seem to get the fish a little more active. They begin to bite more often and a little more voraciously than they have all winter, even at first ice, which is one of my favourite times of year for line dunking.

 

There's nothing like fishing in the wide open air on a balmy March day, coat open, lawn chair holding your butt up off the ice and the fish tugging away at your bait. Not only do you know the worst of the winter weather is behind you then, but your thoughts start drifting ahead to the hot, sultry days of summer as well.

 

And nothing turns up my interest in summer fishing like the thought of tossing a crankbait that is brand new on the market.

 

Anyone who has read my Terry's Tips column over the years knows I'm a crankbait fanatic and I'd have to say they are my 'money bait' in tournaments, be they bass or walleye. When the money is on the line I turn to a crankbait every time. Sure, I may not get as many bites as I would on plastics, but I get bigger bites and that's what counts come weigh-in time.

 

Also, anyone who is a regular reader of my column knows I'm a diehard Rapala crankbait flinger. I swear by them. In my mind they are the best, bar none.

 

But this past weekend I was introduced to a new crankbait called Live Target, life-like lures made by the Koppers fishing and tackle corporation and I can't wait to hit the water with them. I've never seen a more life-like bait. These things just jump out of the box at you. Developed by Grant Koppers, a guide out of the Niagara Falls area who fishes for salmon, trout, walleye and bass, these lures are almost too pretty to dunk in the water. You can actually feel the scales on them, and the colours are so life-like you'll think you're looking at a live perch or crawfish.

 

How much do I like them? Sometimes you don't have to use a bait to know it's going to work for you. Time and experience tell you that. And as you read this, I'm trying to get the selling rights for Southern Ontario for these baits.

 

I may have been born at night, but not last night.

 

You can bet I'll be busting the water with them come May for walleye and those bass won't know what hit them come the last Saturday in June.

 

In the meantime though, I hear the jumbo perch are just starting to co-operate on Lake Simcoe and the trout are hitting in the Minden/Haliburton area. Ice fishing isn't over yet, no matter how bad I want to bust out those crankbaits.

[fishindevil]

Those live target,koppers baits [crankbaits] are so real its unbelieiveable,ive never seen anything look that good,the thechnology is amazing,i cant wait to use them this spring,ill let the walleyes tell me what they think of them,they sure have been selling fast,i heard that soon they will be very hard to get and they might start selling them on e-bay for big bucks,if the americans get hold of them they will all be gone