Sportsmans News

It’s finally May and anglers all over the country are out and about in pursuit of their favorite fish. Often what separates a great outing – or outdoorsman – from an average one is the gear we take. Well, here folks is a rundown of some of the new and best fishing and outdoor gear available at Sportsman’s Warehouse stores to ensure all your experiences are great! Continue Reading

Put on your Thinking Cap for a minute, and zone in on the fishing segment. Now, focus on the month of April. What fish comes to mind? If you’re like many western anglers, it’s the oh-so-tasty walley, and for good reason. The high country has degrading ice, streams and rivers are often blown out by snow melt, bass lakes are still too cold for reliable action, and many other species are just generally not happy yet. Not so for the walleye. Continue Reading

I’ll admit to being shallow. Very shallow even. In fact, sometimes I’m so shallow I surprise myself. And at no time am I shallower than in spring. Of course, I’m referring to where I fish; if I was really referring to my character, that very shallowness would prevent me from recognizing it! But anyway…
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Decisions, decisions, decisions; it seems like all we do is face decisions in life. To make matters worse, most folks don’t really like making decisions. And while some of them are trivial, many are not. In fact, some are downright important to your success in life, or at least your success in the outdoors. Come to think of it, life and the outdoors are pretty much the same for many of us. Continue Reading

What’s your goal for 2012’s angling season? What, you don’t have a fishing goal? New Year’s Eve has worn off and “The Ball” has dropped, yet you have no angling goals? Talk about dropping the ball! Continue Reading

By Chad LaChance

Let’s get one thing straight – I’m no ice fisherman. Didn’t do it growing up; being raised in South Florida did nothing to motivate me to venture out on the frozen lake.  In Florida, ice is for cocktails and keeping your catch fresh until you can enjoy it with said cocktails. Sitting on a frozen lake peering through a six-inch hole, holding a ridiculous little rod and fishing with ridiculous little baits seemed…well, ridiculous. Surely it’s a pastime reserved for Eskimos, or so I thought.
Last winter I finally took the plunge – which leads me to my other misconception. I figured I’d fall through the ice for sure, or if not that, I’d slowly freeze to death waiting for a ridiculous little fish to bite my ridiculous little bait suspended on ridiculous little line spooled on a ridicu…you get the point.

Art Tang, client of Cats on the Red, with another great Lake Winnipeg Greenback.

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By Chad LaChance

As much as I hate to think about it, ice lids on western lakes are in the very near future. If not solidly iced, than at least there will be rim ice around shallow bays and boat ramp areas which makes boating tough. If you’re lucky, the lakes and reservoirs in your area don’t freeze, but they’ll still chill down a bunch heading into winter. This all leads to a sense of urgency for the sportfish contained in said reservoirs, and it should have the same effect on anglers that pursue them. Continue Reading

By Chad LaChance

Many western rivers were originally explored by prospectors in search of nuggets of gold. While the era of gold prospecting may be gone, western residents have gold of another sort to seek – namely, the beautiful yellow and golden hues of mature brown trout dressed in fall spawning colors. Brown trout are not native to the region, but they have become synonymous with western waters, and fall is the most classic time for anglers to pursue them.
As with all trout, browns take on very distinct markings while preparing to spawn. Mature males grow an aggressive hooked lower jaw, their spots become more pronounced, and their overall coloration becomes more vibrant. This process occurs at about the same time as the region’s trees are taking on similar colors in fall making for some great grip-n-grin shots. Continue Reading