Shore Fishing Tip

Fishing from shore is one of my favorite things to do. It is nice to feel the sand under your feet and some places you can fish multiple lines. There are times of the year where shore anglers have a great advantage. I have been salmon fishing and walleye fishing, and on more than one occasion witnessed nearby shore anglers out fish those in boats. That being said, how do you find a spot?

The WI DNR website is a great place to start. They have a lot of information on Great Lakes and inland lake access points. Their maps show trout streams and boat landings are also listed. You can search a

lake by county. The Lake Finder section will give you information on what lakes hold what species. It even tells you if the species is rare or abundant. 

One tool I use is a map called the Gazetteer. They make them for each state, and each page has detailed views of streets, rivers and show boat landings. I turn to the page I am on, and look to see what lakes and rivers are near me. If I am driving and cross a stream, I can pull over and see where I am, and follow the stream on the map until I see a public access point. This type of investigative work will find you great spots, plus you will have the satisfaction of having found it yourself.

In WI, the WI River, Wolf River, Rock River, Fox River are all waters where the season is open year round and the shore fishing is great. Look for areas near dams for early spring fishing. Montello  WI calls itself the "Shore Fishing Capitol Of The World" I am not sure about that but I do know I have seen many quality fish caught from the public fishing area right in town. The new dam with a fish elevator makes it a very nice place to enjoy shore fishing.  They even have built in rod holders.

No matter where are you located in the state, there are good fishing spots daily close. I have found them from Jefferson all the way top to Ashland and everywhere in-between. Nothin like stopping and taking a few casts to break up a road trip. The Kings Dam on the WI River near Tomahawk is one of my favorites.  

One time I used the Gazetteer to look for Lake Michigan tributaries in the Door County area. I parked the car and followed a trail along a stream. Once I got in a ways, I came across 4 huge Steelhead, spawning in the river.  I immediately stopped moving and used the most stealth approach I could  to approach close enough to get a cast. My heart begin to race, as I had never seen such huge fish in such shallow clear water. My spawn sack drifted by perfectly numerous times and they never even flinched. By the end of my attempts, I could splash my rod top in the water and they didn't even move. They had other things on their mind but the experience is one I will never forget. 

Another spot to look for is near bridges. Railroad tresses also create structure and will hold fish. Doing your homework at home really helps, but also having a rod ready and with you at all times, will pay off if you come across a good looking spot. Don’t overlook small ponds and bodies of

water that don’t seem like much. Google is your friend. Google searches and google maps, both will provide you with lots of info. Google maps will show you area of water that are deeper closer to shore. 

When casting from shore, it would be difficult to cast to fishable water when the 2 foot sand bar goes out 100 yards. (unless of course they are spawning there) But finding a place where deeper water is within a cast, you will have more luck. Bait shops and online fishing forums can be a great help. The forums must be taken with a grain of salt. Some are lying, or not giving any info. If you stop in to the ma and pa shops in the area, they are usually good about helping out.

Baits of choice to go with my car rod are a jig and twister tail, original floating rapala, husky jerks, and flicker shads. None of those need live bait. If you are planning a trip and can bring live bait, hooks and sinkers, 3 way rigs, floating jig heads, and slip sinkers all come along.

Find fishing buddies. If you are walking about a remote area, be aware of your surroundings. You would hate to become a victim. Safety should be a concern and I always advise Women to have a

safety plan, and to mentally practice it. If you don’t practice mentally, when

something happens you will freeze.

One benefit of being part of a club like WI Women Fish, you can ask a  club member to join you for a day of exploration. Ask for tips and starting points but keep digging deeper to find the best spots there are.

Keep a rod ready to go in your car and a copy of the regulations. Some bodies of water have different regulations in different sections do be prepared. The best anglers I know can find their own spots. It is a skill I try to personally work on myself, both from shore and in the boat.

Gin Review. Hendricks Vs. Kirkland

The chief flavoring agent in gin is the highly aromatic blue-green berry of the juniper. I have vivid memories of drinking gin as a youth and the taste of pine needles remains a clear and awful memory. I pretty much stayed away from gin since then, but in full disclosure, it was probably the cheapest rot gut crap available.  My good friend Pat’s love of Bombay made me rethink gin, and I did get to try Hendricks Gin at a summer visit to her house. I decided I loved it but what is better on a hot summer evening than a good gin and tonic. 

Keeping with the advice I gave my daughter when she was a young adult, I say you can drink cheap beer, but don’t drink cheap liquor. My favorite vodka is Kettle One, and I do prefer the Carmel flavor of E & J Brandy, which I know is not an expensive brand, but I like it.  Living a life as a single parent high end liquor was never within my budget, so its a good thing I mainly drank cheap beer. ( Bud Lite now  but early on it was Hamm’s). 

So now that I am older and get to splurge once in awhile, I choose carefully. I went to a party and a friend was serving Kirkland brand liquor and raved about the taste, quality and price. They were drinking whisky but raved about the other Kirkland brands of liquor. I have since bought the Kirkland Vodka and am pleased with that, but have yet to test in in a gimlet.

Back to the gin. Quality mix is important when you are talking about a Gin and Tonic. Don’t make the mistake of splurging on quality liquor and then going cheap on the wash. For this taste test, I used Fever Tree tonic which is excellent. It is available by the case on Amazon. 

I picked two matching typical WI supper club Old Fashioned mixed drink classes. They both had an equal amount of ice and I added one shot of gin. I then added two shots of the Fever Tree Tonic and squeezed a lime wedge of equal size in each glass. A slight stir and the tasting was to commence.

The Hendricks brought a smile to my face and memories of my summer at Pat’s house. I like this gin. It has a smooth light citrus with a hint of the juniper. It finishes smooth with a light linger, leaving you waiting for the next refreshing sip. The label includes flavors such as Juniper, Coriander, Citrus Peel, and Cucumber.  Hendricks runs about $30 for a .750 bottle.

The Kirklands, had more than a hint of juniper, and finished somewhat sharper. I liked it and had no flashbacks of my pine needle gin experience.  I will say that the Kirkland is $18.89 for a 1.75 liter bottle. The label claims Natural Botanicals and mentions Juniper, Coriander, Orange Peel, Rose, Lemon peel and a few others. 

As I sipped on the two drinks, I would take a drink of one, and thought hard about what I was tasting, then I would taste the other. As the testing went on, the more the ice melted the less of a difference there was. The price difference was staggering. Bottom line is, if money is no object, buy the Hendricks. They even come out with special summer blends that are extra fancy. The Midsummer solstice is a small batch, limited edition from Hendrick’s, that would make a great special gift to your special gin friend. 

If you have fishing tackle to buy, and are saving for vacations, you will be perfectly happy with the Kirklands. I am currently drinking in the face of the COVID-19 apocalypse so this may not be the best time to review liquor. At this point volume may outweigh quality. If you haven’t tried Hendricks you should. If you just lost $140000 in the stock market, and you don’t want to risk a trip to the store, the Kirklands will be great. I think I will pick up a bottle of Bombay someday, to do another test between Kirkland and Bombay. They don’t sell Hendricks in my town, and I am being conservative with my cash on hand.

One additional tip, add a splash of tonic to your other favorite drinks such as tequila and orange juice, or a screwdriver. Lightens it up and gives it a little fizz. 

They were both good.