Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2021 - 61

photo-Jerry Bush

Angler's Notebook
by Jerry Bush

Cleaning and organizing cluttered tackle boxes is a
productive winter activity. With each fishing trip last
summer, you may have become lax about carefully placing
tackle in assigned bins and boxes while quickly changing
lures. The lack of organization may not have hindered
you then, but when you open your tackle box during your
first fishing trip next summer, it may slow down your
productivity. Organized tackle will help you to be prepared.
Many cleaners and chemicals used for automobile interiors
work well for cleaning and protecting plastic tackle boxes.
When ice fishing, avoid using the same type of line that
caught fish in July. Before stepping onto the ice, use line
manufactured for ice fishing. The lines used in summer are
usually engineered to allow casts over great distances, which
is not a concern when dropping lures through holes when
ice fishing. Use a line that remains flexible in cold conditions
and holds up to the targeted species. Some ice fishing lines
are made with special coatings, so these lines continue to
slide through eyelets as ice builds up. If you are targeting
panfish, a light line in the 2- to 4-pound-test line range is
adequate. However, if you are also targeting bass, pike, or
steelhead inhabiting the same water as panfish, choose a
6- to 8-pound-test line. There are braided ice fishing lines
that hold up better than monofilament line and may allow
the angler to bring even large fish through the hole with a
smaller diameter line.
Many hard-fighting fish are caught by fly fishing
enthusiasts during winter in Pennsylvania including bass,

Fishin' from the Kitchen
Largemouth Bass and
Pinto Beans on the Ice
by Wayne Phillips

Bring summer freshness to a winter meal by topping roasted
pike with zesty gremolata.

pike, steelhead, Brown Trout,
and Rainbow Trout. When
your hands are cold and the
fishing action has been slow,
" maintain the arch " when
fighting fish with a fly rod.
Keep enough pressure on
the fish, but not too much.
Cold line and iced eyelets create a different experience than
summertime fishing, but maintaining the arch will help
land hard-fighting fish. If you try too hard to stop a hardfighting fish, it may break your line, or worse, a frigid rod
tip. The fish may unhook itself if you let the line slack. Keep
a vision in your mind of the perfect arch in the rod when
you feel that a fish is hooked well.
Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes.
Therefore, Lake Erie has a reputation for wind to whip
up white capped, 5- to 6-foot waves, sometimes larger,
occurring a few times most years. As violent water crashes
against the shoreline during winter, it may freeze. The
frozen water is bombarded by more waves until huge
chunks of ice break free, lift, and refreeze, eventually
forming an uneven surface locals refer to as " ice dunes " .
These ice dunes provide an unstable, hollow surface that
may be 5- to 10-feet above the lake below. Do not attempt
to access the ice dunes for ice fishing. Falling through a
hollow surface 5-feet above frigid water is dangerous and
may not be escapable.

beans and simmer for 30
minutes. Season with
salt and black pepper.
Pack in a pot with a
tight fitting lid. On the
ice, bring beans to a
simmer. Add the fresh
fish and simmer for 15to 20-minutes more. Add
more water if needed.

On the ice ingredients:
* 1 pound boneless, skinless Largemouth Bass, cut into bitesize cubes

Procedure

Simmer the pinto beans to heat. Sauté bacon, onions, and
garlic until softened. Add, along with the tomato sauce, to the
www.fishandboat.com

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At home ingredients for four servings:
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yne
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* 2 19-ounce cans pinto beans * 1 clove garlic, crushed
photo
Serve
and minced
* 1/2 pound bacon, diced
Crusty rolls are all you need. If you like some
* 1 14-ounce can tomato sauce
* 1 large onion,
zing in your beans and bass, add your favorite hot sauce.
* Salt and black pepper to taste
coarsely chopped

Tips

On the ice, you may need to add more water. The finished
dish should have plenty of liquid to dip your bread in the sauce.
Use any white fleshed fish in this recipe. In the summer,
freshly caught fish is a regular feature for shore lunch. This
recipe allows you to do that in the winter as well. Crappie,
Walleye, perch, or pike are perfect for this dish.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * January/February 2021

http://www.fishandboat.com

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2021

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