Tales of Maui

Emmet County

Nature Center

Foundation Banquet

Stop feeding

the fish

March 2013

OUTDOORCONNECTION

Event set for March 23BY ERIC ANDERSON

ECCB DIRECTOR

We would like to invite one andall to our 6th annual EmmetCounty Nature Center FoundationBanquet. The banquet has been setfor Saturday, March 23 at theEstherville Elks Lodge. Doorswill open at 5 p.m., followed bydinner starting at 5:30 p.m. andthe program and auction startingat 7:00 p.m.

I continue to be amazed at theoverwhelming support the NatureCenter project has received fromour Emmet County community.

Banquet tickets are currently forsale with a limited number of only250 ($25.00 ea.). To date wehave thousands of dollars in auc-tion items and prizes to be auc-tioned off or given away!

This year our grand prize is a2012 NuCanoe Frontier andWilderness gift package. Theprize package may be viewed onour Facebook page: EmmetCounty Conservation. Ticketsare available for $5 each, 3 for$10 or six for $20 and can be pur-chased by contacting any EmmetCounty Nature Center FoundationBoard Member or by contactingthe Nature Center at (712) 867-4422.

It is our great honor to onceagain this year feature two of thebest known wildlife artists in theMidwest: Larry Zach and TerryRedlin. Both artists will have art-work available during our live

auction. A wide diversity of art-work will be offered includingsongbirds, deer, turkeys andwildlife scenes. These are highquality framed art pieces that areartist signed and numbered.

Games that are scheduledinclude the following:

■ Red Solo Cup Game, a gamethat has proved to be fun for all.The grand prize will be $100.00worth of bonus and general raffletickets, second prize will be a$50.00 gift card and third prizewill be a $25.00 gift card.

■ Phyllis McKean will again beselling cards for the card cut raf-fle, with a grand prize $250.00gas card donated by HousemanOil and Riverside Sinclair.

■ Heads or Tails, with the win-ner taking home: 1-wash and waxfrom M.E.'s, and $25.00 in gassponsored by Jim and KarolBishop.

■ This year we will again beoffering a Car Care Raffle. Prizesinclude: 1-wash & wax formM.E.'s, $25.00 gas cards donatedby Riverside Sinclair / HousemanOil and $25.00 in gas from Jim &Karol Bishop.

Live Auction Items will include(list to date):

■ American Robin, WinterChickadees, Heading for Cover allnew prints for 2013 by LarryZach, as well as other Zach songbird art pieces.

■ Mystery Treasure Chest withsecret loot to be revealed duringthe live auction.

■ Half a hog and processingfrom Dave Enerson,

■ Woody’s Pizza has donated 1any large pizza a month for a year.

■ Leota Quiring has againdonated her handmade corn huskdolls.

■ Kim Swanson has donated ahandmade cedar chest with thewood coming from the third floorof the old Armstrong schoolhouse.

■ Tim Hecht has donated awood carving.

■ Silent Sunset has been donat-ed by Larry G. & Janet Anderson.

■ Maynard Reece and TerryRedlin prints donated by Paul andJoan Peterson and framed andmatted by J.D. Speltz and hisNorth Union Art Club.

■ Little Swan Lake Winery hasdonated a 1-night stay, a bottle ofwine and breakfast at their newbed and breakfast.

■ Mr. G’s (Gary Gunderson)special photograph framed andmatted by Carol’s Cottage.

This is not the final auction listjust a sample of what we have todate!

Our bonus raffle will againinclude three very nice prizes.This year they include the follow-ing:

■ A Weber Grill sponsored byHome Improvement Center,StateLine Cooperative, Dan'sRepair, Ringtel and WilsonInsurance.

■ A half hog and processingfrom Dave Enerson,

■ 15 ton of gravel and trucking

donated by Michaelson, INC.Again this year we will be offer-

ing a Ladles Raffle, with over 25fun raffle items to be given away.Tickets will be 1- $5 or 5-$20.

General raffle tickets are $5eachor 5-$20. Bonus raffle tickets willbe available only in our EmmetCounty Nature Center Foundationticket package containing 15 gen-eral raffle tickets and 5 bonus raf-fle tickets, a $100 value for only$50 or new this year our Bonuswater bottle package containing15 general raffle tickets, 6NuCanoe tickets, 5 bonus raffletickets and 2 banquet tickets a$170 value for $100.

Pre ticket sales are available nowby calling the Nature Center at712-867-4422. We will be giv-ing away over 60 general raffleitems.

All who attend this year’s ban-quet will also be automaticallyentered into the door prize draw-ings that will include a framedprint: Autumn Marsh #261/999by Lee Didier.

If you wish to get banquet ticketscontact the Nature Center at (712)867-4422, and we will makearrangements to get you your tick-ets. Act fast, there are only 250tickets available and they aregoing fast!

Thank you so very much to allour banquet sponsors, area busi-ness donors and private individu-als that have supported this proj-ect. We look forward to seeingone and all at the Estherville Elkson March 23!

2-Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, March 8, 2013

SIXTH ANNUAL EMMET COUNTY NATURE CENTER FOUNDATION BANQUET

www.motorinnautogroup.comMotor Inn, Inc.

A Member Of The MOTOR INN AUTO GROUP Estherville • Spirit Lake • Spencer • LeMars • Algona • Webster City • Knoxville

The grand prize, a 2012NuCanoe Frontier andWilderness gift package, is ondisplay at the Emmet CountyNature Center.

Photo submitted

MINNEAPOLIS — Pheasants Forever andQuail Forever’s National Pheasant Fest &Quail Classic presented by Cabela’s conclud-ed today, drawing 28,855 to the weekendevent – and the conservation nonprofit’s30th anniversary celebration - at theMinneapolis Convention Center. Next year,Pheasants Forever will take its signatureevent to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the firsttime, to run February 14-16, 2014 at theDelta Center.

Pheasants Forever welcomed U.S.Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to its30th anniversary banquet Saturday night,where in front of 1,300 Pheasants Foreverand Quail Forever members and supporters,he formally announced the country’s 45thConservation Reserve Program (CRP)General Sign-up.

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, U.S. SenatorAl Franken and U.S. Representative CollinPeterson joined the crowd in a standing ova-tion for the announcement concerning thenation’s largest and longest-standing wildlife

habitat creation program.“Once again, Pheasants Forever and Quail

Forever members made National PheasantFest & Quail Classic the center of the uplanduniverse,” said Howard Vincent, PheasantsForever's President and CEO, “Despite 30years and 9 million acres of conservationsuccess behind us, this event was less aboutour accomplishments and more about thework ahead. We have the most dedicatedgroup of chapters and volunteers, and it wasinspirational to see them – many who havebeen volunteers for 10, 20 or even 30 years– so energized and passionate about thecause of upland habitat conservation.”

In addition to providing an economic boostfor the host city and attending outdoor indus-try vendors, Pheasants Forever uses itsNational Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic torecruit members for its wildlife habitat con-servation mission. Nearly 1,700 individualssigned up as Pheasants Forever or QuailForever members.

The event also delivered wildlife habitat

benefits for pheasants and quail via PheasantsForever’s Landowner Habitat Help Room.This feature of the show serviced 276landowners, providing conservation guidanceon 46,338 acres of land, much of it located inthe Upper Midwest. Accompanied by atrained Pheasants Forever or Quail Foreverbiologist, landowners were educated on waysthey can improve their acres for wildlife andeven what local, state and federal conserva-tion programs their lands qualify for.

Next year, National Pheasant Fest & QuailClassic returns to Wisconsin for the first timesince 2009, when more than 20,000 visitedthe event at Exhibition Hall at the AlliantEnergy Center in Madison.

National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic isalso the country's largest event for uplandhunters, sport dog owners and wildlife habitatconservationists, combining a national out-door tradeshow, wildlife habitat seminarseries, and family event complete with pup-pies, tractors, shotguns, and art. The event isopen to the public.

Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, March 8, 2013-3

Stewardship Tip

Stay onthe trailEditor’s note: Each month the

Outdoor Connection tab will featurea column by Recycled Fish, a non-profit organization founded by TeegStouffer in 2003. Originally a Catchand Release education organization,it is now a national movement ofanglers who live and promote alifestyle of stewardship both on andoff the water.

Millions of people will visit nation-al, state, and local parks this year.Our parks offer us tremendousopportunities for recreation such asbird watching, hiking, wildlife obser-vation, rock climbing, and fishing.With so many activities drawing somany people, our parks receivetremendous pressure. If you visit apark, remember to follow and stay onthe designated trails.

Why it is important to the fish:Prairies and meadows are great reser-voirs. Runoff in the spring causescreeks to overflow their banks andflood the neighboring meadows.These open areas often sit on top ofhundreds of feet of permeable soil,which, in turn, sits on top of animpervious base of rock. This formsan ideal layer that will store waterthroughout the spring, summer, andfall. As the seasons progress waterleaks from these prairies and mead-ows back into the streams and ondownriver.

Blazing a trail through these areascompacts and inhibits the ability ofwater to permeate the soil. Trailscreate gutters that will widen,through erosion, and drain waterfrom the meadow. When water istaken away from meadows, plantsthat are suited to rapidly drying soilsinvade and take over. This destroysthe meadow’s sponge-like character-istics increasing the erosive proper-ties of the meadow and the neighbor-ing stream. Ultimately, the desicca-tion of a prairie meadow reduces theamount of habitat available to fish.

Remember to stay on the trail!Stray steps can upset fragile ecosys-tems; the effects can be felt down-stream.

National Pheasant Fest draws 28,855

A total of 28,855 people took part in Pheasant Fest.Photo by Todd Sauers, Pheasants Forever

BY JASON MITCHELLEditors Note: The author, Jason

Mitchell hosts the popular outdoorprogram Jason Mitchell Outdoorswhich airs on Fox Sports North (9:00am Sunday) and Fox Sports Midwest(8:30 am Saturday) and is a memberof the Ice Team Pro Staff. More infor-mation can be found online at:www.jasonmitchelloutdoors.com.

There is no silver bullet with lateice perch regarding location butmake no mistake, some of themost impressive catches and fish-ing for the whole calendar yeartake place in March. Late ice isprime time for jumbo but the tac-tics and patterns can run thegamut. Going shallow

On so many lakes, perch moverelatively shallow and becomemore aggressive as the ice rots.Large sand flats or gently slopingflats that have chara and sandgrass often hold fish during lateice particularly if these locationsare near the mouths of bays andother shallow water that wherethese fish will eventually spawn.

These shallow flat patterns areclassic on lakes like Leech Lake orWinnie in Northern Minnesota. Inthe Dakota dish bowl lakes, perchoften push up into bays but thetransitions where sand or gravelturns to mud is often the key. Wehave caught perch at late ice in 3feet of water on Leech Lake inMarch and 53 feet of water at lateice on Devils Lake, however, sonot all fish are shallow.

Each lake, each fishery has itsown personality. So fish position

themselves in relation to wherethey will eventually spawn but for-age is still the trump card that stillinfluences where fish are found.

Going deepWhile there are so many solid

shallow water bites for perch atlate ice on many different fish-eries, don’t lock into the mindsetthat shallow patterns are the onlypatterns worth exploring. Late icecan often see a lot of invertebrateactivity with bug larvae and bloodworms and when fish are keyingon bugs, you will typically noticea couple of things… first is thatthe fish get pink jaws and pinkscales on the bellies from makingcontact with the bottom. The otherthing that typically occurs withbug relating fish is that they areoften deeper.

Reason being is that on somelakes, much of the invertebrateactivity is happening over a softbottom and on many lakes, thatsoft bottom occurs off the shore-line past the transition. Most lakeshave a firmer or harder bottomcloser to shore and as you pushtowards the basin, the bottom getssoft… soft bottoms are typicallynear the basin and thus deeper.Deep is relative. On Devils Lake,deep is more than 30 feet, on someof the Glacial Lakes in SouthDakota or Nebraska, deep is 12feet.Presentations

Bug patterns typically requiremore finesse but not always. Whenthe fish are off, horizontal jigs likea Northland Tackle Hexi-Fly

tipped with a wax worm or min-now head is a top lure. Anotherdeadly jig for water up to about fif-teen feet is a Northland Tacklebloodworm, which is a small jigtipped with a long eel shaped softplastic tail. If you can get aBloodworm down to the fish at adecent speed, these jigs are incred-ibly effective. With small horizon-tal jigs, use a rod that has a lightenough tip to load slightly from theweight of these small jigs. One ofthe most effective rods for thisstyle of presentation is the JasonMitchell Elite Series Meat Stick.

Typically when fish are keyingon invertebrates, the perch will gofor a more subtle shake or poundthat just causes the jig to shimmyand dance but there are situationswhere small spoons like a ForageMinnow really shines. On a highlift/ fall, if fish come up off the bot-tom and accelerate up to the lurefast… you are dealing with moreaggressive fish and spoons shine.The reason being is that spoonscall in fish from further away andare typically bigger and heavierwhere they drop back downthrough the water faster aftercatching a fish.

Another top lure option is tocombine the calling and weightadvantages with a spoon to subtle-ness of a dropper. Take yourfavorite Buckshot Rattle spoon andattach a small chain dropper belowthe spoon after removing the treblehook.

4-Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, March 8, 2013

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BUG BRAINED PERCH AT LATE ICE

The author Jason Mitchell with a giant perch caught over asoft bottom transition using a Northland Tackle Blood Worm.

Photo submittedTurn to PERCH, Page 9

Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, March 8, 2013-5

One of the biggest deci-sions when planning a trip iswhere to stay. That’s espe-cially true when it comes toMaui. Lodging opportunitiesabound, ranging from hotels,to resorts, to condos to bedand breakfasts to houserentals to owner rentals.Then add to the mix thatcosts can go from under$100 per night to pushing a$1000 per night. With somany choices, making thedecision can seem almostdaunting for many people.

The good news is there areways to simplify the prob-lem. One of the ways is toreach out to the MauiVisitor’s and ConventionB u r e a u(www.gohawaii.com/Maui).The website provides a MauiGuidebook to help peopleget a feel for the lodging, topsights and attractions andeven provide a variety ofitineraries based on likes/dis-likes and budget. We endedup making three lodgingchoices because they fit ourneeds.Our lodging choices

Marriott’s Maui Ocean

Club-Lahaina & Napili was

our first stop. It is what I con-sider to be an almost all-inclusive choice. There areboth hotel and vacation own-ership villas. Friends of oursare Maui Vacation Clubowners, so their recommen-dation gave us access to theMaui Ocean Club. With awhole range of amenities,activities and services thatcan meet the needs of bothfamilies, couples and indi-viduals, there are many peo-ple that simply enjoy the 17acres and the ocean andrarely leave. They simplywant to experience theMarriott way of vacationing.The club is huge with about500 condos ranging up tothree bedrooms. The resortoffers four different view

categories ranging from gar-den view to ocean front.

At the same time, the MauiOcean Club is located just ashort distance from Lahainaand only a half-mile walk toWhalers Village. Locatedright on the shores ofKa’anapali Beach, a beauti-ful walkway leads guests tothe north and to the south,letting them enjoy the oceanand the astounding oceansideviews of neighboring resortsand restaurants. Lots ofactivities are available righton the property.

Our second lodging wasKahana Beach VacationClub, which is four milesnorth of K’anapali Beach. Itis considerably smaller withonly 84 guestrooms, alloffering balconies, lanais andkitchenettes. We were able touse our timeshare points to

secure this property for aweek through IntervalInternational. So, the costwas pretty minimal. We werevery lucky to be able toaccess this property for aweek in early February. Theocean view from our oceanfront studio was good, andwe were able to watch seaturtles and whales from ourlanai. Amenities include anoutdoor swimming pool, bar-becue grills and activitydesk.

Our third lodging came atthe suggestion of CharleneKauhane of the MauiVisitor’s and ConventionBureau. We needed a lodg-ing for our first night beforewe could check into the MauiOcean Club, so she lined itup for us. A quick look attheir website, and we knewwhy she chose this one for

us, and we quicklyrearranged our lodging sothat we could stay four morenights. Napili Kai BeachResort, which is locatedadjacent to Kapalua on thecrescent shaped beach ofNapili Bay, is quite a waysnorth of our previous twolodgings and is a condo-styleresort with 162 units. Insteadof being several floors high,however, the original devel-oper made sure that two sto-ries would be the maximumheight, which we found to beawesome. Located on 10acres, most of the units areocean view or ocean front.Our studio unit was an oceanfront room right, and I meanright, on the ocean (maybe50 feet away). Talk aboutamazing sunsets. It was atNapili Kai Beach Resort thatwe made certain we were

relaxing on our lanai as thesun began its descent!

Napili Bay is protectedfrom big waves much of thetime, so it is perfect for snor-keling and scuba diving. Theresort is more on the quietside, and is popular for itswalking and jogging trails.Amenities include all of theusual ocean side activities,along with an 18-hole put-ting green, four swimmingpools, barbecue areas and awide range of activities.

The Sea House Restaurantis also on site, along with theAloha Pavilion for specialconcerts.

All three lodgings were topof the line and perfect for usas we changed locationsbased on what we wanted todo and the kind of resort wewanted for that particulartime period.

STEVEWEISMANOUTDOOR EDITOR

So many

places to stay

Darial Weisman (L) takes a look at all Napili Kai Beach Resort has to offer with Diane Farnswarth, Directorof Guest Operations.

Photo by Steve Weisman

Rainbow follows a brief rain shower across fromNapili Bay.

6-Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, March 8, 2013

Fun in the evening BY STEVE WEISMAN

OUTDOOR EDITOR

Visit Maui and two of the “must do” activities includewhale watching and attending a luau. There’s one more,though, that we discovered that is total Hawaiian: the SlackKey Show.

Dinner Sunset CruiseWith beautiful sunsets and whales spouting and breach-

ing along the shores of Lahaina, we had to experience anevening on the water. Our choice was Teralani Sailingaboard one of their luxury catamarans. The challenge?Having 30 passengers board a spacious and stable (thankgoodness) vessel that beached on the sand in front ofWhaler’s Village for us to board. With 3-4 foot swellsrolling in, we had to time the ebb and the flow so as not toget hit by a swell.

Two of the crew members stood in the water on each sideof the ladder to help us access the catamaran. Certainly, wegot a little wet, but all of us (a diverse group of ages) madeit on board without issue. The same held true when weexited the catamaran when the cruise was over. All backsafe on shore-with visions of whales still vivid in our mem-ories.

Yes, we had food, and yes it was good. But it was the lastthing on our minds for most of the trip as we spread outaround the catamaran looking for signs of whales. It wasalmost comical as people yelled from one side to the other:“There’s a spout,” “There’s a breach.” Then we might hear“Did you see that?” “Wow, look at the cow and calf togeth-er.” Off and on for three hours, that’s what we’d repeatedlyhear.

Throughout that time digital cameras captured the sights(and, of course, the misses). During the three hours, 30complete strangers became acquaintances and even friendsby the end of our time together.

Old Lahaina LuauThere are so many excellent Luau opportunities on Maui,

but the last two times we have chosen to attend the OldLahaina Luau, because through our research, we found it tobe the most authentic. Enter the gates from the streetsideand those in attendance are warmly greeted by waiters,who take their guests to tables arranged in a theater stylesurrounding the stage as sugar sand and the ocean serve asthe backdrop.

The evening meal combines the best of the traditionalisland fare embracing the island’s many cultures. Food isserved in a buffet style with the centerpiece of the buffetbeing the kalua pig placed in an imu (underground oven)and slow roasted for hours. After the meal, with tiki torcheslighting the stage and the sound of the ocean in the back-ground, the audience is next all transported to the “MagicIsle” for the musical performance highlighting Maui’s his-tory:

■ First, the Ote’a (famous and festive drum dance ofTahiti)

■ Next, Kahiko (the ancient hula)■ Next, Missionary and Merry Monarch era (bringing

back the “banned” hula)■ Next ‘Auana (the modern hula)■ Last, the Finale (annual Fete Celebration featuring solo

dancers)As the performers shared their musical story, their pas-

sion and pride for their heritage and culture came through.Their final message: aloha until we meet again.

Slack Key Show & DinnerThe what? That’s what my wife and I thought when we

first heard the term Slack Key Show. We asked DianeFarnsworth, Director of Guest Operations for Napili KaiBeach Resort to explain. We found out that it is a weeklyGrammy Award winning concert series hosted by SlackKey Guitar Master George Kahumoku, Jr., and the highlyregarded Da Ukulele Boyz held at the Napili Kai BeachResort’s Aloha Pavilion. In addition, each week a specialmusical guest is brought on stage to share a special style ofmusic.

Diane suggested since we were at Napili Kai onWednesday that we should take in the show and kick offthe evening with a special meal at the Sea HouseRestaurant. The three-course dinner was awesome with anisland salad of fresh Up Country greens topped with tropi-cal salsa and Lilikoi vinaigerette. My wife chose theMacadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi topped with pineapplerun sauce and Maui Onion Mashed Potatoes. My choicewas the Sea House Mixed Grill: fresh Mahi Mahi, ShrimpScampi and Herb Marinated Sirloin Steak along with MauiOnion Mashed Potatoes. The dessert was a lusciousPineapple Tiramisu.

More about Slack Key…a genre of guitar music that orig-inated in Hawaii. It refers to changing the standard tuningby detuning or “slacking” one or more of the strings untilall of the strings form a single chord. It actually started inHawaii in the early 19th century after Spanish andMexican cowboys,who were broughtto the islands toteach Hawaiianshow to handle cat-tle, brought guitarsto the islands. Fastforward to todayand Slack Key is aHawaiian guitartradition.

Called Hawaii’sRenaissance man,guitar masterGeorge Kahumoku,Jr., began experi-menting with SlackKey when he was ayoungster. With alaugh, he sharedwith the audienceabout this time in his life, “My mother heard me playing itand grounded me!” Now Kahumoku’s success as a slack keymusician includes being a four-time Grammy Award win-ner. He performs on a 12-string custom Art Davis guitar.

Guest for this show was Brother Noland, a nativeHawaiian musician, a musical icon with an internationalreputation as a ki ho’alu guitarist. He is also acclaimed asa recording artist and composer for a wide range of filmsand television shows.

What made this show so special was that it was more likea backyard jam session, very informal with a lot of verbalgive and take among the musicians. What the audience feltwas a closeness, almost a oneness with the musicians asthey shared their life stories and songs. To make the musiceven more powerful, a professional hula dancer providedvisual movements to illustrate the words of several songs.

The Slack Key Show was to last from 7:30 to 9:30.However, the pre “show show” as the Da Ukulele Boyzcalled it began at 7 and the final song didn’t end until 10!

My favorite? “Dueling Banjos” performed twice, first bythe Boyz and then by the entire group!

Awesome, but pretty late for two old folks in their 60s!

All aboard the Teralani 3 in search of whales!

Hula girls display their talent during the Old LahainaLuau.

Guest performer Brother Nolandand Slack Key Concert hostGeorge Kahumoku, Jr., preparefor a little “jam session.”

Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, March 8, 2013-7

BY STEVE WEISMANOUTDOOR EDITOR

For many of the visitors to Maui,which is known as the “MagicIsle,” the thought conjures upimages of 80 degree temperatures,warm gentle breezes, world classsurfing waters and miles of beach-es. However, “Magic Isle” alsomeans the incredible topographi-cal diversity that goes way beyondthe sandy, rocky shorelines.

Although my wife and I enjoythe idyllic beauty of the beachesand shoreline, on our recent trip toMaui, we wanted to experiencemore of the “Magic Isle.” For usthat meant moving inland andheading to what is called UpCountry. Back in 2004, we touredon our own, pretty much just driv-ing the winding uphill roads, end-ing at the Ulupalakuia RanchStore and Winery. However, weknew that we missed a lot of thehistory and lore of the UpCountry.

So, this time, we researched andfound two experiences that wouldgive us real stories of the UpCountry. The first was taking asmall group tour with MauiCountry Farm Tours(www.mauicountryfarmtours.com

), owned by Marilyn Jansen Lopesand her husband Rick.

Our tour included a scenic oceanview tour through the old town ofPaia, a quick stop at Ho’okipaBeach Park to see the wind-surf-ing capital of world, followed by ajourney through pineapple countryand up the slopes of Haleakala tothe Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm andfinally on to Ulupalakua and astop at Ulupalakua Ranch Storeand winery.

With only 10 of us in the group,plus Marilyn and Rick, westrangers soon became friendsover the course of the six-hourtour. We soon learned that theother eight were part of the Prideof America Cruise and were fromOklahoma, Montana andMichigan.

By the Lavender Farm, we wereat 4,000 feet elevation and asMarilyn notes, “The climate hereis more of a Mediterranean-typeclimate, and lavender thrives inthe cooler arid condition.” It waswith great pride that Marilyn ledus through the 13.5-acre, sharingwith us the story of owner and hor-ticulturalist Ali’i Chang. Althoughlavender is not native to Maui, itgot its start in 2001 when a friend

gave Ali’i a sample of the herb.Now, 12 years later, the LavenderFarm contains somewhere around55,000 lavender plants and 45different varieties. In addition, awide range of succulents, olivetrees, hydrangea and protea plantscan also be found. Sadly, Changdied in the past year, but his lega-cy continues through the efforts ofhis son.

As Marilyn led us around, sheemphasized that it is the lavenderfor which the Ali’i Kula LavenderFarm is known across the world.She also shared the many wayslavender is infused in a wide vari-ety of products, ranging from bathand body products, aromatherapyproducts and culinary products. Amid-morning snack of lavenderscones, lavender infused tea andcoffee were incredibly tasty!

Throughout the Up Country tourit was amazing to see the ruggedhilly land overlooking the oceanfar below in the distance.

What draws us hereMarilyn, who is a California

transplant, first arrived on Maui atage 18 in the 1970s. Although sheleft the island, her heart remainedthere, and she kept coming back

over the next 20 years, finallyreturning for good and becoming aMaui resident in 1996.

With a smile, Marilyn reflects onher Maui journey, “If Maui wantsyou, you will stay.”Acknowledging that the Maui costof living is high, Marilyn says thatthose who really want to stay willdo whatever it takes, sometimesworking several jobs in order tomake ends meet.

Meanwhile, Rick, whosePortuguese ancestors moved toMaui in the 1800s, is Maui bornand raised. He grew up in the hey-day of the pineapple and sugarcane plantation camps and relishestelling stories of his experiences asa local lad growing up. The twomet in 1998 and married in 2005.

With a sense of sadness in hisvoice, though, he talks of thechanges that have occurred, theclosing down of sugar cane facto-ries and the loss of pineapple pro-duction. To the point of fearingthat in the future the Maui Goldpineapple may be no more.

Of course these types of changesare occurring across the UnitedStates, and here on Maui, localresidents are working together to

preserve and protect through agrassroots movement calledSustainable Aloha.

A PASSION FOR ALL THAT IS MAUI

That best describes Marilyn andRick. They both cherish all thatMaui is. Marilyn says, “I’ve beeninterested in gardening all of mylife, so when I moved to Maui, Ibegan to learn about the plants thatgrow well in Maui.” A naturalpeople person, Marilyn’s belief inMaui came through in two self-published books: Amaryllis ofHawaii and Amaryllis AmaryllisHow Does Your Garden Grow? Athird book, a cookbook, is entitledAmaryllis of Hawaii Loves toCook “Recipes for Life.”

Marilyn began to think of waysto share her love of Maui’s UpCountry with visitors. In 2011,she began Maui Country FarmTours. As with many fledglingbusinesses, it took time, but nowMarilyn and Rick are averagingthree tours per week. The daybefore our tour, they actually gavetwo tours in one day.

Both Marilyn and Rick are excit-ed with the growth of their busi-ness and the opportunity to sharetheir love of Maui with visitors.

Experiencing a Maui Country Farm Tour

Marilyn displays the lavender infused scones for a mid-morninglunch at the Aliʼi Kula Lavender Farm.

Surfers catch a wave at Hoʼokipa Beach Park.

BY STEVE WEISMANOUTDOOR EDITOR

My wife and I have alwayshad what we consider a bit ofa green thumb when it comesto gardening, so we didn’thesitate when we had achance on our recent trip toMaui to take a farm lunchtour.

O’o Farm(www.oofarm.com) lies on8-½ acres of pristine UpCountry land near the farm-ing community of Kula.Purchased by the owners ofPacifico and I’O restaurantsin 2000 to establish sustain-able “fresh farm to table pro-duce” for both restaurants,today the farm provides freshproduce not only for bothrestaurants but also two gour-met coffee shops.

To share the garden experi-ence with visitors, O’o farmoffers gourmet lunch toursMonday-Thursday from10:30 a.m., to 1 p.m., high-lighted by an exquisite openair gourmet lunch preparedby Chef JJ Johnson.

The tour begins with an

informational and interactivetour by Ancil Clancy,Orchard Master, leadingguests through several gardenplots of leafy greens, rootvegetables, culinary andmedicinal herbs and varietiesof fruit trees. Guests have theopportunity to taste and selecttheir favorites to be mixed inwith the chef’s choice.

Six garden plots are plantedto take advantage of the year-round growing season in UpCountry. Still, with a winterand summer growing season,different types of plantsmature at various times of theyear. Depending on the sea-son, these are some of the“crops” growing: Lettuce,Arugula, Cabbage, Spinach,Chard, Beans, Peas, Fennel,Asparagus, Cucumbers,Tomatoes, Peppers, Squash,Eggplant, Corn, Kaffir Lime,Orange, Lemon, Cilantro,Basil, Parsley, Rosemary,Thyme, Sage, Oregano,Mint, Wild Flowers,Marigolds, Nasturtium,Anise Flower, Plum, Fig,Cherry, Loquat, Chermoya,

Avocado, Strawberry,Raspberry, Wild Pohaberry.Now that list goes waybeyond my “green thumbexperience!”

Sources of pride for Clancyare three different heat com-post piles with one being atthe “garden use” stage. Thepiles are comprised of all-nat-ural waste products from thegardens themselves designedto be a 30:1 mix of carbonand nitrogen. The ready-pileis rich, pure and moisthumus, perfect for placementon the next garden. Gardensare planned as all naturalwithout the use of pesticides.Garden pests are repelledthrough the use of border gar-dens with odor emittingplantings that pests findoffensive. At the same time,rows of flowering herbs are

planted to draw needed polli-nators.

At 11:45 a.m., Chef JJJohnson rings the dinner belland guests head toward thelong wooden table at whichthe guests will partake in thegourmet lunch. Johnson, whohas been a chef for 20 years,has been the gourmet chef forO’o Farms for the past year.“It’s my dream job,” Johnsonsays. “Where else could Icombine the best of gardenproduce with other local pro-duce to make the perfectmeal in such a perfect out-door place.” All food is heat-ed on a wood-burning stove,which adds the perfect natu-ral touch to the meal.

As we took our seats towait for the gourmet buffet,we found that even our tableand the surrounding arbor

were hewn from fallen euca-lyptus limbs. A perfect touchfor the menu:

■ Ffresh greens, vegetablesand herbs picked fresh fromthe garden

■ Tofu with fresh vegeta-bles and herbs from the gar-den

■ Fresh Hebbi (shortbilledspearfish) with sweet Kulaonions and greens

■ Fresh baked bread■ Chocolate macadamia

truffle and Mokka coffeebean chocolate truffle

■ Freshly picked, dried andground Mokka coffee,brewed using French presstechnique

So simple, yet so wonder-fully prepared that it was oneof the finest meals we hadduring our two weeks onMaui. Bon Appetite!

Oʼo Farm Tour Experience

One of the many gardens at Oʼo Farm.

The author with the gourmet luncheon.

8-Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, March 8, 2013

Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, March 8, 2013-9

As I write this articlethere’s a major winter stormapproaching, the temperatureoutside reads 5 degrees, andto top it off-my hand gotstuck to the flagpole thismorning, again. It may seemearly, but I’m ready to talksigns of spring.

There are many places tolook for the earliest signs ofspring. The animal kingdomoften helps us. We see thereturn of neo-tropical birds,and mammals awake fromhibernation.

Already this year a pair ofbluebirds and a pair of robinshas been spotted in Iowa, anda skunk that appreciated 40-degree weather a few weeksback wasn’t moving fastenough to avoid vehicularsuicide.

We can help usher in springby providing habitat for theanimal kingdom. It’s a goodtime of year to construct avariety of birdhouses.Building birdhouses helpscreate a nesting box for birdsand their next generations.

If you’re interested in con-structing a bluebird house,attend the Nest Builderworkshop at the EmmetCounty Nature Center onSaturday, March 9 at 10 a.m.The fee is $10 for birdhousematerials. Call the NatureCenter to reserve your sup-plies: 712.867.4422.

We can also look to the

landscape around us. Somewinter cover crops such aswinter rye are turning thelandscape green and lush onthe warmest days.

The earliest spring flowerswe’ll spot may include skunkcabbage and bloodroot. Inheavily wooded areas andwetlands, skunk cabbage willgrow out of a shaded pile ofsnow. The flower’s growthgenerates enough heat tomelt the snow and survivefrost at night. Bloodroot isanother flower that often

blooms with snow cover onthe ground.

The fresh air of spring alsoushers in an essence of newlife. The moisture-rich air-scented with a twinge of lastyear’s fallen leaves decayingunder our noses- ignitessynapses in our brains thatget us motivated. In my case,I think of spring planting andspring-cleaning.

I enjoy hopping in the trac-tor on my home farm andtaking to the fields. Themore sunshine and fresh airthe better! Spring-cleaning,on the other hand, is not asliberating. The lung-con-gesting odor of cleaningproducts can put a realdamper on the spring in mystep.

That’s why I’ve startedusing homemade householdcleaning products, and whenI’m less motivated, I use the

“green” eco-friendly clean-ing products that can be pur-chased in stores.

How does one know if acleaning product is trulyeco-friendly? A few of thebest signs to look for iswhether you need to usesafety gloves or open all thewindows in your home touse the product. If a productisn’t good for your skin orfor you to breathe, it’sdoubtful that it will be goodfor the natural environment.

If you’re interested inlearning more about safehousehold cleaning productsand cleaning products youcan make from home attendthe St. Sustainable “Green”Products workshop at theEmmet County NatureCenter on Saturday, March16 at 10 a.m. Call theNature Center to reserveyour spot.

PERCH, Continued from Page 4

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You can also tie your owndropper out of a short six toeight inch piece of monofila-ment but I like the chaindropper best. Reason beingthe short chain dropper isvery flexible and subtlewhich imparts a real deadlyaction on the hook and thefish can suck in the hook eas-ier than when using a monodropper which is actuallystiffer than the chain.

One really effective tacticthat can work really well indeeper water when usingeither spoons or spoons withdroppers is to free fall thespoon fast enough to get thelure to swing out to the sideof the hole and let the lure hitthe mud. Than slowly dragthe spoon across the bottomback towards the center ofthe hole. For perch that aretipping up sucking up inver-tebrates out of the mud, thistechnique will catch fishwhen nothing else works.

Bug patternsWith bug patterns that take

place in deeper water ontransitions that are follow-ing lake basins, prime loca-tions are any indent or fingerthat makes this transitionirregular and prime loca-tions remain basins and flatsthat are either within baysthat have a softer basin oradjacent next to larger shal-low flats that have someprotection and weed growth.

Does this deeper bug pat-tern happen on every lake?

Absolutely not but it hap-pens enough and is oftenoverlooked. Same fish, dif-ferent body of water and youmight find fish keying oncrayfish, shiners or someother type of minnow.Typically when fish arerelating to minnows or cray-fish, you are going to findshallower patterns and muchmore aggressive feedingbehavior over sands or lowlying weeds on big flats.

A general rule of thumb isthat shallower fish (less thanten feet of water) are typi-cally more aggressive andthese fish are often orientat-ing more to crayfish andminnows. Deeper fish aretypically less aggressive andorientating towards bughatches and invertebrates.

Which pattern to pursuedepends on the process ofelimination. Check the tradi-tional shallow sand loca-tions and if the bite is on,enjoy. If the bite is not therehowever or sporadic, don’tbe afraid to look deeper atlate ice against popularopinion because there arecertain situations wherethese bug brained perch pat-terns not only produce solidfishing opportunities but bigfish as well. Some of theheaviest female perch I haveever caught myself werecaught at late ice over deep-er soft basin transitions andthis pattern should not beoverlooked.

Signs of SpringJENNAPOLLOCK

EMMET COUNTY

NATURALIST

Genz says makeʻem strike, instead

BY MARK STRAND

Some of you have noticedthat Dave Genz has been on a‘cadence kick’ for more thana year. He talks, increasing-ly, about how your presenta-tion has to feel good to thefish. It needs to smell andtaste good, too, and it neverhurts when it looks right(where clarity and lightingallow fish to see it). But toget to the point where a fishis attracted close enough tonotice what your bait smellsand tastes like, the motion ofyour presentation – and thesignature of its felt signals onthe fish’s lateral line – haveto communicate possiblefood item.

During the winter of 2012-13, Genz became more con-vinced than ever in the valueof ‘pounding’ the lure whilepresenting it to fish. On mostdays, he says, the catch rateis higher for those who createextremely fast, vibratingmotions. Up-down, up-down, up-down goes thewrist, in minute movements.Boomp-boomp-boomp-boomp goes the bait, kick-ing, rocking, looking alive.There isn’t much to see, ifyou watch someone doing it.

But there’s a lot for the fishto feel, and you can slowlyraise or lower the bait as youpound it. It feels like life tothe fish, which are accus-tomed to feeding on thingsthat move like this.

He’s talked about this a lot,but Genz wanted to mentionagain that this aggressive(whatever that means) pres-entation style not only bringsfish in from a distance, butcloses the deal, gets them toopen their mouths, once thefish get right up to your bait.

Even anglers who sub-scribe to pounding tend tostop doing it when fish show

up. It’s human nature. Davetalked about one of hisnumerous extended roadtrips, from January, 2013.He was traveling and fishingwith Joe Jackson (longtimeClam and Ice Team pro),during which there werenumerous days they caughtmore fish than their guidesand hosts – because they sentthe right signals to the fish.

“I’ve been observing guyswho were sight fishing,” saidGenz, “and seeing that thosefish were just not going tobite their lines. When the fishshow up, they stop doingwhat brought the fish in.They slow down, and the fishloses interest and goes away.

“Same thing when peopleuse spring bobbers. You justcan’t get that sharp cadencewith a spring bobber. Whenfish show up, they sloweverything down. They’retrying to feed ‘em. Joe and Iwere so much more aggres-sive; we made ‘em strike.

“You can make those fishbite if you get the rightcadence going. We used tocall it the pound, or poundingit, and I don’t know if every-body understood what wemeant by that. But now thatwe’re talking about cadence,that word is catching on. Youcan work with the same thingin summer fishing, like whenyou try small, medium, orlarge spinner blades on acrawler harness. You findwhat cadence the fish wantthat day. When you changethe blade, you change therhythm, the cadence. A dif-ferent blade can trigger morefish.

“That’s what we’re doing,when we’re pounding thebait when we’re ice fishing.We use a lure that matchesup with our line and our rod,so we can feel that bait aswe’re pounding it. It’s thatcrisp cadence that catchesfish.

“The problem with springbobbers, and those rods withreal flexible tips, is you can’tget that cadence going andkeep it going. It smooths itout too much. You have tofind the exact movementthey want and keep giving itto them. If the rod tip is toofloppy, it dips down too farand flips up too far. Samething when you put a springon the end of the rod.They’re too soft. I don’t wantto condemn that smoothpresentation, because it’sfine if that’s what the fish arelooking for. But when theywant that crisp cadence, youcan’t give it to ‘em unlessyou’re using the right rod,and it’s balanced so the linehangs straight with no kinksin it.”

Plastics can be DeadlyFished ‘Smooth’

When using soft plastics,Genz has noticed that thesmoother, ‘longer wave-length’ cadence produced bysoft-tipped rods and springbobbers can produce well.

“That nice smooth, rollingmotion can produce (withplastics),” he said. “And theplastics seem to, sometimes,be better for continuing tocatch fish out of the samehole, after the bite slowsdown. There are places andtimes when the guys usingplastics are catching morethan the guys using live bait.That’s because the plasticsare better than they used tobe, and we’re learning moreabout how to catch fish withthem.”

Dave, a diehard live-baitfisherman, is, in fact, work-ing on refining a soft plasticssystem that he says he’ll beready to talk about in timefor next winter.

Aggressive Fish are theException

If you drill enough newholes and get over enough

biters, you can put together agood catch with virtually anykind of rod, spring, bait, andpresentation.

“When you drop that baitdown for the first time in anew hole,” says Genz, “a lotof times the first fish rises upand bites it. It meets the baithalfway down and your linegoes slack. That one, youdon’t have to do much tocatch. It just happens. Butthen, after that fish, the otherones are less aggressive. Youhave to do more to catchthem.

“I try to get the fish to

charge my bait, and keepdoing what brought him in. Ikeep the cadence going, andkeep looking for exactly howhe wants it. I usually slowlytake it away from him, makehim chase it.”

Many other anglers tend toslow down or even stop thecadence once a fish shows up– especially when sight fish-ing.

“Something happens whenyou can see the fish,” saysGenz. “As the fish gets clos-er, you tend to go slower.Breaking the rhythm breaksthe spell. Going from a crisp

cadence to a stop is too muchfor the fish to accept, espe-cially when the lure starts tospin after you stop themotion. We have to stop try-ing to feed ‘em, and startmaking ‘em strike.”

Editor’s Note: Dave Genz,known as Mr. Ice Fishing,was the primary driver of themodern ice fishing revolu-tion. He has been enshrinedin the National Fresh WaterFishing Hall of Fame andMinnesota Fishing Hall ofFame for his contributions tothe sport. For more fishingtips, go www.davegenz.com.

With one nice walleye flopping on the ice, Dave Genz is back down looking formore, aggressively pounding his lure. Rather than slowing down when a fishshows up, in an effort to “feed it,” Genz says we should keep a hard-poundingcadence going, and force the fish to strike.

Photo: davegenz.com

STOP FEEDING THE FISH10-Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, March 8, 2013

BY WENDELL HANSENBIRD HAVEN

In like a lion and out like a lamb.It's the lion part that I know best.It's the time of year I'm out freez-ing my butt off putting up, uncov-ering and adding new cedar woodchips to my customers' and mywood ducks houses.

It needs to be done in mid-March (the lion part) right beforeice out. I have been asked, "whyso soon? There is still ice on thelakes." Look around; a lot of oursmall streams and rivers are start-ing to open up.

As soon as there is open waterthe wood ducks show up. The henthat used a box the year beforewill be back to check out that boxfrom the year before and theyoung that were hatched out ofthat box from last year will belooking for a nest box of theirown.

Why put up a wood duck house?It's the loss of habitat.

Bottomlands and potholes havebeen drained and are being loggedoff; the old family farm with agrove has been bulldozed andconverted to farmlands or a binsite. Any tree that died with anynatural cavities has been cut downfor firewood. Wood ducks rearedin natural cavities will search forsimilar natural structures for nest-ing.

However, birds hatched in nestboxes tend to choose nest boxesrather than cavities in trees for

nesting. It is a beneficial conse-quence of this imprinting behav-ior that the landlord with a suc-cessful nest box program willdevelop a breeding flock of ducksthat return along with their youngeach year. Once the pattern isestablished, more nest boxes canbe added.

There are many choices forwood duck nest boxes. The bestboxes are made of natural wood.Hens accept them well.

When measured against thoseconstructed with man-made mate-rials, woods natural insulationproperties protect eggs during hot,late-season incubations. Cedarand Redwood lumber is recom-mended because of its ability toresist rot. A construction design,which features a side-openingdoor, is the best for monitoringthe box.

The best box of all is the onemade from rough-cut lumber;they resist heat build-up the bestwhen measured against those con-structed with commercial lumber.Try and stay away from a boxmade from pine or plywood asthey rot way too fast! Also, avoida box made with staples. The sta-ples will rust and can fall apartwith the hen and eggs inside. Thebest boxes are made with outdoorwood screws.

Where you mount and locateyour house is important to attractthe wood duck to your location.Best location is within one and a

half miles of water. Also, thehouse does not need to be mount-ed 20 feet plus up in the air.

The best way to mount the houseis on a 4 x 4 pole with a baffleanywhere from 5 to 10 feet offthe ground. This way the house isa lot easier to clean and monitor.If the house is mounted on a treethe height as on the pole canremain the same. To protect thehouse from predators put flashingabove and below the house.

Long before mankind messedthings up, the hen would clean outthe old nest herself. Now the henrelies on man to do it for her. Iclean out all my wood duck hous-es in the fall and cover the hole up

for the winter, and then in midMarch I provide fresh sawdust orwood shavings in the nest box. A3- 4-inch layer will do. Do notuse hay or straw, which can moldor carry diseases. If your house isover water do it when the ice isstill thick enough to walk on safe-ly.

Location of the hole should befacing one of the two best direc-tions: either facing directly east ordirectly west. Second choicewould be to face the hole any-where within the 180 Degrees ofthose two directions facing south.It is possible to place two or morenest boxes on the same structure.A mature hen wood duck com-

monly lays 12-14 eggs (one egg aday). Smaller clutches could befrom a young hen or a mature henre-nesting after a failed clutch.

It is very common for more thanone hen to lay eggs in the samenest box or natural cavity. Thismay result in large numbers ofeggs. This behavior is calleddump nesting and adds to thewood duck population, since asingle dominant hen usually pre-vails and hatches the clutch.Hatches of 20 or more ducklingsare not unusual.

The incubation period for woodducks varies, but is usuallybetween 28 and 32 days. Theentire clutch hatches in less than24 hours. The hen will leave thenest box with her new brood onthe first morning after the initialegg was hatched. After surveyingthe terrain for predators, she fliesdown to the ground and beginscalling for the brood. The youngducklings will climb up frominside the box and jump from theentrance hole when called.

If you are lucky and you havethe right day, start watching yourwood duck house just before 7a.m., and you may get to see theyoung jump and you can helpmom get the new brood safely towater.

If you have any questionsregarding nest boxes please giveBird Haven a call. We now carryrough-cut lumber wood duck andowl houses all year around.

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Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, March 8, 2013-11

BY BOB JENSENFISHING THE MIDWEST FISHING

TEAM

This is the time of yearwhen many anglers startthinking about theapproaching open waterfishing season. Thosethoughts remind them thatthey need or want a newrod for that approachingopen water fishing season.

Some anglers want a tech-nique specific rod; otherswant a rod that will enablethem to employ a widerange of techniques. Andthen there are those anglerswho just like to try newrods. Whatever your rea-soning for getting a newrod, following are somethings to keep in mind.

When you're looking for anew rod, you need to thinkof how you'll be using it.Will it be mostly for

walleyes, or are you goingto be after muskies mostly.Some rods can performseveral tasks, but you can'texpect to throw jerkbaitsfor muskies with a rod thatwas designed to be used forjigging for walleyes.

However, if you are goingto be mostly walleye fish-ing but you live near a pret-ty good crappie lake also,you can get by very nicelywith the same rod. A medi-um light spinning rod in thesix to seven foot range willdo a great job jigging andrigging for walleyes andalso for slip-bobbering forcrappies.

Figure out how you're

going to use the rod themost and you're on yourway. The next step is whatto look for in a rod.

Graphite rods are theway to go for many

anglers. When graphite rods first

came out they had a reputa-tion of being fragile andexpensive.

Now you can get a verygood graphite rod that willlast a long time and will bemuch easier on the fishingbudget. When sensitivity isimportant, graphite is theway to go.

If you'll be jigging or rig-ging for walleyes, or drag-ging a jig or worm for bass,or anything else thatrequires you to have a real-ly good idea of what'sgoing on at the end of yourline, you need graphite.

There are a good number ofother reasons why graphiteis desirable, but sensitivityis probably the main rea-son.

If you're going to betrolling, graphite is stillgood, but fiberglass or afiberglass/graphite blendwill work well. Sensitivityisn't a major requirementwhen trolling. You can getby very nicely with a lessexpensive rod that willabsorb the impact that canbe provided by a fish slam-ming a fast movingcrankbait that's beingtrolled at a high speed. Infact, a softer action rod thathas some give to it willusually be a better trollingrod.

What about rod action? Afaster action rod, a rod thatdoesn't bend too much, canprovide harder hooksetsthan a lighter action rod,but that lighter action rod ismore forgiving whenyou're fighting a fish. Gowith lighter action rodswith lighter line and aheavier action rod withheavier lines.

You don't need a bunch ofrods, and you don't need tospend a bunch of money ona rod to enjoy your fishing.Cabela's has developedseveral series of rods thatenable an angler to match arod exactly to their needs.The Platinum ZX is an out-standing rod that has thequalities of much moreexpensive rods.

There are other rods withthe Cabela's brand that willserve your needs exactly.All you need to do is get toa store and shake the rodsand figure out which one isbest for you. Do it soonthough; open water is notfar away.

In fact, in many regionsof the country it's alreadyhere.

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12-Estherville (Ia.) Outdoor Connection, FRIDAY, March 8, 2013

Ideas for purchasing a fishing rodTo see all the newest

episodes of Fishing theMidwest TV, visit

FISHINGTHEMIDWEST.COM

Using the appropriate rod can help you put more fishin the boat.

Photo by Bob Jensen