By Steve Weisman
It seems like no matter what we’re involved in, there are those who just seem to be a step above. They have the skills that set them apart from others and often have the charisma that makes people want to be around them. As an outdoor writer, I have been fortunate enough to interview some of the best of the best in both the hunting and fishing world.
One of them is Dave Genz, often known as The Godfather of Ice Fishing for his revolutionary ice fishing ideas that helped bring ice fishing literally out of the Ice Age! Moving to the northwest Iowa from South Dakota in 1978, I found an ice fishing mecca like I had never seen before. However, it was also a slow learning curve, but I began to read and learn about catching those clear water finicky bluegills of West Okoboji.
Then I met Dave when he first began bringing the Trap Attack two-person panfish tournaments to Emerson Bay on West Lake in late February-early March in the late 1980s. This was the perfect time for late ice action on West Okoboji. The evening before the tournament, Dave would host a PowerPoint fishing seminar and share his revolutionary iee fishing ideas. Afterwards he would stick around to just talk ice fishing, and I’d hang around to learn.
As we became acquainted, he would let me hang around on tournament competition day with Dave and Denny Clark as they went around the bay checking on how the teams were doing. I learned so much simply by being around and listening as he talked with the teams. The teams came from several states to fish the gin clear Okoboji waters. And they were good! Plus, they were willing to share and didn’t hide their techniques. They were some of the best teachers in the world, and they willingly shared with us some of their techniques for catching fish through the ice.
Dave and I became friends, and eventually, my son Curt and I began fishing the Trap Attacks, and kept getting beat, but we also kept learning more and more! Finally, in 2004 we broke through and qualified for the Trap Attack National Championship on Lake Mary in Minnesota. It was a two-day tournament and with a lot of luck, we finished third in the Championships, missing out on first place by less than a pound. It’s an experience we both will always cherish.
Mentor and friend
Over the past 35 years, I’ve been blessed to count Dave Genz as both a mentor and friend and for the past 15+ years to be part of the Genz-led Clam Outdoors pro staff. It’s hard for me to believe that this year marks the 43rd anniversary of the original Trap portable shelter that helped revolutionize the sport of ice fishing.
Yup, that’s the portable ice shack that folds over like an accordion or a clam. Look out on area lakes, and you will often spy a sea of blue, the color of the original’s direct descendants marketed by Clam Outdoors since 1992. While other manufacturers have designed their version of the original Fish Trap and have taken their place on the ice, even with all these other designs, It is the sea of blue that continues to set the bar in ice fishing.
In visiting with Dave, he reflected on his journey. “Ice fishing has been in my life forever. I don’t ever remember not ice fishing. Everything we have done has been about helping make folks better ice anglers. We’ve been working on this for a lot longer, and there were many different prototypes through the years made from materials we could scrape together. But it’s been in the last 40+ years that we’ve been making and sharing the Fish Trap with the ice fishing world.”
On the cutting edge
Dave Genz has been on the cutting edge of ice fishing for over 40+ years. In the industry, there are a couple of initials used: B. G. It stands for Before Genz! Now, there are two more initials used that describe continued change: A. G. Obviously, that stands for After Genz!
Here is just a quick list of his accomplishments:
- Developed the portable Fish Trap
- Created the Winter Fishing System (The System) that included mobility, efficiency and the importance of a plan and totally changed how we fish
- Developed the Ice Box, known today as the Genz Box, along with a system for adapting Vexilar flashers for use in ice fishing
- Led in the development of quality sensitive short rods-comparable to open water rods
- Helped design the modern “less bulky, yet warm” winter clothing
- Designed ice jigs that “fished heavy”-but were still small-to help with visibility on flashers
- Developed the down viewing method for using underwater cameras
- Teamed up with Clam to design his new Tungsten Jigs
- Always working on new stuff
- Authored or co-authored several books: Ice Fishing Secrets with Al Lindner and Doug Stange; Bluegills and DVD with Mark Strand; Pro Guide Series Ice Fishing Series – Ice Fishing with Dave Genz and Jerry Carlson
Accolades
For all his efforts, Dave has also been inducted into the Minnesota Hall of Fame (2002) and the National Freshwater Hall of Fame (2011).
Another honor is coming at the 30th annual St Paul Ice Fishing and Winter Sports Show on December 1-3. It has been announced that this year’s show is being dedicated to Dave Genz. On its Facebook page, “We are excited and proud to announce we are dedicating this year’s St. Paul Ice Fishing Show to Dave Genz. Known as the ‘Godfather of Ice Fishing,’ Dave is an inventor and entrepreneur who radically changed how we go ice fishing today.”
As an ice fisherman, I’ve learned so much from the Godfather of Ice Fishing, and I consider it an honor to call him a mentor and a friend. That pretty much says it all!
The author (L) and Dave Genz (R) at the Clam Corp headquarters with the 40th Commemorative Fish Trap.
Dave Genz catches a nice mid-winter West Okoboji bluegill. The Arctic Cat snowmobile offers Genz mobility to get from spot to spot. The Cat carries his Fish Trap, Vexilar, battery powered auger and all of his ice fishing equipment.
Fishing with the legend. (L to R) Dave Genz, Hunter Wheatley (author’s grandson) and Steve Weisman
Throwback to Emerson Bay Trap Attack-2004. Dave Genz interviews Curt Weisman during the tournament with camera rolling.
