By Bob Jensen

(photo by Bob Jensen) Jax Clark learned this summer that fishing can definitely be fun.

There is good news for open water anglers in the northern states. According to the people who keep track of such things, the open water season has been lasting longer the past few years. Ice arrives later in the year and leaves sooner than it used to.

We’re getting more time to fish in open water. With that said, I’m pretty sure my open water fishing for the year is over. Now is when I reflect on things that I’ve learned and re-learned over the past open water fishing season.

Many knowledgeable anglers believe that fishing continues to improve across much of North America. More fish and larger fish are being caught. One reason more fish are being caught has to do with technology. Specifically, forward facing sonar(FFS).

FFS has had a major impact on how many fish we catch for several reasons. First, it reveals the presence of fish around the boat. It shows us where the fish are, so we’re casting to an area where we know there’s a fish. Before FFS, much of the time our baits weren’t near a fish. With FFS, we know exactly where we should put a bait, and that results in more fish in the boat.

Additionally, FFS reveals fish in locations where we never imagined a fish might be.  Walleyes are shallower in some lakes than we thought, and they’re suspended more often in other lakes than we thought. Crappies gather in tight schools in deeper water in the fall. If you’re just a couple of feet off of the school, you don’t get bit.

FFS keeps an angler on the school and that angler gets bit more often. In a recent conversation with a very adept angler, he told me that without FFS, he probably would not have caught any of the crappies that he caught on a recent fishing trip.

You would think that considering the success that can be achieved with FFS, anglers would really like it. Some do, but quietly many don’t. They don’t like what could be happening to fish populations and they don’t enjoy the fishing experience as much. I’m one of those anglers.

I’ve fished with FFS. It’s not for me. My fishing is with friends. If we catch a few fish, and we usually do, that’s a good day. I don’t want to spend my time on the water watching a FFS screen and casting only when the FFS shows me where a fish is. I want to look around at the other things that are part of a day on the water. That’s just me!

I’ve been spending more time fishing with youngsters. Many, many years ago when I was a youthful angler, I fished with other youthful anglers. Later on, I got a job at Camp Fish in Walker Minnesota. I fished with youngsters every day all summer. After that, most of the youngsters I fished with were adults.

This summer two young guys that I know got into fishing. They are 10 and 14 years old and live next door to their grandmother and me. They ride their bikes three miles one way to fish in a small pond.

Every now and then I go along, but I don’t ride a bike to the pond. On our first trip, I remembered why youngsters shouldn’t use crankbaits. Too many hooks. Jigs catch just as many fish and are safer for youngsters and anyone who might be standing near the young anglers.

I also learned that there is some outstanding equipment available to young anglers. Lew’s has several rod/reel combos that are youth and budget friendly.

Another thing I learned this season about youngsters and fishing: I’ve been wearing my cap wrong. The brim is supposed to be in the back. However, I’m going to keep wearing my cap the way I always have. Brim forward.