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Fishful Thinker
United States
Registrace 2. 12. 2006
Welcome to the Fishful Thinker channel! For the last 14 years we've traveled around fishing and filming public waters and bringing them to life on TV in a casual and educational format. We've included show guests of all sorts while trying to be as diverse as possible with both fish species and techniques. Bass to bonefish, fly or conventional, we've filmed it all...and we even include cooking segments to highlight our favorite fish and game recipes. While we still air on World Fishing Network and Altitude Sports, here on our channel you'll find full episodes, custom edits, fish and game cooking, and unseen footage. It's all focussed on increasing your angling success in a light-hearted, down to earth format. Please consider subscribing while you're here. Fish big!
Chasing the Open Water Bite
'Tis the season for sportfish to be chasing baitfish in open water. It can be a fun and productive time to fish for white bass, wipers, stripers, large and smallmouth bass, reservoir trout and others. Host Chad LaChance shares his thoughts on locating the action and presenting lures in the wide open space of the main lakes' basins. #fishingpodcast #fishingtips #bassfishing #fallfishing #sportsmanswarehouse
zhlédnutí: 79
Video
Jerkbaits...around grass mats? Yep!
zhlédnutí 213Před 19 hodinami
Not many bass anglers consider hard jerkbaits like Berkley's Stunna around shallow grass mats but perhaps they should. When fish of any sort are not biting well, the uber-erratic jerkbait will still trigger bites. Host Chad LaChance fishes jerkbait on a braided line/fluorocarbon leader set-up which allows the angler to easily snap and random grass off the bait during the retrieve as he works hi...
Spoons...simple and under-rated fish catchers
zhlédnutí 157Před 14 dny
Host Chad LaChance believes strongly in the venerable spoon for a wide range of species, and over a range of conditions as well. From shallow salt flats to deep lake trout, spoons will catch fish, and they can be fished vertical, horizontal or anywhere in between. #spoons #sportsmanswarehouse
Going Vertical
zhlédnutí 115Před 21 dnem
Fishing vertically allows an angler very precise depth control and the ability to coerce fish into biting. Host Chad LaChance shars his thoughts on vertical fishing for everything from trout to walleye to groupers. Please subscribe while you're here...FTTV is a labor of love!
Mid Summer ramblings
zhlédnutí 92Před 21 dnem
Host Chad LaChance has been busy with both fishing and the fishing biz. He shares his thoughts on summer trends, lessons from the Full Moon Open and more.
Fishing Practice...for Lake Trout?
zhlédnutí 394Před 21 dnem
Fishing for lake trout often involves very few bites; after all, the big ones are old and lazy. A few bites a day is a good result when targeting big lake trout. Adding to that is that they are hard to detect and hook. So, if you want to learn to catch big lake trout, it stands to reason that perfecting your skills and gaining confidence on smaller lakers where you will get more bites, is a goo...
Power Switching Lakers
zhlédnutí 376Před měsícem
Testing new lures for Berkley is part of host Chad LaChance's job description. In this case, durability testing was in order and lake trout are perfect for that because they have teeth and are "bite feeders", plus they are notorious for being picky eaters. So, the new Power Switch was tested on them; it worked out well as the new bait got lots of bites with no durability issues. 0:00 working th...
Switching On Lake Trout Practice
zhlédnutí 450Před měsícem
Fishing practice...really? Well, yes...and lure testing, too. Host Chad LaChance was tasked with testing the all new Berkley Power switch hybrid jig on various species. So he took the lure up to a lake known for average size lakers and practiced catching them all day long. Sometimes it's more important to get lots of bites and this day was a perfect example; next time LaChance goes to a lake wi...
Answering our most commonly received questions...
zhlédnutí 109Před měsícem
Over 20 years of fishing professionally, host Chad LaChance has heard many of the same questions over and over....so, he addresses them in this podcast. Maybe you have the same questions...
Summer trout the easy way... (trout fishing)
zhlédnutí 209Před měsícem
Active Powerbaiting sounds weird, but it's a really fantastic way top catch lots of trout without deep-hooking any of them. Host Chad LaChance learned of the concept a couple years ago and has caught a couple hundred trout on it with no gut-hooked fish...all simply released. he shares his thoughts on this and other simple concepts, perfect for mid-summer family outings! #powerbait #troutfishing...
Fishing the Flood (fishing podcast)
zhlédnutí 82Před měsícem
Reservoirs are beautiful at flood stage and it can be great for the health of the fishery...but it can make life tough on anglers! Host Chad LaChance guided for 20 years on a fishery that floods every few years and shares his thoughts on very high water in this podcast. Please like, share and subscribe while you're here!
Fishing the Dog Days of Summer
zhlédnutí 167Před 2 měsíci
Fishing's spring fling is over and the dog days of summer are looming. That's means fishing fro all species will be getting a bit trickier. Host Chad LaChance shares his thoughts on addressing the summer peak and staying successful despite the heat and crowds. Please subscribe while you're here...Fishful Thinker is a labor of love!
Power fishing prowess
zhlédnutí 354Před 2 měsíci
Using fast and erratic lures to trigger bites from lot's of species of fish in host Chad LaChance's favorite thing to do. He discusses specific lure details as it pertains to a variety of fish, from trout to walleye to bass. Please like, share and subscribe if you learned anything! 0:00 intro 01:00 Choppo 01:40 trout 03:45 Spinnerbait walleye 06:00 5lb smallmouth 07:00 jerkbait
Crankbaiting...the Details #fishingtips #fishingpodcast
zhlédnutí 77Před 2 měsíci
Casting and winding a crankbait seems simple but as with any other technique, there are nuances and details that make all the difference. Host Chad LaChance shares his thoughts on the versatile, multi-species genre of lures for bass, walley, trout and others. #sportsmanswarehouse #berkleyfishing #crankbait #fishingtackle #bassfishing #troutfishing #walleyefishing
Badgering them into a reaction bite... #bassfishing
zhlédnutí 370Před 2 měsíci
Badgering them into a reaction bite... #bassfishing
How to avoid or free snags when fishing #fishingskills
zhlédnutí 141Před 2 měsíci
How to avoid or free snags when fishing #fishingskills
The under-appreciated fishing tool... #fishingtipsandtechniques
zhlédnutí 380Před 3 měsíci
The under-appreciated fishing tool... #fishingtipsandtechniques
Co-Anglers, beat your boaters from the back of the boat #bassfishing
zhlédnutí 111Před 3 měsíci
Co-Anglers, beat your boaters from the back of the boat #bassfishing
Power Switching Crappie (crappie fishing)
zhlédnutí 362Před 3 měsíci
Power Switching Crappie (crappie fishing)
Minnesota Crappie Mania (crappie fishing)
zhlédnutí 409Před 3 měsíci
Minnesota Crappie Mania (crappie fishing)
Switching on Crappie (crappie fishing)
zhlédnutí 2,6KPřed 3 měsíci
Switching on Crappie (crappie fishing)
Forward Facing Sonar...What Has It Taught Us? (fishing tips)
zhlédnutí 123Před 3 měsíci
Forward Facing Sonar...What Has It Taught Us? (fishing tips)
Huge Trout at a Kid's Fishing derby? (#troutfishing )
zhlédnutí 701Před 4 měsíci
Huge Trout at a Kid's Fishing derby? (#troutfishing )
Fishing Colorado's State Forest State Park (trout fishing, fly fishing, spin fishing)
zhlédnutí 1,5KPřed 4 měsíci
Fishing Colorado's State Forest State Park (trout fishing, fly fishing, spin fishing)
I hate it when people call big fish a slob instead of a slab. A slob is a mess person whereas a slab means a big piece of something. What is up with that?
Wonder if you could mold this stuff onto a jighead. Maybe use a trout magnet split tail kinda shape. Maybe be good to turn a bottom dragging snag/hang up machine into a slow fall lure easy to keep off the bottom with a slow retrieve. All theory of course! Great video thanks for the idea. I hate bait n wait fishing and refuse to do it so never tried power bait. Will give this a go!
Absolutely you can mold it onto a jig head…we’ve been doing so this summer and fishing it like a tube jig. Works fantastic and still no deep-hooking.
Trolling is for peds
You would not set foot on my boat. Talk way too damn much
😂
FINALLY! Been looking all over to find how to smoke a good sized whole trout .... everything I've found before this is using little dinky 10-12" stockers .... got into a good bunch of 3-4 pound rainbows with big fat paunches for bellies .... this vid is the only one that comes close to what I have to work with ... head off so they fit in the cooler for the trip home.... wet brined sounds good, .... deep scoring before brining makes SO much sense if you think about it, as does the diagonal placement on the grates .... stuff that NOBODY else (that I've seen so far in my G00gly searches) has even bothered to mention ...
Is that the 2 3/4 inch hit stick? Thanks and great video!
we used both the #7 and the #9 sizes on this day...so 2.76" and 3.54".
Excuse me sir, fairly new angler here. Fishing from the bank How would you go about targeting bass that are in groups right at the bank. Im using a medium fast 6ft bait caster.
I walk away from them a full cast length and then cast parallel down the bank back to them with something very small and subtle.
Heading to State Forest State Park tomorrow to work communications at the Bockman aid station for the Never Summer 100K trail race. Plan on fishing Michigan reservoir and Ranger lakes, as well as a little hiking.
Thanks, great show!
Love seeing this on active target as well. Thanks for the extra graph work showing the fish and the lure.
Smear the new power bait gel on the power switch.
Great bait!
Hey, my name is Landon and I am a young angler in Colorado. Would you want todo a collaboration?
Any information on bank fishing? As I do not have a boat or kayak.
It might be hard because you probably can’t cast as far as you need to get the lure out there, and you wouldn’t be able to be straight up and down. I’d still give it a go because you might catch some other types 🤷♂️
I'd only target lake trout from the bank in very early spring - like ice-out - and mid-late fall when they come shallow staging to spawn. Otherwise, they'll most likley be much deeper than you can reach casting from the bank.
When will fish fest make a return? Always enjoyed it!!
That's up to Larimer County. They have not allowed us a special use permit since 2020.
Nice to see you knocking it out if the park again. I was searching for smoked trout and you were the second one that come up on my list. Nice to see a long time friend on here!
Have you ever heard of a fishing net?
great podcast thank you!
is $200 worth it for this boat? I'm looking at one tomorrow and want to do a conversion a lot like yours, like a mini one person bass boat
I love mine. Had it for for more than 20 years so I'd say so.
@@FishfulThinker ended up getting it for 180
@@stevenrais9360 let me know if you have specific questions on building it out.
Congrats on getting the Crawdad! I've had mine for over 30 years, but only recently got serious about it. It's a great river and lake boat. I'm designing a sail for mine.
Do the circle hooks float ? Like a size 8 trout hook ?
Depends on the amount of Powerbait on it. If it does and you don't want it to, add a tiny split shot just above it.
@FishfulThinker thank you sir
Catching a fish is probably the best feeling in the world, aside from sex. Don’t ask me about it, I’m just a virgin making an educated guess.
Hey fishful! We have been watching your for years and this is our favorite pike fishery, was this in June? And did you tip the jigs with sucker meat?
Thanks for following along. I don’t tip jigs with bait at all for any species. This was filmed the last week of May. Funny thing is that was the one and only time I ever fished lake trout there. 🤷♂️
@@FishfulThinker cool! We hit it last week and the bite was a little slow for lakers! Now we are waiting for the fall pike 🍂🍁🐟
I'm trying to buy me some of those for crappies
What size is the Berkeley power switch
1.75”, 1/16 oz…the smallest they make.
@@FishfulThinker okay thanks
Hey Chad are you using Rapala Original Floaters at times in this video? Or are those Husky Jerks? I thought original floaters technically are not jerkbaits. Just curious because I have a bunch but usually just straight retrieve them. Thank you!
Yes, there are some original Floating Rapalas in this vid. They fish very well as shallow jerkbaits. Keep in mind. This video is fairly old as you can tell from looking at it. The techniques are still 100% applicable, but the specific lures have changed for me based on advancements and lures. I don’t floating Rapalas at all anymore, instead preferring Berkley Hit Sticks which run almost the same but are far more consistent in their action, durable, and less expensive as well. The problem with the Rapalas is that they are made out of wood, which is not a consistent product and the foil finish is easily damaged, which allows water to get in and ruin the lure. Having said that, good ones still catch plenty of fish so if you have some throw them and don’t be afraid to work them like a jerk bait or on a consistent retrieve, or on a stop and go as a twitch bait.
Wow - super thoughtful response, thank you! I learn a ton from your videos and I’m here in Denver as well. I have a few hit sticks already as well as an arsenal of flicker shads specifically from watching your content. Keep it coming, thanks again. -Mike
@@michaelnewell5422 well thank you for following along with our fishy content!
Do you guide fish? If so contact info?
Can't forget that, killer bait Berkley Minnow! Love it...
Great stuff Chad thanks for sharing your knowledge. One of my bucket list items is to hook into an Aurora Res Wiper. I have seen them cruising the shallow areas of the dam and even watched them try and get stocker trout from a stringer. I have thrown imitation rainbow trout lures only to see them swim away in fear. hahaha. I'm not giving up and will try some of your techniques.
What line did you use?
15# Berkley X9 braid with a 10# Trilenbe 100% Fluorocarbon leader.
@@FishfulThinker thank you so much!!
You cooked that fish to perfection how could you wait to dig in, might have to cook my sauce first, great recipe thanks. I think I have had salmon prepared this way once at a very nice restaurant!
I love Chad’s understanding of how to properly catch and release. Most TV fisherman hold them improperly and out of the water for way way too long. Thanks Chad!,
Thanks for watching and being attentive to fish handling...it's a pet peeve of mine when fish that are to be released are not handled with care and diligence!
So true great tip!!!Left hand reel crew!!!!
Presentation techniques…can you elaborate (continuous reel, pause and reel)? Choppo, Bullet Pop (topwater). Hit Stick, Stuna. (Depth base). #BuildingConfidence #Fundamentals
Choppo I start with a straight reel and vary from there if that doesn't work. Bullet Pop is always tip down with short crisp pops. with some slack in between. Hit Stick and Stunna are both similar in that i start with a typical twitch-pause cadence and the retrieve varies widely from there. Lots of slack line before and after each rod tip snap. Rarely, I will straight retrieve a Hit Stick or conversely work it very slowly, allowing it to break the surface film between pops. That works especially well in the post spawn for bass. Hope it helps!
Thanks. My curiosity and concern centers on any slack line of which line management would be my intent…no need for tangles.
@@DavidStauffacher yes for sure. The key is using the rod to pull the slack out of the presentation before reeling line in...basically I reel the rod back to the bait, not vice versa, while working the presentation.
Just wondering…when using the Choppo…do you always use a continuous consistent reel action? Or is an intermittent reel pause an option?
With any technique, I will always start with the fastest one and make the fish force me to slow down. That means yes I start with a constant even retrieve, but may add pauses or speed changes or direction changes if the fish won’t bite the easiest one. Same with the jerk bait, crank bait, or anything else that I’m winding
On my first cast I started reeling in and the reel was chirping and talking to me lol for 200& don’t buy
Just saw a reddit comment that called you out as a local Colorado fisherman CZcamsr, subscribed immediately. I'm gonna enjoy your collection sir, thanks!
Thanks for subbing...this channel is a labor of love. Full original episodes air weekly on World Fishing Network and also Altitude Sports Channel as well.
2024 and people still use boga grip with pike 🤦 that's painfull to watch
I want my Bonny dam back, I was a kid during the 2000’s and it was the closest “lake” you could go to. As an adult now, I wish I could just go there and fish and camp there, so many memories from childhood just lost now
Which campground would you recommend for a fifth wheel to camp and also have a boat ramp for putting in our pontoon? We prefer more dispersed camping. We are planning on middle of June, would the fishing be optimal mid June?
DONT USE JIGS
My go-to for Texas rigging and jig trailer! Black and blue my favorite color!😊
Good video you were talking too fast but great info
Awesome video
Where could I find pultruded pieces you have on the transom
Or what would be a good replacement for that stuff
@@nlrzach9270 I used my connections at Ranger Boats to get some pultruded scraps to use....that might be tough for you. A good sub would be HDPE cutting board material. I used some of it in this boat as well to bolster the thickness for hre clamps to grab on the bow motor. It's physically lighter than pultruded material which could be a bonus.
Unfortunately those are out of most peoples price range. Or at least mine.
I totally understand that. My main point is get the best polarized glasses you can afford; pick your lens color, intelligently, and make sure you get a frame that fits your face. Well Costa makes less expensive polycarbonate options, and several of their sister brands make even less expensive options as well. I’m of the opinion that an investment in quality sunglasses will catch you more fish than an extra hundred dollars in lures will.
Everybody’s got a budget, I get that. I thought that or should I say…still think that way. Value is subjective and seen through the eyes of beholder. Yet, if you really enjoy something, be it fishing , boating, or exploring nature’s offering, find the best glass polarized eyewear. The investment is worth the price. I wear my #costa all the time…3 pair.
Impactful moments. Giving is living. #costa
Do you just switch leaders by trial and error, or are there other indicators?
Mostly by the conditions combined wiht knowledge of the specific lure. When I adopt new lures into my arsenal, I'll run them through a series of tests to see how they are affected by leader/line choices, speed differences and other variables. I know I prefer suspend or slow rise in spring and suspend or slow sink in spring so i work towards that. In warm months, I rarely pause the jerkbait enough for leader to matter much.