Welcome to Week CXLVIII of 鈥楩ishing Parkland Shorelines鈥�. Like most of us I am a novice fisherman, loving to fish, but far from an expert. In the following weeks I鈥檒l attempt to give those anglers who love to fish but just don鈥檛 have access to a boat, a look at some of the options in the Yorkton area where you can fish from shore, and hopefully catch some fish.
I have said it before, and I will say it again I am sure, but having access to the Internet opens up a very big 鈥榖ook鈥� of knowledge to the fisherman.
In most instances the resources of the 鈥楴et are rather specific in terms of fishing if you are looking for tips on gear and actual fishing techniques.
That is actually a good thing.
How often have you picked up a magazine on fishing and skimmed right over the article on catching crappies because the species is not present in the local fishing holes you frequent?
In other instances you are planning a trip to somewhere, say Scotland, as is the case for one of my buds right now. He will be looking for some insight specific to fishing the streams there, so a story on catching catfish in Mississippi, while maybe an interesting read, is not exactly what he needs right now.
The Internet lets the fisherman get very specific in what they delve into, with sites often focused on a region, species, or technique.
So while the melt of March has made ice fishing end earlier for most than might be be normal, I have to mention www.iceteam.com
If you are a devoted ice fisherman, and you can put me down as a casual ice man at best, you will want to bookmark the above address for future reference.
Ice fishing is thought of by many as less an effort of skill and technique, and more one of luck, or simply as an outing with buds to eat kolbassa and drink flavoured coffee.
But like most endeavours, you can take things casual and relaxed and in this case hope fish are obliging under the ice, or you can try a few 鈥檛ricks of the trade鈥� to tilt things in your favour. A site such as iceteam.com can be a great resource for picking up a few tricks without having to bribe the guy in the next ice shack with homemade deer sausage.
The site actually has a fairly traditional magazine, one that can be downloaded and read on the computer, pages turned with a key stroke rather than with a finger wetted on the tongue.
But there is more too, articles online, and of course access to videos (http://www.iceteam.com/video/internet-tv/). The latter is a bonus because they take you more into the experience of ice fishing, along with being a great learning tool. It is often far easier to learn something new by seeing someone doing it than in trying to interpret it from words on a page.
After discovering the site, I tossed an email their way, and Ice Team Manager Matt Johnson was good enough to consent to answering a few questions.
Johnson resides in聽 Ramsey, MN, but noted 鈥楢cross the Ice Belt鈥� 鈥渋s based literally 鈥榓cross the ice belt鈥� as we are a traveling show.鈥�
Johnson is an avid fisherman on the ice and on open water.
鈥淚鈥檝e been a fishing guide since 2003 and spend a lot of time on the water and ice,鈥� he offered. 鈥淚 truly enjoy the sport, both from an education and entertainment standpoint. I enjoy spending time on the ice with my boys, as well as out in the boat during open water season.鈥�
So I was curious how a rather in-depth online site dedicated to ice fishing got its start?
鈥淚ce Team prides itself on providing relative material to its fans,鈥� said Johnson. 鈥淓ducation is a top priority for Ice Team and ensuring we stand behind our mission of being the premier resource for the ice angler is very important. Developing a web series that allows us to educate on a variety of species, tactics, locations, all focusing on relating the content to the audience is where the jumping board began.鈥�
Johnson said to keep the site active they look to have new material loaded as quickly as possible.
鈥淲e also turn around the filming, editing and release within a few weeks鈥� time,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o the content is current and cutting edge. The list of Ice Team Pros is astounding, so doing our best to capture their abilities and experiences made for a fun planning process with this series.鈥�
Since video is a big part of the site鈥檚 draw I had expected it to be Johnson鈥檚 passion.
鈥淚鈥檝e done a little (filming),鈥� he said. 鈥淚 used to co-host an online show back in 2004-2006 called Hot Bite Fishing, otherwise the mastermind behind the show is Jeff 鈥楯iggy鈥� Andersen and his brother Joe. They are the driving force because the production and execution of 鈥楢cross the Ice Belt.鈥�
The current show is actually an evolution of an earlier effort.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a show called Ice Team Internet TV for a couple years and we rebranded it to Across the Ice Belt with Ice Team this year,鈥� said Johnson. 鈥淭he show was brainstormed by a group of us and then we asked Jeff to run with it.鈥�
As you might expect, filming on an iced over lake in the depths of winters creates some definite challenges.
鈥淔ilming in the winter is rarely easy,鈥� said Johnson. 鈥淭here are a lot of things that could go wrong and there always needs to be a back-up plan.
鈥淲eather is one of the obvious obstacles, along with the harsh conditions that take a toll on camera gear. Jeff can expand a lot more on this topic.鈥�
Johnson said the effort is worth it though.
鈥淛eff and his team really have a knack for bringing true emotion out of the experience,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hile there are many bits and pieces of education thrown in there, the actual 鈥榝eelings鈥� behind a day on the ice are often times overlooked. Jeff really captivated that message and brought it with him throughout the filming process.鈥�
And it is the experience of ice fishing captured on film which makes the show worth watching, said Johnson.
鈥淚t brings out education and emotion,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou feel one with the experience and most ice anglers can relate to the content.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e looking for something truly entertaining, as well as educational, then the Across the Ice Belt series offers a lot of both.鈥�
And Johnson said viewers seem to agree.
鈥淪o far the response has been awesome,鈥� he added. 鈥淎 lot of excited fans who want to see more. We continue to grow and build on every episode and really try to cater to the audience.鈥�
