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For big fish, it can pay to think small

There's been an ongoing debate this winter that seems to occur every time a group of die-hard anglers get together.

For over 40 years, I have maintained that many fishermen can learn a thing or two from fly fishers if the doubting Thomas crowd would just open their minds to some of that community's alternate tricks.

The late Bill Binkelman of Fishing News and Fishing Facts fame appeared to many as a combination evangelist and fishing educator.

His zeal to convert the minions of skeptics over to live bait fishing and tiny hooks carried on long after he left the magazine business. And yet today I still subscribe to his easy-to-use techniques when I have fat nightcrawlers to offer to walleyes and bass.

Binkelman preached the use of No. 8 hooks placed through the nose of a 'crawler (the end where the band is located), as well as light line, typically 4- to 6-pound monofilament.

I took it a step further and used No. 10 gold hooks and 4-pound test.

I can almost hear the gasps from some of you. I can even suspect there's some muttering that this Jackson guy is nuts.

If I told you large numbers of fly fishermen use tiny hooks when they tie flies and catch relatively huge fish, you might call them to task. But it's true.

For example, I was using a light fly rod on the Kishwaukee River one spring day and made casts to some submerged logs. I suspected there may be some smallmouth bass hiding in the eddy or down-current area. On my third cast I hooked a smallie that scaled close to 4 pounds. A rare happening indeed on this wonderful stream.

The leader connecting to the fly was a mere threadlike, eyelash kind of setup that was rated at 3 pounds. The battle was fantastic, and the fish was hooked in the corner of its mouth. My black, bead head mohair fly teased that fish out of its cover. I physically moved another 3 feet to my right and made casts to the opposite shore. That fly barely sank beneath the surface when another smallie inhaled it. That fish weighed in at just over 1½ pounds.

When I'm searching for new places to try, I often have an ultralight rod and reel and a fly rod in my truck. The ultralight reel is spooled with 4-pound mono and a 4-pound fluorocarbon leader. The leader is almost totally invisible underwater and gives me an added edge to avoid spooking fish.

I have caught monster trout to 9 pounds using flies and hooks no bigger than a half of a pinky fingernail. And on the spinning rod I've managed to take 12-pound pike, 5-pound largemouth, 2-pound crappies, and an 8½-pound brown trout.

Could I have duplicated the result by using the traditional, larger hooks and heavier line? I doubt it. Even though the boys with three first names, the ones who fish the professional bass tournaments, use 30-pound test line and jumbo hooks, some of more astute pros have discovered spinning gear, smaller hooks and lighter line.

There was a time not too far back when bass guru Ray Scott explained in this column that he was pushing for tournaments whereby participants used nothing but 4-pound test mono and spinning gear. That is something akin to blasphemy in the professional angling world. Not a lot of pros took up the cause, probably because they were sticking to their old ways.

All you have to do is try small hooks, light line and light rods and see for yourself how much fun you can add to your fishing experience. Of course, not everyone enjoys a bit of fun when they're fishing.

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@att.net, and catch his radio show 6-7 a.m. Sundays on WSBC 1240-AM.

Outdoors notes

If you're computer savvy, check out www.spencepetros.com, and sign up for Spence Petros's often-published fishing reports and quick tips. They are worth it.

Fishing update

For all the ice fishing devotees in the crowd, here's the latest report:

<B>Fox Chain: </B>Excellent bluegill and crappie angling on Channel Lake and Lake Catherine. Try just outside the T-Channels off Pistakee Lake for some walleye stragglers and bluegills.

<B>Fox River: </B>Nielsen's Channels holding its own for big panfish closer to the river. Ice is safe.

<B>Lake Michigan: </B>Perching continues to draw fishermen to Navy Pier. In Kenosha, brown trout have become active in the harbor through the ice.

Mike Jackson can be reached via e-mail at angler88@att.net. His radio program is heard 6-7 a.m. Sundays on WSBC, AM-1240.