Heim's energy leads to success in southern Wisconsin
GENEVA LAKE, Wis. - There aren't too many people I've encountered over five decades of outdoors-related involvement and writing that display such an endless amount of energy and talking power.
When I'm with a guide on a fabled trout stream or with a hard-working smallmouth pro on a north country river, or even when I'm with a sunburned flyfishing sharpshooter on the saltwater flats, no one compares to the never-ending energy of Billie Heim.
Billie is the sole operator of Night Prowler Guide Service.
Just before ice-out on Geneva Lake, I received a call from Spence Petros.
"I'm pretty well booked for 2017 with customers wanting good bass action on Lake Delavan and Geneva," he reported. "But there's a guide on Geneva you have to meet and fish a day or two with."
And that was my intro to Billie Heim.
Here's a guy who used to get his paycheck from a family-run company in southern Wisconsin. And like in many aspects of today's business climate, some companies have been known to downsize or move to a more tax-friendly state. I'm not sure what Billie's situation was, but in the end he decided to guide full time on lakes where he gained tremendous experience and familiarity over the years.
Heim seems to have connections to that bunny we see on television commercials, the one that keeps on going when all the other elements sit idle.
Billie learned a lot over the years, enough to keep him guiding for almost the entire week during fishing season. But he's also a die-hard ice angler with solid credentials on a variety of lakes as well.
"Let's go for crappies and big bluegills as well as some of the lake's giant sunfish," he suggested.
Heim and Petros both learned that cloudy days can be the trigger for a good crappie bite. We had decent success for crappies and jumbo sunfish, with some big bluegills tossed in as well.
"I prefer using extra long rods, tiny floats and micro-jigs for most panfish species," he explained. "The bite is usually extremely light and quite often a crappie will not pull the float down beneath the surface in the early season. That's why one has to keep a sharp eye on the float most of the time."
And his success with Geneva Lake walleyes and lake trout comes after years of experimenting with different techniques.
"I'll troll at night and find schools of walleye either near the bottom or slightly suspended above it," he explained.
He noted the lake trout are usually deep in summer months, so trolling methods generally work well.
If anglers are interested in a destination other than Geneva Lake and Lake Delevan, Billie is happy to take clients for a day on Big Green Lake for smallmouth and walleyes.
But even if you don't get to fish with him, a mere conversation with Billie is a seat belt-fastening experience. Heims only knows one speed, and that is super-fast, with lots of teaching information jammed into the story.
Contact Billie at Night Prowler Guide Service at (262) 279-5743 or visit their Facebook page.
• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at mikejacksonoutdoors.com.