Joe Shead

Joe Shead

Joined: Dec 13, 2024

Joe Shead is an accomplished outdoor writer, hunter, fishing guide and multi-species angler from Minnesota who will fish for anything, even if it won’t bite. Check out more of his work at goshedhunting.com and superiorexperiencecharters.com.

Warm late-winter days before ice-out can produce some of the most aggressive perch fishing of the season, as fish feed heavily in preparation for spawning.

Jon Kroll of Ashland, Wis., displays a 14-pound Lake Superior eelpout. This fish is longer than the existing state record, but came up a little short of record weight.

The look on the rescuer’s face suggested this wasn’t his first call like this, and possibly not the first time we had met under these circumstances.

Five miles from the truck, after dark, with a limit of walleyes — and a treble hook I didn’t plan on bringing home.

Trophies line the stage as anglers compete on the ice during a midwinter fishing derby.

Freshwater

Want to win your next ice fishing derby? Learn smart strategies serious anglers use to beat the odds and maximize their chances at big prizes.

Taking kids ice fishing is a good way to get them interested in the outdoors. Keep them warm and entertained and your fishing trip will be a positive experience.

Freshwater

Cold fingers and boredom end trips fast. These lessons help make ice fishing with kids warm, fun, and worth repeating.

Women often outfish men, which can hurt a guy's fragile ego.

Freshwater

Fishing with women often reveals more about a guy’s ego than his fishing skills. A humorous, self-aware look at patience, humility, and partnership.

Midwinter perch can often be found on deep mud flats. Use large spoons to get down quickly and attract fish from a distance.

Freshwater

Midwinter perch often abandon weeds for deep mud flats. Here’s how to find roaming schools, choose the right lures, and stay on fish all winter.

The transducer's cone angle is important: the wider the cone angle, the more of the bottom you can see.

Freshwater

Fish finder cone angle and depth dramatically change how much bottom your electronics see. Learn how wide, medium, and narrow transducers really work.

Ciscoes form large schools, fight hard and taste great. Plus, they are willing biters all winter long.

Freshwater

Ciscoes—also called tullibees—fight hard, school up, and bite all winter. Here’s why they’re my favorite fish to pull through the ice.

Crappies are generally pretty cooperative, but even they can be finicky at times. Employ these five tips to help put more crappies on the ice.

Freshwater

When crappies turn finicky, small adjustments make a big difference. These five ice fishing moves help turn follows into solid bites.

If the ice is thick enough, use a snowmobile, ATV or truck to get away from the crowds and find unpressured fish. If the snow is deep and travel is difficult, you can really escape the crowds.

Freshwater

Remote access, overlooked lakes, and subtle structure often hold untouched fish. Here’s why effort and distance matter more than luck on the ice.

Fish sometimes get diseases. This northern pike is heavily infected with neascus, which is commonly called black spot disease.

Spots, warts, and parasites on fish can look alarming. Learn what common fish diseases look like and whether infected fish are safe to eat.

The author holds a 14-pound Lake Superior lake trout caught while jigging from a small boat on a rare warm, calm January day—proof that winter sometimes rewards dedication.

Lake Superior lake trout fishing in winter isn’t easy. From rare calm open-water days to sketchy ice, the rewards keep anglers coming back.

A rare golden crappie pictured with a normally colored black crappie. A condition called xanthochromism likely gave the fish the unusual color.

Two Minnesota ice anglers landed a rare golden crappie, likely caused by xanthochromism—an extremely uncommon genetic condition.

Walleyes got lockjaw? Trout bite reliably all winter and are a lot of fun to catch.

When midwinter fishing slows down, trout stay aggressive. Learn where to find them and the best lures to catch trout through the ice.