PLANO, Ill. -(Ammoland.com)- Steve Pennaz has fished all over North America. A recent inductee to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and former Director of the North American Fishing Club, Pennaz is intimately familiar with an impressive number of open- and frozen-water fisheries across the continent.
Vast and far-flung angling experiences aside, one facet of fishing remains near and dear to this highly-recognized angler: ice fishing in central Minnesota.
Here, near his home in Minneapolis, Pennaz spends hundreds of hours pursuing panfish each year, often alone in the dark seclusion of his ice shelter.
There, he tinkers, tries and learns, while pioneering prime practices for making fantastic catches. Pennaz’s studies have resulted in volumes of angling intelligence, which the angler has made a career out of sharing with the fishing public, as well as select fishing equipment manufacturers.
Frabill’s Steve Pennaz Model 678004 30” L Deep Crappie Ice Hunter rod or combo has the ideal combination of sensitivity and power to execute Pennaz’s deep-water crappie fishing techniques, which largely rely on electronics and small, horizontal jigs fished on light super lines.
“I grew up ice fishing; I’ve been at it forty-five years or so,” says Pennaz, who cut his ice-angling teeth on perch and walleyes, but learned later in life that it was crappie that really tripped his trigger.
“I live on a lake in Minneapolis that has massive schools of deep-water crappie. I literally fish 150 feet from my house,” he says.
Such immediate access lends itself to relentless field-testing and, ultimately, to the discovery of intricate trends and patterns.
Pennaz cites two primary advancements in technology, which have greatly increased his crappie catch rates: micro-fiber, low-stretch fishing lines, and portable GPS and sonar.
Another break-through came as Pennaz expanded his use of Aqua-Vu underwater cameras. “A fish that’s feeding on microscopic forage; it’s not chasing. Watching through an Aqua Vu, I’d see a lot of fish suck the bait in and blow it out extremely quickly. I realized I was only catching 20 percent of the fish that bit,” says Pennaz.
Steve Pennaz Model 678004 30” L Deep Crappie Ice Hunter Combo
Steve Pennaz Model 678002 30” Quicktip Panfish Ice Hunter Combo
Through trial and error, Pennaz has compiled the ultimate gear for his unique pursuit. A cornerstone designer of Frabill’s Ice Hunter Series of rods and combos, Pennaz is able to provide other ice anglers with the same equipment he uses daily.
“Deep-water crappie anglers need real sensitivity to feel when the fish takes the bait. I used to watch a fish on sonar rise to the lure, but the bite wouldn’t come,” says Pennaz, who learned from his Aqua-Vu camera that the fish had, indeed, often bit, but he simply hadn’t realized it.
To combat the problems presented by fishing in deep water, Pennaz took a two-part approach. “I made presentations as easy as possible for fish to get, using light super lines and horizontal jigs.” He then matched those accessible offerings with specific, task-minded tackle. When working with Frabill on the Steve Pennaz Model 678004 30” L Deep Crappie Ice Hunter Combo, Pennaz demanded a blank that was sensitive, but also fairly stout. “When I see the red lines come together on the flasher, I now use a gentle lift to determine if I have a bite. It takes a slightly stiffer rod to detect the weight and immediately set the hook in deeper water.”
Frabill pro and Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame inductee, Steve Pennaz, has perfected a system for plucking piles of crappies from eye-popping depths.
But what about times and situations when fish aren’t as deep? The always-analytical Pennaz points out the mathematical differences when moving shallow: “ Fishing in 8-10 feet of water, I only have 25% of the line out that I do out deep. Also, there’s more competition in shallow water, and more aggressive fish. It adds up to an increased probability for break-offs.”
With more apparent bites and less line stretch, Pennaz favors a softer, more forgiving tip for shallow-water crappies and gills.
It’s why he designed Frabill’s Steve Pennaz Model 678002 30” Quicktip Panfish Ice Hunter Combo, where the rod itself acts as a strike indicator and helps prevent the line breaks that are more common in shallow-water situations.
As a former winner of the US Ice Fishing Championship and current host of two popular television shows covering the sport, Steve Pennaz leaves little to chance when it comes to fishing.
His intimate knowledge of his quarry, coupled with exhaustive research and design of the ideal equipment used to pursue it, has led to monster catches of finicky fish. Follow his tips, and you’ll be on a similar path.
Among all his successes and accomplishments, none has been more consistent or rewarding to Steve Pennaz than sharing what he has learned and helping other anglers catch more fish.
About Frabill:
Frabill, Inc. is in its 77th year of engineering premium, trusted fishing equipment. Frabill’s ice fishing product lineup consists of portable ice fishing shelters, rod and reel combos, tip-ups, bait containers, portable aeration, and premium ice fishing apparel. Open water products include landing nets, portable aeration, bait containers, bait care, bait traps and seines, accessories, and premium open water F Series Storm Gear.
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