I just spent a good deal of time looking around the Web for something to write about.
Yeah, the lack of ice is making me look hard for ideas.
Anyhow, when searching around for topics, I tend to stay away from anything that is a Google ad. You know, these are the items that appear on the side rails of your search engine or in the shaded boxes above your search results.
For this search, I was trying to find something new in the world of ice fishing I could share with you, my valued readers. Instead, I ended up clicking on the "Evening Secret," which, let me tell you, is still somewhat of a secret.
I'm always skeptical when a site selling something is full of testimonials but never really shows the product or explains exactly how it works. Even on this site, the author tells us he has spoken with researchers at the University of Michigan, and they agree that it works, but he doesn't really go into detail on how it works, just that the researchers noted the attraction of zooplankton, which in turn attract bait fish, which eventually attract trophy fish.
If you're adventurous enough — or bored enough — to read to the bottom of the site, you'll probably draw the same conclusion that I did — the Evening Secret somehow sends impulses into the water that attract the zooplankton, which attract the bait fish and eventually the trophy fish.
You'll also learn that two states, Wyoming and Minnesota, have banned the Evening Secret. Last year, I also wrote about two other products, the Bite Lite and the Walking Worm, both by NGC Sports. These two lures were said to produce at ridiculous rates, and in the Bite Lite's case, Wyoming had banned it, too.
This begs the question, is it right for these states to ban such items, when indeed those items can make fishing more enjoyable for a good many people? My first inclination, especially when talking about the lures, is to go ahead and let them be used. Seriously, unless people are fishing in a tournament, what's the big deal? Our DNR puts restrictions into place on the size and amount of fish people can catch, so what's the harm if they are aided by gimmicks or not?
Having said that, after I read the Evening Secret testimonials, I'm not too upset that Minnesota has a ban on this gadget. For all the hoopla this site tries to drum up, something about taking away the hunt leaves me less interested in the catch. I like to target pools of bait fish, and then go to work for a lunker sitting in wait.
The reward is always so much better after the hunt. But maybe that's the old-school fisherman in me talking. Either way, I'll take my chances doing the hunting rather than letting the fish come to me.
