About
About Me
Jeff Wenger I am a fly tyer and jig maker from the north shore of Lake Superior, a lifelong resident of Minnesota, and an avid explorer of its endless fishing opportunities. Two Harbors, MN has been my home for the last the last 18 years and has allowed me to pursue my passion for chasing Steelhead, Panfish, Walleye, Trout. Every product on this website I personally craft and fish and are made right here in Two Harbors, MN USA.
All of my jigs and flies are tied with the highest quality materials available and in original, proven, field tested patterns. Unlike many flies on the market, I can assure you they are made to last. My Tungsten Ice Flies are based on real organisms and crustaceans that panfish and trout feed heavily on. This allows the angler to zone into a lakes specific feeding pattern. The results can be amazing! In addition to the tungsten for a quick drop a combination of natural and synthetic materials are incorporated together to entice a fish to strike! Experience my handcrafted quality for yourself.
Pro Staff
Joshua Sykora
Our Lead Pro Staffer is Joshua Sykora. Joshua is a tournament ice fisherman whose focus is on experimental fishing tactics in Panfishing and learning techniques in order to further himself and the fishing industry as a whole. Josh will be representing Jeff’s Jigs and Flies in the Ultimate Pan Fish League. Josh also works alongside Wilcraft Inc. and Striker Ice during the winter months helping to design new equipment, tournament fishing and promoting their equipment.
In 2012-2013 he took home a first place finish and biggest fish in the Team Extreme Ice Fishing Tournament on Clearwater Lake, along with a 3rd place overall finish in their circuit. In his second year as part of the Ultimate Panfishing League (UPL) he finished 2nd place overall for team of the year. In 2013-2014 he had another tremendous year and placed 2nd overall in the UPL series and 3rd at the Team Extreme National Championships along with his partner Drew Little. Josh has always strives to create new and innovative ways to produce results on the water and has proven that success comes with hard work and dedication. He will also be involved in the designing, field testing and promoting of my Tungsten Ice Flies.
Drew Little
Drew Little is from east central MN and we are utilizing Drew’s expertise as a Panfish Angler to help develop, test and promote our new tungsten ice fishing baits! Drew will again be partnering up with Josh for the upcoming hardwater season and we are looking forward to another great year!
“I have a deep passion for ice fishing, understanding fish behavior, and introducing people to the ice fishing world. I have been ice fishing competitively for only 1 year and I am addicted. ” Drew. In his amazing first season, 2013-2014, he finished in 2nd place in the UPL series ( out of 25 teams) and captured 3rd place in the Team Extreme National Championships!
Nate Baron
We are also happy announce that Nate Baron has joined our Pro Staff! Nate will be helping us develop, test and market our Steelhead and Bass jigs as well as our Tungsten Ice Flies, we look forward to his input and expertise!
Nate Baron is Owner and Operator of Up North Guide Service in Ashland, WI. A premier Guide Service covering Northwestern WI inland lakes, Chequamegon Bay, Lake Superior and its Rivers and tributaries. A fully licensed/insured Guide and USCG Captain, he was born and raised in Ashland, WI and has fished these waters extensively most of his life. Nate operates a multi-species Guide Service which aims to provide you an unforgettable experience on the water, while sharing his knowledge, along with proven techniques and tactics.
John Garcia
John Garcia Chasing BIG Panfish is my greatest passion. I spend countless hours during the open water, and hardwater season in search for these elusive creatures. Hard work and persistence pays off and there’s something special about bringing fish topside. Snapping a quick photo and watching trophy fish swim away is just as enjoyable as the catch. I love to share my passion and I’m always looking to bring others out fishing. Promoting the sport is important for the future growth of the ice fishing industry.
John has had great success fishing the NAIFC series and is also involved with product development, field-testing and promotion. He was the inspiration for the new red squirrel zoo bugs that have proven to be very deadly in competition on several bodies of water (releasing winter 2016). These natural colored zooplankton patterns are suited for picky bluegills and pumkinseeds.
Patrick Olson
Patrick Olson I was born and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota. I’m currently residing in Bemidji, MN and work at Glacier Fish Houses. Something that makes me unique in the fishing industry is that I am proficient in 3D CAD and do a lot of design work and 3D printing items for the way I fish. As a multi-species angler, I enjoy fishing for all species including some of the less popular species like bullheads, freshwater drum and bowfin. My primary focus however is on panfish (bluegills, crappies and yellow perch), largemouth bass and I have a passion for ice fishing. My goal as an angler and sportsman is to help others enjoy the sport of fishing by helping them become more efficient, successful and consciences anglers. I believe all anglers should be stewards of the resource and practice selective harvest whenever taking fish to eat.
Patrick is helping us with product development, field-testing, promotions among other things. His latest contribution was helping me develop my larger panfish leech jigs and custom titanium spring ice rods specifically tailored to my tungsten jigs and flies.
Amanda McComas
Amanda McComas resides in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” and she just might fish all of them one day. As a multi-species angler, she’s always ready to chase the next hot bite — no matter how deep into the woods it takes her. She is known for catching the big fish quite often on her many fishing adventures.
Jeremy Lustila
Jeremy Lustila is the brainchild behind J and S Custom Jigs and their deadly soft plastic ice fishing baits. I’ve been a very avid ice fisherman my while life, J and S was growing so fast and getting so big I had a hard time keeping up anymore so I sold it that way I had more time to spend on the water with my family. My kids grew up with ice fishing in their blood so now with more free time that is where my attention is focused, to get my friends and family on the ice more doing what we love Ice Fishing! Jeremy will be involved in product development, promotions and field-testing.John Rasmussen
John Rasmussen I hunt big bluegills with a passion and always will, but releasing these giants ensures we can all enjoy the true potential of these amazing fish forever. I live in central Minnesota with my beautiful fiance Laura. I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to promote a product I already love and use. Nobody makes them better than Jeff or achieves the level of detail he does by using his unique combination of materials to produce a lifelike representation of actual creatures bluegills and other panfish regularly feed on.Tyler Brown
Tyler Brown “I grew up in Valentine, NE and was blessed to have the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge and Merritt Reservoir right there about 30 miles away. I started fishing with my Dad when I was 5 years old. One of the first fish I ever caught was a Yellow Perch that was close to 2 pounds. I grew up catching numerous master angler bluegill, perch, crappie, and northern pike. All of the fishing when I was younger got me inspired to start my own guide service about 2 years ago so I could help other people learn the sport of fishing.
I really enjoy open water fishing for Walleye, Pike, Musky, Panfish and love BIG catfish. I actually have just got into fishing catfish tournaments and my Dad and I won the first tournament we fished on Merritt this year with a 5 fish limit of channel cats weighing 90 lbs.
My real passion is ice fishing for big Bluegill, perch, and Northern pike. The sandhill lakes of Nebraska is the perfect place to do it. The lakes I fish have tons of very large bluegill some are caught out of the lakes that are 2 lbs, you can catch a nice limit of jumbo perch very regularly , and the pike fishing is crazy being able to ice 5+ master anglers in a day and some times fish over 40″.
Since I spend most of my time conventional fishing and ice fishing, my “vacation fishing” is fly fishing (I do not guide fly fishing, so that is why I call it my vacation from fishing). I enjoy spending time on the Snake River near Valentine catching beautiful and LARGE natural rainbow and brown trout.”
Tyler will be involved in product development, promotions and field-testing. As owner of Tooth and Whisker Guide Service he will have many opportunities to test and develop our products, and we look forward to his contributions.
Jesse Thalmann
Jesse Thalmann resides in the heart of big bluegill country in Northern Minnesota. He is an all season “panfish whisperer” and guide and specializes in targeting Giant Bluegills and Slab Crappies. He also likes to educate anglers on the importance of catch and release to preserve the superior genetics that perpetuate these amazing trophy panfish opportunities in our lakes.
As our newest ProStaffer Jesse will be involved in all aspects of product development, field-testing and promotions, and we look forward to utilizing his extensive trophy bluegill and panfish knowledge and experiences to help us continue to improve and develop our products.