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2009 Ice Fishing New Year’s Resolutions

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 06:40:52 +0000

As many are wont to do this time of year I am making some New Year's resolutions focused on my ice fishing. Without any delay here they are:

1. Ice fish at least 3 new lakes this year. This will help both in terms of enjoyment as well as affording me many spots to be able to fall back on.

2. Use a jig with no bait to catch a crappie.

3) Build my own 1/64 ounce crappie jig. Well I should say build it after buying the jig head. I've heard these small jigs can work wonders on crappies and want to give it a shot.

Hope you had a great 2008 and here's to an even better 2009!

Fine Tune Your Presentation To Catch Finicky Fish

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:33:00 +0000

If you are ice fishing and while watching your ice fishing flasher you notice fish rising to you bait, but refusing to bite then you most likely have fish willing to bite. These fish can be coaxed into biting, but are looking for something slightly different. When you find yourself in this situation it is time to start experimenting. If you are with a few buddies this process can be a little easier to manage, but you can do it by yourself as well.

First thing I normally do is to downsize my presentation. If you are using a 1/8 ounce lure, downsize to the same color but one that is 1/16 ounce. Another option is to use a different color in the same size. Perhaps they want gold instead of silver or glow instead of not glow. Perhaps it is your bait presenation. Change to a crappie minnow instead of a fathead or just the head of the minnow instead of the entire body. Perhaps a change to a wax worm is in order.

What are your experiences to get those finicky fish to bite when you are on the ice?

Ice Fishing Tip Ups – Rules of Thumb

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:42:31 +0000

Fishing with tip ups can be a great way to catch fish through the ice, especially northern pike. While the concept of a tip up is fairly easy to grasp, utilizing one to its maximum effectiveness requires some fine tuning of techniques.

First thing to remember is that fish will often rise up to take a bait, but are reluctant to swim downward to chase a bait. For that reason, make sure to set your bait at least 1 foot off the bottom, but I would suggest 2-4' off the bottom. Don't be afraid to put the bait even as high as a couple of feet below the ice! Fish have been known to cruise towards the top of the ice, especially northern pike.

The second thing to consider is how easy the spool spins and the tip up spring releases. If a bunch of tension is required fish will at times release the bait and you will be out of luck. If it isn't too windy you can get by with using the smooth side of the trigger and will allow for an easy release of the flag. Also make sure that your spool spins smoothly. If it doesn't, find a low temperature grease (or even vegetable oil) and apply to the spool.

Bait choices are normally minnows and are targeted at what species you are targeting. I suggest going with shiners or sucker minnows for northern pike.

What tips do you think enhance your catch rate while using tips ups?