The “Dog Days” of winter for some begin in December and aren’t officially over until the last drift of snow disappears from the shelterbelt.

I know, Dog Days is generally a summer term referring to a lingering hot and humid period in August, but it also seems appropriate for a long stretch of midwinter weather that just doesn’t’ want to break for the positive.

This time of year, anglers, hunters and anyone else who enjoys the outdoors usually has on eye on the calendar for the next transition. We wait for change and find excuses around every corner. It’s too cold to fish, there’s too much snow – trust me I know from personal experience it’s pretty simple to decide to stay home.

If weather and reports of slow fishing drag you down, however, don’t despair. I’ve got some advice for helping to fight through the Dog Days no matter the time of  year. Part of the equation is reducing the stress – read simplifying – your time outdoors regardless of the activity.

My go-to guy is fellow North Dakota Game and Fish Department outreach biologist Greg Gullickson, Minot. He’s the only friend on my list who’s gigged flounder in Texas and hooked and cooked ling from North Dakota’s Lake Sakakawea. So when I need a few pointers for midwinter ice fishing, I know who to call.

“For me, part of enjoying fishing is at times you need to get back to the basics and not make it harder than it is,” Gullickson says.

Which is good advice for fishing any time of year. “There are thousands of versions of the equipment needed to be an ice angler,” Gullickson says. “The nice thing about ice fishing, and especially this time of year, is you can set out on foot with bare bones equipment and still enjoy it. Now don’t get me wrong. I am a gadget man, but still remember when my ice gear consisted of a five-gallon pail filled with homemade poles made from broken summer rods, and sticks with line wrapped around them. For me, at times I get more enoyment with less, even when then bite is slow.”

As Gullickson explains, it all comes down to supplying the basic needs to ice fish. You need to be able to make a hole in the ice (auger), pole (rods or tip-ups), lures (hooks, weights and bobbers), bait (minnows, smelt, wax worms) and if you desire, some sort of shelter.

And in a winter such as the past two, snow shoes, cross-country skis, and and all-terrain vehicle or snowmobile can reduce the potential for spending your day shoveling and not fishing. The point is, at times reducing the level of potential problems like getting stuck can increase the enjoyment.

Another way to reduce potential preparation time or equipment needs is to look for ready-made holes that are a sign of recent fishing activity and possible success.

“An easy way to make a hole is to ‘magpie,’ or find an old hole that someone had been using and chip it open with a metal bar,” Gullickson recommended.

Think of neighboring ice anglers who spend considerable time to get all their electronics set up and situated prior to dropping a line. With these tips and a little experimenting, you too can get into ice fishing the old fashioned way. And that’s not a bad thing at all.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the latest and greatest in gear and equipment. The key is to not let a lack of gear and gadgets keep you from trying a little ice fishing, even if it’s the hook-and-bobber type.

If you approach winter outdoor activity with the right attitude and reasonable expectations, the Dog Days of winter don’t stand a chance at getting you down.

Leier is a biologist with the Game and Fish Department. He can be reached by email: dleier@nd.gov

Shantytowns are generally a bad sign. Economic downturns, natural disasters and tribal wars all come to mind when such a place is shown on the evening news. However, in the ice belt and points north, it is the sign of something good – a hot bite on frozen waters. While fishing a lake in central Minnesota with some friends recently, a large a city of fishing shacks and its respective suburbs made it hard to figure out exactly where the fish were biting best.

From the public access to the other side of the lake, groups of permanent shelters, homemade plywood pop-ups and twenty thousand dollar ice castles, stretched in clusters from shore to shore. About the only area that wasn’t populated by an on-ice abode was a stretch surrounding the lake’s inlet. The bite was on and with the advice of a fishing board buddy, my three friends and I prepared for a panfish bonanza as we weaved our way around the neighborhoods on the plowed road
The lake sported a slot limit on crappies, meaning the only slabs we’d be able to keep for the pan would have to be much bigger than the fish I was accustomed to. Reports from those around us signaled that big bluegills also roamed the spot we set up on. With two shelters, two augers and three sonar devices in tow, we unloaded and set up the grid. But of the forty holes we punched to start the morning, we really would only need two of them.

After running several lines east and west, I joined the novice in our group to show him how the sonar worked and how to watch a spring bobber when the fish moved into view. His tiny jig hadn’t stopped falling when a red line materialized above the bottom and began moving up the display. He closed the bail and the bait hung above the fish. Cautiously, the fish moved up to the jig.

“Watch the tip for any movement,” I explained.
The copper wire and pink bead twitched ever so slightly.
“There it is,” I exclaimed as he set the hook and the rod arched sharply in his hands.

He worked the fish up and a beam of early morning sun caused the reflection of green scales to light up the icy cylinder over which we hovered. I looked over the edge of the hole and saw the gaping mouth of a huge crappie. It tossed and turned in an effort to free itself but the tiny jig held true, and I reached in and lipped the speck like it was a summer largemouth. I hollered to my two other friends as they were readying their ice tackle and held the football sized slab aloft.

“I don’t think it will make it,” the nearer of the two said, “you better put it on the tape.”
I was taken aback, knowing that on any other lake this fish would have had a date with the Fry Daddy, forgetting for a moment that on this water it was the tape measure that would decide its fate. The crappie weighed over a pound and I could barely fit both hands around it. Its eyes uneasily surveyed the tailgate as I laid on the measuring stick, pinching its tail down to get an accurate measurement. In every position, from nose to tail, and then tail to nose, and through every effort except stepping on the poor fish, it fell a quarter inch shy of the legal minimum on the lake. As a result, it was quickly back in the nearest hole.

No sooner had the fish disappeared down the hole than I looked up to see the spring bobber rod bouncing in my buddy’s hands again. After an immediate surge, the fish came up slowly, putting a permanent bend in the ultralight blank. Having a non-keeper size in mind, the fish that splashed in the hole was a no-doubter. I reached in and lifted it up. It was fatter and longer than the previous one. It eclipsed the slot limit by nearly an inch and a half, and our first keeper was on ice.

We popped some new holes and the four of us set our portable shacks over the hot spot. Our sleds were the little green houses, and the permanents around us – with their silent generators and Dish TV receivers – were the big red hotels. But, regardless of the expense of our shelters, we were all fishing the Park Place and Boardwalk squares on the lake.
Schools of bluegills moved in throughout the day, usually concealing crappies that roamed a few feet beneath them near the bottom. The action was fast and satisfying on our light tackle, with very few lulls – a perfect learning experience for the new ice angler in the group and the best action in recent weeks for the rest of us. We landed nearly forty crappies, with many measuring near the slot limit, but requiring release. In between the solid bend the slabs brought were the spinning and whirring battles with the bluegills, some topping ten inches in length.

By the time dusk settled over the lake and the lights began turning on in the shanties from shore to shore, we had a dozen keeper crappies, a handful of nice bluegills, and over 150 fish between the four of us. We called it a day and wound our way through the shanty town as neighbors broke off conversations to return to their winter homes in time to catch the evening bite. The glow of yellow and white through the window of each shack cast squares of light on the snow as guideposts back to the access. Each one was a signal that the slot-spurred action for big crappies continued and the shantytown that sprang up was an indication of the good fishing to be had…in our outdoors.

I have often felt that it is much easier to learn a lake during the open water period. Structure and bottom contours can be broke down quickly when using a boat equipped with good sonar and GPS. Often during the winter (just like during the open water period) the sweet spots that attract fish are often subtle. Subtle changes like openings and lanes in weed beds, changes in bottom composition where the basin transitions to sand or gravel, rock piles where larger rocks form inside turns and fingers… the details make the difference for dialing into fish locations all year long.

Now these small details can be dialed into once there is ice but these spots can be discovered and saved much easier with a boat months before the lake freezes. I find myself relying on these open water recon efforts more and more each season. GPS mapping and detailed contour maps found on map chips have been a huge aid for learning water quickly regardless of time of year. Remember however that these spots, this information is available to anybody with a hundred dollar bill. Humps, sunken islands and points that used to sit deserted all winter now often have anglers because more and more anglers are utilizing this technology. The key now is learning the spots in more detail, becoming more intimate with the structure that is revealed on the map chips and most of all, finding spots that hold fish that won’t show up on a chip.

Changes in bottom composition won’t generally show up on most contour maps or map chips. Subtle bumps and depressions on flats are also often lost. Depressions found on flats are probably one of the most productive structural elements an angler can look for when attempting to find fish running large basins. Small depressions or pockets often seem to funnel fish. Small depressions or pockets in shallow weedy flats are also usually good if fish are in the area. These subtle depressions often don’t show up on a chip in detail because the change in depth is often subtle, a foot or less.

Transition areas where silt or muck transitions to gravel or sand are also key areas particularly for walleye and pike. The best sonar I have ever used for determining bottom content is the Vexilar Edge LC507. By turning up the range, I can look for second and third echoes which indicate a harder bottom. These transitions are than saved as icons or waypoints on my GPS.

Like many anglers, I use different icon and GPS symbols to indicate different things. I might use one specific color of diamond to indicate the actual weed bed and use another color to indicate openings, lanes or edges so that I can essentially map out the weed bed. I use one particular symbol to mark the top of the rock pile or hump and use a different symbol to mark a sweet spot on the deep edge where fish have been caught, etc. I than try and make a point to keep this information organized and logged so that when the ice covers the lake, I am ready and can quickly hit key spots without wasting any more time than necessary.

Catching more fish through the ice always boils down to fundamentals and efficiency. This information allows me to fish through an area and determine that fish aren’t on the spot quickly which is crucial so that I can be on the move to the next location. Hitting the general bull’s eye isn’t necessarily good enough, a much better strategy is to have a detailed picture of the spot in your head and be able to hit the key “spot on the spot” locations effectively by using GPS. By incorporating this information, I waste fewer minutes fishing areas that are generally much less productive.

Now obviously this strategy of open water research isn’t possible when traveling to new bodies of water and we often find ourselves hitting new lakes each winter chasing hot bites. For home water however that you know you will be spending a significant amount of time on come winter, you will be amazed at how many more fish you will catch by spending time in your boat getting a better understanding of the structure you will be fishing. As a guide for the Perch Patrol on Devils Lake, the information I can gather over the summer is crucial for my success during the winter.

Editors Note: The author, Jason Mitchell earned a reputation as one of the region’s top ice fishing guides spending most of his career on North Dakota’s Devils Lake (Perch Patrol Guide Service). Mitchell also manufactures and designs a series of extremely high quality, application-specific ice fishing rods that bear his name, the Jason Mitchell Elite Series Ice Fishing Rods (www.jasonmitchellrods.com). Mitchell also hosts the outdoor television show, Jason Mitchell Outdoors airing on Fox Sports North and is credited for pioneering many of today’s advanced ice fishing concepts and tactics.

While November was kind to North Dakota’s hunters, unseasonably mild temperatures did little to help usher in the ice fishing season. Knowing this, winter anglers are encouraged to use caution and allow ice to harden significantly before venturing on state waters.

Ice safety tips are important to know before ice fishing

North Dakota Game and Fish Department water safety coordinator Nancy Boldt said the daytime high temperature must remain below freezing for several days to start producing stable ice. “We are finally beginning to have this weather pattern, but it is going to take a consistent stretch of freezing temperatures to form solid ice,” she said.

Boldt recommends anglers and trappers visit with locals, including other anglers and people at local bait shops, before going on any lake, especially one that is unfamiliar. “But it is also important to study ice conditions before accessing any of North Dakota’s frozen waters,” Boldt said.

Some ice safety tips to be aware of are:

* Snow insulates ice, hampering solid ice formation, and makes it difficult to check thickness. Snow also hides the blemishes, such as cracked, weak and open water areas.
* Avoid cracks, pressure ridges, slushy or darker areas that signal thinner ice. The same goes for ice that forms around partially submerged trees, brush, embankments or other structures.
* Ice thickness is not consistent and can vary significantly even in a small area. Ice shouldn’t be judge by appearance alone. Anglers should drill test holes as they make their way out on the lake, and an ice chisel should be used to check ice thickness while moving around.
* Daily temperature changes cause ice to expand and contract, affecting its strength.
* The following minimums are recommended for travel on clear-blue lake ice formed under ideal conditions. However, early in the winter it’s a good idea to double these figures to be safe: 4 inches for a group walking single file; 6 inches for a snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle; 8-12 inches for an automobile; and 12-15 inches for a pickup/truck.

These ice safety tips could help save a life:

* Wear a personal flotation device and carry a cell phone.
* Carry ice picks or a set of screwdrivers to pull yourself back on the ice if you fall through.
* If someone breaks through the ice, call 911 immediately. Rescue attempts should employ a long pole, board, rope, blanket or snowmobile suit. If that’s not possible, throw the victim a life jacket, empty water jug or other buoyant object. Go to the victim as a last resort, but do this by forming a human chain where rescuers lie on the ice with each person holding the feet of the person in front.
* To treat hypothermia, replace wet clothing with dry clothing and immediately transport victim to a hospital.

Times are a changin’. Used to be when we went ice fishing, our presentation always included a jig tipped with some type of minnow or hunk of meat, no matter what species of fish we were targeting. As the fishing tackle industry has grown, companies have found ways to make better baits that work in all seasons for all species of fish.

Lifelike soft plastics are the perfect complement to live bait fishing with waxworms and maggots, yielding the fish options.

Today, ice anglers can use a blended approach, combining live bait tactics with artificial applications. Maybe work a soft plastic swimming lure in one hole while monitoring a live minnow and bobber in another. And all this while a nearby tip-up deploys yet another minnow, likely something larger. The options are endless.

The following are a few jigging and rigging techniques using artificial lures that have proved effective used in conjunction with a live bait program.

Dropper Rigging Stocked Trout
Brookies, rainbows, splake and the like are all suckers for aggressive presentations during the ice months. These fish are very inquisitive and can be called in from long distances. The thing is, they can be picky about what they eat so give them a 1-2 punch by using a dropper rig. The rig consists of a spoon with the treble hook removed and in its place a short 3-5 inch section of monofilament is attached leading to a small ice fly, like the feathered Spider Ant or new Scud Bug from Bro’s Bug Collection. When jigged aggressively, the spoon will dance, while the small jig pulsates and beckons these stocked beauties to bite. This rig is especially effective early in the season when these fish are in their most aggressive state.

Bug Up Perch
Our lakes are alive in winter with bottom hugging larvae, bloodworms and crustaceans. All species of fish exploit these tasty offering but none take advantage of the potential feeding frenzy like perch do. Much of this action takes place in the mud-bottomed basins on the lakes we fish and this is the best place to find massive schools of perch. Ice fishing guru, Brian “Bro” Brosdahl has designed a series of specialty jigs and soft plastic tails for Northland Fishing Tackle that are effective on all panfish, perch included. I used some of these jigs last season for perch and lit them up using a technique that Bro taught me. “Bro’s Mud Bug” is a new jig that has a “fat-head” that anglers can shake and bounce in the mud to imitate hatches coming out of the bottom. Tip this jig with one of the new plastic tails – like the Bloodworm, Slug-Bug, or Scud-Bug – and you have an offering that perch flip over.

Metallic Walleyes
Spoons are available in all shapes and sizes from various manufacturers and they catch walleyes throughout the winter. In fact, I fish spoons almost exclusively for walleyes during the winter months. Spoons are good because they have superb attracting abilities and can call fish in from a long range. They can also be shaken lightly to entice “lookers” that are in close range to bite. I just about always fish a Northland Buckshot Rattle Spoon and use a “jerk, jerk, shake” cadence. I’ll jig the spoon more furiously if flasher screen is bare and then begin jigging softer sequences when fish appear. One last “triggering” trick to make lookers turn into biters is to slowly jig your bait and lift your rod at the same time, making the bait rise in the water column. Walleyes are more likely to commit to if they get teased up off the bottom a bit.

Swimbait Lakers
Everybody knows that lake trout are suckers for plastic, minnow imitating baits like tubes and jerk shads. They catch fish on a consistent basis and have for years. A trend for winter trout fishing is working baits that trigger bass during the open water season. One of the hottest new styles of baits in this category are swimbaits. Gaining popularity for largemouth bass in California, they are now being used by bass anglers all over North America. If you haven’t used them for lake trout, you’re missing out. The Slurpies Swim Shiner is a great example, Silver Shiner and Emerald Shiner being a couple of the hottest colors. The key is to keep it moving. I will jig these baits in 3-5 foot lifts and cover the entire water column. You will call in big fish while showing them something they probably haven’t seen before.

The key with artificial baits is to use them to call fish in to your presentation. If you can do this, there is always a high percentage of fish, no matter what species you are targeting, that will bite. Spend some time this winter using artificial baits in tandem with typical live bait techniques and you will see your catches improve. Every time you do something different than the norm, you learn something and in the end this will make you a much better all-round angler.

Dave Genz with a giant midwinter walleye

During a recent seminar, a fresh-faced, high-school aged kid asked me to summarize ice fishing in one piece of advice. That’s near impossible to do, of course, but in retrospect, I liked my off-the-cuff response: Avoid the crowds.

I’ve caught a lot of fish through the ice, and if it were all about catching and killing, I’m not sure I’d still maintain my passion for any outdoor activity. For me, like many of you, it’s all about the chase, so why would I hang around a cluster of folks working one piece of structure on massive lake? All that fishing pressure usually turns off the bite anyway. Sure, I like to commiserate as much as anyone at a tournament or other event, but when I’m out fishing just for me, you’d better believe I’m often striking off on my own.

That means avoiding what we Ice Team Power Sticks call community spots. With today’s tools like GPS and map chips, you can spend an entire season working new areas away from the crowds. Everyone asks “Where they bitin’?” at baitshops and hears the same things. Those tips rarely provide the latest and greatest information, and usually end up congregating everyone together. The latest and greatest develops when clever folks like you reading this article use your savvy, wits, and intelligence to find the next the honeyhole. For the purposes of this piece, let’s apply that to midwinter walleyes.

Start with a hydrographic lake map with up-to-date contours. Currents and other factors can alter structure, plus new mapping technology is revealing places we didn’t know existed as recently as a few years ago. For walleyes after the first of the year, look for offshore structure like humps, points, reefs, and drop-offs – those places where the map contours are close together.

Early in the season for ice walleyes, we explored near-shore structure, but by the time you’re reading this, many ’eyes have begun associating with rocks piles, mud flats, and underwater islands farther offshore. Just as bass anglers talk about “spot on the spot” fishing locations during the heat of summer, we can find similar hunks of structure in the winter where walleyes will congregate.

It’s also a time where some scouting and – yes, folks – drilling a fair number of holes can pay off. We’re not just drilling holes to make noise, but I firmly believe that too many people wait around for fish to find them. Sounds like a cold waste of time to me, which perhaps is why I have such a reputation for mobility. All that pre-season scouting via boat, or shooting through the ice with our sonar now is delivering its dividends. Every hole has a purpose, perhaps as we work our way around a hump, or points breaking off an offshore rock pile. Spend a couple minutes at each hole, using your electronics to see if you mark any fish.

Lately I’ve been preaching the need to “fish heavy” and reach those deep fish fast. If you’re marking fish at 30 feet, we don’t want to be putzing around waiting for a tiny lure to drop to those fish. Once you reach them, work it, but if nothing produces, move on. And don’t be afraid to investigate the entire water column, particularly midday when the food chain – beginning at the bottom with insect larvae – is kicking into high gear. Pursuing baitfish may attract walleyes to a broad zone over, around, and to the sides of this key structure. We forget sometimes to think in 3-D. If nothing pans out, proceed to your next hole. Top holes usually combine pieces of structure, say a few weeds, a transition from mud to rocks, a drop-off, or all of the above.

The noise factor is real and it should concern us, so get your drilling completed as early as possible so things calm down a bit before the prime hours at dusk. During the ice fishing season, the twilight-loving walleye travels mostly at dawn and dusk, following the corridors around these humps and other forms of structure that we’ve scouted out. They’ll fan out over them and we usually enjoy 90 minutes of pretty good fishing as this develops.

If the structure doesn’t produce, I don’t hesitate to begin working off into no man’s land. I prefer to work this pattern – drilling and fishing, drilling and fishing – with a partner, simply to cover more ground and increase our efficiency. Particularly in the midseason, when often several inches of snow covers the ice, it’s pretty dark down there, and that means walleyes are a little more willing to pursue prey during daylight, even midday hours. Don’t give up.

After the early ice flurry, too many anglers give up on walleyes until the end of the season. Use more finesse than you would during those seasons, but keep fishing! Yes, the metabolism of these fish slowed down, so they’re not eating as much, but I would argue that this is one of the best times of winter to pattern the foraging habits of these fish. My favorite offshore location this time of year, when lethargic fish are interested in conserving energy and not moving much, is right off a sharp drop-off. If you can find insects rising off the bottom blurring your sonar, you’ve hit pay dirt. Here’s where your sonar and underwater camera really come into play.

On a related note, take advantage of the second line we can use while ice fishing in Minnesota (or three in Wisconsin) to deadstick a hole while investigating other areas. A couple guys working in tandem can become very productive operating this way.

Top baits in my arsenal this time of year start with the Rattl’n Flyer Spoon in multiple sizes depending on the depth of the water. Brings lots of colors, especially Techni-Glo red, perch, and silver shiner. Add lots of live bait, be it a minnow to all your treble hooks, or on a Genz Worm add a bunch of Eurolarvae. The more scent the better this cold, dark time of year.

Yeah, fishing’s a little tougher right now, but hang in there and in another month, the late-ice frenzy will be upon us!

Article provided by the Ice Team.

Having the right equipment is one the many necessary ice fishing tactics for a successful winter.

More fun can be had on the ice this year than ever before, with a wide range of gadgets, rods, lures and electronics at your disposal, each trip can result in catches and a lot more fun. Here are some great ice fishing tactics I picked up on the learning curve the past few seasons that should help elevate your ice fishing success.

Get the Angle

An awesome tweak on the advantage of modern day ice sonar that I discovered recently I call “the swirl.” While fishing for suspended crappies on a small lake, I dropped my Marcum transducer into one of a number of holes I had punched over a likely basin. Immediately, there was nothing on the screen. Having seen this throughout the morning, I knew it was best to just bump on over to another hole to find the fish that were suspended, and generally more eager to bite.

As I reached down to pull the transducer out of the hole, the foam float slipped from my grasp and plopped back into the water. As it did, the transducer spun around its axis, firing beams angled off to the sides of the hole. Green flickers appeared suspended three or four feet off the bottom. Thinking they might be fish, I dropped my spoon back down and began jigging aggressively above where the lines had appeared. The faint lines appeared on the display, and then reddened into those signals of fish directly under the hole. Shortly, two keeper crappies lay on the ice.

Now, when nothing shows on the Marcum when I am searching for suspended fish, I give the foam float a quick swirl around the hole, effectively widening the angle of detection. If a flicker of green shows up in the water column, chances are it is a fish. This tactic is best for fish like crappies and bluegill that are found up in the column.

Tip-up Tips

When it comes to tip-ups, most companies offer two settings for the triggering of the flag. Use these options, along with how the tip-up is aligned in the hole, to prevent false flag activation due to wind and to adjust your tip-up to the species you are fishing.

Most standard tip-ups have a T-bar which holds the flag in the down position. On many T-bars there are two arms, each with notches. One arm has a notch that is wider and deeper and the other has one that is smaller, or even absent.

When fishing for aggressive predators like northern pike, the flag can be set into the large notch of the T-bar without much fear of the fish noticing resistance on the take. For generally light-biting fish, like walleye, it is a good idea to place the flag in the small notch, or on the smooth side of the T-bar. This way, as the T-bar rotates when a fish takes the bait, the flag has a smoother release, making the fish less aware of the fact that something isn’t quite right.

In addition to the notches, tip-up anglers can play the wind to their advantage. When fishing in stronger winds, it is wise to rotate the desired arm of the T-bar to point into the wind. Then place the flag on the windward arm of the T-bar so the wind holds it in place to prevent a premature release due to a gust which would occur on the leeward side of the tip-up.

Spoons and jigging lures are ideal for winter walleyes

Drop In

When fish don’t respond to standard offerings like spoons or jigs, a dropper can offer a smaller morsel, or a less contested piece of bait, and trigger bites. Theories abound as to why a dropper works well – particularly on perch and walleye – but the one I buy into most is the “feast or famine” rule. This is evidenced by smallmouth bass that will eat the regurgitated food of another hooked smallmouth on its way to the boat. In nature, animals will take what they can get when they get it.

So, when using droppers, it isn’t uncommon that fish-profiled baits equipped with a dropper trigger the same response. Try removing the treble hook of a Rapala Jigging Rap, or a Buckshot Rattle Spoon and adding on a Northland Dropper Hook, or a Nils Master Hali dropper chain. Spearing on a minnow, a minnow head or a couple spikes gives the illusion that there’s a bigger fish eating something, and a piece of that something just fell away – the perfect easy meal for other opportunistic fish.

Oftentimes, a fish will bite on a spoon-and-dropper combo with just a seductive little wiggle or bounce which shimmies the bait in a natural way. Work droppers in the hole before sending them to the depths to get an idea as to what it will look like in the strike zone. Tailor your own droppers to your needs with a Hali chain or a stout piece of monofilament about two inches long and a Gamakatsu hook, a small Genz Worm, Flu Flu or other jig.

No Penalty for Clipping

For fast-paced searching, it’s tough to top a clip for quick changing of spoons, minnow baits and other search lures. A size 2 clip is perfect for small ice lures. It does not detract from the action and allows anglers to adjust their presentation as needed. A simple flick of the wrist opens and shuts the clip on most lures.

Use a clip when jumping from hole to hole, or trying to find the right sized spoon for your target fish. It is much easier than cutting and retying, and also allows for a looser connection that, like the Rapala Knot, results in a freer swing of lures in the water.

These tips should help improve your fishing this year, and along the way you’ll probably discover more. Try new lakes, fish new species, have fun and keep learning…in our outdoors.

Scott Glorvigen relies on the sight and sounds of his Northland Fishing Tackle Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon to gain the attention of walleyes in stained water lakes and river.

You can take this one of two ways. Because I’m a fishing guide, you might think I’m all talk and keeping the good stuff to myself. Or, you might trust my experience and assume that you’re getting my A-game. Well, it’s some of both. I’ll be up front and offer honest, time-tested advice for catching walleyes. But forget about me leaking spots. Finding fish is up to you.

I duck hunt like a madman, but quickly concede the season once there’s a whiff of walleyes in the air. Early ice is a special time. The bite can be high-strung and action packed, but only as long as you know where to look and what to throw at them.

Finding fish is the first order of business. Walleyes can inhabit a variety of areas, taking to points, reefs, and shoreline breaks. But there’s a certain setting, regardless of the lake, that is basically foolproof. Walleyes are fans of moving water. They’re also partial to weeds. Combine the two and you have the perfect brew.

I begin by locating the water source. It can take the form of a feeder creek, river inlet, or spring. The common denominator is that fresh incoming water supports life. And often you’ll find thriving weeds near these sources.

My favorite scenario, by a long shot, is when a river tributary opens up into a flat that eventually breaks into the main lake – pigs in a blanket to me, and the fish. And conditions improve that much more when green weeds are involved.

A typical flat opens at the mouth of the tributary in a fan shape and features a hard bottom, gravel or rocks. From there it tapers deeper until hitting the break. Breaks can be gradual or abrupt; the steeper the better.

But wait, there’s more. The key to the kingdom is finding a shelf somewhere along the main break. Let’s say the flat begins at the mouth and works itself down to 8-feet, where it drops hard to 25 or 30-feet. Midway down the slope a shelf protrudes, call it a ledge. Walleyes will stack on it like books. That’s a key contact point.

Not every flat breaks wildly, though. My favorite lakes at first ice are relatively shallow, murky, and weedy. A break on those bodies of water might only mean a few feet. That’s where the weeds come in. Weeds can compensate for lack of physical structure. Walleyes follow edges, and thick green weeds give them something to track along. Green whorls of coontail hold lots of forage, too, but they’re the first to wither. Broad-leaved cabbage is the next best thing.

So that’s where I kickoff the season: mouths of tributaries with breaks and the deepest green weeds available. The next order of business is selecting a lure assortment. And early ice walleyes want it big and lively.

Spoons get the job done. Something with a wide profile and eye-catching colors is preferred. I’ve had particularly good luck with the Northland Fishing Tackle Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon. For me, the Super-Glo Firetiger pattern has been especially deadly. Besides its brilliant appearance, the addition of rattles makes it easier to find in stained water.

Early in the season, it’s nothing for me to hang a whole minnow from the hook. Shiners are preferred, but a fathead will do. Hook the minnow through the lower jaw and up behind the back of its head with a single barb. The minnow will hang vertically. The spoon combined with the minnow makes for a massive and mouthwatering profile.

The basic jigging motion is a series of hard pounds off the bottom, kicking up debris, and drawing the attention of aggressive walleyes. If they aren’t wolfing it down, though, I drop to the bottom, lift just the weight of the spoon, and quiver the minnow on the lake floor. That technique has changed more than one walleye’s mind.

Not always, however, do they welcome a whole minnow, especially as the season goes along. Next, I’ll go to a three-quarter minnow, pinching off the tale and letting the guts do their thing. I might downsize to a half minnow if things are really tough.

The minnow tipped Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon is my search lure as well as primary jigging apparatus. But once fish have been exposed, it’s time to build in a battalion of tip-ups. In Wisconsin, where three lines are legal ice fishing, I jig one; make the second a tip-up; and work a deadstick with the third.

The Frabill Pro-Thermal tip-up is the crème de la crème for walleye fishing. Its discus-shaped base covers the hole completely and blocks light – early ice walleyes are skittish to abnormal beams of light. Additionally, the Pro-Thermal insulates the hole, keeping skim ice from forming.

Tip-ups are stationary, but that doesn’t mean your bait has to be. I combine the best features of live bait and dead bait. On a single hook, or treble where legal, lip hook a half minnow followed by a similarly rigged whole minnow. The live minnow gives your presentation motion. The half minnow gives it flavor and scent.

Sounds ugly, but it’s effective. But so am I… Now that’s funny.

Waterfowlers in ND are very disappointed with 2004 duck numbers, especially with another liberal season.

More ice anglers are discovering that the tip of the rod we are using has as much influence on our presentation as the actual motion we put on the rod while fishing. A rod with a fast tip for example will give the lure a distinct flash and pound that is more abrupt, perhaps more noticeable. By quivering or bouncing the tip of a fast action rod, the jig or lure literally bounces in place which can be the ticket some days, especially with aggressive fish. This bouncing might also work better for pulling in fish from further distances. A light action noodle rod or light spring bobber however will give the lure or jig a much different action even though the movements on the rod might be the same. The action often becomes more fluid, softer and subtle which again might work better the next day or on the next lake. Many anglers make the mistake of getting comfortable with just one style of fishing because they taste some success but the biggest mistake we make is thinking that this one style or way to present a lure is better. We can become much more effective ice anglers by recognizing the strengths, limitations and advantages of each rod type and how it affects our presentation.

While fishing, we typically encounter the aggressive fish first. The easy fish get caught right away and we than have to choose whether to move or change our presentation to catch the less aggressive fish that are still floating around in the same vicinity. There are also situations where there are no aggressive fish and the factors could range from fishing pressure and weather to visibility. Each lake is different, each day is different and in the end, each fish is different. The attitude of the fish can also change throughout the day. Early morning for example might present an opportunity to pick off aggressive fish while the presentation that worked so well in the morning looses effectiveness as the sun climbs higher in the sky. Panfish anglers across the Midwest are realizing the importance of rigging a handful of different rods with varying presentations so that these changes can be countered from day to day, lake to lake.

High Modulus Graphite Ice Rods

The aggressive side of the spectrum generally incorporates a fast action graphite rod. A quality graphite that allows a sense of feel is often important in this situation because the bite is generally distinct, usually a thump or perhaps the lure or line just stops to signal a fish. The fast action rod generally allows the angler to react quicker with a hook set. There is no mushiness on the tip of the rod to delay contact with the fish. These are all advantages when fishing aggressive presentations for aggressive fish that come up to the lure or jig and chomp. Aggressive lures might include panfish size spoons or lead and tungsten jigs that hang horizontal in the water. Gulp! Maggots work great for aggressive fish because they stay on the hook and let you get back down in the water fast. More important than the actual lure or jig however, often is the cadence you give the lure. The stroke doesn’t necessarily have to be big or fast but rather just a pound or dabble that keeps the lure bouncing and quivering, in turn keeping the lure from spinning.

Spring Bobber Systems

An ice fishing rod Jason designed for panfish, equipped with a spring bobber.

Many of the same lures and jigs can be fished dramatically different by incorporating a spring bobber system. Both tungsten and lead horizontal jigs that fish heavy can be fished in a fluid and subtle bob that can trigger less aggressive fish. Scaled down finesse jigs that fall slowly due to shape and or plastic tails and skirts along with ice flies can also be fished effectively in this manner. Spring bobbers excel whenever the mood of the fish dictates a more subtle and delicate presentation. Spring bobbers can also shine when the fish move up or backwards after hitting the jig or lure. Aggressive fish often have the tendency to coast forward with the bait in mouth while less aggressive fish often back pedal. Spring bobbers seem to work better for signaling this back pedaling that often occurs as fish less aggressive fish sample and spit. Spring bobbers can also be of an advantage whenever anglers are fishing in elements where gloves are necessary or sense of feel is limited. Often, we can react more quickly by using our eyes than sense of touch when out on the ice.

Noodle Ice Rods

Noodle rods can also be applied to many of the situations and presentations where spring bobber systems shine. The traditional disadvantage of noodle rods is the lack of back bone for setting the hook. What noodle rods do better than any other type of rod however is tackling one of the toughest types of bites we encounter on the ice. There are times where the fish want the lure or jig hanging almost motionless. Hanging any presentation motionless without the lure spinning takes careful monitoring of line and patience. Using fresh line and stretching the line with your fingers to unwind built up line twist is crucial. My favorite monofilament for most panfish applications is two pound Berkley Sensation. Line twist can also be countered on this dead stick presentation by using extremely small crappie minnows as the struggle of the minnow will counter some of the spin. A rod with a noodle tip can also offer another advantage and that is the fish can hang on to the jig or lure longer before feeling any kind of tension.

All of these types of presentations are important tools. Each tool has a place depending on the fish and day. Don’t make the mistake believing that there is an end all approach. Strive to be flexible and have fun learning how to use the different presentations and learn to fish from other good anglers who fish differently than yourself. Remember as well that when the fish are biting well, they make us look good. A wide variety of presentations matched with contrasting fishing styles and equipment often all work when the fish are biting well. When the bite changes or becomes more difficult, adding versatility to our own fishing styles allows us to make the adaptations often needed to catch fish. We believe we have designed on of the most extensive lineup of application specific ice rods on the market (Jason Mitchell Elite Series Ice Rods). By using specific, high-quality rods that are specialized for different presentations, anglers can master versatility much more effectively. One final note, fishing is and should be a great source of enjoyment. For many, learning more about fishing and learning more about the fish we are pursuing can add to the enjoyment while spending time outdoors with family and good friends in a remarkable environment. Have fun learning as much as you can about fishing and enjoy the process of becoming versatile.

Late ice is the best fishing of the winter

Late ice patterns can vary. People often preach about fishing shallow. Others stress the importance of finding moving water. Late ice is often hailed as the best fishing of the year. The fish are supposed to be biting as well as they have all winter. Anglers eagerly await the last hurrah. The reality, however, is that fish can still be just about anywhere… even during the late ice period.

We have found fish deep; we have found fish shallow. We have seen where incoming current plated a factor and we have seen where it did not. Throw in changing weather conditions and the fact that different fish are on different programs not all reacting to their changing environments at once and late ice fishing is still just that… fishing. One big advantage for anglers getting their last ice fishing fixes in is that the weather is often very accommodating, allowing us to fish aggressively outside of shelters and the days are long, giving us more time to crack the pattern each day. Extreme fronts, blizzards and lots of snow on the ice however still make fishing tough just like any other time of the winter.

So don’t get hung up on shallow or deep. Don’t assume that the fish will be suicidal. Don’t get hung up on certain lakes or types of lakes. Systematically check different options until the fish start to tell you that you are getting warm. Here are a few of the different scenarios we have found over and over again at first ice. Also, many of these patterns are not species specific in the sense that this general milk run of places to check has worked to find everything from bluegill to walleye.

Where the Basin Meets the Bay

Many fish spawn in shallow bays that warm up quicker than the main body or basin. Some fish need weeds, other gravel or rock but the principals are the same. Come ice out or shortly after, almost every fish in the lake makes this push. Where the main basin connects to these shallower bays where fish will eventually spawn is always worth checking. This is often deep water but deep is relative. This basin might be forty feet of twelve feet but regardless of depth, don’t overlook where the basin meets the bay.

Feeder Creeks, Dirty Ice and Shoreline Seepage

While the last pattern described may take you deep, an option always worth looking at that takes you into very shallow water and often close to shore. As the days get longer and the sun starts to pound the ice hard enough where you can throw a penny on the ice and watch the penny melt through the ice, feeder creeks become more active, snow begins to melt and creeps into the shorelines. To find where this melt off is seeping into the lake along the shoreline, look for dirty ice. Ice along the shore might turn brown or yellow. The feeder creeks can often be easy to identify on the shoreline and are marked on most Lake Maps. A few different things seem to happen that can make the fishing good.

On clear lakes, this incoming water is often dirtier, which might enable you to catch fish all day or at least for longer windows in the morning and evening. This water is also rich in oxygen. On small lakes where low oxygen levels combined with deep snow put stress on fish, this pattern can be killer. At times, this shallow blanket of shoreline water may be warmer as well but we have actually found the exact opposite at times with a temperature gauge. There are times where this water will actually be colder than the water in the basin but the fish were still up shallow along the shoreline regardless. Usually, from our experiences, the shorelines are often soft with either terrestrial vegetation growing along shore or perhaps cattails or reeds. We usually didn’t find this shallow game going on where the shorelines were rock. Last word of advice; don’t wreck the blades on your auger because many of the best holes are less than two feet out to about six feet, right tight to shore.

Bottle Necks and Channels

Some fish appreciate current more than others. Sauger and walleye for example seem to seek current, sauger especially so. Panfish might not pile into areas where the flow is obvious or strong but some movement of water seems to have a universal appeal in varying degrees. On small flowages and shallow lakes, bottleneck areas or boat channels often concentrate fish. For panfish, perhaps bottleneck area simply congest fish as they move through a system and during late ice, many of these fish are indeed on the move. Other situations, more so on big water, these narrows often have strong currents that increase in intensity as the days get longer and these strong current areas are areas that walleye gather every spring. Channels are always worth a look as well. Either where channels empty into the lake or in the case of reservoirs, where the reservoir turns to river, or channels connecting different lake basins.

Green Weeds and New Growth

Green weeds are just universally appealing to most of the fish we spend any time pursuing, from walleye and pike to perch, sunfish and crappie. Some weeds just stay green all winter long especially when there is little or no snow. What often happens late in the winter however is rejuvenation. Weeds that were browning up and breaking down will sometimes begin to come back to life.

New green shoots begin to emerge and with this new vegetation rebirth comes a second chance on many spots that were good at first ice but went dead in the middle of winter. Usually, the first weeds to green up are shallow where the water and ice is generally clear on flats close to shore that feature darker bottoms. Green weeds are just too good to pass up regardless of time of year. Late ice is no exception.

Conclusion

There are many different patterns that can unfold as winter progresses to spring. Every lake is different and lakes become different as well over time. Add other anglers to the mix and where we can expect to catch fish come late ice isn’t so black and white. Many of the patterns described above may take you shallow or deep, close to shore or away. Be flexible and systematically eliminate different patterns that you know can emerge, come late ice and you will enjoy finding fish a few more times before the boat comes out of the garage.

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