Ice fishing marks a time of change in the fishing season. For one we are not fishing out of boats we are hunkered down in shelters or on a bucket on the ice. We have traded 7ft medium action rods for 26″ or 28″ rods some even with spring tips to scenes the lightest of bites. But one of the biggest changes that I think that happens is we as fishermen fall into the winter fishing lull, we do not fish aggressive like we do when we are fishing open water. We become intent to sit and wait and if you want to be successful during the winter like you were in the summer you have to stay on the move and take your summer attitude to the ice with you.
One of the questions that I ask audiences that attend my seminars is when you are ice fishing do you take a lake map along with you? The answer to this question by many is “no” then I ask when you head out to the lake in the summer months do you take a lake map with you in that case? Almost all the hands go up. I then ask them one more question what has changed from summer to winter, why do you not consider taking a lake map with you in the winter? One person lent me this answer “when we hit the ice we have a pretty good idea where we want to go already”. I said “and you do not have a clue when you hit the water in the summer and need to take a lake map with”. His reply was “in the summer you can cover more water and you will need to know where you are going”. Well I said “now we are onto something but let’s change seasons.” To be a successful ice fisherman you have to cover water like you do in the summer. Now you will not have to cover the whole lake but my point here is you will have to be on the move to stay on active fish during the winter months.
Let me break this down a little more when the ice season starts I like to pick a small lake to do my fishing. If you wanted you could pretty much work the whole lake in a day if needed. Lakes in the size of 200 to 700 acres will fall into this class. I will pre fish these lakes before ice up and have a pretty good idea where the fish will be when it is time to get back on the ice a few weeks later. One of the best ways to get this done is to use a hand held GPS. Lock these locations in with a few more key areas for later reference.
As the first ice bite starts to wind down it is time to take the next step, it’s time to hit the bigger lakes. Here is when you start to split ice fishermen apart. For those that walk to ice areas waiting for the ice to get safer for vehicle travel about a month later you will be limited to the lakes you can fish and the distance that you can travel. Pick bigger lakes that you can get to but pick larger bays as your targets. Lake maps use is key here use your map to show you points, drops, inside turns and other important areas that will hold fish the first month of the ice season. To be successful you will have to keep on the move do not get into the rut of picking an area and sitting waiting for the fish to come to you. If you are not catching fish pack up and move until fish contact is made. Once you have located fish keep on them and keep working them.
If you have an AVT or snowmobile lake travel in this case will not be limited, use this to your advantage. Look at this transportation as you boat. Get a hand held GPS loaded with a Navionics chip and drive around on the lake like you would if you were in your boat looking for key areas or pieces of structure that fish will be holding on. Once you get there drill a series of holes and check each one for signs of fish if there is activity stay and fish, if not move to the next hole and keep looking. The more areas and structure that you can cover the better off you will be by days end.
Taking a summer attitude to the ice will even work for you if you have a permanent house on the ice and can not move around. Your key will be to be on the ice at the prime bite times to see the best action. And if the bite is a little off you may have to get mobile and fish the area as the fish move through your area. The best bites during the ice season are during sun up or the early morning hours and at sun down and maybe a few hours later.
So when it comes to hitting the ice hit the ice with a summer attitude. Staying mobile is key and to get the most out of your trips to the ice make sure you take along a lake map. This will allow you to get to the areas that will not get that much pressure but will pay big dividends in fish.
Please remember to practice CPR (Catch, Photo and Release) The future of fishing is in your hands.By: Scott M. Petersen
