The five-gallon pail, overturned, creates a lazy ice fisherman. Itâs like putting a Lazy-Boy recliner in a living room. A man sits down and, game over, he doesnât want to get back up. After 40-something years of passionate ice fishing, Iâve come to the conclusion that 95% of ice fishermen in search of panfish are lazy. Because 95% of the time theyâre sitting down. And 95% of the time theyâre getting severely out-fished by hole-hoppers like me.
If you’re a hole-hopper, you know what I’m talking about. The sitters get to their spots, drill a couple of holes, plant themselves over a pair of bobbered lines, and wait. Sometimes a school moves through and they pluck a couple of crappies or sunfish. On some occasions a school hangs around for quite a while and they scratch out a limit.
But while they’re playing the waiting game, the aggressive hole-hopper is already at home with fish in his belly and some in the freezer. Very likely he’s in his Lazy Boy watching a ball game. If you want to be the guy who succeeds on the ice, and does it fast, keep the pail open-side-up and try this approach:
Step One: Location To be successful with any kind of fishing you need to go where there are fish. Many of you just said “duh” when you read that, but it’s amazing how many ice fishermen set up in spots that just plain stink. Do your homework. Get a good lake contour map. Invest in a mapping GPS and quality sonar. For my money, some of the best lake locations for panfish are 20 to 30-foot holes, inside turns and points. Steep breaks on these areas with good weedbeds on the shallow rims are magic. Another key location is a large, shallow cabbage flat. Now, whether you’re on one of your favorite spots or at an uncharted location, the work beginsâ¦
Step Two: DRILL & LOOK I’m not talking about drilling a hole. I’m talking about potentially drilling 20, 30, 40, 50. Use your sonar to check depths AND to find fish as you punch holes. Try and find those precise locations that border weedbeds; pinpoint the deepest spot in a hole; find where hard rock turns to muck; etc. Those transition points will be the “spots-on-the-spot” and will likely be holding fish.
I like to drill my holes about 10 yards apart. Some people drill horseshoe-shaped hole patterns. Others prefer zig-zags. And some go with a wagon-wheel configuration. I’m a bit more random and drill my holes based on what the structure dictates and where I’m finding fish on my sonar.
Step Three: Fishing The primary rule of thumb here is to fish where there are fish. Drop your transducer down the hole. If my Lowrance Ice Machine shows zero fish below me, I move on to the next hole. When you do check a hole and see fish signals on your sonar, you’re in business. Make a mental note of the bottom depth AND the fish’s depth in relation to bottom. A productive bottom depth from my panfishing experience is 20-22 feet. Panfish will often suspend in this depth at around 14-16 feet. If the fish you find are relating to this scenario, make sure you have plenty of holes drilled at a BOTTOM depth that matches the SUSPENDED depth of fish. The reason is that these fish will cruise at that suspended depth and relate to bottom structure that intersects that depth. Follow me? Anyway, back to the fishing. You’ve found some suspended panfish in a hole. Now the fun partâ¦
Step Four: Catching There’s an artform to catching the fish you’ve found â and catching many of them rather than just a few. Here’s the best way to approach a school of suspended panfish.
Tie a small (1/16-ounce) jigging spoon on 2-4 pound monofilament. NO BOBBER. NO BAIT. Trust me, no bait. Ease it down above the marked fish. Never drop down into the school. The last thing you want to do is spook the fish with your lure or hook a fish within the school and have him disrupt his buddies when he starts fighting.
Jig/quiver the spoon LIGHTLY above the school as you watch your sonar. Entice a single fish up and away from the pack. Usually the biggest fish will be the first to bite; and the highest fish in the school will also be the most aggressive. As a fish rises, raise the bait with him until you’ve pulled him 3 or 4 feet from the top of the school. As you get proficient at reading fish on your sonar, you’ll get a feel for an individual fish’s attitude. You’ll get to know when they’re COMMITED to a strike. Once you have him commited above the school, stop your bait. Don’t move a muscle. Now switch your attention from your sonar screen to your rod tip. Watch for it to twitch downward (typical of a sunfish strike) or relax upward (typical of a crappie bite). Then set the hook immediately.
You’ll fight the fish above the school, which won’t make the others scatter. They’ll likely hang there unaffected, ready for you to pluck the next willing victim from the top of the school.
If your sonar tells you the fish moved out of the hole, reel up and go check the next one. Keep in mind that fish are roamers. Sure they’ll sometimes camp out inactively in one spot. But usually they’re on the move â even if it’s very slowly. Find a hole with fish on your sonar and work it. Skip the ones that are dry at the moment.
Some Hole-Hopping MUSTS:
- High-quality sonar is essential for finding fish AND catching them. Get one and learn how to use it. The hole-hopper is fishing blind without one.
- Light line. 2-4 pound mono is king. Sometimes 1-pound is key. 4-pound test is the max.
- Light rods. Get yourself a very light “noodle” rod or an ultralight graphite rod with a spring bobber. St. Croix makes some dandies. Fish the one that suits you best.
- Small lures. Use the smallest jigging spoons you can find. Lindy makes a 1/16-ounce Frostee that works well. Small jigs are sometimes the ticket. Tip your jigs with Lindy Tiny Tails. Arm yourself with a good variety of colors. I prefer glow styles vs. non-glow. Experiment and discover what they prefer each particular day.
- Forget about minnows and waxworms. You really don’t need them if you’re imparting the right action. Extremely subtle movements on the lure always outperform radical jigging.
- Stay mobile. The accomplished hole-hopper can be spotted with a rod in one hand, portable sonar in the other. You’ll notice that he usually has his back to the “mob” of other ice fishermen. He’s secretive. You’ll become just like him.
This article has truly only scratched the surface of the hole-hopping artform. But what it has provided are the fundamentals. Get off your butt, put them into practice, and I promise you’ll catch more fish and have more fun as a “searcher-destroyer” than you will as a “sitter-hoper.”
Good Fishing!
Babe Winkelman is a nationally-known outdoorsman who has taught people to fish and hunt for more than 25 years. Watch the award-winning “Good Fishing” and “Outdoor Secrets” television shows on Versus (formerly OLN), Fox Sports Net, WILD TV, WFN and many local networks.By: Babe Winkelman / Babe Winkelman Productions
