Click on the image to vote for this site.
Want to join The Top 1000 Fishing Sites, click here!
Want to view the list, click here!
|
Keep Ice Fishing Simple
By Colin Crawford
The problem with ice fishing, in many cases, is that people let themselves
get bored, or cold, or discouraged. That doesn't have to be the case.
It's a matter of being willing to change and try something new.
If I haven't had any action in 15 minutes, I move! Drill a few
more holes. It'll keep you warm. If you can't handle the labor,
bring a young kid with you. They love to fish and they have unlimited
energy as long as they're enthusiastic about the trip. Remember kids
have short attention spans ( so do most adults) and if the fish aren't
hitting or the weather is too cold or windy it's no fun at all being on
the ice. Keep it short and sweet and your youngster will be much
more likely to get excited about the next trip.
It wasn’t that long ago I remember going fishing with my dad and we
had a hand auger a few jigs, waxworms and the most important invention
the plastic five gallon pail. We always walked to a specific location
using the triangular positions of the dead tree on the far shore lined
up with the white house and fifty paces from the last point we crossed.
Two of the most revolutionary devices for ice fishing are the hand held
GPS and the portable depthfinder. Without these ice angling would
still be locked in the last 1,000 years. Today, when a hot spot is
located, the location can easily be electronically saved as a waypoint
on a hand held GPS, ensuring swift, efficient guaranteed returns with just
the press of the button. If only I had one these when I was a kid.
The frustrating times trying to find that white house and the dead tree
when in actuality the house was
painted a different color and the dead tree fell in the high wind last
summer. GPS would have helped my dad and me locate those roving schools
of walleyes next to that favorite dropoff. I have good luck locating fish
holding structure through the ice using my portable locator. By making
use of the zoom feature, I can identify fish that are holding very tight
to the structure being checked. By
simply wetting the ice and placing the transducer on the wet spot,
you can examine the bottom make-up before drilling your holes. This
saves you both time and work. The key to ice fishing as it is in
any fishing is location. For walleye and other gamefish, try long
tapering points; inside channel turns; rock
humps, neck downs, and structure near spring spawning areas.
Use the sonar to spot fish. Try submerged brush piles and blowdowns for
crappie and bluegill. Watch the screen or flasher. You can
actually see fish appear on a graph. Sensitive sonars track your
lure so you can put it right in the fish’s face. I have actually
seen a day when a mark appeared on the sonar screen while reeling in a
lure. A pause, and the mark moved closer to the bait. A twitch
of the wrist brought a powerful strike. A heart-racing fight put
a nice eight pound walleye on the ice. The same situation can be
used for panfish.
The warmest innovation that has helped the ice angler stay on the ice
longer, which enables them to catch more fish is the portable ice shanty.
A good, lightweight, and portable ice shanty can provide a lot of added
comfort. A propane lantern is enough to warm the interior. These
structures come with names such as the Clam, and the Fish Trap. The important
thing is that they allow you to take others out on the ice and yet be mobile.
One thing that many modern ice fisherman want to do is to move from location
to location. Sure, the carpeted ice shack with the bunkbeds is nice,
but not as portable as the modern ice angler needs. Regardless of
the type of lake you fish, your choice in baits is also critical.
Use larger baits under stable weather conditions. For walleye and
pike, don’t’ hesitate to use the largest shiners you can get. If
you are jigging, also use larger spoons. After a front, downsize
your minnow. Many nice walleye have been taken on small crappie minnows
under adverse conditions. Panfish can become finicky after a weather
change, so, again, down size your bait.
Walleyes Inc. website is maintained
by Randy
Tyler Fishing the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Circuit, Masters
Walleye Circuit and the Team Walleye Circuit. All rights reserved.Copyright
1999/2000
Please visit these site sponsors
Daiichi/Tru-Turn Hooks,
Lindy
Little Joe,
R-A.M Mounting Systems,
Ranger
boats,
Mercury Marine, Bedford
Sales , Hamby's Beaching Bumpers,
Goldeneye
Marine products, Panther
Marine Products, Webfoots body
sock, Bait Rigs Tackle
|