First Ice is on the Way
The first winter storm of 2009-2010 is now beginning to abate. Water temps in the inland lakes have fallen sharply, and before week’s end, some of them will begin to form their first crust, eventually expanding to cover the entire body of water. Before you know it, the raspy-crunchy sound of augers will begin to be heard. I can hardly wait~
Somewhere right now, somebody is looking longingly at their ice fishing gear gathering dust in the garage or a spider-webbed basement, and that familiar itch is beginning. It’s the type of itch that calamine lotion and Benedryl won’t eradicate, quite the opposite in fact, only winter air with a sharp bite, accompanied by quickly reddening cheeks will satiate this winter malady.
Yes guys and gals, it’s the time of year to check your auger blades for sharpness, and if you need new ones, you’d better hurry and legibly write that item at the top of your Christmas wish list so that it’s clear to Santa where your priorities are. While you’re at it, it’s also time to look at your winter approach to ice fishing, and see if there are any gaps in your winter strategies.
If you haven’t tried tiny spoons, pick up a couple and experiment. How about ice jigs? Feathers, supple plastics, and jigging Rapalas offer diversity for those slow days between first and last ice when fish are most cooperative. Drop that new lure down the hole and vary your drop rate, let the lure free-fall, feed it down the hole slowly, shimmy the rod in your hand as the lure descends, how does the lure react, how many different presentations can you create with the same lure? Experimentation adds another tactic to your repertoire, but don’t be surprised if while you’re experimenting, a fish doesn’t grab your lure just beneath the ice surface and try to take off with it.
Like soft-water fishing, it’s important to match your equipment to the type of tackle you’re using. Myself, I’m a light line addict no matter what the quarry. I simply like the thrill of playing a fish. When I’m fishing for panfish my line preference is 2-4 lbs, both reels and rods are ultralights, with the rods seldom thicker than a spaghetti noodle, and the rod has been modified and tipped with an extremely sensitive, adjustable, spring bobber for those moments the hits are feather light, or the fish is picking up the bait on the fall, thus as soon as I lift the rod that spring bobber flexes just a tiny bit, and I know the fish has the bait in its mouth and it’s time to set the hook.
I never worry about light line scraping the ice, if it gets frayed, I simply remove the frayed section and continue fishing, if enough line is removed and the line gets deep into the spool, not a problem either there’s always a spare spool or two in the tackle bag. The only difficulties encountered using light line are the moments I think to myself, “Time to re-tie your line,” but the fish are biting so well I ignore my own instinct and continue fishing, sure enough the next fish will break my line, taking a favored lure as a survival souvenir to decorate her weedy mantle.
The business end of the line is usually tipped with the tiniest ice ants in the box, especially if larval baits like maggots or wax worms are being
used for bluegill, but if there’s a chance for slab crappie, I’ll choose an ice ant with a bit larger hook to use with minnows. Ice ants come in so many different shapes and sizes; it’s easier to offer up a photograph than to provide descriptions.
During periods of low light, I prefer those offerings that offer a spot or two of glow paint. Chartreuse powder blue, and pink seem to work the best for me.
Crappies like spoons as well as minnows. The size, shape and weight of the spoon determine its action. The smaller Swedish Pimples offer a darting action, and green or chartreuse when worked on the fall are usually too tempting for even the most finicky crappie. The tiny Williams Wobblers resemble a dying minnow, as they slowly flutter side to side through the crappies strike zone, and now that they come in colors other than silver or gold, they’re even more effective.
It’s both an ugly, and exciting moment when I’m panfishing through the ice and I set the hook into that unexpected big fish. Suddenly the entire rod bends and for a brief moment I feel like I’ve hooked a branch on the bottom, then that tail moves, and that big fish thrum is telegraphed up the line. I don’t know about you, but I get a cold, electric chill, and my entire central nervous system short circuits every time this happens!
Bo Freeman and I were in the shanty slaying perch, crappie, and bluegills off of the monument at Presque Isle, on Lake Erie. My ultralight was spooled with 2-lb test, and I had a wax worm on a chartreuse ice ant, fishing it on a very slow, shimmying fall for the bluegills, when my spring bobber twitched and I set the hook. The rod bent double and stopped, but nothing else happened for several seconds until I tried to lift the rod with both hands. That was the moment the fish lit the afterburners. With no other choice I stuck the entire rod down the hole doing my best to keep the reel above water, and the hair-thin mono off the bottom edge of that jagged ice hole. As the drag squealed and spool emptied I screamed, “Bo! Quick! Give me a hand!” Like the great fishing partner he is, he cleared his two lines from the other holes, rushed to my side and breathlessly asked, “What do you want me to do?” Actually there wasn’t anything he could do. The fish had hit the rod in the right hand corner of the shanty, and there was only room for one of us to fit in the corner. Laughing I responded, “Nothing,” then dropped to my knees to fight the fish. All Bo could do was watch the show through the other three holes, and be a one-man cheering section as the fish zoomed first one way and then another. He finally told me I had on a big steelhead, and after several minutes the fish finally gave up the fight and stuck its head in the hole where I was able to drag it into the shanty. Big fish on light line is thrilling. I don’t really care if they break off; just let me see them once for the memory.
If my quarry is walleye (pickerel to my Canadian friends), 4-6 lb line works on most waters, but if there’s a chance of double digit fish, or my opponent is salmon, large rainbow, or lakers, in 100’ of water, the size of the reel increases, the super lines come out, and a length of 8-10 lb fluorocarbon is tied on for a leader.
At great depths, super lines are invaluable due to their lack of stretch. It’s great to feel that solid hit, and then set the hook knowing that elasticity will not rob you of the chance to land a trophy fish. As the weather gets colder, and the lakes tighter, the time is quickly approaching when we’ll once again be packing the gear on the sleds for the trek across the frozen wastelands of winter. I don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait, and it seems I’ve suddenly developed this insatiable itch~
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