Merry Christmas December 2017 Everyone! Hardwater Fishin’ By Mike Hall I picked up the mail the other day Number one is reading the ice. fishing rod and reel, ice shelter, and was excited to see this year’s You need to know the quality and good selection of your favorite ice catalogs. Cooler weather and thickness of the ice to determine new stuff is what fuels my soul when it’s safe to venture on to the for winter fun on the hard deck. water. Clear ice is stronger than Ice brings many friends with that cloudy or grey colored ice. Two shared passion to my lakes for good inches of clear solid ice on small times and great adventures. I hope bodies of water will support one these few words will help bring you person but four inches is really what the cure for cabin fever this winter. is needed to be safe. Ice with cracks, Now, let’s get started with the open spots or pressure ridges is nuts, bolts and knowledge to make not safe and these areas should be your ice fishing season a success. avoided. On larger bodies of water, six inches of clear or twelve inches of cloudy ice is a safe standard. Ice varies in thickness on all waters lures, a trash bag and, of course, a 5 as currents, warm springs, or gallon bucket or a sled for transport. physical formation as ice freezes Oh, yes, a chair to sit on is always impacts quality and thickness. handy and a snowmobile is the Other options should include a first pinnacle of transportation on ice. aid kit and a length of rope. These Ice fishing is a family and friends are a must for cut fingers, fish hooks outing, so snacks or hot meals are and rescue tactics should someone always a delight. The idea is that fall through the ice. Dress in layers you balance your fun with enough and buy a quality ice suit that will gear to be comfortable and prepared make life comfy out there in cold for this outdoor adventure. weather. There are several outerwear Finding Fish | We live in the products to keep you toasty, but ice information age with the internet suits float and help maintain body and social media front and center. Safety | Above all else, safety on temperatures should an accident Hot spots are announced hourly the ice is paramount. Time in the happen. Don’t be sorry—be safe. and pictures of and for success outdoors on ice is always a risky Equipment | Essential equipment are everywhere. Smart phone apps business, at best. Although, being begins with an ice auger to drill show you detailed maps of nearly prepared and well-informed can holes and a dipper to remove ice all waters and GPS will plot the make the difference between a slush. The list continues with a fish places to try. On top of that, a fish disaster and a cold water memory. finder, for sure, a rod holder, heater, finder and underwater cameras will Continued on Page 2 Page 1 Continued from Page 1 show you the fish. Here are a few the deciding factor. For example, fish generally respond to smaller tips that have produced many dinner minnows or insect life. Kokanee are lures and active fish respond to friends on my adventures. near the edge of the main current larger lures. Panfish, such as crappie, bluegill line and suspended. Walleye are Address both the size of lures and yellow perch, are a favorite. very versatile predators are found (small to large) and the colors They’re social fish and tend to in water from shore to center of the when stocking your inventory of school in numbers. Crappie and lake. offerings. Colors should include or yellow perch can be found in the The real keys here are temperature incorporate silver, brass, copper, main lake basin during winter of the water, currents and preferred pink, orange, chartreuse, white and, months, suspended or close to the food resources. Be versatile in your especially, glow in the dark. Target bottom and tend to move around. search and move if you do not see natural and metallic patterns on Try areas around the edges of the fish on the finder. Early season fish clear water, painted lures in murky main lake basin with under water are likely in or near the inflows of water and glow for dark water. drop-offs or points. Particularly, lakes because the temperature is Now, let’s talk attractors. They are look for hard bottom, underwater stable. Late season fish trend to generally tied in line 6- to 14-inches springs, trees or rock piles, which be toward the main lake basin and above the lure and aid the fish in can all be bonanzas. Crappie will deep because water at that depth is finding your offering and exciting a often chart on the finder as clutter or generally warmer. Search different strike. They come in all sizes. Small clouds of fish, but perch will show depths and structure types until a attractors, such as the 0.8” Smile up as single fish or in small groups. pattern can be determined. Drill Blade®, large attractors, like the Both crappie and yellow perch are holes in a line from shallow to deep 4” Sling Blade™. Thinking outside found from 10- to 50- feet of water and try different depths. Compare the box, attractors can also be used as a rule. the structure where you see fish to effectively by themselves on a Bluegills are found in less that 20 other similar places on your GPS separate line in an adjacent ice hole. feet of water and near or in weed maps. Decipher the graph or inspect These are extremely productive beds. Generally, they will stay in in the hole for minnows, current, for attracting especially large or an area for several days or weeks. weeds, insect life or micro biology. schooling fish to a location. These fish like weed edges, holes in All fish inhabit an area or depth for Again, size plays a large role the vegetation and submerged trees a reason. Find that reason and you in success. Smaller, more subtle or bushes. will be more successful. attractors like the Flash Lite® Troll Lures | Lures have five group or the larger Sling Blade™ 6” with types: spinners, jigs, crank baits, a weight added to the bottom and spoons and top water. Pointing jigged slowly are fish magnets. out the obvious top water lures is These can also be suspended at paramount for ice fishing. Although, any depth to attract walleye, perch, the other groups have offerings that crappie, trout or salmon. are commonly used for ice fishing a Jigging spoons are my favorite vertical pursuit. lure for ice fishing, as they will Size is both detrimental and catch anything that swims. At the relative for success. Small lures and top of this list, of course, is the Sonic offerings are very popular, but are Baitfish™ because of the range in not always the answer. Using a small sizes from small to large, and its tear drop when fish are actively success with bass, crappie, yellow Trout can be found suspended in feeding on three-inch minnows can perch, rainbow trout, burbot, lake open water near underwater river have its drawbacks. Try matching trout, kokanee and many more. This channels and often visit weed lines the lure to both the activity levels lure will work right out of the box and underwater points to feed. and the feeding behavior. Fish bite with no tuning required. There are Trophy trout are generally single a lure for several different reasons: 12 different ways to rig this amazing fish, but will inhabit areas that anger, hunger, instinct, territory or spoon and endless applications to hold other trout. Feed types are spawn, to mention a few. Neutral catch whatever swims. Continued on Page 3 Page 2 Continued from Page 2 offering. Perhaps this is the reason attracting fish to the offering. the glow in the dark lures are the 4) Swim or drag the lure side most popular. to side. Make sure to slightly 2) Waving the flag. Lift and pump the lure when moving it. drop the rod, allowing the lure to This brings reaction strikes and free fall backwards. The lift and lifelike attraction to the lure. Keep drop can vary from a few inches in mind, using the zoom feature on to several feet. Different waves are your fish finder will help you to see also effective. For example, slow fish and the lure better. Most often, up, slow down; fast up fast, down; Presentation | Ice fishing is a fish swim upward to bite a lure so or mix them. This action allows vertical presentation of a lure, presenting the lure above the fish the lure to roll and flutter with full commonly termed jigging. These will be the most effective method. action. Don’t be a tourist. Jerking or jigging presentations can be used on An exception to this, though, is waving without purpose may make the ice and are also effective in open pounding the bottom and leaving you seem friendly with others, water for year round success on the lure to rest on the bottom. I’ve but won’t catch dinner. However, your favorite waters. The basic rule found that this produces walleye moving the lure with intention will. is to keep your line as vertical as and lake trout quite often. Remember, the strikes are often possible.