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If this is truly your opinion of current ice fishing techniques, you are a bit behind the curve of modern ice fishing. Granted, it might not be as comfortable as summer fishing, but the days of drilling a hole or 2 and sitting there for hours on end hoping for a bite are long gone. Modern electronics designed for ice fishing work just as well locating fish as your electronics used in warmer conditions.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spoonminnow
I never sit when ice fishing and always drill a large circle of holes in an area. If they don't produce, I drill more in another area. A buddy of mine (now deceased) ice fished with me and together we won a few tournaments finding spots where fish were schooled. But before drilling, I always plunk down my sonar transducer into a hold to see depth, weeds and possibly fish - just like from my boat - and if I don't think the area has potential I move 30'.Quote:
the days of drilling a hole or 2 and sitting there for hours on end hoping for a bite are long gone.
The days of blindly fishing into a hole in the ice ended sometime in the 80's. The only reason I ice fish is mainly for the exercise, socializing and again, to combat cabin fever.
There have been some amazing tips and suggestions posted. I hesitate to even post mine.
One of toughest things for me to learn is "why did I catch this fish".
How deep was I fishing?
Single poling or jigging or tight lining.
This is one of the easiest and probably why I like it best. Typically I jig with and 8 ft pole and I am always aware of how much line was between my rod tip and the water and if I am fishing deep how much line is below my rod handle.
Cork fishing
I try to be aware of how the deep the cork is set in case I break off. This is my favorite way to fish. Especially with a quill. That style was deep rooted early in my DNA.
Trolling
Don't bash me for this style. A lot people don't consider this fishing and I pretty much don't either. I consider it a ballet dance with fishing rods. I only use it when they are scattered in 8 feet or less. But I am constantly aware of how deep I am fishing by marking where the jig hits which eye on the rod when they are brought together. I also am aware of speed, depth of water, and direction traveled. Scattered fish are most likely all facing and feeding one direction.
Suspended depth casting
I won't even begin to offer advice. I am just now learning this method and I am learning I am not good at it. I do however have decent success at what Crappie Pappie calls pendulum casting.
There is also the question of structure versus contour. And sometimes the fish are only relating to both. And you need to know which one you caught the fish on. One outing I was fishing a pretty heavy structure and catching keeper fish maybe one Every 10-15 minutes in 17 fow. I kept getting hung up or losing fish. Accidentally I ended up fishing beside the structure but same depth and contour. My goodness what a day.
I'm not sure which I enjoy more fishing or habitating among the crappie.com community. Lately I have been doing more of the latter.
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I've found over the years that season vs time of day seem to matter. Early in the year once the water temperature reaches prespawn, fish location is more packed in around new shallow weeds. Post spawn fish spread out but are loosely packed over deeper water though not the deepest. During those periods up to summer, time of day is broader, going along with the spawns of other fish in the cooler water.
After the water warms to over 75 surface temperature, time of day seems to have been better from sunrise to noon, falling off after that. Evening fishing is something I don't do so I wouldn't know if fish are more active regardless of crappy night feeding. As fall progresses it's anyone's guess where fish are more concentrated especially where weather fronts are concerned.
Yesterday should have been good with water temperature in the mid 70's down from the 80's and an overcast shy with light rain at times and calm to breezy, but I was lucky to catch dinks plus one large perch and one large sunfish. Of the hundreds of casts made to deep and shallow water areas only 30 or so light strikes and 20 hooksets. The cold front pulled in this morning with steady rain and 65 degrees meaning that something shut the fish down the day before.
I went fishing today, and I caught my first freshwater fish! An 8 inch bass on my beetlespin. In addition, a sunfish also bit my lure, and jumped out of the water, where, upon hitting the surface, knocked it out of its mouth.
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A big Congrats !!!
CT, remember, this is only my basic lure considerations list but it's served me for decades.
1. Lure design: which includes size, shape (profile seen from two angles) and weight (lure or added to it) determine lure action.
Lure action varies even between lures similar in design and can make all the difference when fishing is slow. (ie. not all curl tail grubs are created equal)
2. Line diameter/test and line type chosen based on 1. cover (if any), 2. presentation(see 7.) and lure design(above), in combination.
Thinner lower test lines are used for finesse lure and fly fishing; heavier lines are used for larger lures, heavy cover and on the species of fish you expect to catch.
3. Rod action chosen based on 1. and 2. above (examples: ultralight, light, medium action). A medium action rod may allow a fish to pull free but less so with UL.
4. Four lure depth considerations: surface, shallow, mid depth or off bottom. Beetle Spin used was a mid-depth runner with a steady retrieve.
5. Cover includes few weeds, weed type, weed thickness (pockets or no pockets, isolated weeds) which determine 1-4 above. (pads are fished differently than milfoil)
6. Bottom depth-differences (fish structure*) includes weed height (if any weeds), no weeds, hard or soft bottoms (sand, rocks, mud), etc.
*Structures are the physical features of a lake or a river bottom. From a fishing perspective, structures are areas where there is a variance in the depth or the contours of the bottom, and these changes can range from subtle to dramatic. Structures can be natural as well as human-made features of the underwater landscape. Structures are a big factor in fish habitat and certain types will concentrate fish.
7. Presentation is a retrieve type: super slow, medium or fast retrieves. Examples: Slow includes: twitched with pauses plus lure glide at the same depth. Steady retrieves are used with spinners, crankbaits and trolling. Fast & steady is used for many topwater lures.
8. Expected fish size and activity level* help to determine lure size and lure action ranges. For example, larger fish of any species are apt to strike larger lures, especially in spring when fish are schooling. Smaller fish/ smaller lures on average. Lure design (1.) choice is crucial at times.
*activity level - fish may be suspending somewhere not chasing prey but yet may become annoyed enough to strike your slow moving lure. At other times it seems
general activity is higher along with higher fish concentrations in areas - Ideal!
Again just one angler's opinion and ideas for you to test.
In hope that it may help you catch a few gills, I'll relate my experience this am. My rod was a 7' B&M Sam's Super
Sensitive .(an old one) Cheap alternative could be any light rod with 2 or 4 lb line. I use a small slip float 2'-3' deep . I used a little 1/80 oz jig w/#8 hook and a light split shot 8" above the jig but you could use a long shank #8 light wire hook. I used Large red worms .(Wall mart has them also.) Hook the red worm once through the side of the band. Keep a pair of 6 inch curved tip for the deep hooked fish . I caught 48 in the 2-2 1/2 hrs I was walking the bank . Some casts were long across the canal and some were a few feet off the near bank. I kept enough for a few bluegill sandwiches. You should be able to replicate this simple method in your area.
So today I finally found the time to go fishing again, and I stumbled across a small pool in the river. It took a lot of effort to find it, so I don't think it was heavily fished. There, on my second cast, I pulled in a 6 inch sunfish. It had a very orange bottom, and looked more slender than other pictures of bluegill I've seen. I'm not quite sure what it was. I then caught a 4 inch bluegill, and got about 15 bites in 20 casts. Then, at around 12:30, the fish vanished.
How do I make sure that I hook the fish when I get a bite? And, what type of fish did I catch?
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What type of spoons are you using?
Actually, I was using a black beetlespin that was recommended to me earlier here.Quote:
Originally Posted by kbaker9247
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