Go Shallow and Light for the Hot
Spring Ice Bite
By Fishing the WildSide’s CHIP LEER
Decisions,
decisions. Aren't they great?
Paper or
plastic? Cash or credit? Fine-dining or small-town cafe?
It's the
same in fishing.
Panfish or
walleyes? Live bait or hard baits? Deep water or shallow water?
Make mine
panfish and walleyes on live and hard bait under shallow late ice.
It's a narrow window of fishing opportunity when unbelievable
things happen in unbelievable places -- unless you've been there
before.
Spring
is shoving winter aside. Temperatures are rising, and it's
comfortable outdoors. The snow has melted, but not the lid of ice
that caps the lakes across the upper Midwest. Atop that ice, the
fishing shacks are gone, as are all but a few anglers.
Underneath
that ice, a rejuvenation of the ecosystem is taking place. Life is
beginning anew as aquatic plants shake a leaf and invertebrates
begin to dance in their yards. It’s a spring turnover, much like
the one many lakes experience in the fall.
A variety of
fish species from baitfish to walleyes, perch, bluegills and
crappies are quick to notice the new food sources and the growing
difference in water temperatures. They’re shallow, they’re hungry
and they’re aggressive. It doesn’t get much better than that.
If an area
was good at first ice, chances are it’s worth revisiting during
the late-ice period. As well as shallow flats less than 10’ deep
that are large in size as this water will warm fast during the
springtime’s longer daylight hours.
The later
the ice hangs around, the warmer the weather will get, and that’s
one of the best things about spring ice fishing. There’s no better
time to introduce new anglers to the sport or enjoy a family
outing. I’ll take a 40-degree day on the ice over a 40-degree day
on open water in May any time.
This spring
is shaping up as an ideal late-ice situation. Snow cover will
insulate the ice longer and slow the melting process. Once the
snow is gone and the water has drained off the surface, it’s time
to get after it.
The pro
staff at Fishing the Wildside has experienced all kinds of
late-ice bites for all of the above-mentioned species. Fish that
abandoned the shallows when the plant life went dormant and oxygen
supplies dwindled in January will return to what is again an
inviting environment.
Bluegills,
sunfish and some crappies will show up in any areas where there
are signs of newly re-generated green plant life and/or where the
water has warmed the lake bottoms well enough to set-free millions
of micro organisms for these fish to feed upon. Perch and
walleyes, as a rule, will still prefer water that’s 8-10 feet deep
or so but will slide up into water as shallow as 2-3 feet if the
water is warm enough and/or feeding opportunities exist.
There have
been times when I’ve actually fished on the inside of bulrushes
where no more than two feet of water existed between the bottom
and the ice. Usually, these areas aren’t far from more traditional
shallow-water haunts like sand, grass or stubble flats.
Shallow
water fishing presents opportunities and challenges.
Opportunities are great for sight fishing, no electronics just
staring down the hole and observing how fish react to your lures
and jigging actions. There is no better way to perfect your
jigging stroke than to play with different movements while a fish
is watching. The challenge is however, the limited space between
you and the fish.
Noise, you
will want to keep it to a minimum. As for equipment there are
some things I do to rig correctly for shallow water fishing. A
medium to medium-light action rod will help absorb shock that the
shortened amount of monofilament will not. A shorter rod is also
easier to sight fish with as well. After a fish is hooked in the
shallows often it will swim off to the side rubbing your fishing
line against the bottom of the ice hole, therefore I strongly
suggest Berkley Trilene Micro Ice in the appropriate line weight.
Trilene Micro Ice was developed just for this situation and will
hold up under these testing conditions.
Fish
metabolism increases with the warmer water and therefore my
arsenal of lures is usually made up of larger selections with
broader profiles. The bigger baits give me the ability to
horizontally attract fish from further away, which seems to be a
bigger factor than when the fish are in deep water and attraction
comes on a vertical plane. A key point to remember is that shallow
fish are aggressive feeders, so move often and sooner or later you
will attract the mother lode from afar on the horizon.
Panfish
choices would include a Northland Forage Minnow Fry or a Bro Bug
while for walleyes and perch a Northland Airplane Jig or Buck Shot
Rattle Spoon are my first choices. If the walleyes are the least
bit hesitant I will quickly switch to a Northland Eye Dropper
under an Ice Buster Foam Bobber that can be trimmed to achieve
proper neutral balance.
I also like
to fish a dead rod with a small ice jig and a Berkley Gulp! grub
or a piece of Power Bait while I’m working other fish over. The
dead rod gives me the ability to give them a “slower” or “still”
presentation while I’m gripping and ripping a more aggressive
approach.
That’s one
of the other things I love about late ice outings. All winter
long, we’ve been moving progressively deeper and presenting
smaller lures in more subtle ways. Finally, when March rolls
around, it often seems like the more action you give a lure, the
more fish it attracts and the harder they whack it!
The choice
is yours. You can hang around the garage and dream about the
open-water days just around the corner, or you can get out and
experience some of the hard-water season’s most exciting and
surprising fishing.
Make mine
shallow and light.
Editors
Note: Fishing the
WildSide On Ice, co-founded by Chip Leer and Tommy Skarlis, is an
extensive effort focused on generating excitement for the great
sport of ice fishing. For more articles, fishing tips, info on
the latest and greatest ice gear or a schedule of Fishing the
WildSide On Ice Pro Staff appearances, log onto
www.onicetour.com or
www.fishingthewildside.com
