Bridging the Seasons

“Wherever there’s a culvert, or trees hanging in the water, there’s a cast worth making.”-- Brian ‘Bro’ Brosdahl

It is the truest of transition times, that period when very late winter becomes very early spring and even risk-takers think hard about using planks to get from open water along the shoreline out to theoretically fishable ice.

In most households, serious anglers are out in the garage getting boats ready. But it’s a season of opportunity if you choose to seize it, a time when you can bridge the seasons between ice and open water.

Chief among the mudders at this point is Brian ‘Bro’ Brosdahl, perhaps best known for his travels on behalf of Fish Traps and the blue Ice Armor suit and all the other innovations in modern ice fishing. When the ice is rotting away, Bro prowls rivers, backwaters, ponds and small hidden lakes on milk runs to catch pre-spawn fish that are moving in response to all the change.

Best known as an ice fisherman, Brian Brosdahl is also accomplished at bridging the seasons between ice and open water. Follow his formula and you’ll find great ‘between times’ action. (Photo: clamcorp.com)

“It’s an interesting time, that’s for sure,” begins Bro. “The ice is too rotten to go out on and there’s not really enough open water to put the boat in, at least in most places. But the warm spell that brought the bad ice also brought you an open river. So my plan of attack goes from lake to flowing river, in a lot of cases.”

He talks about fishing out of his truck, a couple rods rigged and laying in the bed, map book in hand, detailed maps loaded into the GPS on the dash, running sloppy back roads. The quarry dictated by chance. Bro simply finds promising water and tempts whatever is swimming in it. “It might be walleyes, trout, pike, panfish,” he says. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

Key Locations

During this time period, Bro says he loves to seek out warmwater discharge areas near power plants, because the activity level of those fish “is predictably better than in colder water.” But he doesn’t rely on warmwater discharges to find action.

“It’s mostly shore fishing,” he notes. “Look on maps and you’ll find points or narrows, contact points for fish moving between two places. Cast there. Pools adjacent to the river channel is a key anywhere. This is the time for those pools. They’re heating up, this is where you want to be standing on shore fishing, and the blue suit is the ultimate thing to be wearing because you stay dry and warm. Bridges, and marina areas, are also good starting points. Every spring I end up with a milk run, six or eight high-percentage spots I can run to in an afternoon.

“Some lakes are shallow, and they turn on faster than deep ones. There can be great shoreline opportunities, where you walk down the bank and fish large flats. You can cast out and drag a jig up the shoreline break, or you can make long casts parallel to shore and cover key areas that way.

“An awful lot of lakes don’t get fished at this time, so the fish are unbothered, and there can be a lot of fish in on the bank.”

Another factor that helps put fish activity on the fast track is soft, dark-bottomed shallows that absorb increasing sunlight and turn it into warmth.

“The cattails, the muddy bottom areas, heat up fast,” says Bro. “These are the areas that catch my eye now. A shallow, fertile lake means the ice melts faster. The weeds can even start to grow around the edges. There’s a lot of life going on in there.”

In some ways, Bro hints, this is a favorite time of his, because in this hybrid season, where it’s not ice fishing any more, but it’s not shorts and t-shirts and bouncing over the waves, either, there are no crowds. “It takes four-wheel-drive to get to and from a lot of these places,” he notes. “I’ve had to winch myself out many times.”

Bro lives in northern Minnesota, but he travels the country and points out that similar ‘bridge-the-seasons’ opportunities await wherever you live in the ice belt.

“I want to mention farm ponds,” he says, “because I’ve had some of my best pond fishing at this time of year. Look for wide spots in bays, areas around dams. If you live near any of the Great Lakes, seek out the tributaries, because they’re loaded with fish at this time of year. You can park yourself in a lawn chair and have great action. If you live driving distance from saltwater, your ice might be gone but it’s a great time to hit the breakers wearing your blue suit.

“People on the East Coast have great shore-casting situations, but you just have to have the right clothes or you freeze. When the ice is bad, it’s time to hit the shallow open water. I love ice fishing as much as anybody, but there comes a time when you have to make the transition to open water. And there’s no reason to wait for a month in between.”

Notes: The blue suit, so commonly seen on the ice, is gaining a reputation as the ultimate outer layer for cold-weather fishing at any season. The waterproof, windproof, breathable Ice Armor gloves are a great choice for keeping your fingers warm. Look for the Ice Armor brand (which also includes hooded fleece jacket and windproof fleece hat) in stores, catalogs, and at www.clamcorp.com.

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Photo: Bridge Seasons.jpg

Best known as an ice fisherman, Brian Brosdahl is also accomplished at bridging the seasons between ice and open water. Follow his formula and you’ll find great ‘between times’ action. (Photo: clamcorp.com)