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 Ice-up
Diversity by Ron Anlauf
First ice is made for
hooking up with more than walleyes. Sure it can be good
(even great), but a little diversity might round out the
perfect plan. Walleyes are notorious for turning on during
low light periods, especially when fishing shallow water
early in the season. Activity during the day can be almost
nonexistent Rather than pressing the daytime issue you
might have more fun by switching target species and chasing
down a bunch of jumbo perch.
 Let
the Good Times Roll by Ron Anlauf
It’s time to get back on the ice and get after a few
walleyes, maybe a bunch of fast action perch, or even some big
slab crappies or hefty bull bluegills. Whatever the case; let
the good times roll. However, before you grab your gear and go
charging out to make history, it might be a good idea to take a
little time and make sure you’re prepared. There are some basic
items besides the obvious that you really couldn’t get by
without, and if overlooked or forgotten your first trip might
not be what it could have been.
Hot Tactics for Icing Monster Walleyes
There's nothing like
the feeling you get when you stick a big walleye in deep water
and it can really be exciting. First you see it, then you entice
it, then you hook it, and then you hope like heck that you can
work it to the top and get it through the hole, or at least get
it close enough to get a good look. The whole process is
exhilarating and makes the work of finding the right spot, being
there at the right time, and using the right bait all
worthwhile. |
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Mid Winter Slabs
The time for putting a bunch of big slabs on the ice is here and
now. While early ice can be good, the action after the first of
the year can be even better and is something you really don't
want to miss out on. Somewhere between first ice and mid winter
crappies can be a little hard to pin down and even a bit
unpredictable, but not now. Now is the time when solid patterns
set up that are custom made for taking advantage of.
Down But Not Out for Mid Winter Panfish
If you can find them
you can catch them, plain and simple. Mid winter sunfish and
crappies will usually bite as long as your bait is in the right
neighborhood, and location then really is the "final answer" to
hooking up with a nice bunch of panfish. One of the hottest mid
winter patterns to set up is no where near anything you might
consider "classic" (at least when compared to open water), and
could be as a basic as the middle of the lake. |
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The Crappie Slide - By Ron Anlauf
Early season crappie location eventually gives way to what the
middle of winter can bring, and often varies greatly from whence
they came. The sharp shoreline breaks and deeper points and
humps that held so many slabs early in the season typically dry
up by late January, and the next hot spot may have no
resemblance at all to early season honey holes. |
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The Crappie Slide - By Ron Anlauf
Early season crappie location eventually gives way to what the
middle of winter can bring, and often varies greatly from whence
they came. The sharp shoreline breaks and deeper points and
humps that held so many slabs early in the season typically dry
up by late January, and the next hot spot may have no
resemblance at all to early season honey holes. |
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The Devils in the Details
- By Rick Olson
It keeps growing and growing and growing, with
no end in sight. Devils Lake in North Dakota has
ballooned up into a real monster, which has created
serious hardship for property owners and an
incredible angling opportunity for perch and walleye
fisherman.
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The Hunt is On for Mid Ice
Walleyes
- By Ron Anlauf
The first ice period may have already come and
gone but what’s up next is nothing to sneeze at. The
following stage of the frozen water period can
actually produce some of the most consistent walleye
action of the entire season. Instead of waiting
impatiently for hungry ‘eyes that may or may not
show up just before dark on the shallow bar or reef
that you bet the house on, ... |
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Technical
Walleyes on Ice - By Ron Anlauf
It’s time to make a bold move, a move that could take you
into the great unknown, where no man has gone before (at least
not this year). Walleye anglers working early ice had better be
ready to make major moves, especially if the hot action takes a
sudden turn for the worse. They say that when the going gets
tough the tough get going, and with that being so the question
arises; Just exactly where do the tough go? When the hot spots
of the early ice season dry up the “tough” could be well served
by taking a hard look at deeper water.
-
 Slab
Jam 2005 - by
Ron Anlauf
The time for getting in
on some hot early ice slab action is at hand, and it’s there for
the taking. Tying into monster pole bending crappies is a whole
lot of fun and is an experience shared by far too few. Once
you’ve had the pleasure you’ll want more of it, as it can be
rather addicting. Getting your share isn’t all that tough and is
a simple matter of finding them, and then enticing them.
-
 Get
a Jump On First Ice Jumbos
- Ron Anlauf
The most important key to cashing in on early season perch
action is location. The fact is, you can’t catch them where
they’re not. If you’re doing everything right but in the wrong
place you’ll come home empty handed. On the other hand, if
you’re doing everything wrong but in the right place you can
still catch a few. Fortunately for us finding perch at first ice
is a relatively easy task and is as simple as following the good
ice. The first place to develop good ice is the shallows
(especially the shallow bays), off the main lake.
Hammer
Time for First Ice Walleyes
- by Ron Anlauf
 Great things could be happening right below your feet right now,
if only your feet were in the right place at the right time. The
“right place at the right time” is the key and isn’t all that
hard to pin down, especially if you understand a couple of the
basics to early season walleye behavior. The basics include
shallow water rocks or even weeds, depending on what’s
available. Rocky reefs and bars can be the hot ticket in cold
water and may be your best bet for finding active first ice
walleyes.
A Winter Walleye Experience
- By Adam Johnson
The ice was 12-inches thick. Thick
enough to drive on for some anglers whose cars were parked next
to their stationary shelters. I wasn’t yet comfortable knowing
that I would be heading to a spot about a hundred yards farther
out, that just a month earlier had been open water. When I
drilled my holes I realized my caution had paid off. The ice
was only eight-inches where I set up in my portable shelter.
 Tackling
Late Season Perch by Ron Anlauf
It ain’t over till it’s over, and if you’re a perch
fisherman, it ain’t over! In fact, the best of the best is yet
to come, and is something you really don’t want to miss. Jumbo
perch are what we’re talking about, and the action is never
better than it is during the late, late, ice period. It’s not
that big eye poppin’ perch suddenly turn on and go on a mad
rampage, as there are some good catches made all season long.
It’s just that by late ice they’re more likely to be bunched up,
and the odds of finding at least a few that are in the right
mood greatly increases.
 Burning
the Midnight Oil
for Big Crappies
-
by Rick Olson
They say timing is
everything and that certainly holds true when it comes to icing
late season crappies. If your timing is on you can fill a pail
full of big slabs in no time flat, but if you’re off you may
completely miss out. Missing out isn’t much fun and is an
occurrence that can be avoided if you apply some basic late
season principles. The first and most important is location and
will depend on the body of water you happen to be fishing, but
there are a few rules of thumb that can help you get pointed in
the right direction.
 South
Dakota’s New Frontiers - by Rick Olson
When is a duck slough not a duck slough and when does it
become a primo crappie, perch, walleye or northern pike lake? It
happens when what was a duck slough fills up and overflows it’s
banks and keeps filling until it’s deep enough to carry fish
throughout the winter. The process is certainly not common, but
it has happened and rather recently in fact. The site of this
natural phenomenon is North Eastern South Dakota and South
Eastern North Dakota.
Walleyes
-
by Rick Olson
Serious hard water walleye anglers live for first ice, and
for good reason. First ice walleyes are never more active than
the present and the sooner you can get to them the better. As
the season progresses the action can only deteriorate as active
walleyes become much harder to find, and to catch. That doesn’t
mean they can’t be caught because they can, it’s just that the
very best is the very first and if you wait too long you could
easily miss out. One of the top hot spots in the entire country
for taking advantage of first ice walleyes is the Mobridge Area
of Lake Oahe.
 The Low Down on Low Light
Walleyes
by Ron Anlauf: As
the sun begins to sink in the western sky good things start to
happen, especially if you’re an ice fisherman looking to hook up
with a few walleyes. When the last bit of the daylight
disappears the action can really heat up, and is one of the best
times for finding good numbers of walleyes with a serious nackin’
attitude. By design a walleye’s eyes provide them with
exceptional low light vision, allowing them to herd up and scarf
down minnows and baitfish that aren’t as fortunate. Walleyes
instinctively know that a low light situation is custom made for
fulfilling their basic need to feed, and when they can do so
with the least amount of energy expended. It’s all part of a
natural scheme, and is where anglers in the know come into the
picture.
To Spoon, or not to Spoon
By Jeff Beckwith: There’s
no argument, the vertical jigging spoon is ice fishing’s dominant
lure. Fish have surrendered to hammered metal and forged lead
since, well…since folks decided that ice could no longer separate
them from quarry. I’m talking eons. In contemporary times, spoons
are linked to the pursuit of walleyes, lake trout, and perch,
although, when given a chance, flashing hardware will swindle
crappies, whitefish and tullibee (ciscoes), bass, northern pike
and bluegills too. And yes, I said bluegills.
Kidding Around With Perch
By the On Ice Tour Pro Staff - Catching Perch through the
ice can sometimes be like taking candy from a baby. Cut a dozen
holes, drop an underwater camera down, find a school of perch,
drop a minnow or a lure down, watch the lines come together on the
Vexilar, feel the bite, reel ‘em in – one after the other.
Suckerrrrrrs (unintelligent perch, that is).
Calvin Christopher -
It’s politically
correct and nearly clichéd, the term “multitasking”. In the
hustle and bustle work-world it means engaging two jobs at once,
say tooling widgets and managing idiots in chorus – or at home,
changing a diaper while disciplining other offspring. On the ice,
multitasking suggests catching one species while, well, catching
another. And the best example involves walleyes and perch.
Lakes Will Soon Begin Freezing, Ice Anglers are Urged to Use
Caution
Iowa Department of Natural Resources -
LEWIS – The recent warm spell may
cool hopes for an early ice fishing season, but winter weather is
not too far away. As the lakes begin to freeze, ice anglers will
be itching to get out.
Women and Ice Fishing
On Ice Tour pro
staff member Ineke Leer is featured on the cover of In-Fisherman’s
Ice Fishing Guide and has become the first women ever on the cover
of this major publication. Traditionally ice fishing is thought
of as a male sport, the decision to put a female on the cover of
the In-Fisherman Ice Guide is proof that ice fishing is growing
and enjoyed by everyone, not just “the guys”.
Top Tactics for First Ice Walleyes
By Ron Anlauf -
Either you’re in
or you’re out. If you’re in, you’ve already gone through the
preparation period of re-rigging and rearranging all of your gear
and making sure that everything is up to the task. If you’re in,
the fun is just beginning. If you’re in, you’ll be on the first
safe ice that develops doing you’re best to put a few walleyes on
the ice.
Bottom
Dragging for Perch: A new method in an age old game
By Jay Weinecker -
Ice anglers continue to refine or adapt tackle and
techniques to fill a wide spectrum of situations that dictate
adapted presentations. The traditional ice fishing presentation is
a vertical affair where the lure or bait is brought to life by
jigging.
Secrets to Icing Walleyes
By Jason Mitchell -
Half the bottom
appeared to rise and separate from the bottom so fast on the
Vexilar that I practically flinched when the rod buckled. There
was no question about getting hit, the fish was on and the game
began.
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