Action Tracks, Winter 2013-’14
Page 17
Ice fishing can be fun, productive
Yukon Jack offers tips for hard-water angling
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BY YUKON JACK
SPECIAL TO ACTION TRACKS
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Ice fishing during the winter months
offers a lot of recreational fun and can be
productive, providing fish for the table.
With a normal freeze-up of the lakes,
ice fishing is quite predictable. Normal
ice freeze-up on North Woods lakes is by
mid-November and when this happens,
the fish patterns are very predictable.
When it comes to early ice fishing,
safety is of the utmost importance. The
preferred ice thickness for walking is 3
inches. Once lakes get 6 inches of ice, allterrain vehicles and snowmobiles can be
used for access.
Twelve inches of ice is the minimum
thickness for trucks and cars. While thinner ice will support ice travel, remember
that the lakes do not freeze at a uniform
depth. While you might measure 12 inches in several lakes, you could find 9 inches in other locations.
With early ice, stay away from areas
with current such as creek inlets and
outlets, the narrows in a lake between
points, and lakes that are spring fed.
The early ice period and into mid-January is the best time to pursue walleyes.
These fish are feeding to put on a layer of
fat to carry them through the winter season. Later in the winter, walleyes go
somewhat dormant until ice out.
Walleyes, after freeze up, can be found
Panfish are good eating, and can be found
at various lake depths while ice fishing.
in the weeds, on the weed edges and
around any mid-lake humps. Tip-ups
with 8-pound monofilament line, a No. 6
hook and tipped with medium or large
fathead minnows are the best rig. Wind
tip-ups are also good rigs for attracting
fish, especially on a slow fishing day.
One important thing to remember
when fishing for walleyes is to tie the
hook directly to the line as snap swivels
are a detraction. Keep the bait between 6
to 12 inches off the bottom.
Another target for ice fishermen are
northerns. Fishing for northerns in the
winter is fun and exciting, and the larger
fish test an angler’s ability to get them on
the ice.
Northerns, in the early season, are in
shallow water with weeds. Tip-ups rigged
with strong braided line, a steel leader
and a No. 4 single or treble hook is the
best rig. The same minnows used for
walleyes will work or a slightly larger
minnow will provide action.
If you intend to keep the northern, a
gaff hook will help get them up the hole
and on the ice. Do not use the gaff hook if
you intend to release the fish.
During the winter months, panfish
are a target of many ice fishermen. These
fish can provide action during time periods when tip-up flags aren’t waving.
Fishing with one panfish rod and two
tip-ups is a good method when on an ice
fishing outing. Panfish are a favorite for
the table and many believe bluegills top
the group.
A light rod with 4-pound test line is
the rig of choice. Some anglers put a
swivel 18 inches above the bait to keep
the line from twisting. Small jigging
spoons tipped with wax worms, wigglers
and spikes are the live bait used most
often. Some anglers exclusively use artificial baits when panfishing, such as Mini
Mites and Fire Fly jigs for bluegills and
crappie.
When fishing bluegills, they are usually found in shallow water weeds in 4 to
8 feet of water. Just stay in or on the edge
of the weeds for the best action.
Crappies can be found, at times, in the
shallow weeds along with the bluegills,
but the best area is in the deep holes in
the lake. While bluegills and perch will
go down to take the bait, crappies generally rise to the lure.
Remember, crappies will suspend, so
be sure to fish 1 to 2 feet from the bottom
in shallow water. When fishing deep
water, such as 30 feet, the crappies can be
10 to 15 feet off the bottom.
Perch will be found in all depths in the
lake and usually stay close to the bottom.
In the spring, just before ice-out, the larger perch can be found in the shallow
water near their spawning beds.
A good bait for both crappies and
perch are small minnows on a jigging
spoon.
Anglers can find northern pike in the early winter season hanging around shallow water
with weeds. Tip-ups should be rigged with strong line.
—NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS
When winter fishing, it is important to
stay warm and dry. A portable shelter
with a heater is great on the extremely
cold and windy days.
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