SMALL BAITS BIG FISH

By Matt Johnson – Ice Team Manager

Ice fishing brings all sorts of changes to the way we fish. We adapt to weather. We adjust the times of day we target certain species. We shift the ways and locations where we chase fish. All these things seem to scream “ice fishing” as we play the game during the cold-water period. And one thing that seems to be impacted the most is the presentations we use… namely how we tend to use smaller baits and lures to catch fish during the winter. I’d like to expand on that even further, and touch on using small(er) baits to catch big(ger) fish—focusing on walleye.

We have our traditional idea of what walleyes eat in winter. Jigging spoons, swimming lures, shiner minnows… you get the drift. Our “typical” walleye offerings. Now, I’m on the bandwagon that those presentations catch fish, don’t get me wrong, and oftentimes that’s the ticket, but I’ve seen many situations when moving outside the “walleye realm” will help you catch more and even bigger fish. This is where downsizing to smaller presentations can play a role… and usually that means looking in a different tackle box that could be marked “panfish” instead.

When we hear the term “downsize” we often think of pressured or negative fish, days when the bite is finicky. However, I’ve seen days— especially in the winter—where walleyes just don’t want to eat larger meals. In general, most fish species during the winter months see a decrease in metabolism and find themselves settling for smaller meals and a less substantial diet— even big walleyes. So, teasing them with a larger panfish jig tipped with a juicy fathead minnow can work wonders on coaxing big walleyes of all activity levels.

We’ve experienced this on many different bodies of water across the Ice Belt as well. Lake of the Woods, Red Lake, Mille Lacs Lake, Leech Lake, Devils Lake, Lake Minnetonka… the list goes on and on. An easy meal, presented in a controlled manner, can seal the deal on most walleyes—and even out-perform the traditional tactics we’ve been taught to lean on when targeting walleyes.

I’ve experimented with this technique for years. Usually, I use it as a dead stick (setline) for a onetwo punch scenario while working a jigging spoon or swimming lure. Then it oftentimes becomes my main rod for working and catching fish. Fish are enticed by the active lure, then eat the smaller offering with a tail-hooked minnow. I’ve seen on several occasions that the entire group I’m with will switch to the larger panfish jig tipped with a minnow and our catch-rate goes up. This especially seems to be the case on basin and mud flat bites more than anything though. Shallow water, structure-orientated bites still find success with aggressive tactics—larger offerings and our typical walleye candy.

As far as the rig goes, I’m running a Clam Pro Tackle Drop XXL tungsten jig (6 different color options so pick your favorite) on the receiving end of the setup. Then Clam Frost Ice Braid as the main line in 6 or 8-pound test with a Clam Frost Ice Fluorocarbon leader in 5-pound test (you can also run a 5 or 6-pound Frost Ice Mono as the main line if you wish). And for the rod and reel setup I’m going with either the Clam Outdoors 32inch Medium Light Scepter Carbon Rod with a Clam Outdoors Kejick Reel, or a 36-inch Jason Mitchell Dead Meat Combo. Both setups will work great for this presentation, the Scepter Carbon just has a little more sensitivity and feel, where the Dead Meat will give you a better visual indicator if using it as a setline.

I’m a firm believer this technique will help walleye anglers catch more fish in a variety of situations and conditions. Building confidence in the technique is probably the most important, and I see that happening the most when anglers start by implementing it into their setline strategy. But like I mentioned, on many occasions we’ve leaned on it as our main form of catching fish, and on a wide array of bodies of water. Give it a shot if you haven’t already… because small baits can indeed catch big fish!