A DAY ON THE ICE MATT JOHNSON

Many of my fishing adventures this year have come on days when the weather outside was nasty. My “Day on the Ice” with Matt Johnson, was the worst of them all.

Johnson and I were both watching the forecast for the day of our event very carefully. The single digit highs with winds over 20 did not sound extremely inviting. As a back-up, Johnson decided to bring along a wheelhouse for a place to warm up.

Although I rarely spend much time in a fish house, having a base camp that was warm and cozy seemed like a really good idea to me. Hole hopping with a windchill of 25 below gets to be tough.

Our meeting took place on the Horseshoe Chain of Lakes near Cold Spring, Minnesota. Our main goal was to target the channel catfish that roam these waters. If that turned sour, there were some crappie options we were aware of that could also be utilized.

Johnson was set-up and ready to go when I arrived on the lake. Although he had holes drilled out in the house, he said there had been very little catfish activity on the Vexilar screen. Because of this, we opted to do some hole hopping outside before the wind got any stronger.

With the aid of our electronics, we were able to determine there were several small pods of cats roaming in the area of the wheelhouse. Since catfish spook easily when holes are drilled, we punched a dozen in the general vicinity the fish were located in before we even dropped a line.

When fishing catfish, it is necessary to drop down each hole you have even if no fish are seen on the screen. Because the cats are moving constantly, the plan is to jig each hole in an effort to draw something in. If we didn’t see fish on the sonar in ten to fifteen minutes, we switched holes.

It quickly became apparent that the catfish were not in much of a mood for eating. When we did get fish to come into our hole, they would rise to the bait and sniff but not eat.

Since fishing was so tough, I opted to move a couple of hundred yards away to some deeper water to search for crappies. Again, the electronics helped pinpoint a loose cluster of fish and a location to start my endeavors.

It takes a long time to drop a crappie jig into 35 feet of water. Couple this with heavy wind and blowing snow that constantly clogged the hole, I soon found myself getting frustrated with the conditions. Even so, I did manage a few crappies before the fish dispersed.

When I arrived back at the fish house, Johnson had successfully brought a couple of cats through the ice. However, he was just as frustrated as I was with the ugly conditions outside. We migrated to the warmth of the house.

Being the manager of the Ice Team and director of the Clam Pro Staff, Johnson gets to spend considerable time on the ice. He also guides 25 to 30 days in the winter.

While warming our fingers, he talked about the need to educate anglers and help them become successful in the cold season. Education was a major part of his guiding philosophy.

Johnson also stressed mobility in the winter. Although he brought the house along on this outing, he prefers fishing in the open. Mobility helps a person stay on moving fish and pluck the most aggressive feeders out of a school.

It was late in the afternoon when we gave up. The house was cozy, but the fish activity was lacking. We both agreed there would be another day.

***Matt Johnson is the Manager of Ice Team, but also guides winter catfish on the Horseshoe Chain of Lakes. www.MattJohnsonOutdoors. com or find him at Matt Johnson Outdoors on Facebook.