GOZILLA GILLS

from Ice Team Digital Magazine | February 2022

FINDING THE FISH

another thing. This time all my jig I’VE LEARNED FOR SURE WHEN IT COMES TO FISHING ADVICE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR ABOUT HOW TO CATCH A FISH CAN CONTRADICT EVERYTHING YOU DO TO CATCH A FISH. changing to find the right color and style paid off. After numerous changes from horizontal to vertical, and red to gold, I instantly found out they were willing to strike at a gold bomb spoon tipped with Maggots, catching multiple 10-inch bluegills in a short period, whereas before I was rejected. This year the Woman Ice Angler Project went to the U.P. Michigan in search of giant slab crappies only to find Godzilla blue gills! I’m not sure what I prefer a bunch of 14-inch crappies or a bunch of 10-inch plus bluegills, but both are a wonderful gift from the fish gods! The reality of it is there wasn’t an infant abundant of both, in fact one Sunday I sat there all day and all I caught was a 10 3/4-inch blue gill! My personal best! And I have to say “hell ya it was worth it!” I mean if you’re taking a chance on whether the fish are going to bite or not it may as well be a big one, you’re waiting for right! Every fishing outing, I learn something, whether I remember is After the bite slowed down and I didn’t even see any fish anymore, I changed over to a gold and green Rattle’n blade spoon to create some noise to call them in, and it worked! More 10-inch gills! I was in haven. But that was 2 days before the day I had to wait for my PB blue gill, so going in with a gold Rattle’n blade spoon and bomb didn’t work, I had to do the whole switcharoo to see what they would do all over. It ended up being a red glow drop kick with a white Silki tipped with maggots, but out of many lookers only one fish wanted it. I’ve learned for sure when it comes to fishing advice everything you hear about how to catch a fish can contradict everything you do to catch a fish. It’s very frustrating when you can see fish on your Vexilar but they just won’t to take your bait, but switching your presentation in every way if necessary can get those fish to bite. Basically, you need to have as many different colors as possible and styles of jigs in your fishing arsenal if you don’t want the fish to keep swimming right by your hook. And by the way there were some nice crappies caught, most in that 13-to-14-inch range, just not by me this time.

STAND YOUR GROUND.

APEX

The most convenient way to ensure your tailbone won’t meet that hellaciously hard ice, just strap the Apex Ice Cleat on, grab your auger and start punching holes knowing there’s no ice condition these babies can’t sink their teeth into.