MOBILITY = SUCCESS

As winter ice fishing progresses some tactics must be changed. Early in the season the action is fast and as the ice gets thicker and the days colder the fish tend to slow down and move. In fact, in most bodies of water mobility is crucial if you want to stay on fish. Never spend too much time in one place. When it requires some effort to make a move sometimes it’s just easier to sit and wait for the fish to come to you. With all the innovations in ice-fishing gear, making anglers more versatile and more mobile, it makes sense to have an attitude that will have you moving, searching for active fish. From first ice to last ice, you won’t see me in one spot for very long. One thing I focus on is packing as light as possible. The lighter you pack the easier it is to move, and you will move more often when lees work is involved. If I am not pulling my Fish Trap by hand covering the ice you will find me on my Ski Doo Expedition. In fact, my Snowmobile has a mounted Clam Drill 7” auger on the front, Fish Trap on the back loaded up with my rods, Mr. Heater, tackle and Vexilar. On the dash I have my Lowrance with a Navionics chip loaded in it. The key to ice fishing as it is in any fishing is location. This is where my Lowrance and my Navionics really help me find specific structure. For perch and other game fish, try long tapering points; inside channel turns; rock humps, neck downs, and structure near spring spawning areas. Use the sonar to spot fish. Try submerged brush piles and blow downs for crappie and bluegill. Watch the screen or flasher. You can actually see fish appear on a graph. Sensitive sonars track your lure so you can put it right in the fish’s face. I have seen a mark appear on the sonar screen while reeling in a lure. A pause and the mark moved closer to the bait. A twitch of the wrist brought a powerful strike. A heart-racing fight put a nice jumbo perch on the ice. Effective scouting may require drilling a lot of holes. If you fish a weedline early in the year it might take several holes to find the right area the fish are in, and of course they move along the weedline so it is important to stay with the fish as they cruise the shallows in search of food. What I try to do is to drill a series of holes along a particular structure. I will start shallow and drill a couple of holes about

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six feet apart. Then I will move along the break line of this structure until I reach a depth of about 22 feet or so. Depending on the weather I usually like to start in the shallow areas to see what type of activity is there first. Then I move along my series of holes until I reach a productive hole and the active depth. Jigging is the deadliest method of all, if done properly. Proper size, color selection and action all come into play. I like using a Clam Red Glow Drop Kick jig (#10) and the Drop Jig. I will tip one with Maki Mino (white) plastic and the other one with maggots. Another deadly method is a Drop Kick with a Silkie tipped with a plastic or maggots. Stay light with your line. I prefer to use 3-pound Frost metered orange line when targeting bluegills and crappies. My rod choice is the Scepter Stick. I like the 30” Noodle and the 28” Medium light action. Your lure selection might also have to change. The style and shape of the Clam Panfish Leech Flutter Spoon and the Ribbon Leech Flutter Spoon allows it to flutter as it falls. This will simulate a wounded minnow and turn those inactive fish into active ones. These types of lures have a swimming action, and they dart as they fall. This will give the fish the impression that minnows are darting and swimming towards them and escaping from them and it will trigger a response from those finicky walleyes. Remember to be conscience of the size of your bait. The old adage that the “larger the bait, the larger the fish,” will hold true, but if the fish turn off, try a smaller size and you might be surprised. In order to be mobile your equipment and your approach to ice fishing has to be constantly changing to search for active fish. Safety should not be taken lightly; it should be an intricate part of your mobile plan. Keep moving and locating fish and you will find that mobility does pay off when you are on the ice this year.

Remember ice is never 100% safe. For extra peace of mind, I wear my Ice Armor by Clam Rise Float suit with Motion Float technology and a set of Ice picks around my neck and having a good set of ice cleats is must. I like the Apex Ice Cleats by Korkers. I also carry a throwable boat cushion and 50’of rope for extra piece of mind in case you get in trouble.