News & Stories

The New Ice Rod!

By Mike Frisch

While walking down the aisles recently of the local bait shop, I couldn’t help but be somewhat astonished by all the ice rod models available!  This experience had me thinking back to my ice fishing trips with my Dad and brother as a kid and the ice rods we used.  

Our ice fishing rods “back in the day”  were basically wood pieces that resembled narrower and shorter broom handles.  They had a couple of pegs a few inches apart that held the fishing line and what appeared to be the sharp end of a nail stuck out one end of each rod.  

We used these rods by unwinding the line from the pegs, tying on a lure, and then sliding the lure and the line down the fishing hole.  We usually fished minnows on hooks or on jigs beneath bobbers.  And, Dad would occasionally remind us to “jig up” the bobber to give the lure and bait some action that would hopefully attract fish!  

When the bobber slid under the water, indicating a biting fish, we would make sure enough line was off the peg to the let the fish “run” and take the bait.  After a few moments, we’d slowly pull up the slack line until we felt the weight of the fish and then give a quick, upward pull to set the hook.  If we hooked the fish,  we hand-over-handed to pull the line and fish up and through the hole.  And, somewhat amazingly, we caught fish! 

But my, how things have changed!

Today, though fish still get caught using bobbers, spoons and glide bait lures fished using various jigging methods rule amongst the ice angling crowd.  And, we often use fast action ice jigging rods that resemble mini versions of their longer open-water counterparts to effectively work these baits.  

Like summer rods, the shorter ice jigging versions are often made of premium graphite, feature top quality guides, and have comfortable, sensitive grips too.  Because winter jigging is a game of “feel,” premium graphite rods can boost your successes because they’re lightweight and very sensitive.  My favorites are the Dave Genz Legacy models made of top components that come in models specifically designed for using various lure styles when jigging for walleyes and crappies, two of my favorite winter targets.

Quality jigging rods used to present jigging spoons and other lures are fun to fish with and often add to the catch when targeting walleyes and crappies.  When bluegills or perch are targeted, however, anglers switch to smaller, lighter jigs to tempt bites.  And, lighter lures often fish best on rods featuring spring bobbers.  

The spring bobber is a small spring in the rod’s tip that visually “gives” or bends to a biting fish, making it easy to see when a panfish takes a light bait.  Some rods come with built-in spring bobbers, though spring bobbers can be purchased separately and added to other rods. Without a spring bobber, sensing light bites on light jigs can be difficult.   The Scepter Stick line of rods has a couple of quality, affordable spring bobber rods that work very well for light jigs and panfish and are my favorites.

Ice fishing remains one of my favorite winter activities.  While we caught fish back in the day when I was a kid, today’s jigging lures often put even better catches on the ice.  And, using a quality jigging rod with some of the features just mentioned, makes ice fishing more fun and more successful.   As always, enjoy your time on the ice and remember to include a youngster in your next fishing trip!

Mike Frisch hosts the popular Fishing the Midwest TV series.  Visit www.fishingthemidwest  to see more fishing tips and view recent TV episodes as well!

Photo – The author used a quality ice jigging rod to land this winter walleye.  A jigging approach utilizing the right rod can put more winter fish on the ice.

KEEP MOVING FOR ICE-FISHING SUCCESS

by Bob Jensen

As the ice on lakes and ponds gets thicker across the ice fishing belt, our ice-fishing tactics should change for more ice fishing success.  Early in the year, when the ice was thin, a more stationary approach was usually more productive.  Fish under thin ice can detect movement better, and movement from above can spook them.  The angler that sits on a good spot and doesn’t move much will often be more successful early in the ice season.

As the ice gets thicker and snow gets deeper on top of the ice, an angler’s movement isn’t as much of a consideration.  Thicker ice and deeper snow on the ice limit a fish’s ability to see what’s going on above.  An angler’s movements probably won’t spook the fish much if at all.  For the next few weeks, even until the end of the ice fishing season, the anglers that move the most will increase their odds for ice fishing success.  

Now is when some of the most successful anglers on the ice implement a plan that they often refer to as “trolling on ice”, or “hole-hopping”.  They drill holes on a structure at various depths and locations and move quickly from hole to hole.  Electric augers like the K-Drill are very lightweight, so drilling holes in a large area is a simple and quiet task.  These anglers keep moving, just like you would when trolling open water in a boat.

Or, they might not be fishing structure.  Sometimes big flat areas are home to roaming schools of fish, mostly perch and crappies, but also walleyes and pike in some lakes.  If this is the case, “hole-hopping” anglers pop a bunch of holes on a more random basis and again, they just keep moving.

This trolling on ice can be as complex as you want it to be.  With GPS and mapping chips and such, it’s possible to go right to a structure and be very close to the area on the structure that you’re looking for.  You can start drilling holes near or on the exact spots that you think will hold fish.  Or you can employ the strategy that many of us have used for a long time.  Use shoreline markings or your memory to find the spot that you’re looking for.  Your sonar will reveal when you’ve found the fish. It will certainly take longer, but that method still works.

Now that you’ve got holes drilled in the area to be fished, it’s time to drop a bait.  Although we won’t be spending much time at any hole unless we see fish, it still works well to move from hole to hole pulling your portable shelter.  You can carry all your equipment in the portable.  By having all your equipment in the shelter, you can explore nearby areas when you get to the end of your “trolling” run.  Also, they’re a lot more comfortable to fish from and they provide a windbreak when needed.  The folks at Clam are the pioneers and leaders in creating portable shelters.  They have units with features that will appeal to any angler who wants to “troll” on the ice.

As we move from hole to hole, we’re going to let our sonar unit tell us how long we should stay at that hole.  Drop a bait and if nothing shows up in a few minutes, move to the next hole.  Some anglers give the fish a couple minutes to show up, others wait maybe five or ten minutes for a fish to reveal their presence.  It seems like the most successful anglers do the most moving this time of year. 

Many ice anglers have learned how to determine a fish’s attitude by watching the sonar.  If a fish comes in quickly and eats the bait, they’re aggressive.  If they come in slowly and look at the bait carefully, they’re not so aggressive.  Modify your lure choice and action by the way the fish behave.  If they don’t want to eat what you put down there, continue your “trolling pass”.  Move to a different hole.   If you keep moving on the ice this time of year and until the end of the ice fishing season, your chances for ice fishing success will greatly improve.

Photo Caption-This father/son team “hole-hopped” in search of perch.  They found some nice ones.

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