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Be a better ice angler!

A veteran ice angler’s thoughts on ways to catch more fish this winter

 

My buddy Artie Arndt and I had an interesting phone conversation regarding ice fishing recently.  Artie owns a fish house rental business on Big Stone Lake on the Minnesota/South Dakota border, owns the local bait shop, and is the father of Tanner Arndt, one of the top winter and open-water fishing guides in that area of the Midwest.   

 

Suffice to say, Artie’s winters are dominated by ice fishing and he knows a thing or two about what it takes to be successful day in and day out on the ice.

 

Artie started by noting that Big Stone Lake’s perch population is at an all-time high, but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily always biting and easy to catch.  

 

“Early season is still the best,” Arndt offered initially.  “The fish haven’t been pressured, are hungry, and are usually pretty easy to catch.”  

 

Arndt then went on to offer an interesting, but “makes sense” thought.  “I’m not sure if I want to say the dumb fish get caught at early ice, but later in the year we see more fish that come up to the bait, sometimes aggressively, but don’t hit it as quickly or as enthusiastically,” Arndt said.  “When customers ask why, my response usually is something along the lines of the easy, aggressive, or dumb ones having already been caught!”

 

When I asked Artie how he and Tanner counter finicky fish, he offered two bits of advice.  “We constantly stay on the move looking for fresh fish and we really rely on small, finesse tungsten lures to get bit,” he said.  “When we have our houses on a hot bite, Tanner and our other guides are already scouting for the next school of unpressured fish so that we can react quickly if a spot goes cold.”

 

“And, early ice fish can often be caught on jigging spoons and minnows under bobbers, but a small tungsten (jig) tipped with a spike is often what it takes to get bites from the smart fish,” Artie continued.

 

Another thing Arndt doted on during our conversation was the need for mobility.  “If you come out here and are dead set on putting the house in one spot and leaving it there, you better get here early,” he said.  “The anglers who are most willing to move, have houses easy to move are usually the ones who end catching the most fish.”  

 

Another interesting thought Artie offered revolved around time of day for the best perch bite.  “That kind of changes, sometimes the bite peaks during the last hour of daylight, but often the first two or three hours of the morning are best, it all depends on the day” Arndt noted.  “One thing we do find consistent is that sunny days usually see more active fish than cloudy days.”

 

Arndt’s thoughts are obviously geared toward perch in particular and Big Stone Lake.  However, several of his ideas, particularly those about early ice, finding unpressured fish, and using finesse presentations are applicable in other situations too.  In fact, regardless the water you fish or your favorite fish species, some of Artie’s ideas can probably help you catch more fish this winter too!

 

If you’re interested in learning more about Arndt’s fish house rentals or guides, call (320) 839-2480.  For more information on the Big Stone Lake area visit the website www.bigstonelake.com   And, as always, remember to include a youngster in your fishing and other outdoor adventures!

 

Mike Frisch hosts the popular Fishing the Midwest TV series and is co-founder of the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s School of Fish.  Visit www.fishingthemidwest to see more from Mike and Fishing the Midwest.

 

Photo – Artie Arndt with an open-water Big Stone walleye.  Arndt is also a Big Stone winter expert!

 

Top Winter Panfish Destinations!

By Mike Frisch

Within short driving distance of my home in western Minnesota lie a couple top ice fishing destinations, particularly for those anglers who like chasing perch and crappies.  Here is a look at those two destinations and some tips for finding winter success this season!

Early ice Big Stone perch

Big Stone Lake located on the Minnesota/South Dakota border is a 26-mile long, 12,610-acre border water lake that has a booming perch fishery that offers anglers a top winter fishing option. 

Artie Arndt, Ortonville, MN native and local bait shop owner also operates a winter fish house rental business on Big Stone, a business that caters to perch anglers.  “Our big bluegills merit attention and last winter lots of walleyes were caught, but the perch are still king on Big Stone,” Arndt said when asked about winter fishing and this year’s outlook.  “And, the DNR saw a historic record number of perch and bluegills in this year’s test nets!” 

 “The great fishing often happens during the season’s first half, we still have good fishing later, but it can get tougher with more snow and pressure,” Arndt stated when discussing peak winter fishing times.

Arndt and his guides stay on the move constantly looking for the perch schools that roam the lake’s expansive basin.  “We spend most of our time on the lake’s south end, with the real key moving with the fish as they move,” Artie said.

Jigging spoons and other jigging baits will catch fish, but Arndt says tungsten jigs and spikes are key baits most days.  “Day in and day out it’s hard to beat tungsten tipped with spikes,” he offered.  “Our waters are clear, and that small profile and live bait combination is hard to beat.”

Information on fish house rentals and Big Stone fishing can be had by calling Arndt at (320) 839-2480.  Also, visit www.bigstonelake.com for more information on the Big Stone area.

Mid-winter Alexandria crappies

Lots of lakes in the Alexandria (MN) area have very good crappie populations.  Big lakes like Ida, Reno, and the Le Homme Dieu chain host good crappie numbers.  And, many smaller area lakes offer very good winter crappie fishing too.  This angler/author has spent considerable time chasing ice crappies in the area and the past couple winters rank among the best in recent memory for crappie fishing success.

Mid-winter crappies in many lakes often roam deep basins searching for food.  Lots of the basin areas I fish are in the 20- to 35- foot depth ranges.  Other lakes, however, have deeper basins where crappies can be found.

While winter crappies do roam, they often stay in the same general basin areas.    Anglers can often return to productive areas they found on prior trips, or in prior winters, and then drill holes to pinpoint fish. 

Drilling holes and using winter sonar is important to finding crappie-holding areas, but sonar also becomes very important once basin crappies are located.  Sonar allows anglers to see bottom, bait, and any fish approaching it.  This is especially important when fishing crappies as these fish are notorious for suspending in the water column and coming through at various depths.  Being able to “see” fish on sonar allows for quick bait adjustments to keep your offering at the fish’s level.

I have been using the FLX-20 Vexilar flasher with excellent success as it has all the features I need, is easy to use, and does a great job of showing crappies and my baits.

Finding basins holding fish and seeing them on sonar are two critical components to crappie success.  The final component is choosing the right bait presentations.  Small jigging spoons tipped with waxworms and small tungsten jigs fished on light line and tipped with “panfish” plastics will often lead to winter crappie success. 

If you are considering a trip to the Alexandria area this winter to sample the area’s good fishing, the following two websites offer information on the area, as well as regular fishing reports: www.explorealex.com  and www.alexandriamn.org.

Mike Frisch hosts the popular Fishing the Midwest TV series and is a co-founder of the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s School of Fish.  Visit Fishing the Midwest at www.fishingthemidwest.com to see more from Mike.

Photo -Perch and big bluegills are a big draw to Big Stone Lake in the winter!