Targeting Specific Fish Species | Modern Ice Fishing Gear

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When the month turns to March in Minnesota visions of catching your limit of walleye or spearing that impressive northern pike are a thing of the past. The season has closed on these species and you no longer can target them or keep them. Thankfully that doesn’t have to mean the end of the ice fishing season for you. In addition to the fun and fast activity that panfish and perch present (they are open year round) another fun fish to target is the tullibee so don't put away your ice fishing gear yet! Or at least that is what it is most often refered to as, but it is really a Cisco and a member of the whitefish family.

ice-fishing-tullibee Tullibee are great fighters and willing eaters during the correct periods of the year. You rarely hear of anyone catching them besides late ice in Minnesota and a lot of times at first it is while people are targeting perch. And truth be told, perch and tullibee at this time of year do share the same feeding grounds in many lakes. On Lake Mille Lacs which is a popular ice fishing destination, the mud flats on the middle west part of the lake are a prime example. The mayfly hatch has begun in earnest around these times and the perch and tullibee are taking notice. Clustered together in impressive numbers to feed on the new hatchlings, perch and tullibee are strapping on the feedbag. And for ice fisherman this is a good thing.

If you can place an offering where they are feeding you can catch them in quick order. Such was the case this year in February and March up on lake Mille Lacs for me. The first key (which is the key for all my ice fishing it seems) is to be willing to move. Punch a bunch of holes. And I mean 15-20. Drop your ice fishing flasher down there and checking to see if anything is down there. Keep moving and looking until you find some fish. If you don’t catch any for a while don’t be afraid to move. On a recent trip I moved from 8 mile flat to 7 mile flat and finally to Seguchi flat before I found fish. Don’t be afraid to avoid the crowds and find your own spot. In fact both times we really got into them we were off by ourselves at least 50 yards from

There's not much better than smoked tullibee.

the closest fisherman. Target deep water (30-35 feet was where we found the most active fish) and look for irregularities in the bottom structure to find where fish will congregate. Points and inside turns are known holders of fish, but don’t be afraid to simply find a slope that drops from the top of the flat to deeper water and punch holes up and down the slope.

As I said, keep moving until you find the fish. However, once you do our experience was that you could fish that same hole for a few hours a really hammer them. Once you find an active pod of fish you will have steady action for a while. Presentation is important, but really the spot is important. Our best lures were jigging spoons with small treble hooks. It is important to remember that tullibee have small mouths, so make sure you hooks are small. I was using my standard Lindy Frostee Jigging Spoon in the 1/16 ounce size and the treble hooks on them were perfect. We found similar results with the small Forage Minnows. A spring bobber really helps detect the strikes which can be hard, but usually are more of a pull at your line. Once you detect that hit simply hammer them with a strong hook set and reel them in. If you tie into a nice one you will be in for a good fight. Even the small ones fight well.

Here is a quick video I found that shoes a person catching a tullibee through the ice. Thought it was helpful:

One of the great reasons to fish for tullibee is for the great table fare that they afford. Most people are very fond of smoking tullibee, and they are great that way, but don’t be afraid to check out some other great tullibee recipes that are out there. If you are ever in doubt of how to cook them search for whitefish recipes because they are very similar in makeup.

Ice Fishing Crappie

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Crappie is a species of freshwater fish in the Pomoxis, or sunfish, family. Individuals of this species are rather small, averaging about ten inches in length and one pound in weight. It is a popular game fish, and is considered one of the tastiest of all freshwater species. Because Crappie are more active during the winter than most fish species, ice fishing crappie is a popular past time on the hard water.

The most important factor in the success of an ice fishing expedition for Crappie is location. While it is a common species, some bodies of water are much more heavily populated with Crappie than others, and some areas within he same pond or lake will be much more productive than others. Early in the winter, they like to stay in shallower water, but as the season progresses, oxygen levels will decrease and the fish will be forced into deeper waters. Crappie populations like to return to the same hot spots every year, so if you find a good spot this year, chances are that it will be just as good next winter.

Crappie usually eat smaller fish, including juveniles of species that eat Crappie as adults, but they have a diverse diet, and have also been known to eat zooplankton, insects, and crustaceans. Because of their diverse diet, there are many different types of lures that are effective for fishing them, but the best lures seem to be plastic with jig heads. Other popular ice fishing gear for fishing Crappie include crank baits and live minnows. The process of dumping large amounts of live bait in an area in order to attract fish, known as chumming, has been reported to be effective at attracting Crappie. Since they are more active at night than during the day, the best time to fish for Crappie is early morning or dusk.

In the winter, Crappie usually stay between fifteen and thirty feet under the ice, but they have been known to roam to both shallower and deeper depths. Schools of Crappie develop favorite feeding locations and return to them daily, so if you can find one of these hot spots, you should stay there for a long time. You will know when it’s time to move on from a hot spot when you suddenly stop catching fish in that area. This means that the food in that spot has been depleted and the Crappie have stopped going there.

Of all the species of game fish that are commonly targeted by ice fishermen, Crappie is perhaps the best suited for using electronic equipment to enhance the ice fishing experience. The Crappie that are suspended in the middle of the water column are most likely to bite, and these are coincidentally the easiest to detect with a fishing sonar system. Using sonar equipment to detect schools of Crappie can not only pinpoint where in the lake you should drill your ice hole, but can also indicate the depth of the school. This is important information because Crappie are much more likely to notice lures above them than below, so you will get more bites if you know how deep the fish are, because you can then position your jig a few feet above them. When ice fishing crappie, a good way to attract the Crappie’s attention is to pull the bait above the school and drop it back down amongst them.

Ice fishing Tullibee

Ice Fishing Crappie

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