Ice Fishing Bait
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When it comes to ice fishing bait, there is such a wide array of choices it can seem to be overwhelming and hard to decide exactly what to select. The point of this post is to ferret out what each type is used for and I will interject in some of my personal preferences and hands on history into the mix. At the end, hopefully you have a good understanding of what exactly works and doesn’t and how to best approach your time on the hard water to best utilize your ice fishing gear.
Worm Like Ice Fishing Bait
I am going to lump a lot of bait into this very general, broad ranging category. With this I am talking about wax worms, spikes, silver wigglers, mousies (spikes, silver wigglers and mousies are all forms of maggots for those interested) and the like. The idea behind this bait is to emulate a wiggling organism that drives fish (specifically panfish ) crazy and ready to strap on the feed bag. When ice fishing crappie I always have some of these baits available to use at a moment’s notice. This is a very small presentation and can be used to downsize just about any presentation you are using trying to catch fish. I have caught a wide variety of fish with my particular favorite of these “worm like” baits, the wax worm. From crappie to sunfish to bullheads to perch to rock bass it has worked really well for me over the years. I have even caught a 20” walleye using a wax worm on the end of a Frostee Jigging Spoon. The spike is a similar type bait and comes in several colors depending on what they have fed it. Red and blue are popular colors with spikes. Another similar type of worm is the bloodworm. I have found these baits to be especially effective right around dusk as I think it emulates organisms coming from the bottom about that time to feed on the zoo plankton.
The key differences between the worm types is generally the size as well as the sturdiness. The wax worm is often the largest of the bunch and also the least durable. The spikes are tough and people like them due to their excellent durability, but they often kind of lose their insides when they get punctured. The most common method of attaching these baits to the hook is by T-boning them, or basically hooking them right in the middle. This allows for a great wiggle when you are trying to finesse that fish to bite.
Minnows For Ice Fishing Bait
Nothing beats live minnows often when it comes to ice fishing. They swim around and drive the fish nuts. They work especially well under a dead stick or ice fishing bobber not to mention their almost exclusive use under an ice fishing trap. Minnows come in many sizes, colors and shapes, but the most common used are the crappie minnow, the shiner, the sucker minnow and the fathead. For sure there are several other varieties, but these tend to be the most common. When it comes time to match the minnow to the fish you are targeting, in general match the size of the minnow to the size of the fish you are attempting to catch. For ice fishing northern pike, a live sucker minnow or shiner below a tip up can be a deadly combination. This setup would not work at all for crappie, however. They require crappie minnows and often you want to try and find the smallest of the small crappie minnows to really get them biting. The walleye is an interesting fish , because there are times when a large minnow like shiner works great, but I have had much success on the ice using a small crappie minnow to catch them in bulk. Don’t be afraid to downsize minnow sizes when it comes to walleye.
When it comes to rigging minnows, there are several methods that work well. Hooking the minnow just behind its dorsal or top fin works great to keep the minnow lively. Cutting the head off is a great technique that can work wonders when the bite slows or the fish appear finicky. Don’t be afraid to leave a little bit of the guts hanging out to keep the scent strong. There are also times when a completely dead minnow is the ticket. A dead sucker minnow or smelt under a tip up can work amazingly well for ice fishing pike. Keeping a few in your freezer if you don’t use them all in a given outing is often a good idea.
When it comes to ice fishing, there are many ways to skin the proverbial cat. Don’t be afraid to try different tactics while out wielding your ice fishing rod, the differentiation can be just the thing that makes you a great success and all your fellow anglers failures. Use the above guide to navigate your way through ice fishing bait and find a combination that puts more fish on the ice for you this winter.
Ice Fishing Bobbers
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It is time to break out the ice fishing gear again as the hard water fishing season is once again upon us. To that end it is time to put away much of the soft water fishing accessories we have grown accustomed to and make way for our specialized ice fishing tackle. When it comes to winter vs. summer fishing perhaps nothing is more drastic of a difference that ice fishing bobbers.
Ice Fishing Bobbers To Match The Old School Cork Bobber
If we are to look at the old school methods of bobber fishing, perhaps nothing is more well known than the standard, stationary red/white bobber. This works great for casting to a relatively shallow depth for fishing and the weight helps to allow for castability. In the winter, we don’t need the casting portion and it often helps to be more subtle and alert the fish as little as possible. For those reasons a small bobber is really appreciated in these situations. While you could just use a small standard bobber from your open water tackle box, a tried and true method used by ice fishermen is the foam bobber with a toothpick to set the depth. This is a low cost solution to attaching a bobber to your ice fishing rod.
Ice Fishing Bobbers To Mimic The Versatility Of The Slip Bobber
For those that want a higher tech solution the slip bobber really is hard to beat in the summer. In the open water you really need a bobber that allows you to cast the line a ways and move steadily towards your desired depth. An adjustable depth is often very important to ensuring that you can easily change where you are fishing and what depth you are targeting. The key difference in this case is the casting portion when it comes to ice fishing vs. open water fishing. Ice fishing will never require any casting. To that end, we are allowed a little bit of flexibility in terms of the bobber staying on our line. The other key difference here is of course the temperature. In the open water we don’t need to worry about the water freezing to the line and screwing up our bobber system. To that end, the small holes in the slip bobber are really poorly suited to an ice fishing application. It is far better to go with the foam “ice buster” bobber for your ice fishing travels. This ingenious bobber solution has a large hole in the bottom of the bobber which is heavily resistant to the freezing water prevalent in the winter months and still allows for the same depth variability of the slip bobber. The foam bobber can be shortened to a length that allows for the bobber to be almost exactly neutrally buoyant and nearly undetectable to the fish below that are taking your bait. The same slip knot system as the open water slip bobber rig is used, so this allows for the same terminal tackle to be used in both instances.
Thankfully through the years the ice fishing enthusiasts have developed great ice fishing specific alternatives for attaching a bobber to your line. Gone are the days of struggling with our open water applications that just don’t work that well in the winter with its specific weather and fish mentality limitations. When it comes to ice fishing bobbers, there is no reason to be stuck with your open water bobber options on the ice.
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