Ice fishing Tullibee
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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.
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.
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