Thread: Ice fishing, gotta try it again

Yea I'm nuts that happens when you sit in the house too much!!
I gotta get another job, nothing scheduled yet for the year

Originally Posted by rugsrme

Yea I'm nuts that happens when you sit in the house too much!!
I gotta get another job, nothing scheduled yet for the year

Attaboy Rugs, you are my hero.

Originally Posted by rugsrme

Yea I'm nuts that happens when you sit in the house too much!!
I gotta get another job, nothing scheduled yet for the year

I'm saving up for the new carpet and tile, Rugs.

Does everyone know that you are the official MO CDC flooring installer?

Originally Posted by rugsrme

Yea I'm nuts that happens when you sit in the house too much!!
I gotta get another job, nothing scheduled yet for the year

Good luck with both Rugs!

I need some kitchen flooring installed Rugs!! If ya were just a little
closer!!!!

I don't want to talk about it
Ok, I'll stop crying, Earl caught a bullhead, his friend Dale caught about 15 little blue gills they were using worms. I stuck with my jigs, nibbles and slab sauce, stubborn I guess.
It was really pretty out with the snow pouring down, and the temps were pretty fair 11-15 deg, pretty warm compared to yesterday.

ice fishing small ponds is easy. Start with tiny jigs, no larger than 1/80 I prefer tear drops, fool with the colors to find what the fish like. Tip the jigs with wax worms, meal worms, mousies and red worms would work fine as well. Light line and I mead light, 6lb is the absolute heaviest, 4lb is my preference. If you aren't using a spring bobber on your rod find the smallest foam bobbers you can, I prefer bobber as depth is critical and much easier to maintain that way. Start out about a foot off the bottom and work from there, fish will tend to be fairly deep. The two things to keep in mind is ponds and lakes that have horrible visibility will be a ton clearer when covered with ice and fish are much less aggressive under ice (I think they shy away from large baits thinking smaller bait is an easier target). Our family pond back home which normally has about 3 foot visibility froze compeltely clear ice and I could see the bottom in 12 foot of water one year. Kinda neat though. I could look off to the side of the hole and see fish coming to the bait. If you are catching small fish move deeper, if they are on the bottom drill another hole about 5 to 6 feet away towards deeper water and start about the same distance from the bottom as you were catching the smaller fish.

Originally Posted by Redneck

ice fishing small ponds is easy. Start with tiny jigs, no larger than 1/80 I prefer tear drops, fool with the colors to find what the fish like. Tip the jigs with wax worms, meal worms, mousies and red worms would work fine as well. Light line and I mead light, 6lb is the absolute heaviest, 4lb is my preference. If you aren't using a spring bobber on your rod find the smallest foam bobbers you can, I prefer bobber as depth is critical and much easier to maintain that way. Start out about a foot off the bottom and work from there, fish will tend to be fairly deep. The two things to keep in mind is ponds and lakes that have horrible visibility will be a ton clearer when covered with ice and fish are much less aggressive under ice (I think they shy away from large baits thinking smaller bait is an easier target). Our family pond back home which normally has about 3 foot visibility froze compeltely clear ice and I could see the bottom in 12 foot of water one year. Kinda neat though. I could look off to the side of the hole and see fish coming to the bait. If you are catching small fish move deeper, if they are on the bottom drill another hole about 5 to 6 feet away towards deeper water and start about the same distance from the bottom as you were catching the smaller fish.

Very good info .

well this is the way that I figure it, saying I am a novice fishing large reservoir crappie would be a compliment but I have done quite a bit of pond ice fishing growing up. First time I went I was 6 months old, Dad wanted to go and Mom wanted a break from the kids (I am the youngest of five). So I figure if there is a chance for me to pass on info to the guys that have been helping me it is the least that I can do.

Here are some things I forgot that might help as well
1. If you have a friend out with you (which I always prefer, much more fun and safer especially on the ice) spread out to find the fish faster
2. Drill two holes each and a rod in each hand. More rods = more bait = better odds and a double can be a ball.
3. Make sure that you and your buddies all use different colors unless you already know the bite, keep in mind fish under ice seem to get really finnicky.
4. Spread out (you and your buddies) unless the bite really picks up in one spot. Once it picks up crowd up but try and maintain about 4 feet minimum.
Otherwise you could be dealing with tangled lines pretty quick, bluegill are infamous of swimming in a circle as you bring them in.
5. If the bite is slow move, if it is steady trust your gut (it can still fill a bucket pretty quick)/
6. 5 gallon buckets are a great thing for ice fishing, they hold your poles to and from and while moving on the ice, hold your catch and a good chair.
7. Plastic chew/snuff cans make great tackle boxes and bait boxes. Ice fishing tackle is incredibly small so you can fit a lot into a chew can.
8. ALWAYS keep your bait in an inside pocket. This keeps your bait lively. Don't ask me why but you can have your bait out in the air and it will die in
no time but it will survive 10 times longer if that cold water, maybe it is just me but it always seemed that way.
9. Mittens are best for this, keeps your hands warmer and they are easier to slip on/off to handle fish and tackle.
10. Grandpa always swore that re-drilling a hole dulled auger blades. I never saw any proof in it but I have been stuck with a dull auger and it sucks.
So I listened.
11. Snow covered ice is dangerous. The snow acts like an insulator, slowing down the freezing process.
12. If you hear a loud popping in the ice ans dee a large crack forming don't freak out. It always has a distinctive echo/reverb. I can't describe it but
you will know it when you hear it. Don't freak out but keep your eyes open. Pond edges are usually where the weakest ice is. I have been through
the ice in waist deep water when I was 12, bad edge and there weren't any of the usual warning signs. That was a horrific feeling, I think it took
my cajones a year to drop back where they belonged the shrunk up so fast. Went back to granpa's, took a hot shower and changed clothes, back
on the same ice within an hour. Needless to say I love Ice fishing.