Late ice slabs are starting!!!

Now is the time to get out looking for those slabs as the snow we have is melting adding oxygen to the water making the fish more active.You still need to be down sized,but instead of getting the slab to lift 2-3 ft. off of bottom they are chasing you 4-7 feet.I'll attach 3 photos to show you what I mean.
I'll get my limit of these for 3 weeks straight.
I cheat, that is I use an FL-8 flasher to see the fish.I use a spring bobber cut off to 3 " and tied to my pole. I drop my hand tied calftail 64th or 80th oz. jig to the fish. Once it gets within a few feet of the fish he becomes aware and starts to rise at it or turn around and get to the bottom to meet it only I stop and pull it away sayin you can't get me. Well he will take off and give chase. I'll raise to the thermo cline and wait watching my spring. The spring makes any downward move , set the hook!!! The locator shows you how they are reacting. If it is slow than get smaller or if they are fast moving then you can go bigger which helps to back down quicker .This is important if there are 3 fish and you can get down before they move you got another one . I do not use any live bait and have caught more fish than I ever did with minnows,waxeys,crawlers,leeches and so on.Late ice also means drilling alot of wholes. Run and gun is what we do always moving staying with the school.
The FL-8 are my eyes down there and it is so sensitive I can turn down my gain to get rid of unwanted interference caused by the other locators and still see my jig in 30 ft. of water. Plankton or other micro organisms will cause a signal that is hard to read through that the gain can dilute.
This little time we have left is about the best time for the monsters.
You need good line as you will run into all of the other species at this time.
Gear up and keep your stick in the ice!!

I caught my limits sat.&sun. 80% are over 12". The geese are flying and the snow is mostly gone so it is time.

Man those are some nice fish!!!! Are you fishing URL? I've was icefishing one time that was last year in Jan at LOW and we had a great time! I would like to go again someday, but I'll have to wait and see. :D

By the looks of the last pic, it looks like he is not fishing URL, but another lake. I might be wrong though, because those are some nice looking fish!!!

I am fishing Big Sandy\ Bell Horn Bay.I spent fri.sat.and sun. getting my limits.I'd say 18 of the 30 were over 12". It will pick up even better these last few weeks. I used to do U.R.L. to the tune of 12 trips a season ,but it has gotten so slow there that I saved the $40 in gas and end up with just as many or more beauty's then going all thre way up to U.R.L.
Big Sandy Lake is just north of McGregor 2 1/2 hours north of mpls northside.Give me a shout if you want to try them days800-358-0060 or nights 218-845-8801 I've got about 800 jigs all tied up. You need a ultra light rod tied up with a spring bobber and an FL-8. I'll show you how to be real deadly.
I had a 2 guy's proud of their minnow show up. I bet them I'd out fish them using 1 hole instead of 4 holes. It did not take them long to ditch the meat and hang the hook and hair in front of the mighty slab. I won the bet and now they said "you changed my life".Well I told them no one is teaching finese and so they were just ignorant. Now they are practicing the lift and paying attention to how the fish reacts to the offering. I overheard them giggling like a couple of school girls getting fish that used to swim away on them.I never try to beat a guy up ,but sometimes it is best to put the proof in the pudding. Slabs in a pile is what I mean so come out to see for yourself. It will be worth the trip,I promise. It took me years to put it all together,so I can save you all of that time. Nothing gets me going like a few mules in the moring and you will almost always be able to cull your limit.Thanks for the interest.
Keith
P.S. I'll be posting more slabs as they come over the next 3-4 weeks.
& then 4 days after ice out I'll be sending in more as the little hair jig is deadly then too when nothing else works,not waxeys,worms,minnows,leaches,flu-flus.NOTHING!!

I'll be posting more. What a great time for a tan.Late ice is the best!!

Well Gentlemen it is friday with a full weekend of ripping slabs ahead.YEEEEEHAAAAAAAA!!! The warm temps should get alot of melted water down into the lake adding much needed oxygen.. That really gets the fish moving. There is a hatch happening too ,because the tullibees are full of bugs so it is time. You guys should get out these last couple of weeks. We can still drive trucks out, but by next weekend you'll be on foot or 4 wheelers.