Not Your Usual Ice Fishing Tips and Techniques


We've all read and heard of the latest ice fishing tips that supposedly net a ton of fish, but fish have been known to adapt and the latest tips don't always work. By falling into a routine when ice fishing you will notice that you get less and less bites all the time. If you've noticed this has happened to you, then try changing things up with the following techniques:

Line Twist For Presentation
Fisch can become accustomed to jigs moving in an up and down motion, which is what most anglers do. Switch this up by holding the line between your index finger and thumb. Then roll or twist the line between your fingers causing the jig to spin in the water while remaining at the same depth. Fish respond especially well to this technique in shallow water.

Vertical to Horizontal
Style and color are important factors of an ice jig. Most anglers are accustomed to using a tear-dropped shaped jig that hangs vertically in the water, but when fish stop biting these jigs, switch to one that hangs horizontally such as a Jammin' Jig Bobber Fry. This is another way to present your bait in a different, but natural way.

Bait to Lures
While live bait is agreat choice, sometimes you need t ogive that up for a good lure. Bluegills and other fish have been known to, at times, tire of live bait. To cure this problem, switch to a tiny 1/80 round head jig with a sliver of plastic or hair hooked on it. The plastic or hair tails of these jigs move and shake with even the slightest movement of the rod tip. These jigs are also great search jigs and perform well in clear water.

Looking Down the Hole
This approach is great for learning how fish respond to various baits and jigging techniques. It is also an excellent way to take larger bluegill, perch and suspended crappie. Big bluegills have a way of hovering in front of a bait for several seconds before inhaling it and then quickly spitting it out. Since this happens so quickly and barely moves the line, a fixed float or even a spring bobber will often not detect this type of bite. One's only hope of catching these fish is to be looking down the hole and setting the hook once the fish inhales the jig. This tip also works great for suspended crappies. In both cases, brightly colored jigs that hang horizontally work best since they are visible at greater depths and in stained water.

Bottom Bouncing
An excellent way to add a few more fish to the bucket is to allow the jig to bounce off the bottom of the lake, called bottom bouncing. Dangle the feed within a few inches of the bottom. By allowing the jig to bounce off the bottom, the small cloud of bottom debris and sound created by this action will attract fish from a distance. At certain times, it is even more productive to allow the jig to hit the bottom and then lie at rest on the bottom. To use this approach, a spring bobber is helpful. The jig should just barely rest on the bottom of the lake, with enough of the jig's weight on the spring bobber to hold it half way down. When a fish takes the bait, it will typically rise with the jig and cause the spring bobber to go up.

Chum
To gain an advantage over other ice anglers, try chumming. Take some wax worms, spikes, or minnows, crush them and drop them down the hole. This trick will not only attract more fish to one's area but will also get fish feeding more aggressively.

Change Sizes
When fish are docile and not biting, instead of changing colors, try changing the size of your jig. This tip works both ways - switching from a smaller to a larger jig and from a larger to a smaller jig.

Set the Rod Down
When fishing with a spring bobber rod, a simple way to catch a couple extra fish is to set the rod down and allow the bait to sit motionless. Even if you think that you can hold the rod totally motionless in your hand, place the rod down on the ice or in a rod stand to catch a few more fish.

Change Your Line
For deep water fish, do not use ultra light monofilament line. Two pound test or lighter monofilament line has so much stretch that it can be difficult to detect light bites or to set the hook in depths greater than 20 feet deep. The key to catching more fish in deep water is to use a super line. PowerPro makes a line with the diameter of one pound test monofilament but with the strength of eight pound test. In addition, PowerPro line has nearly no stretch and is extremely abrasion resistant.

Put A Cover On That Hole
In shallow water, cover the hole with ice shavings to block out the light from hitting the water. This applies in both clear and murky water lakes. In murky water, the use of a glow in the dark jig also works well with this approach.