Ice Fishing

swabs24 · #1 03-26-2021, 11:13 PM

Hello people, I am just posting this to vent but my first ice fishing season as an adult has been rough. In 10 trips I have managed to only catch two hammer handles on tip ups. I have been to wizard, pigeon, chip, spray and hasse. Is ice fishing typically this difficult to master or do I just have awful luck?

I have invested in an ion, a nice tent, sled and fish finder. I move around when I fish but I notice that fish rarely appear on the finder.

Anyway I still have a good time out there but I feel like it would be real neat if I where to catch something a tad more frequently. Any tips/advice would be appreciated. (I am one trip planned for this weekend, probably my last on hardwater which Edmonton area lake should I make my final stand on?)

Cheers
Nick

stubblejumper01 · #2 03-27-2021, 12:13 AM

When I go to a lake I haven’t fished before I will try to find hydrographic maps of the lake and look for structure as a starting point. Anglers Atlas has a good amount of lakes. When I get to the lake, I head for the area I think may be a a starting point and look for holes drilled by previous anglers. If it’s a lake you can keep fish I start at holes that have blood around them showing that someone has had success at this spot.
I will drill a few holes in a line from shallow to deep,6 - 10 holes. Then I will drop the camera down , taking care not to let it slam into the bottom and rotate it, looking for fish. If I see some fish I will start in that hole , and put down the appropriate bait for the fish seen in the hole. I will typically set a tip up and then start hitting the other holes with a jig , spoon or rattling rap or Kamooki swim bait. Move between the drilled holes.. If I catch one quickly I usually drill another hole about 3 feet from the hole and set up my camera and tent. Often I will drill another hole in line with the first 2 so I can see both baits on screen. Then set one rod in a holder and use various baits to try to attract fish. Sometimes they hit the jigged bait, sometimes the still one. If they just come in and look and bump it but not strike, I lay a jig and minnow on the bottom and leave it there. Often the less aggressive fish will ignore the jigged hook and pick up the one on the bottom.

capper · #3 03-27-2021, 07:27 AM

Ice fishing is hit and miss, definitely harder to find fish and have them bite on on those tough days. Keep at it, you will get them!

If it helps we were @ wab about a week ago. Walked 200yards straight out from sailing club and did great. Kids probably caught 20-30 in 3yrs. Just jigs and minnows. Nothing fancy. 10-12ft of water. Mostly smaller walleye but still lots of fun.

Good luck and keep at it.

JohnB · #4 03-27-2021, 09:36 AM

I got a flasher last year and it has been a game changer. Also lots of good tips on YouTube. The Fishing Docs Adventures always has some good tips.

opto55 · #5 03-27-2021, 10:20 AM

I feel your pain. I thought I knew how to fish but year has humbled me. Today is my last try.

swabs24 · #6 03-27-2021, 04:25 PM

Thanks for the advice guys

HuyFishin · #7 03-27-2021, 04:28 PM

dont get discouraged guys! keep trying be patient. Find a method that works for you and it will pay off.

trigger7mm · #8 03-27-2021, 05:33 PM

Ice fishing has certainly gone down hill from what it used to be years ago, but you can still do well if you don’t give up. Try talking to other anglers out there and ask for a few tips. I’m always happy to try to help out a inexperienced fisherman if I can, and maybe share a couple of lures to make his day better. I think most folks don’t want to give up their secrets, but if you do happen across the right guy, his advice can save you a lot of trial and error. Good luck.

3blade · #9 03-27-2021, 07:33 PM

Ice fishing is always hit and miss. Cold water equals less active fish. Focus on the good parts of the season - late feb burbot, early ice perch and whites, late ice northerns, or true cold water fish like trout. The feeding window for a walleye in January can be 10 min at either end of the day - makes for a lot of coffee filtering and sun tanning.

Worm · #10 03-27-2021, 07:50 PM

I find rather than trying multiple lakes its better to pick one lake that has good fish populations your after and learn it inside out. Takes time but once you do success rates go way up. Learn the structure so you know exactly where your drilling and can make efficient moves. Once I know it I start on the next lake. That's how I've always approached it.

Can be boring going to the same lake all the time though so I can also appreciate trying different water.

Sent from my SM-A715W using Tapatalk

Flyingfisher · #11 03-27-2021, 09:14 PM

I had a great year ice fishing. Caught a personal best pike and have had many delicious meals. I do like winter and frozen water, therefore I'm perfectly content staring at my surroundings even if I don't get a bite.

I would recommend concentrating on a lake or two and properly studying the maps (if they are available). Identify potentially productive areas and go from there. Adjust bait/presentation based on the outcome.

WayneChristie · #12 03-28-2021, 10:02 AM

I'm different from the run and gunning type ice fishers I prefer to find a promising area and set up, then I spend the day, the fish travel around looking for food so its a waiting game some days, others might be fast and furious. I've caught a lot of big fish after most people are leaving the lake. Noon time is also a good time I find. Personally I enjoy putting my feet up watching the fish camera and if it takes me all day for 1 big fish so be it, you may catch a few smaller ones or not but the thrill of hooking or hell, even seeing a 30 pound pike makes any wait feel a whole lot shorter. Big fish get big for a reason

swabs24 · #13 03-28-2021, 09:41 PM

Yeah I won't be giving up. For some reason with these outdoor pursuits the more I fail the more I end up wanting to get out there to figure it out. Sticking to one lake to learn it makes sense and the part about focusing on certain species during different times of year is also a good idea. I think I going to make my last trip to Wizard for northerns. I still had a good time out there even if i did leave hungry everytime.

Cheers to the coming of open water season

Nick

fisher69 · #14 03-29-2021, 11:45 AM

this was my first season ice fishing too, and i caught a lot of perch at two lakes, one whitefish at another lake, and i got a pike on the tip up but the line broke just as i almost had him. there was a few times i went out and didn't get a single thing all day, and sometimes thats just the way it goes. you just have to try and learn from your failures and successes and keep trying next year.

Sigmet · #15 03-29-2021, 12:52 PM

Wizard had been great this year, just use a white jig and a minnow and you'll do fine.

SNAPFisher · #16 03-29-2021, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swabs24

Yeah I won't be giving up. For some reason with these outdoor pursuits the more I fail the more I end up wanting to get out there to figure it out. Sticking to one lake to learn it makes sense and the part about focusing on certain species during different times of year is also a good idea. I think I going to make my last trip to Wizard for northerns. I still had a good time out there even if i did leave hungry everytime.

Cheers to the coming of open water season

Nick

It takes time as well. Keep exploring and putting in the time and you will be rewarded. I took a break from fishing and started again in 2001. 2002 was my first ice fishing season and it was similar to your experience. And I was fishing up in NB1 that has a lot more lakes to choose from. So that is 19 years now of built up experiences.

And this year I took a chance and explored a lot of new lakes which also paid off. The looking for the next best spot is something I continue to do every year.

Poppa · #17 03-29-2021, 03:19 PM

In 2015, I got back into ice fishing for the first time since about 1993, when I was just a kid. It was an absolutely BRUTAL learning curve, as we built up our arsenal of gear. We slowly acquired everything we need (and trust me, we needed all of it) and we watched hours, upon Hours upon HOURS of YouTube videos and are constantly learning from it. This year was our most successful, by far. It takes time, but if you're willing to put in the time on the ice (and all the research ahead of time) then it will pay off!!

sendmethem · #18 03-30-2021, 05:25 PM

Reading forums, learning on your own and you tube are all good approaches and resources. However, the best is tagging along with someone who knows what they are doing. Offer to pay for the gas, the sandwiches, the beer, whatever it takes. Get yourself on the ice with some seasoned hard water anglers. Fishing can be hot or cold and everything in-between but 5% of the anglers catch 95% of the fish as the saying goes. Spend a day with a 5%er and you will be off to the races.

Gbuss · #19 04-01-2021, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swabs24

Hello people, I am just posting this to vent but my first ice fishing season as an adult has been rough. In 10 trips I have managed to only catch two hammer handles on tip ups. I have been to wizard, pigeon, chip, spray and hasse. Is ice fishing typically this difficult to master or do I just have awful luck?

I have invested in an ion, a nice tent, sled and fish finder. I move around when I fish but I notice that fish rarely appear on the finder.

Anyway I still have a good time out there but I feel like it would be real neat if I where to catch something a tad more frequently. Any tips/advice would be appreciated. (I am one trip planned for this weekend, probably my last on hardwater which Edmonton area lake should I make my final stand on?)

Cheers
Nick

Ice fishing is probably one of the hardest things to do. But good on you for sticking it out. Sounds like you have all the right tools now it is time to learn how to use them. Structure is key in winter. Early ice shallow weed beds 5ft to 10 ft of water. Find were the line of weeds stop and fish that line. If you find that combined with a soft to hard gravel/rocky bottom you will find fish.

Mid winter the dog days. This is when the fish move out to deep structure. It found be a hump that goes from 10ft deep and drops down the 20 or even 30 feet deep. During the day fish will be deep then as the low light starts to set in they will move up to the top to feed. This is normal during Jan and feb.

Now march. March is the magical month. Fish will be coming off that deep structure and start feeding heavily for pre spawn. So finding those staging areas is key to success. Main lake points that move into spawning areas are key spots.

Now with this information up above it should help you find more fish. Also there is some great guys on this forum who post regularly to youtube that give lots of tips for fishing alberta waters. Rickelsfisher(I think I spelt that right) huyguy, buletoutdoors as well. As my self. I know i am a day late posting this but if you need help you can pm me and i can give you my email or even add you on facebook and share some information on lakes on were to go to be more successful.

Gbuss