There are many aspects of fishing that make it enticing to anglers. Fishing can be relaxing, exciting, surprising, and everything in-between. One of the beauties of fishing is that it can be simple, just a hook, a line, and a rod. Ice fishing can be the same way: drill a hole, bait a line, and send it on down. If you use a tip up, you don’t even need a rod nor reel! Ice fishing can be as simple as you wish it to be…but today it won’t be! We’re going to make it complicated, and dive into some of the aspects of ice fishing that many anglers overlook!
Silent Night (And Season)
One of the most important aspects to consider about ice fishing, is that the lake is literally quiet. There are no waves rolling across the lake. There are not boat motors running from spot to spot. The sprawling vegetation has died and turned to a brown mush. Everything that brought the lake life in the summer months is gone. The lake is quiet, clear, and even at times silent. This means that when the lake is frozen, the details really matter!
First let’s talk specifically about the water itself. If there is one thing we can count on in South Dakota, it’s the wind. Your cell service, wifi, even that day old pizza at the gas station-those can be questionable! The wind, not so much. During open water season, whether it’s four foot rollers or just a little ripple the water is constantly moving. This means several things to the inhabitants below.
The most important aspect, especially related to walleye anglers, is light penetration. The sun may be shining, but if the waves are rolling those of you who paid attention in physics class would tell you that diffraction (I got a B in Physics 101 so you can probably take my word on it) means the light is not reaching the bottom, or at least not near as much as what we experience above the waves. This is why a “walleye chop” often means good fishing all day, because down below the light intensity is at a level walleye are both comfortable and prefer to feed at.
I’ve never seen waves on ice, well at least ice that was safe to fish on, which means that the walleye chop days are no more. The one factor we could count on to get the bite going is eliminated. More unfortunately, the wind still doesn’t stop-it just makes us colder! This means anglers need to pay even more attention to detail when it comes to light conditions.
To complicate this situation even more (notice this is really what this article is about!), many of the sediment that has been stirred up by these winds has now settled at the bottom of the lake. With no wind driving waves into the shoreline, the mudlines are no more. In fact, to even further complicate the matter, algae and other suspended particles that had been relying on photosynthesis have also left the equation. This means that many lakes that may have been stained, or otherwise dirty in the summer, are now gin clear.
Let’s take a moment to catch up here. The water is now the clearest it will be all year. The element of wind is completely negated. Lastly, considering all of these factors and the lack of boat traffic, running water through inlets/outs, and other elements common in summer it is quite literally quiet underneath the surface. What does this mean for the detail-oriented ice angler?
A Slow Time to Be a Fish
Well, for starters, we actually just answered our own questions. Every little detail is going to matter. The fish will never have a better look at your presentation. There’s no waves, there’s no moving vegetation, there’s minimal suspended particles in the water, and more importantly winter is a slow time to be a fish they’re in no hurry to bite. They have every reason to really scrutinize your presentation, which means you need to as well.
Before we get too much farther, let me clarify what I mean when I say “winter is a slow time to be a fish.” Nick, what does that even mean? What it means is fish are ectothermic, their metabolism relies on the environment around them to determine it’s rate. (It is at this point I feel obligated to share that I have a biology degree, so you can have far more confidence in this explanation than my attempt at physics!)
Humans are endothermic. Our bodies operate at a constant, or close to, 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Our metabolism remains the same all year long, regardless of the conditions our bodies are experiencing. In fact, when faced with extremely cold temperatures our body will attempt to regulate itself to remain at that standard operating temperature. Shivering, goosebumps, and burning calories to stay warm is part of the equation. Likewise in the summer we sweat to cool ourselves off. This is our body constantly attempting to regulate itself to remain comfortable.
Fish are the opposite. The body of a fish will adapt to the environment in which it is residing. When the temperatures are cold, metabolism is going to be at it’s slowest point. On the contrary, when the water is warm in summer, the fish’s metabolism will be constantly cranking. This is why yes, winter is quite literally a slow time to be a fish.
Don’t Get It Twisted
At this point we’ve learned both physics and biology, in the effort to avoid math let’s talk about how this impacts your presentation. The fish are going to have plenty of time and opportunity to look at it, and frankly they aren’t really feeling chasing after anything. Your presentation needs to be natural, slow, and detail oriented. Let’s talk about a few key aspects of each of these.
To begin, I always use the lightest and smallest presentation possible. Jigging Raps, bigger spoons, rattle traps, and similar are all pretty fun-and for probably 40 minutes of the day will work great. The rest of the day, it’s all about toning it down. I favor small spoons or tungsten jigs.
Natural colors light white, silver, gold, or even red can be the best. The brighter colors like chartreuse and orange have their time for when the snowpack is heavy on top of the ice (my goodness there really is a lot to think about here!) and light is diminished, but when those conditions aren’t present yet natural is key.
I tip these presentations with either a minnow head, wax worm, spike, or similar related offering. I want just a little bit of scent and taste in the water, just because I know those fish are going to be discerning. Jimmy Johns has free smells, your bait better too!
I am also highly cognizant of what my bait is doing under the water. You’re probably thinking I have something special I do with my jig stroke, you’re wrong. Very rarely do I even work a jig, I just keep the bait above the fish so they can see up. What I am cognizant of is line twist. The nature of small reels, frozen conditions, and extreme vertical presentations can result in memory within the line literally spinning your bait under the water.
The way I personally mitigate line twist is a combination of a barrel swivel and fluorocarbon leader. I use the smallest swivel I can find, often a #8 or #10, and tie that to my main line, which is often a 4 pound braid. Braid features no memory, which means naturally there will be no line twist. Unfortunately, braid is highly visible under the water. Often not a big deal open water fishing, but ice fishing, well we’re 1,300 words into why it matters can’t stop now!
I tie about as long as my ice rod will allow to not reel the swivel through the eyelets of a fluorocarbon leader. Often this is about 12-18 inches depending on your rod length. I use a 4 pound fluorocarbon leader, because the fluorocarbon is invisible under the water, tooth resistant to pike, and has minimal memory. The combination of the least memory possible, and the barrel swivel, means my bait won’t be spinning under the water.
Other anglers utilize inline reels, as these don’t twist the line such as a spinning reel does. This is a big reason inline reels have increased in popularity, but anglers do still need to be aware of retie if they see spinning in their baits. You can check this by just dropping your bait a foot or so down the hole and watching it’s movement. Whatever method you prefer, always give your bait a check before dropping down and retie if you see it start to spin.
Learn More: Reducing Line Twist for Increased Ice Success
One of the beauties of fishing is that you can really complicate things, and today that’s what we did. The factors that allow us to get away with many elements of our presentation throughout the open water season are eliminated. Ice fishing is a quiet time for the fish, and this means your presentation needs to match this as well. Be aware of these unique water conditions, what it means for your presentation, tone down your jig stroke, and be on the lookout for your bait to start spinning donuts down there. Remember though, no matter how much you want to complicate things, fishing is about having fun! Good fishing!
Discover More Frozen Details
Looking to dive deeper into ice fishing? We’ve got a variety of articles to help you have more success on the ice this season!
Importance of Water Clarity When Ice Fishing
As we’ve discussed, water clarity is a major element of ice fishing. Now, take a deep dive into how water clarity impacts your location, timing, and presentation when it comes to ice fishing. Find it all, in Importance of Water Clarity When Ice Fishing!
Perfecting Your Presentation When Ice Fishing
After thoroughly evaluating the water conditions, fish mood, and all the factors that go into a successful day on the ice, the last element to put it all together is presentation. Find out how to put the finishing touches on in Perfecting Your Presentation When Ice Fishing!
Learn More About Line Twist
Line twist is one of the biggest reason you see a fish come on your graph and refuse to bite, yet it is one of the most overlooked aspects of your presentation. We’ve got everything you need to know about line twist, and more importantly how to prevent it, in Reducing Line Twist for Increased Ice Success!
