Late Ice Crappies - Where to Look?

Henry Loew asks:

Hey Joel! How have you been? I recently found out that you weren't on IDO anymore and I was wondering where you went... well I found your page and its awesome! I really enjoy reading all of the stuff you got on there and I really admire how much you love the woods and the lakes. I created my own kind of fishing team called gotta love it outdoors we really enjoy fishing and hunting anyways I was wondering where are the larger crappies at this time of the year? Are they moving in shallow?  What do they like to bite on?  Also the bigger gills too. I know you are a huge pan fish guy so I thought to were the best guy to ask.

Thanks for the kind words Henry, and you're right, I love fishing for panfish year round.  It's funny, late-ice has come to mean a number of different things depending on where in the ice-belt you live.  I just got back from a photo shoot where we were looking for gills and crappies all over northern Minnesota, and found them very much still in their mid-winter patterns.  That should come as no surprise with subzero temps, plenty of snow/ice, and the fact that the calendar was just creeping into March.

True late-ice conditions to me means a pattern of melt during the day, with below freezing temps at night, over the course of a few weeks.  As ice separates from shore, some of the best angling is still to be had provided you can find a way onto the ice sheet.  It's some of the best fishing of the year, but also some of the most dangerous.  Wear a floating suit like a Striker and always be mindful of your exit plan at the end of the day.  

Late ice is great for a few reasons.  Movement of water washes in nutrients and even early terrestrials, while increased sun angle and light penetration breathes life to the shallows.  For a true late-ice pattern I'm looking in less than 15FOW, primarily around the best standing weed growth in the lake.  Cabbage and coontail both are great weeds to focus on, and one of the best big crappie patterns I've ever been on is a sight-fishing gig that happens over these expansive weed flats.  

Start with a clear lake that holds quality crappies, then focus on the closest flat to traditional mid-winter holes.  Knowledge of where crappies are mid-winter only shortens your search.  Drill holes in as shallow as 5 FOW across the flat, all the way up to 15 FOW and fish terrestrial patterns.  VMC Tungsten Flies and  VMC Wingding, Nymph, and Wax Tail Jigs are what I use for this bite, especially in the largest sizes, as they are "buggy" yet offer plenty of lifelike action.  

It's a slow process and takes a healthy dose of patience, timing, and stealth.  Setup in an Otter hub-style shelter and use it as a dark-house to get a leg-up on those crappies, and don't lean over the hole.  Rather stand back and let your line drape across the front of the hole and down.  Position yourself on a chair or focus on being as still as possible while looking at only a sliver of underwater real estate.  Any quick movement, and fish will be gone.  Jig aggressively to draw in crappies from far away, and work the fish visually from there.  

It's not a numbers game, but is a pattern I've successfully repeated in many clear trophy crappie waters for the biggest fish in the lake.  Remember to release those tanks, as brute crappies are as rare as big gills these days!

Good luck,

Joel  

Late Ice Panfish - Look for Bass

Jason from Perham, MN asks:

We have alot of lakes in our area that have bluegills, but how do you narrow down good late-ice panfish lakes?  What spots would you start looking for them and when?

Thanks Jason - it's funny but one of things I look for in a great late-ice panfish bite is the presence/abundance of large bass in the system.  I can think of a number of late-ice filming trips where we found the bass first, and eventually some great standing weedbeds (coontail or cabbage), then the great gills that go with them.  Healthy largemouth populations seem to go hand in hand with great bluegill lakes, and while the gills can be tough to find, the bass usually aren't.  Often, they're the tip-off you're looking for to keep the hunt on.

This weekend, we punched a pile of holes all over a small lake known to have some good gills, but never came across any.....until dark and after.  Underwater camera work, gobs of hole-drilling, and some meticulous jig-work within weed beds only yielded small panfish or bait-perch.  After dark, those bigger gills drifted out of the weeds they were buried in and were more than willing to eat.

Inside turns coming out of deep water with a strong, standing weed-growth at the top could be the strongest location I've fished for late-ice gills, regardless of lake size, depth, or location.  As for when, the later the better, as daytime melting washes terrestrials into the system, and night-time lows lock things back up again.  Latest ice is best, but be careful, it's also the most dangerous.  Fish fast and aggressive, and don't be afraid to fish the 3rd shift should you encounter nothing but quality bass during the day.  

Good luck!

Joel 

Lake of the Woods Resort House Advice?

John Steinhauer asks:

Hey Joel finally making my first trip to Lake of the woods ice fishing. For a few days. Going out of Arneson's, any pointers or must have lures? I've only ever been there for the spring sturgeon bite before so an absolute first for me.

Thanks for the question John.  In a phrase, fish loud and proud. One person should be trying to attract fish in at all times with blade baits, rippin' raps, slab raps, etc. VMC rattle spoons work well as a slightly more subtle, yet still noise-making approach. 

Two colors, gold and glow red have accounted for most of the fish I've ever taken up there, with a gold perch color being a close second to those.

Fish aggressively to draw them in, and make sure to have setlines with free swimming shiners and more subtle jigging presentations too.  When I know I can't be roaming the open ice to go to the fish, I do my best to draw them from distance to me.  The added benefit to being stationary is that you can provide a virtual buffet of baits, colors, and sizes to them, helping you get closer and closer to cracking the code of the day.

Enjoy it!

Joel

When To Go Fishing?

Jacob Kruse asks:

I've been a big fan of your work since your time at In-depth Outdoors and have enjoyed your latest videos with Tony Roach. I always love watching you catch big gills.

What are your thoughts on time of day, weather, barometric pressure and lunar phase affecting fishing or when you should be looking at getting out? Particularly relating to bluegill and other panfish. With young children my fishing time is limited, so I figure why not try to optimize when you can get out.

It's funny, the exact moment I read this I was eating lunch at Hunter's Point on Mille Lacs with Tony and I showed it to him.  His response?

"Go fishing anytime and every-time you can.  You may get hit by a train tomorrow."

My thoughts these days are much the same as his, but I fully understand when you're coming from.  More and more often, the pressure to catch fish surpasses the idea of just going fishing.  So to maximize your time on the water, I've found that 60% of the time the following works everytime:

• Fish pre-frontal conditions - These are signified by any change in the weather, typically for the worse, where calm stable weather gives way to precip, winds, or other storms.
• A stable barometer provides the best long-term fishing as fish settle into more predictable locations and patterns, while the hottest or fastest fishing is in the hours when the barometer has reached the "shoulder" of the slope and is starting to decline.  Continual peaks and valleys make for yo-yo-like fishing patterns and inconsistent action.
• Use a site like Weather Underground to show the graph of relative barometric conditions.  
• Lunar phases tend to affect predatory fish more from the research that's out there, and bluegills don't feed after dark in "most" lakes.  There are clear water bodies and lakes with active night-time invertebrates that are the exception to that rule.
• Early and late is always the best, but it's better to find them during the day and move with them if you can.

Per Tony's advice, don't look for reasons not to fish, but if you get the choice you're usually best served by heeding the above advice.  That said, I've had incredible days in bluebird conditions with pressure high enough to give every fish in the lake a headache, but they didn't mind.  All the more reason to hit it when you can!

Joel

Which Reel - Spinning or Inline?

Justin Carlson asks:

Hi, I was wondering does a spinning reel have an advantage over an inline reel in certain situations. I have been building my own fishing rods and I have noticed that the line seems to be more smooth with an inline reel over a spinning reel. Does the size of the rod make a difference? Example an ultra light that one would use for bluegill or a heavier rod for walleyes and pike. Thanks Justin

Hi Justin - There is certainly alot more interest with in-line reels over recent years.  Much of this attention centers around some design advantages of an in-line, namely smoother uptake, less line twist, and a larger spool arbor to resist kinking and memory.  While the latter especially may be true, I've been somewhat disappointed with in-line reel designs over the years that promise these benefits without losing the traditional strong-suits of your higher end spinning reel.  Still, there are situations where finicky panfish especially require it. 

While I have not tried them all, I've found many in-lines to have poor quality drags which are crucial when using light line.  Another issue can be the gap between the spool and the base allowing loose line to find its way inside and get buried.  All of which adds to a more frustrating experience.  For better or worse, the standard we judge everything against is the spinning reel, and the familiarity we have with it, in my opinion requires these inline multipliers to not only match their performance, but to exceed it.  I'm guessing that eventually the market will produce one that fits the bill, but hopefully it's priced "in-line" with spinning reels of a similar quality.  

You can certainly pair an in-line with any kind of rod, and I've seen Tony Roach use one quite successfully for walleyes many times.  Just pair the rod and line for appropriate use, and you should be good to go.    

Good luck!

Joel

Slab Rap and Rippin' Rap Differences

Photo Credit - Ben Larson - In-Depth Media Productions

Paul Bercott from Ft. Wayne, IN asks:

Hey Joel what are the differences between the Ultralight Rippin Rap and the Slab Rap?

Great question Paul!  I think it's tempting to think of these as the same bait with a different shape, but not only do they represent a minnow-like profile (Slab Rap) vs. a shad-style profile (Rippin' Rap), the Rippin' Rap has rattles.  

I use the Rippin' Rap in extremely stained water, and heavily in shad-based systems like the Mississippi River.  It flat calls in fish from an incredible distance due to the sheer amount of noise these things put out.  When fish are on the bite, there are few baits that will get fish to cover distance and eat like this bait.

The Slab rap, while a hard bait of the same general size, rapidly departs from there.  The Slab Rap does NOT rattle, but works much like a blade bait in that it vibrates vertically through the water column similar to an open water crankbait.  Pull sharply, and you'll feel it, as will the fish.  That said, it's got a few more tricks.  Being a bit longer and thinner, I feel that neutral fish close on this bait a bit better than the noisier Rippin' Rap.  While you may not be able to call them from the same distance, the Slab Rap covers water horizontally as well.  Think Jigging Rap with vibration, just not with the same super wide swing and travel.  

Both of them are deadly when rocked back and forth, with a slight edge given to the Slab Rap for less-than-aggressive fish.  Similarly, both should be a part of your strategy depending on where you fish.  

Joel 

Which Boots?

Colten Gehring of Bozeman, MT writes:

Hey Joel I've been watching your videos from the beginning and always liked the shows you’re on. My boots of 12years finally fell apart and I'm in the market for a new pair. In your opinion what would be the best boot to get? I don't have a permanent house so I'm on the ice all day, And I'd say 99% of the time I'm driving out to the spot. 

Tough question, but one I get a lot and wonder a good deal about myself.  I’ll be honest in saying I’m still searching for the perfect boot.  As all the rest of our gear gets specialized, and fits into certain niches depending on the ways we fish, I think of boots in much the same manner.  A boot that works great for nearly stationary anglers, may not work as well for someone that puts on some serious steps while out punching holes. 

I’ve worn nearly all of them at one point or another, and a key consideration is how much your feet sweat.  If your feet sweat very little, then the Mickey Mouse style paratrooper boots you can pick up at Army Surplus stores are great.  Sadly, mine do, and even straight neoprene tends to not work as well for me.

LaCrosse Ice Kings have been really great to me over the years, and are ultra-warm but unfortunately are a bit bulky.  Baffins are great too, but I put them in the same class of heavier/bulkier footwear.  To combat that problem, I’ve worn the lace up GoreTex versions with leather uppers over the years but have had leak-thru issues. 

I’m currently wearing the Muck Arctic Pros and still giving them a good run through in more situations before putting them up at the top of the heap.  I roll down the neoprene to allow a little bit more breathing room when possible, and they’ve worked great thus far. 

If you’re mostly stationary, I’d go with the Ice Kings or Baffins and enjoy the warmth!

Interpreting Targets on Your Flasher

Featured: Marcum Lx-7

Jake Williamson writes:

Hey Joel, I really enjoy reading the articles you have been posting on your page. I appreciate the helpful advice I gather from them! I have been using a flasher for a few years now and it has made a huge difference in landing fish on the ice. One of the struggles I have is interpreting what I see on the bottom while searching holes for fish. A lot of times I interpret lines as fish while later finding they are just weeds along the bottom. Do you have any advice or links for better interpreting what we see on the bottom?

Thanks for the question Jake.  I know what you mean, especially when you’re in search and destroy mode.  You’re bopping along and see some lines here and there, and decide that you should fish them.  As you later find out, those lines are stationary and don’t add up to much. 

One thing to key in on is the strength/color interpretation of the target or mark.  On a Marcum, only the densest of weed growth and usually only cabbage or other high-climbing greenery that you see up in the water column a bit will actually show up as “red.”  Most weeds along bottom will always be green or weaker sonar returns.  Fish, especially anywhere near the middle of the cone angle will show up as distinct red targets, usually separate from bottom instead of faint signals that flicker or seem attached to bottom.

In extremely shallow systems (less than 10FOW), it can be difficult to drill right on top of fish and have them stay directly below you.  That can account for not finding or seeing much when you’re hole hopping.  For everything else, you’re looking for more than just a flicker of small hint of fish, you’re looking for strong red returns that are distinctly separated from cover or the bottom. 

In terms of reading bottom content or hardness, a larger or longer tail behind the leading edge of bottom indicates soft muck or mud.  The thinner that red bottom target, the more likely you are to be on sand, gravel, or rock, in that order progressing from thick to thin. 

Nothing beats time on the water with a sonar, but an underwater camera is an invaluable tool to help you visually pair what you’re seeing on sonar, with what you’re mind’s eye interprets that as being.  Work with them in tandem, and you can get really good with your sonar!