Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Through the ice, you need to feel the bite

Because fish during the winter tend to bite rather softly you need to feel the bite. Sitting on a bucket on frozen water watching line that is down through a hole in the ice can be monotonous.
Try different presentations. That means not so much changing lures or lure color but try various jigging techniques.
You might run all the way to the bottom and thump it a few times causing a cloud of dirt particles to erupt. Sometimes a curious fish in the area may come over to see what is causing the disturbance.
But to better tell when you get a bit you must be able to feel your line. That's why some use very light line like sewing thread. Add a spring bobber to the rod and you have a set up that should detect a bluegill sneezing at 15-feet.
Bobbers for ice fishing aren't sensitive enough. Unless the fish you target are walleye or some other larger fish.
Another way to tell if you are getting hits is to watch your line. If it moves, it may not be the wind. To be sure, give it a set.

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