What Goes On Under The Ice

What Goes On Under The Ice

By Todd Reed

The world under the ice has always been a mystery, a guessing game you might say. When the world of the fish suddenly gets covered with a sheet of glass how do they react, their world has been changed dramatically. The more we understand about what happens to the daily lives of fish, the better we can find them in the winter time and enjoy a day of catching them.

A few facts to get us started on this journey of “under the ice”. Fish still react to sunlight, barometric pressure, traffic (that was once boats are now snowmobiles and augers), wind and fishing pressure. Just because their world has a large blanket on top of them, the forces of nature still affect them on a daily basis. Let’s catch up on these one at a time.

Sunlight
During the winter months fish most certainly react to the sun much like they do in the summer. On sunny days if brush piles are present in the lake, those fish will be buried tight in them. They are using them just as they did in the summer, for shade to hide themselves from prey and to mask them while they feed. The sun will penetrate the ice, even when snow covers it, sending fish to structure. It is vital to find those brush piles and get right on top of them during a sunny day. A good GPS unit is like gold during those sunny days, allowing you to mark them and quickly access them. Another simple cure to this is fishing the sunrise and sunset hours of the day. Typically the first three hours and last three hours of the day will be the best bite on any given day.

Barometric Pressure
We have all seen the days on the ice where the fish just won’t bite. We can see them on our electronics but they seem uninterested. This is most likely due to the rising barometric pressure. In the winter, as long as you are marking fish on your Vexilar you can make some slight changes to get a few to bite. The first thing I will go to is live bait. A waxworm, or spikes will save your day. Many anglers are turning to plastic baits in the world of ice fishing, and they are fantastic, however on those “tough bite” days, never leave home without your bait. One or two spikes on a down-sized jig might entice some fish to bite, a half of waxworm works well too. Your rod selection on days like this can be critical as well. Some days a spring bobber is the only way you will see any indication of a bite. If you can’t see the bite, you won’t catch the fish.

Wind
This is something that most anglers forget about in the winter. If it’s windy, they hunker down in a shack and try their go-to areas. Wind can and will cause currents under the ice, especially on big bodies of water. This can upset the world the fish have been feeding in. Areas of lakes can get dirty over night, this isn’t a phenomenon that magically occurred. Rather it was probably wind or runoff water entering the lake. If you see an area of the lake that is much dirtier than you are used to seeing, it is probably a good day to explore a bit. Fish rely heavily on their sight in the winter months to feed, and when their little world becomes muddy, they will be looking for other places to feed.

Traffic
During the winter this comes in two different ways. First, we have the machines that zoom around the lakes looking for that next hot spot, and augers causing a commotion at the top of the water column. Both of these natural ice fishing movements can cause fish to be on high alert, especially in water under ten feet deep. I have seen this dozens of times on the ice. My group would be catching some fish in a general area, and then a few more people join. They may drive up on their machines, go punch 20 holes and in no time those marks on the Vexilar are all of a sudden not willing to bite anymore or worse have completely disappeared from the screen. Hmmmm, what could of happened? There was only one new variable and that was the traffic above causing a disturbance below. So I have come to the conclusion that traffic can and does tip off fish. Typically after a while the fishing resumes, but there have been times where it doesn’t. To counter this I will use the same techniques used in barometric pressure rises; downsize. Something else that seems to get fish going again is to pound the bottom with your jig. The vibration of a potential meal may just bring them back in for a look.

Fishing Pressure
Fish know more than most anglers give them credit for. Fishing pressure on a certain part of a lake is a prime example. A great fishing spot/area will only last so long. As more and more people fish the area the fish will wise up to baits, noises, and relocate. There isn’t much you can do about this, except enjoy the bite while it lasts. One bad thing about ice fishing, you can’t hide from others very well, enjoy it, share it, and keep looking for that next hotspot! Make sure you are the first to that hotspot too. If you are willing to leave the crowd to find a new spot you will enjoy a longer time on the bite than those coming to join in will.

Ice fishing is a great wintertime activity, however paying attention to the small details, no matter what species you may be after, can lead you to a great day on the ice instead of shaking your head on the drive home wondering why the fish weren’t biting. These small things, which most anglers don’t think much about on a day to day basis will hopefully lead you to some conclusions this year that will make you a better ice angler.