Dead Sticking on Ice

Dead Sticking on Ice

By Ben Leal

When the ice fishing season gets well underway fishing begins to slow down a bit. The much colder water will slow down the metabolism of the quarry we are chasing. They also move out into deeper haunts of the lake, suspending in schools waiting for tasty morsels to swim by. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll move out in search of dinner when they are ready, but like us when it gets cold, they’ll slow down.

Dead stick fishing for walleye, crappie, perch, bluegill, and larger predator fish is a great technique for finding those finicky fish that really are looking for that easy meal, especially when conditions dictate. Dead sticking is used to present lively minnows attached to a jig, jigging spoon or weighted hook so it struggles against the line and rod being used. The best rod to use for dead sticking is one with a very limber tip, something that the minnow can pull against as well as allowing the fish you’re chasing to take the bait before the hook and line are felt.

When to Dead Stick
Quite honestly, any time is a good time to dead stick. Often when I’m fishing alone I’ll drop a second line down an adjoining hole that I’m fishing. While I’m jigging away with the rod in hand, I’ve got another rod sitting on my bucket with some sort of live bait simply sitting there. It’s a great way to increase the odds of catching dinner, but it also can tell you something about fish activity in general.

In a perfect world, we’d have fish coming up to crash any presentation we drop through the ice and our flashers fill with red marks as fish compete for the offering. Fish, like us, are affected by changes in the weather. Days that are cloudy with little breeze feel better to us, snowsuits keep us warm aided by shelters and warmers. Clear blue skies the temperature usually dips and we notice the difference. Fish, well they may not notice the temperature difference but the barometric pressure has the same effect, sorta.

When it’s clear and cold out it’s typically when a high-pressure system moves in and clears the skies. Fish slow down, find cover and move to deeper water. They’re not going to be aggressive, chomping on our presentations as we drop them and they will be less likely to show much interest in bait that’s being jigged. Here’s a scenario where dead sticking can increase your odds of success. Don’t get me wrong, keep the jigging rod in hand but as I noted before, have a second rod set up dead sticking.

Gear
When it comes to leaving a bait sitting idle waiting for a hungry fish to come by, using a rod with a fast or medium fast action works best. Anything that has some backbone to it will telegraph to the fish that something is attached to their snack. Soft tips that bend easy allow the fish to take the bait, giving you a chance to notice said take and reach for the rod. What you’re targeting will determine the type of reel you use as well as the line. Larger game fish will require large line i.e., walleye maybe 6 to 8-pound test, crappie, bluegill and perch you can go as low as 2-pound test line. Finicky fish tend to be line shy too, so smaller in many cases is better.

The first few years that I was on the ice, when dead sticking, I would simply set my rod and reel on the ice and strategically prop it up on the reel handle or ice cone surrounding the hole. In the years since I’ve learned that there are quite a few devices that allow you to leave your rod unattended, or at least not in hand, without having to set it on the ice.

We all carry buckets with us when we’re on the ice. We put our fish in them, fill them with gear and use them to set our flashers on. Rod holders for buckets are very inexpensive and allow you to set the rod down right next to you within arm’s reach. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and a quick Google search and you’ll find them.

Tip-Up – at the mention of those two words we automatically think of the typical tip-up we use for chasing after those toothy critters called northern pike. A versatile system that you can use for your rod and reel is the HT Ice Rigger; a dead stick system that combines an adjustable rod holder with the classic tip up signal flag. No automatic hook set mechanism so this is legal pretty much everywhere.

Tip-Down – These devices are actually really useful when you’re sitting in an ice shack and you’ve got one rod set up for dead sticking while you’re jigging with another. One such system is the Clam Arctic Warrior tip-down. This also comes with a flag; however, you may not need to use it if it’s sitting right next to you. I’ve used one that simply “tips down”, gives me a clear indication that my baits been taken and I can reach for the rod. Easy to set up and easy to use.

All of these products are great for dead sticking. One thing to keep in mind, especially if your using live bait is to avoid the traditional marlin hook set. You are more apt to pull the bait right out of the fish’s mouth as it’s trying to consume that tasty morsel. Grab your rod, lift up until you can feel the rod load and then set the hook.
It’s also not uncommon for the fish to do most of the work for you as they take off after a vicious attack on your bait. Another reason for having your rod close at hand keeps the fish from taking off with your equipment down into the cold depths of the pond or lake you’re fishing.

Presentation
Most common in presenting your minnow when dead sticking is to simply hook a minnow with a jig head and lower the bait down to the appropriate depth. A lot of anglers will slide the hook through the eye socket of the minnow, however, a better option is to slide the hook into the minnow just behind the dorsal fin. This allows the minnow to swim a bit better and you’ll notice your rod tip moving a bit more when something is eyeing your offering. A secondary way to hook a minnow is to use a bent design jig with a stinger. The single hook penetrates the fish, again behind the dorsal fin with the stinger hook riding free just below the jig. Great option when fish seem to be short striking the bait. Crappie, for instance, will feed up, so as they rise to take the minnow, possible missing the hook on the initial take, the stinger will come in to play.

One of the benefits of placing your tip-ups or tip downs outside is that wind can actually create a jigging motion, just subtle enough to make that bait a bit livelier. For anglers that like to move around a bit and jump from one set of holes to another, this is a great option for having two lines in the water at the same time.

Some of the other baits that I’ve used, wax worms and spikes for instance, really don’t require a whole lot of action when dead sticking. I’ve jigged for trout while leaving a rod loaded with bait in my rod holder and have had pretty good success with both. Just a word of caution when ice fishing for trout; when they take the bait, whether jigging or dead sticking, they take the bait. Keep a keen eye on that second rod.

Dead sticking can be a very useful alternative when the fish are being incredibly finicky and are not crashing the baits as we drop them. High-pressure systems and the ongoing winter, especially if there is a lot of snow covering the ice will make them a bit lethargic.

Remember to be good stewards of the resources we enjoy in our State. Keep what you can eat, practice selective harvest and CPR those trophy fish so we can keep that gene pool in the fishery. While the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is working hard to improve our fishing experiences in Iowa, we need to do our part by stewarding the resource. Tight Lines All!