First Ice

First Ice

By Ben Leal

Ahhhh…nothing like your first trip out to the ice. Days prior to your first trip you go through the list, Vexilar battery…check; auger…check; load new line on your ice rods…check; ice jigs and bait…check; ice shack…check; lantern and heater tested…check; everything seems to be in order and ready to go.

As I was walking through this self-made equipment checklist I realized that I had failed to take the time to load up new line on my new ice rod, one that came prefilled. Truth is, you should always remove the line that came with the reel and load new. There is no telling how long that line has been there, and the line that is loaded is usually not the best quality. Take the time to go out and get some good ice fishing line, you’ll thank me later. I’ve gone with Polar Ice, Suffix, and Trilene Micro Ice by Berkley. Clam has recently released some phenomenal ice fishing line, Frost Ice, and it’s loaded on several of my reels.

Finally, first ice also requires some caution. Don’t venture out alone if you’re unsure of how thick the ice is. Early ice tends to be inconsistent so it’s important to be wise when hitting the ice. In general here is a short list of guidelines that are common throughout ice fishing regions:
• Two inches of hard ice can support a person on foot.
• Three inches of ice is sufficient for two or three people as long as they aren’t concentrated in a small area.
• Four inches of ice will generally safely support small groups of people.
• Five inches of ice will support an ATV or snowmobile.
• Eight inches of ice will support a small car, but generally, there should be at least ten inches of solid ice to support a full-size pickup truck or SUV.
Remember it’s always best to err on the side of caution. If you like punching holes in the ice that is two to three inches thick take along a set of floating ice picks and wear them around your neck. That way if you happen to go through you can jab the picks into the ice to help pull yourself out. Also, never go alone, take a length of sturdy rope that can be used to help pull you or your fishing partner to safety, like the CLAM Emergency Throw Rope. Let someone know where you are fishing and when you are expected to return. Early ice fishing can be some of the most productive fishing of the season, make sure you’re home to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

The first bite
Wheres a quick tip and time saver for first ice outing. Ice tends to be typically pretty clear, so rather than punching a bunch of holes in search of fish, bring along a small bottle of water. Once you’ve found what you think will be a productive area, pour some water on the ice, set your sonar transducer on the ice in the water and turn it on. The water acts as a conductor and you can shoot right through the ice in search of active fish. Once you’ve found them, you punch one hole and start fishing!

Hitting the ice for an early morning excursion, I grabbed a rod that was new to me last season, but one that I had not caught a fish with and I tied on a Dave Genz Drop-Kick Jig tipped with a wax worm. As I was lowering my offering down to the fish I could see marks moving in and out of the transducer’s range, I came to about the 12-foot mark and stopped there. Bouncing the jig a couple of times; it wasn’t long before I had my first bite. As with any ice angler, anxious to get that first fish, I yanked on the rod like I was trying to set the hook on a marlin. I felt a fish briefly, but my severe hook set likely ripped the hook clean out of its mouth. So, calming down a bit, I lowered my bait back down, a couple of more bounces and a slow lift of the rod, feeling the weight of the fish I set the hook, fish on!

Strategies for early ice
In most cases when you’re talking about early ice, it’s going to be clear virgin ice and usually will not have any snow accumulations on it. Remember that if you do have some snow, the ice there will typically be a little thinner and weaker. Snow acts as an insulator and ice will not harden at the same rate. With the recent advent in technology, especially the use of a smartphone, we can download and use area lake maps to find our way on the ice. These are great tools for deciding where to fish first ice.

Quite honestly, the best place to start are those areas where you were pulling fish out in the fall. With clear ice, you’ll still have good weedbeds that will hold the baitfish and consequently the fish you’re chasing. Look for shallow points that drop off into deeper water as well as creek channels with shallow shelves alongside them. Scouting on early ice is easy and you won’t have to punch a bunch of holes to find active fish.

The early morning bite was pretty exciting. Fish after fish took our offerings; I was out with a good friend, and again for safety reasons we were partnered up. Fishing was consistent for the first couple of hours. Then just like a light switch, the fish disappeared, and the fishing slowed. Like open water, you must move and find the fish.

I found a drop off in the lake that went from about 13 feet down to 16 feet, all within five feet. I tried fishing shallower first, after about ten minutes with no activity, I decided to move. Dropping my bait down a deeper hole, I saw some fish move in as soon as the jig hit about 15 feet.
Watching my spring bobber dip, I set the hook on yet another nice bass. Ironically enough and without surprise, every time I hooked a bass out of this area I wouldn’t see a bluegill for a while, go figure huh? Those pesky predator fish… I’ll take one any time.

I spent the balance of my day there, right at the bottom of the drop-off. As I stated, there were times when there were no fish, but suddenly a very bright red line would appear in my Vexilar, hover next to my jig, and take the bait.

If you are using a map application on your phone that allows you to create waypoints, mark productive areas so you can come right back to them. It’s not a bad idea to log the fish you catch, location, type of bait and depth. There are some free online apps such as Fishidy, that have built-in logs for each fish you catch. Probably easier with a pen and pad, but this is an option for tech-savvy anglers. Also, take note of what the barometric pressure is doing. We had a weak front that was moving through that day and as the snow started to drop, the fishing changed.

In general, here are some tips on how barometric pressure changes affect the fish.
• High pressure, clear skies – fish slow down, find cover or go deeper.
• Rising pressure – clearing or improving – fish tend to become slightly more active.
• Normal and stable – normal fishing.
• Falling, degrading weather – most active fishing.
• Slightly lower, usually cloudy – Many fish will head away from cover and seek shallower waters. Some fish will become more aggressive.
• Low, rainy or stormy – Fish tend to be less active the longer this period remains.

A great day…
We concluded our day at about 2PM. As we were packing up our stuff there were several other anglers that had made their way out to the ice to try their luck. I took home several keeper bluegills for supper and my co-angler also took a bunch to share with his family. I caught fish on a variety of small jigs tipped with a wax worm, on two-pound test line. There is nothing quite as challenging as landing one of those bigger fish on such light tackle through an eight-inch hole. Be safe on the ice and tight lines all!