Working fish ice fishing

[CrappieKeith]

Lifting Fish

Working That

Water Column



When targeting pan fish there is a method that works well.

The whole idea is to put the bait in front of the crappie ,gill or walleye and then pull it away. I’m really trying to induce their strike sense.

The easiest way I can explain this is to say it’s like playing the string game with a cat.

Put the string in front of a cat. It will look at the string…maybe take a faux swing at it. Then I’ll pull the string away in small increments. The further I pull the string away the more that cat will screw down to the floor. There will come a point that the cat will take off and pounce or strike the string. Fish are the same way.



The next thing I’ll try to do early on in the game with the 1st few fish is to figure out where their ceiling is for the day. The ceiling is the highest point that the fish will rise too before it will not rise any higher. This ceiling will change from day to day depending on the aggression level of the fish. On some days I’ll see the fish climb several feet quite quickly and on other days to get them to move a foot is a real chore.

Once the ceiling has been determined I’ll lift the fish to the ceiling causing them to think ..at least I think they think that the food source is getting away and it becomes a now or never type of thing.

If I go too far and the fish stalls I have found I can ever so slowly lower the bait there by pushing the fish back down. If it wanted to feed I can re lift the fish only this time stop short of the ceiling giving that fish time to come up and hit my bait.

They may be so lethargic that I may have to lift and push that fish several times before it strikes. Sometimes a dead stick presentation may be that answer…again it all depends on how the bite is…negative, neutral or aggressive.



Of coarse bait sizing is key depending on their mood. Color can too.

[CrappieKeith]

[URL=http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/palisade1kid/?action=view&current=HPIM1845.flv][IMG]http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/palisade1kid/th_HPIM1845.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[CrappieKeith]

I can't edit that last post.
Try this link
http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/palisade1kid/?action=view&am...

[CrappieKeith]

a few more vids..
http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/palisade1kid/?action=view&am...

http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/palisade1kid/08%20ice%20fish...

http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/palisade1kid/08%20ice%20fish...

http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/palisade1kid/08%20ice%20fish...

[John Sheehan]

This is great info.Thanks CK.The ceiling huh ,gonna remember this!
Last year I went ice fishing alot and had an experience I 'd like to share.Two or three times when fishing close to the bottom in about10 fow and catching gills I felt and saw at times a very slight feeling and moving of the line.(Like a crab or crayfish feel) Once I realized it was Crappie above my lure swimming into and catching my line on their fins or body I got wise to lifting highter in the column and catching crappie.So one method I like is staying close to bottom for gills Sunfish and Perch but when I start feeling that crappie feel .I know where they are and bring the bait up in the column.