![]() ![]() The first approach is passive fishing and my personal favorite. Sometimes they will be suspended in the mid depths, but most of the time they are near the bottom.” ![]() On a flasher you will usually see catfish from the bottom on up to a foot or so above the bottom. That being said, old-school flashers can effectively find fish, and pre-drilling a bunch of holes allows you to walk around with your flasher to try to find them. However, LiveScope and other modern electronics make it much easier to locate schools of fish. Lake maps are great for pointing out specific areas to target fish. I like to think of ice cats as a herd of buffalo feeding underwater that just roam around during different times of the day, and when you catch one there are usually more around that are eager to take a bait. To cover the maximum amount of water, I've been known to drill 50 holes or more throughout the day. Having the holes pre-drilled allows you to hop from one hole to the next to find the fish and then stay on them as they move. When fishing with friends using this strategy we’re able to set a large number of rods across the grid and cover a big area. Then across the various depths I set passive deadstick rigs and fish actively with jigs (in Iowa you can use three rods). To effectively cover the area, I make a grid pattern up and down the slope/ledge. When fishing underwater points/ledges I like to drill a lot of holes. Pro tip: If you catch fish in a spot during late fall that’s usually a good place to start searching for ice cats. Or I look for a nice deep hole with structure nearby like deep wood/brush piles, rocks, or other man made structures. For example, underwater points with tapering slopes and ledges sloping to flats with lots of bait. “When I'm looking for cats through the ice, I use lake maps to find areas from mid-depth to deep (for that body of water) or possible wintering holes. Fortunately, Whisker Seeker Pro Staffer Troy Hansen is a foremost expert on targeting cats through the ice, and he shared the following tips for hard water catfishing. We cleaned up on the catfish that day several years ago, but I’m still a novice when it comes to ice fishing for catfish. Times certainly had changed since my last foray on hard water, and I couldn’t wait to get a line in the water. ![]() My buddy opened the flap of the blind, and I was immediately stupefied by the warmth emanating from the interior and the tangled pile of whiskers laying on the ice. “I’ll be lucky to make it to that tent without falling and breaking my neck…” Thankfully I navigated the slick surface successfully, sliding and ungracefully catching myself up at the threshold. “What could he possibly be smiling about?”, I shivered to myself, awkwardly skating across the frozen ball bearing-like surface. Upon arrival, I was surprised to see what looked like a hunting blind perched out on the ice, and even more curious when my buddy emerged from the structure with a beaming smile, motioning for me to join him. After bundling up reminiscent of Randy from “A Christmas Story”, I trudged through fresh snow to my pickup and drove to the pond, still grumbling about leaving a cozy wood stove for what would surely be an exercise in futility. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |