Welcome to the Ice Force IceBlaster, your 2x/week email with the best ice fishing content IN THE WORLD! Enjoy!
*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*
Today’s Top 4
1. Auger wars: Man laps machine!
Awesome but…ain’t giving up our ‘lectrics any time soon.
2. White tubes, big lakers, -51F!
Nick Lindner slammin’ some prehistorical trout!
> “Air temps averaged around -15°F throughout the course of the trip. On the coldest morning, we endured wind chills of -51°F! Fairly confident those were the coldest weather conditions I have ever fished in.
> “We ended up catching 33 lakers, a whitefish, and a 12-lb northern over the course of two and a half days. We caught ’em on flukes, tubes, hair jigs and spoons, but the big ticket this year was a white tube.
> “Most lakers were caught suspended 24 feet below the ice in anywhere from 30-60 feet.”
Canadian ice ace Luke Fehr never leaves home without a rubber mallet:
> I would suggest bringing a rubber mallet along to knock the ice buildup off of the flighting, and also out from the suspension of your sled if that is your means of travel.
> All fish were handled inside warm shacks and had proper care taken to ensure a successful release.
Props, man!
Steph rocks the StrikeMaster in her beehive-lookin’ perm. Instant fandom. Plus, girl can fish…but they only catch dinks in that vid….
*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*
News
“Mr. Ice Fishing” talks advanced ice strategies 7-8:30 pm TOMORROW. “Ice Fishing Fundamentalks” presented by NAIFC pros 5-9 pm. West Yellowstone Holiday Inn. FREE!
3. MN: Disabled vets’ trip to LOTW.
Jan. 21-23 – opportunity for disabled veterans to fish Lake of the Woods. Applications end today! Get your info to ’em today!
4. MI: Free youth fishing school.
They need volunteers, too. In MI? Be a good angling steward!
5. NH: Greenland meet n greet.
Jan 18, meet pros and save $$ on gear.
Events run Jan. 18-Feb. 9.
Jan. 25 at Grafton Lakes State Park … $10 entry fee. 1st place = $300. Longest trout, walleye, chain pickerel and yellow perch.
8. IN: Fisherman dies in pond.
RIP ice fishing brother.
*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*
Fishin’ Reports
1. MN/SD: Texted in this a.m.!
Guide Eric Brandriet of Dakota Prarie Angling texted this in today:
> “Big Stone still a good bite. Moving and staying mobile is key. More fish numbes from Schmidt’s Landing south. Millard Point area less numbers but nice perch being caught. Spikes and minnow best.”
> “Oahe, Mobridge area, 14-16″ walleyes are biting. 30-50′ best. Good bite different times of day.”
> A lot of current in places. Work current areas. Oahe has decent catfish bite too lol. Was there this past weekend, caught 50 walleyes a day.”
Pro stick Tim Moore and buddies are bangin’ big ol’ white perch … not to be confused with white bass. Know the difference.
> Action is heatin’ up in NE SD’s Glacial Lakes region. Follow the lead of countless TV crews constantly sniffing around lakes Bitter, Waubay, Roy, etc.
Icin’ jumbos on the UP’s Lake Gobegic despite nasty weather.
Jason Feldner, Perch Eyes Guide Service:
> Fishing was good over the weekend for perch, and the walleyes slowed with the full moon but should rebound in a few days.
> Perch action was a bit slower the last couple days due to the crazy fronts. My experience is perch bite better during high-pressure systems.
> Best bite this last week was on Stump Lake in the trees, 28′. Gold Flyers tipped with minnow heads or perch eyes were best .Mid-day bite was hard –I downsized to tungsten and used wax worms to pick away at them.
*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*
Tip of the Day
> “We were targeting giant pike with both live and dead baits on a shallow flat. We kept the baits high, just 2-3′ below the ice in 8′. The first fish, a thick 14-pounder, hit a live sucker. The second, a bruiser pushing 20, took a dead cisco. In total we had eight flags that afternoon. But here’s the interesting thing – none of them came on a rail-style tip-up. All the bites came on thermal round tip-ups.”
> “We ran equal numbers of rail and round tip-ups rigged identically. I concluded that since the round tip-up blocked sunlight, the pike preferred the more natural setting.”
> “At first, the idea of using a tip-up for panfish was a bit weird. Yet, the longer I thought about it, the more it made sense. We started using Frabill Spiders to scout for active main basin crappies and discovered it was possible to stay on roaming biters by using a wide spread of tip-ups.”
> “It’s pretty simple. We’d cut jig holes over main basin crappie spots, and then on the outskirts of the area we’d cut a series of three holes for every location we planned to set a Spider tip-up. Then we’d hole hop to find fish, and as soon as a Spider would go off, we’d run to it…one guy pulling up the biting fish while the other two dropped jigs on the active feeders in the two adjacent holes.”
> “We’ve found the system also works well for scouting panfish over massive weed beds, especially funnel areas fish use like highways.”
*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*
Quote of the Day
I only ice fish because there’s no ‘soft water’ around here in January, and I just can’t go for months without catching something.
– Al Lindner!
*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*
Shot of the Day
Lindner clan member James landing a NW ON laker “frozen” in midair. Awesome.
*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*
_____
GET OUT AND STAY OUT ICE-HEADS!
