Wish I was tech-savvy enough to plop Jason Mitchell’s face on that GIF but you’ll just have to use your imagination. J-Mitch recently posted a write-up talking making moves…or not…. 👀
> “Should I stay or should I go? That is the biggest question we probably ask ourselves each day on the water. Should I sit in a spot or should I keep moving, keep looking? There are plenty of adages like never leave fish to find fish. Over the past few decades, mobility has been a mantra preached in ice fishing. People brag about drilling a hundred holes per day. People talk about the importance of moving to find fish. If you’re not catching fish, it must be because you are not moving enough to find the active fish.
> “Here is what I can also tell you. The worst days I have ever had fishing were indeed days where I drilled well over a few hundred holes. The toughest days on the ice are often the days where all you do is drill holes and move. Some of the very best or most memorable days were days where I drilled a few holes and sat in those same holes all day catching fish.”
There’s a ton of arguments for laying low, including:
> “One of the most difficult situations for catching fish regardless of species is shallow clear water with thin, clear ice. Every time you move, every time you drill a hole, you just push these fish further away.”
And of course just as many for running and gunning:
> “What are factors when sitting doesn’t work so well? Realistically when you are not on fish. When the fish are not moving and if you have a lot of people around you.
> “…big moves find fish whereas small moves catch fish. Catching fish is often about sampling water…create bites by simply working hard and dropping a line down as many different holes as we can. Drill grids of holes and move until you contact fish.”
Of course there’s a ton of variables…and in typical Jason Mitchell fashion, he does a great job of breaking down his approach for different scenarios here.
