Today’s Top 5
> Jaryd Guericke was able to land his new personal best ‘eye measuring in at an impressive 30″×16″! [Released.]
> He caught it on a foggy NE SoDak morning. Brought her topside running a fathead minnow on a rattle reel inside the permanent shack over 30′.
Gotta love the crazy look of ice fishing in shorts and a T-shirt!
Bo B. caught this “gawjess” silver pike fishing near Notre Dame:
Believed to be a genetic mutation of northern pike. Have to add these lines:
– Around Notre Dame they’re called golden pike….
– Heard they fight like the Irish….
Check out these ‘humble abodes,’ as seen on an Ice Fishing Minnesota thread:
Brian L. spotted this semi sleeper Near Clear Lake, MN:
Kendall G. owns his own — the inside is even finished with pine!
Jerry S. saw this one on Lake of the Woods a few years back:
Russ A. has already grain-bin there, done that:
What’s the loopiest ice shanty you’ve ever seen? Let us know here on Facebook.
Jason Durham explains what they are and if they are ok to eat:
#BonusProtein
Ridiculous 16.5″ slough tiger caught by Wisconsin’s Joshua G:
Here’s Mike N. double-clutchin’ 8 lbs of gold bars. SD-grown, chomped dead-sticked minnows in 7 ft:
Ice Fishing
This weekend. Woo-hoo!
2. ON: Angler catches 45.5″ laker.
Barry Larson, Clearwater Lake, 38 lbs:
> Larson said he caught the fish about halfway down the water column in a spot that was 58 feet deep. He was jigging a 1/2-oz white PowerBait tube jig tipped with a shiner minnow. His spinning reel was spooled with 10-lb P-Line….
Larson had had another line set halfway down the water column ,and on his Vexilar flasher he had seen a fish rising toward that spoon tipped with a minnow head. He began cranking up his tube jig until it was over the rising fish, and the lake trout took the tube jig. He fought the fish for at least 10 minutes before he got it close to the ice….
3. MI: 64″ ice sturgeon on Saginaw River.
Tom M. caught it using a Northland Tackle Buck-Shot spoon…on 6-lb test!!
4. ND: Devils Lake tourney has record attendance.
5. IN: Man dies after breaking through private pond.
RIP fishing brother.
6. MI: Father, son die after falling through ice.
Only 5-6 ft of water and 10 ft from shore. Absolutely tragic. RIP brothers.
7. MI: 6 vehicles plunge through Lake St. Clair ice.
8. MI: Truck breaks through during Tip-Up Town event.
Let’s be careful people, please.
9. Humminbird Side Imaging beneath the ice.
> …to see underneath ice shelves (the bright, jagged line on the right), easily identifying the fish that are hiding there.
10. Don’t slip stepping out of your hard house (video).
11. How-to make lethargic walleyes bite (video).
12. Underwater panfish in HD (video).
13. Keep your fresh bait handy.
Plus you look cool lol!
14. On the Prowl with the StrikeMaster Lazer Lite Auger.
Only 21 lbs! Save your back!
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News
1. ND: Dates for Devils Lake ‘eye tourney.
> The 40th annual Devils Lake Chamber walleye tournament, with $60,000 in prizes, is slated for June 24-25.
3. NE: Yellow perch inability to thrive.
4. WI: DNR looking for 72 part time COs.
5. How to spool a spinning reel…
…without the line twist.
6. Want to make a living in the fishing industry?
Good presentation by pro angler Jimmy Bell at this year’s NPAA conference.
Events
Gull Lake near Nisswa, MN.
Medicine Lake, honors service men/women families.
Lake of the Woods.
‘Eye Candy
Says it all:
#RippinRap
Tip of the Day
Tony Roach: February ice walleye.
> February is often considered to be the doldrums of winter fishing. Walleyes aren’t moving around as much and their strike zones are a lot smaller, so you need to go out and get right on top of them.
> I like to carry two rods when I’m out hunting for walleye this time of year. One of those rods has a larger profile “call bait” such as a Rippin’ Rap, a 1/4-oz Buck-Shot Spoon or a 1/4-oz Macho Minnow. I’m trying to get the fish’s attention with something big that they can see/hear.
> My second rod will have a smaller finesse bait like a 1/16-oz Buck-Shot spoon or a 1/16-oz flutter spoon. Sometimes I might even need a deadstick rig with a small shiner minnow or a rainbow to tempt those fussy biters.
> Being mobile is important all year long, but it’s especially important right now. I tend to fish higher in the water column and move around a lot with bigger, aggressive presentations. Once I get in the right area, I’ll drill holes very close, 3-10 feet away, to get right on top of them. Sometimes those fish aren’t willing to move very far for baits, so you need to put the bait right on their nose.
> If the aggressive presentation isn’t drawing them to my bait, I’ll switch over to my finesse/deadstick setup to seal the deal.
Quote of the Day
Well, he maybe just jumped in there.
– Unnamed individual’s response after the game warden noticed ‘dumped’ walleyes floating back up the hole.
Shot of the Day
A quick “pointer” on tip-up fishing:
Great shot of Nelly by TW reader Jason Bahr.
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