Prime Time for Ice Fishing is Happening Right Now!
By: Jeff Gustafson
March 20, 2011
Those of us that live in the north country, especially in Sunset Country really have a long winter. Most of us tough it out and fish as much as we can throughout December, January and February. And for the most part fishing is usually pretty good. For those of us that put in the time in all winter on those days when it's -25 and windy, the reward comes during the next couple of weeks as the temperatures heat up and fishing in general gets a lot better. Let's take a look at some of the top options for late ice and the best ways to catch fish.
Pike
If you like to fish for pike than you already know that the late-ice time frame is the best time to catch numbers of big pike. It's all about the nature of the fish and how predictable they become when the snow melts and light starts penetrating the water again. It triggers the fish to move towards shallow spawning bays where they will do their thing within days of the ice going out. Pike, especially the biggest fish in the lake will stage in front of these shallow bays and they are catchable. Though tip-ups with dead baits rigged on them remain the best option for catching big fish, jigging can be effective as well. When my friends and I head out we usually each set up a tip-up with a large cisco on it and then jig with our second line
Jeff Gustafson holds a nice pike caught on a tip-up with a quick-strike rig.
When it comes to bait size on the ciscos, we usually catch our own because the baits that you buy in the bait shop are usually not all that big. We like to use large baits in the 8”-12” range. Big pike have no problem inhaling a 12” cisco, trust me! We'll use these on a Bigtooth Rig, made by a small company in Minnesota. (www.bigtoothtackle.com )
As for jigging lures, it pays to offer the fish a little variety and let them tell you what they want. On days when they are extra aggressive, rattle baits like a Rapala Clackin' Rap are tough to beat. They have the ability to call fish in from a wide range and they have a unique fall that can be a real trigger. Otherwise, the usual Jigging Rap/Puppet Minnow can be good, same with spoons like the Northland Macho Minnow or Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon. Finally, I have seen some monster pike caught on Northland Air-Plane Jigs as well. (www.northlandfishingtackle.com) On the jigging baits we typically don't tip them with meat, but sometimes a shiner head can help trigger inactive fish.
Walleye
Late ice is the time that walleye make their most predictable seasonal movements as well. They spawn a week or two after ice-out and they are starting to move close to spawning areas right now. If you know where walleyes spawn in the body of water that you like to fish, then you can bet that fish are hanging around the closet deep water to their spawning site – usually a creek or river. On some waters, spawning areas may just be sandy, rubble shorelines, but if there is moving water, that is where they are going. You should use caution when traveling on the ice around these areas, walking is usually the best option this time of year.
A late ice walleye caught during "prime-time", late in the day.
When it comes to catching them, I pretty much just use two baits these days when I got walleye fishing. A Northland Buck-Shot Rattle spoon – a ¼ oz model when I am catching numbers of fish and a 3/8 oz model when big fish are present. On my second rod I tie on a Rapala Jigging Shad Rap, a horizontal swimming bait that walleyes love. The Northland Puppet Minnow is a good bait as well. I'm not to picky about colour, my general rule is natural perch or shiner patterns in clear water and bright glow colours or reds in dirty water. Walleyes can see red better than any other colour, so it is never a bad option. I always tip these baits with a shiner head. If you try to use a whole minnow, you really disrupt the action of the bait and the package becomes to big.
Lake Trout
Though lake trout typically don't make any really predictable movements during this time frame like pike and walleyes do, their activity level can really pick up. I think they know that when the snow melts and more light starts getting through that it's time to start heading back to deep water because the warmer, open water period is coming. My favourite late season spots are structures surrounded by some of the deepest water in the lake. Main lake humps that top off at 40 or 50 feet surrounded by 80, 100 or even 120 feet are a good bet. We have caught some giants in recent years fishing these locations during late ice
. 
A lake trout that fell victim to a Rapala Clackin' Rap.
As for baits, it's all about using something that will get their attention from a long range. The Rapala Clackin' Rap (www.rapala.com) that I mentioned for pike can really work well for lake trout when they are hot and looking for food. I like to start fishing a new spot with these types of baits and then switch over plastic. White tubes and jerk shads rigged on a 3/8 oz jig head are tough to beat on any body of water. White is visible from a long range in clear, “trout-water” which is the reason for it's effectiveness. Finally, spoons still catch'em and on many waters are under-used in recent years with all the focus being on plastic baits. One thing that will absolutely help you hook and land more trout is to take advantage of the awesome braided ice lines available to anglers today. I use Power Pro Ice for nearly all of my ice fishing presentations these days. If you have never used braid before, the big advantage to using it is that is has zero stretch, so if you are jigging for trout in deep water, you will feel the strike a lot better and get a much more powerful hookset than you will with traditional monofilament, which stretches like 30% on average.
With any of these fish, let them tell you what they want on your next outing. I always try to hit the water without any preconceived notions and each day put the puzzle together. Get out and enjoy these last couple weeks on the ice and be careful!