02-03-2017, 07:11 PM
[#0000FF]Bummer to trudge all that distance for a short amount of fishing. That'll teach you to not "stay connected".
Good to hear there are fish in the area. I suspect that you missed the bite...early or late. It can vary from day to day. But my experience on Willard ice fishing is that it is best early and late...with midday being less productive.
Those fish rising off the bottom to look and laugh could have been either perch or walleyes. Both will act like that under the ice. if they are well fed or just finicky they will look out of curiosity but it takes some finesse to elicit a reaction bite.
Did you see anything cruising by between 5-8 feet under the ice? That is where I have had the best results with crappies. In fact, when there is a lot of snow on the ice I have watched them come through just under the ice...without sonar. And white is the best color for them...in small sizes. They just don't whack bigger stuff when they slow down under the ice. About the only natural food they eat is small zooplankton and other bitty bites.
A couple of years ago that area kicked out quite a few porky perch for guys that made the trip. And there have been more wipers hooked over there than most other spots around the lake. The main problem is that if you are fishing near someone else you will usually get tangled with them when the wipers make their big wide circles under the ice. A good reason for fishing solo.
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Good to hear there are fish in the area. I suspect that you missed the bite...early or late. It can vary from day to day. But my experience on Willard ice fishing is that it is best early and late...with midday being less productive.
Those fish rising off the bottom to look and laugh could have been either perch or walleyes. Both will act like that under the ice. if they are well fed or just finicky they will look out of curiosity but it takes some finesse to elicit a reaction bite.
Did you see anything cruising by between 5-8 feet under the ice? That is where I have had the best results with crappies. In fact, when there is a lot of snow on the ice I have watched them come through just under the ice...without sonar. And white is the best color for them...in small sizes. They just don't whack bigger stuff when they slow down under the ice. About the only natural food they eat is small zooplankton and other bitty bites.
A couple of years ago that area kicked out quite a few porky perch for guys that made the trip. And there have been more wipers hooked over there than most other spots around the lake. The main problem is that if you are fishing near someone else you will usually get tangled with them when the wipers make their big wide circles under the ice. A good reason for fishing solo.
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