Lory Lake 3/15/14

Last saturday I finally got the chance to get out on the ice and wet a line. We didn’t get out on the ice as early as I would have liked but once we were out things went pretty smoothly. We went to a spot where we have done well fishing for bluegills in the past and drilled a dozen holes scattered through out the 6-12 foot range. I started out by setting a 1/32 oz. tungsten jig tipped with a wax worm under a slip bobber 2 feet off the bottom in 8 foot of water. I walked back to the truck to get my other pole, when I got back my bobber was down and and i nailed this nice 9″ bluegill on the first drop.

I re-baited and set te line back to the same depth, and proceeded to set the other rod at the same depth (I fished this one without a bobber, and kept the bait in motion). About 10 minutes later I was checking the other line and got this nice 14″ walleye (which I immediately released, walleye season has come to a close here in Minnesota).

 

The next two hours were uneventful except for the fact that it was steadily getting colder and windier. Then at about 11:00 am i added two more keeper bluegills to the pile.

The next hour passed without incident, and we packed up and headed home at noon. 

Tight Lines, NSAngler

 

Ice Fishing For Pike on Shell lake and Lure Reviews

I haven’t been fishing much since the lakes froze, so I haven’t had much to blog about but I finally got out fishing this weekend. My dad and I decided to go ice fishing for some pike at my grandparent’s cabin on shell lake.

Saturday afternoon

I started fishing at about noon, I started out using a gold and green slender spoon and caught several small 14-18 inch pike then at about 1:00 PM I got a pike that was about 4 pounds

At about 2:00 PM I got 2 more small ones and then went back to the house to get minnows, when I came back out my dad was with me, so we each set up a tip-up with live sucker minnows and I continued using the slender spoon on my jigging rod. Not long after setting up I got another 4 pounder on the slender spoon and my dad got a small one on the tip-up.

At about 2:45 my dad got about a 5 pounder on a swedish pimple jigging spoon and I got a couple small ones on the tip-up.

The rest of the day was un eventful until when my dad was reeling in the tip-ups he got a 4 pounder on the live sucker.

Then we decided to head in. The weather when I started  was sunny and 29 degrees, with light wind, but by the time I headed in at 4:00 PM it was 7 degrees and cloudy with 25 mph winds.

Sunday morning

Overnight the temperature plummeted to 30 below zero, and when me and my dad decided to go out and fish for an hour before we went home it was still 20 below zero. We used the same set up as the day before except I switched to a VMC tingler spoon because I had snapped the slender spoon off the day before. The fish were more finicky than the day before because of the cold front that was coming through, we missed several lighter biting fish right away, then my dad got a small one on one of the tip-ups. After more missed fish I managed to hook into a 4 pounder with the VMC tingler spoon. 

This was the only bigger fish of the day and the last fish of the trip.

Lure Reviews

Custom Jigs and Spins Slender Spoon

This was the spoon that I used the most during this trip, I used a green and gold spoon in the largest size. They come in all sizes for anything from crappies to pike, and when jigged aggressively they have a wide fluttering action and give off a lot of flash or they can be twitched in place for sluggish or finicky fish.

VMC Tingler Spoon

This spoon has a very similar action to the slender spoon and can be used in many of the same situations, one thing about it that I like better than the slender spoon is the hook it is more heavy duty and seemed sharper. this spoon also gives off a lot off flash and has a wide fluttering action. On this trip I used the 3/16 oz. model in perch color.

Conclusion

both of these lure are quality and versatile products and I will definitely buy more in the future.

Tight Lines, NSAngler

Hardwater Preperation

This time of year I like to make sure all of my ice fishing gear is ready, so I can hit the ice as soon as possible. Here is a list of simple things you can do to make sure you are ready…

• I fish out of a portable ice house, so I take it out of storage and take every thing out, open all the doors and vents, and let it air out it gets a little musty smelling during the summer, something you can do to help this is to make sure yo put it away dry so no mold grows.
• Make sure all of your rods are undamaged, check for nicks or cuts in the eyelets that could cut your line, and that the laminate coating is in good condition.
• Give your reels a good looking over to make sure they are in working condition, and lube if needed.
• Make sure you have good line on your reels, check the strength and run it through your fingers to find any abrasions.
• Make sure that your auger, heater, lights, flasher, and other accessories are in working order.
• Check your tackle box to make sure you have everything you need.
• Once your fish house is aired out, go in and shut off all lights and close the windows and doors, then look for hole where the light shines through (patch if needed).

Then pack everything back up and your ready to go.

Tight Lines, NSAngler