Minnesota fishing guide Jason Durham shares a few rock-solid ice fishing tips for catching more and possibly bigger fish this winter.
TWO ICE FISHING TIPS
The number one thing I would recommend for catching more and bigger fish while ice fishing is to get away from the crowds.
There are kind of two ways to approach this. The first is by putting in some drive-time and finding backwater lakes that don’t see a lot of pressure. Try to find fish that aren’t seeing baits everyday and that aren’t receiving a lot of pressure. That’s a great way to get into some big fish.
Now, if you are fishing a lake the receives a lot of pressure try to fish away from other anglers, or on the edge of the crowd.
A lot of times you’ll see big groups of people fishing lots of holes that are fairly close together and those people are sharing the same fish.
By separating yourself from the noise and crowd you will put more and bigger fish topside in those type of situations.
The second ice fishing tip for catching bigger and more fish through the ice is to change your bait or lure less often. In order to catch fishy or bait has to be in the water and switching out lures often cost you time, especially when it is cold out.
Now there is a time and place for switching up the bait you are using, but the key is to know when. As a rule of thumb I will usually give myself three to four fish before I switch baits. That means I have to mark the three to four fish and they have them engage with my bait before I switch.
A lot of times when the fish are coming in and looking but not eating, it usually isn’t because of your bait. Most of the time it has more to do with the presentation of your bait.
By sticking to this rule you are forcing yourself to change your presentation up, before switching baits.
Hopefully these two ice fishing tips will help you put more fish topside this winter.
Source Angling Buzz
