Easy Tactics For Mid-Winter Panfish
It's time to pull back a bit, simply your approach, and enjoy fast and easy panfish action.
by Craig RitchieIt's well known that the best ice fishing happens early and late in the season. Many species are still putting on the feed bag when the first ice seals the lakes shut, while longer days and the approach of spawning season for many species brings another burst of activity before the ice gives out altogether. But in between, things can slow a bit in what some anglers refer to as the February Blahs.
The fishing itself is pretty easy. Panfish like perch, bluegill, punkinseed and other types of sunfish seldom wander far from their summer haunts, but they will move into deeper water in mid-winter as oxygen levels in the shallows begin to thin out. Look for concentrations of fish to hold just above bottom off shallow, weedy bays and adjacent to shoreline points, saddles and islands in water from 12 to 25 feet deep. Finding fish generally isn't much of a problem, though finding numbers of larger, eating-sized fish is a bit more of a challenge. Larger fish tend to hold a little deeper than their smaller relatives, so once I start catching fish, I'll begin drilling additional holes in progressively deeper water in an effort to bump up the average size. Mornings usually produce the best action - panfish are generally inactive at night, so by early morning they'll be looking for a square meal.
It's generally not necessary, but tipping the hook with a bit of natural bait in the form of a waxworm, mealworm, maggot or small pinhead minnow can also help skew your catch toward the larger fish in a school. Artificials like Berkley's Powerbait Ice Action Waxies also work well, since the idea is to bulk up the jig a bit, so it sinks more slowly on the drop.
Just about any light ice rod and reel setup will work perfectly fine for panfish, though lighter outfits mean more fun. On pressured waters I'll spool up with straight four-pound fluorocarbon, since these small fish can react to fishing pressure like any other species.
Forget the February Blahs and spend a few days enjoying pure and simple fun with mid-winter panfish through the ice. They're easy to find, easy to catch, and if you enjoy a good fish dinner then you can't do any better.