Can Ice Fishing Make Me A Better Bass Fisherman?

[Texas bassman]

Just wondering. Don't think so and I haven't fished in a since it started freezing. Im in northern Illinois lakes are frozen over already.

[deaknh03]

Might make you a better drinker...and real good at looking at flags.

[WRB]

Lakes that freeze over should be closed to bass fishing, give a break!

Tom

[Tom H.]

Being from IL myself I will say no it won't make you a better bass fisherman. On the other hand there is nothing like fresh caught crappie, and gills through the ice!

[Big Fish Rice]

Once you catch a smallie through the ice, you'll experience how fun it is to fish year round. Heck yes it will help you become a better angler. Bait choice, depth...and guess where they'll be when the ice thaws?

You'll already have information that will help you early in the year.

[BadBassWV]

Only Ice fishing I've ever done was for trout on smaller lakes that the state would stock.  Get you a thick piece of styrofoam to stand on and go for it. 

[KyakR]

Fireball whisky, Allen's coffee brandy, loud relatives and gunning snowmobiles are a fishing experience you'll never forget   

[Mainebass1984]

 I am not sure ice fishing could make you a better open water bass fisherman. I think that when your ice fishing you can find very productive spots that are otherwise difficult to locate from a boat.  When I am ice fishing I am drilling a lot of holes looking for subtle irregularities in the bottom of the lake or trying to locate that one weed bed that's still green.  I then mark the spot with my gps and investigate the spot when the ice is gone.

[wnybassman]

Can show you how close fish come to your bait without eating it.     lol

 

 

 

 

 

[Throw Back]

Any kind of fishing can and will improve you. More important, if you think it might be fun, don't worry if its gonna give you the edge, just get out and enjoy it.

[SENKOSAM]

You have to have a lot of patience to ice fish and baits that catch pan fish also catch bass and pickerel in the same areas. I would rather not hook bass or pickerel under the ice, but I always catch a few and have no problem catching them on 4lb test line on small spoons and grubs. If you can get by without using live bait such as minnows, do so, otherwise bass could easily be gut hooked. To avoid gut hooking, I would start with a drop shot rig using live bait or soft plastic minnows on an Octopus hook.

 

Vertical presentations you would normally use in deeper water, can be used in 5' near weeds. That's where I locate fish 95% of the time in winter. It's a good way to get a feel for and experience using vertical lures such as spoons. YouTube has many ice fishing videos, including subsurface videos that give you an idea the action of different lure actions, the reaction time for fish to strike and school fish bites (I've only experience a dozen in my life time).

 

Even after ice out, the same presentation will work using the same lures, except with the addition of horizontal casts.

 

There's nothing as relaxing as experiencing the quiet on the ice under a bright blue sky on a warm day, with gulls flying overhead waiting for live bait scraps. Just remember to check ice thickness and dress for air temperature changes. It's a nice way to be active outdoors in winter.

[SudburyBasser]

I would argue that late season bass fishing would make you a better ice fisher. At any rate, better things to fish for in the winter then bass.

[FD.]

Only if you remember where you piled the brush after the ice melts.  

[Teal]

Fireball whisky, Allen's coffee brandy, loud relatives and gunning snowmobiles are a fishing experience you'll never forget

Minus the snow mobiles and loud relatoves, its sounds like a plan. Too bad, there isn't a lot of ice fishing on NC

[Ratherbfishing]

I think it all depends on HOW you ice fish.  If you somewhat randomly drill holes and spread out two dozen tip ups, that experience will not extrapolate very well to "regular" fishing.  On the other hand, if you regularly study a topo map, learn your use your flasher or fishfinder to its maximum abilities, learn to look for weeds beds, edges, flats, drop offs, etc. and learn to follow the fish as winter season progresses or wains, I think these kinds of practices can easily carry over to your summer time practices-especially as an open-water fisherman.