So, The Lakes Are Frozen

[Josh Smith]

Hi Folks,

 

As per one of my last posts, the lakes are frozen.

 

When I get a bit of time I'll be going out to see if I can't catch some river walleye.

 

While I'm out, I was thinking about the possibility of catching winter smallmouth from cold rivers.  I've never done this.

 

I need tips on this.  I'll be using baitcaster reels, spoons and spinnerbaits for the walleye.  What should I use for winter bass?  I'm thinking toting along the ultralight with some small finesse baits to target still water pockets in the river would be a good start.

 

Am I correct here, or way off?

 

Thank you.

 

Josh

[Raul]

Lakes are frozen ....... LOL !

[*Hootie]

Lakes are frozen ....... LOL !

Rub it in Raul, rub it in...lol.

Hootie

[F14A-B]

Lakes are frozen ....... LOL !

Hmm, lets see what the good book says, nope, no mention of frozen lakes...

[Raul]

Here's what The Good Book says ( and I will skip all the unimportant part of the Genesis ) : And on the EIGHTH DAY the LORD said : "LET THERE BE BASS FISHIN ' ! " and the South was created, see gentlemen, didn't say nuthin' 'bout bass fishing in the North. Yer well deserved punishment for not obeying the word of the Lord is solid water.

[Smokinal]

Lakes are frozen ....... LOL !

 

[MassBass]

The reservoir aint frozen yet. I bank fished yesterday in the rain and got a follow-up from a big pickerel.   

[papajoe222]

Lakes are frozen ....... LOL !

Keep it up. Your time will come.

[OkobojiEagle]

Uh, Raul... You may think that Southerners are God's chosen people, but around my parts there are a whole lot of us that walk on water!!!

 

 

oe

[Matthew2000]

What's this ice your referring to it was sunny and 65 today

[EvanT123]

It's more like River is flooded have to fish a lake.

I think your off to a good start Josh. You might do alright with your other lures in those spot just fish them slower. I have been researching winter smallmouth for a long time but have had very limited luck. I was out today and did not stay out very long due to my own unpreparedness; fishing on the bank also limits me. Anyways give it a shot. Walleye as you know aren't the greatest gamefish and can sometimes be downright annoying but hook into a big one and hang on. Good luck hopefully you find some bronze backs.

[Driftb]

Try verticle presentations with hair, maraboo or soft plastic jigs, and blades. Jigging  Spoons can also be deadly.  Think ice fishing without the ice.

[Smokinal]

Hair jigs, blades and suspending jerkbaits would be my starters.

[HoosierHawgs]

Suspending Jerkbait, or fish one of your spoons vertically. Hair jigs w/an added trailer to slow the rate of fall are another great option. FLW just posted two great articles, "Winter Bass Fishing Myths" and "Think Vertical For Winter Bass". They were good reads and may help you out a bit.

[FunkJishing]

everythings frozen where I'm at.

[ColdSVT]

Frozen and were are lookin at a solid winterstorm here in PA!

[Raul]

Uh, Raul... You may think that Southerners are God's chosen people, but around my parts there are a whole lot of us that walk on water!!!

 

 

oe

 

Of course we Southerners are God´s chosen people, we go to church every week and some even go on a daily basis ( my FIL went to 7:00 AM mass every single day, my mother says her prayers every day at 12:00 PM ), no wonder God has blessed us with bass fishing year round.  

 

See:

 

God     us  Southerners.

[Josh Smith]

Of course we Southerners are God´s chosen people, we go to church every week and some even go on a daily basis ( my FIL went to 7:00 AM mass every single day, my mother says her prayers every day at 12:00 PM ), no wonder God has blessed us with bass fishing year round.  

 

See:

 

God     us  Southerners.

 

On the other hand, you'll never know the joy of sitting in a glorified tent over a hole bored in ice waiting for a flag to pop up, passing a quart of good bourbon and tending a kerosene (or, if you're up-to-date, a propane!) heater.

 

I never did that either.  Just doesn't seem safe somehow.  I have issues with ice but love Indiana.

 

Josh

[Raul]

On the other hand, you'll never know the joy of sitting in a glorified tent over a hole bored in ice waiting for a flag to pop up, passing a quart of good bourbon and tending a kerosene (or, if you're up-to-date, a propane!) heater.

 

I never did that either.  Just doesn't seem safe somehow.  I have issues with ice but love Indiana.

 

Josh

 

Images of Two Grumpy Old Men flood my mind, man I love that movie ! , I can see you all Northeners doing that.

 

Looking at it from another perspective, difficult to say which are more hardcore fishermen, you Northeners for fishing in the freezing cold during the winter or us Southerners for fishing under the scorching sun and blazing heat of the south during the spring. Crazy people.

[OkobojiEagle]

Well, my Grand Dad told me how Minnesota ice fishing first came to be…

 

Seems back in 1879 there was a lumberjack named Sven Oldsen that settled just three stone’s throws northwest of Fergus Falls with his wife Lena and their dog Oly.  On a particularly bitter cold morn with the sun just throwing its first rays through the standing pines, Sven was awakened by a roar he could only imagine  coming from a full grown bull moose.  As Sven sat straight up to find Oly scurrying off the foot of the bed for whatever cover he might find, it came to Sven that the thunderous and now odorous commotion was merely Lena releasing some of the benefits of yesterday’s deer jerky.

 

Day’s early light illuminated the generous stream of drool meandering through Lena’s Scandinavian mud pack facial and got Sven to thinking.  He could slap the generous behind lying next to him and hope to convince Lena that a round of close cuddling was in order, OR… he could quietly creep out into the -17 degree northwest wind, trek the ¾ mile path to the Ottertail River Dam and chisel a hole through the 27 inch thick ice cover to drop a fishing line and hope to snag a couple more of those 7 inch perch he’d been snagging a few months earlier.

That particular morn Sven’s decision took less time than would most of you still reading this story and the rest is, as they say in Minnesota, uff-da.

 

oe

[DILLY07]

BogiEagle- Ice fish on the Bogi Lake and perhaps you'll see the truck that sunked last year. Correct me wrong if that ford is still under water.

[OkobojiEagle]

BogiEagle- Ice fish on the Bogi Lake and perhaps you'll see the truck that sunked last year. Correct me wrong if that ford is still under water.

 

DNR has a position on dropping your trucks in the lake... you put it in, you pull it out, at your cost!  No, I don't think that vehicle is still in the lake.

 

 

oe

[Chris S]

Its cold out my way but we are blessed with Power Plant lakes to fish! A 9.4 came out of one on Saturday and a 6.4 Sunday!  

[Raul]

Here´s something interesting: most of central US was colonized by Northern Europeans, think about it very carefully, the ancesters of most of you guys came from places like Scandinavia, Finland, Germany n´such, how the heck you move thousands of miles from your native country and the only thing you can think about is finding the same misearble freezing cold climate ? If it were for me I would have looked for a nice warm place like Acapulco or something like that.

[dubya]

Ice fishing for smallmouth seems a lot like an exercise in masochism to me, but I understand that when you gotta fish, you gotta fish. All the suggestions I've heard sound good, but I'd add that you might get some very light bites as well. Keep an eye out, always use a stinger hook, and if you don't catch anything go walleye fishing. At least they're good to eat.