ICE fishing for Bass????!

[juggerxx]

Winter is coming and so is the ice on the lakes but thats not going to stop me from fishing... im a first time member on a private lake and have plans to do some ice fishing this year. im sure i will be able to catch perch, crappie and hopefully walleye but iv never heard of people ice fishing for bass and i have never tried nor know anything about it.... anyone know much about catching bass when the water is cooooold and icy... are they active at all? any suggestions on how to approach them?

in this lake they also have cat fish, whipper and carp.... i know fish have to eat to stay alive but how likely am i to catch them ice fishing?

thanks

[RobbyZ5001]

The way I ice fish is I use tip ups. I drill 5 holes / person your with. I will pick the best area in which I feel will hold winter bass. I had no problem with bass inactivity. I will then organize my holes in a zig zag pattern across the lake I also try different depths to keep my line. For bait I use live shiners. I do fairly well through the ice. I never get any monsters but the lake I fish primarily Mauch Chunk Pa I pull out a few 16 inch bass in a day and a bunch of little ones. One thing that you should note is safety. I don't like to go alone. I will also sometimes drill or chop  a hole 10 foot off of shore to check it. I won't go out unless there is a minimum of 5 inches. You can go out on less. They sell these things you keep around your neck it is two handles with like nails coming out of the end if you fall through you dig them in so you can get back out. Look into safety prior to going out! Good Luck!

[riverfisher]

I have never actually targeted bass icefishing but do catch the occasional LMB on tip ups and shiners. Mainly im out trying to get a hold of a big tooty northerns and walleye. I set my tip ups on the edge of weed beds in about 6 to 10 FOW. You would think that we would get more then we do but rarely come acrossed bass. A couple things you should never forget when you are out on the ice for the down time when flags arient flying especially if you bring kids. 1. wiffel ball and bat 2. bbgun and targets 3. a football 4. radio for the games on sunday and 5. gas stove to heat up venison chili or stew.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I would but I don't drink  :-/

[Marty]

I don't ice fish, but I hear a lot more talk about ice fishing for perch and toothy fish than I hear about bass.  However, to the best of my knowledge, the Massachusetts state record of 15-8 was caught through the ice.

[bassnleo]

I know a few guys here who target bass through the ice. They use medium sized shiners on tip ups and do pretty well. I have ice fished a little, usually targeting panfish, but on occassion I catch bass. It's kind of freaky, IMHO, they are not as lethargic as some would think. They will chase down the minnows just like they do in warmer water.

[Crestliner2008]

Marty - That is correct, that big'un was taken thru the ice, back quite a few years ago though. I'm from MA; and last year my son won first place for the $300. prize, in an ice derby with a 3.7 lb. LM  

[The Next KVD]

The problem with ice fishing for Largemouths is that in my experience they don't really group up as some fish do such as crappie, sunfish, walleye.  And they don't roam as much as northerns do so ur presentation is not really in the front of a lot of fish.  I'll stick to tipups for pike.

[juggerxx]

thanks for the replys guys.... i guess its possible to catch them but not easy to target them