All types of angling have a certain element of mystery, but ice fishing has its own mystique. There is a sense of piercing the veil every time we drill a hole in the ice, as if we have created a window into another world. There may be monsters lurking in the shadows at your feet, hidden in that small hole.
Ice fishing for big game fish is an enthralling endeavor. It requires a great deal of preparation, patience, and know-how to land a trophy. One’s eyes light up when they see the large eye of their quarry glistening in the darkness after struggling with its weight. While smaller species like bluegill and perch are worth a try, it appears ice fishing was meant just for catching larger species.
Choosing the Right Water
Anglers have a hard time getting monster fish through the ice, and this is usually because they’re not fishing in the right places. It’s not only about finding specific spots for setting tip-ups or jigging − sometimes it’s about choosing the right body of water. Just because a lake, river, or reservoir may be home to pike, lake trout, or muskie, doesn’t necessarily mean the environment can sustain them reaching huge sizes. To increase your chances of success, you should look into what areas provide the best forage and habitat for these species to reach trophy sizes.
According to Jay Siemens, host of the Canadian Angle, an important factor for success in trophy fishing is scouting out the right lake. For him, this means targeting larger bodies of water – and scoping them out in advance. He uses a variety of methods to do this, from consulting online fishing forums or message boards to talking to local fishing guides or tackle shops.
In order to locate waters with trophy fish, the internet is one of the best tools. If you just Google the name of a water body, you can find out about the species it holds, their size, where they’re being caught, and even what bait and lures are working to catch them. Choose a place that consistently produces trophy-sized fish instead of one that has some fifty-year-old, once-in-a-lifetime fish record.
Make sure you use the right equipment
When targeting giant fish, it’s essential to have the appropriate fishing equipment. Utilize medium-heavy jigging rods with a large reel featuring an intense drag. Choose 20-50 lbs. of braided line that can tolerate continuous abrasion from the edges of the opening whilst a hefty fish is struggling against it. Additionally, tip-ups should include an adjustable drag setting on the spool to prevent false triggers from live baits’ resistance, otherwise you could end up wasting energy during days with scarce bites.
Both jigging rods and tip-ups need strong fluorocarbon fishing line as leaders. Fluoro can be up to 40- or even 50-pounds depending on the size of the fish you’re trying to catch and the mainline you’re using. Heavy barrel swivels will create a more solid connection than line-to-line connection knots, so you should attach these leaders to your mainline with them.
When targeting toothy critters such as pike and muskie, you should also always use bite wire or wire leaders. The voracious predators have been known to swallow the bait as well as the leader when they strike, leaving many anglers with an empty line and a waving tip-up flag.
The Best Way to Use Live Bait for Trophy Fish
It is almost always going to be live bait that produces the most fish in almost any angling situation. Large predatory fish will be drawn in at least to take a closer look at a minnow struggling against a hook when they detect its natural movement. To get the attention of the real big boys, you’ll want baits that will make an impression, as the struggles of smaller minnows will attract fish of all sizes, from massive lake trout to petite crappie.
This rule generally holds true for catching trophy fish, with only few exceptions such as when ice fishing for large bass. To maximize success, use baits that are too big for smaller fish to eat. Two of the best choices are 6- to 8-inch gold shiners and 8- to 12-inch white suckers, both readily obtainable at most fishing stores or harvested yourself if you’re particularly determined. These larger baits will be eaten by a variety of species including walleye, pike, lake trout, sturgeon, and even catfish. Opting for such expansive bait sizes will ensure it’s only giant predators consuming them.
If your local shop does not have large live baits or you haven’t had the opportunity to catch them, an 8-10″ panfish like a perch or a sunfish can be an effective alternative. These smaller fish are often better bait than store-bought ones since they’re a natural food source for bigger predators in some lakes and rivers. But make sure to verify that using these types of bait is allowed in the area as it may be illegal in certain areas.
When fishing a large live bait, using hooks of 2/0 to 4/0 wide gap size and hooking them through the bait just below and slightly behind the dorsal fin is recommended. This ensures that the baits will stay alive and hang at a slight downward angle when suspended beneath a tip-up or on a jigging rod. This position allows the bait to present a bigger profile to predators without it swimming too aggressively and setting off the tip-up. Additionally, when prey are swallowed head first, hooking them further back prevents both from feeling the hook and from swallowing it deeply which may be desirable if you want to release them. To get them to the desired depth, attaching ¼- to ⅛-ounce heavy split shots to your line will help hold your baits in place; then let it swim!
In order to be successful at landing trophy fish, it’s important to use live-baits and spread your tip-ups across a large area. These predators are usually found roaming between shallow and deep water, so you’ll want to focus on places of depth transition. This may include the edges of drop-offs, points of islands or peninsulas close to deeper water, and the mouths of creeks, inlets or shallow bays. Using electronics or a bathymetric map to identify these hot spots helps you accurately set up your bait stations accordingly and cover different depths until you find the ideal spot.
Dead Baits for Trophy Fish: How to Use Them
If you are looking to catch a monster on ice, dead baits are another great choice. They can be left to soak on a tip-up all day while you fish other holes without the baits being changed, and can result in one of your biggest catches. Despite the misconception that dead baits aren’t as effective as live ones, the truth is that they can often be more effective at times. This is particularly true in cold snaps when predatory fish are more sluggish.
When I’m after something truly monstrous, like a big lake trout or a pike, I always lay a big dead bait on the bottom. It’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s true, “big baits catch big fish.” Big fish underneath the ice like that don’t waste a lot of energy chasing food around. They’d rather just come up on a big dead bait and inhale it, and they’ll also deter smaller fish since they won’t bother with a truly big dead bait.”
Most sporting goods stores carry salted and brined baits, so anglers who do not have access to a live bait shop can also use dead baits. You can even find effective dead baits at the grocery store. Because they’re dead, there’s no worry about them escaping and becoming an invasive species. You can use whole fish, such as mackerel and tilapia, as bait.
A stinger rig is the best way to rig these slab baits. I’m talking at least 10 inches, but often somewhere around 12 to 15 inches. Baits that are so large that they can only be eaten by something truly monstrous. It is possible to purchase these or even make them with two large 3/0 to 5/0 treble hooks, which increase hook-up chances and make the bait appear as natural as possible in the water by hanging horizontally in the water.
To construct a stinger rig, first tie a treble hook to your leader. Subsequently, depending on the size of your bait, take 4-8 inches of either sturdy 25-pound monofilament or bite wire (if you are targeting pike or muskie). Connect that segment of line or wire to either the eyelet or one of the shanks of the hook. Afterwards, secure the second hook to the end of that length of line or wire so that both hooks hang vertically. Then attach your dead bait to the rig by threading through its center and back so it dangles horizontally in a more realistic way. Finally, place the bottom treble just behind its head, right above its gill plate, and you’re ready to go!
If your fishing regulations allow it, you can lure game fish by chumming spots of structure like reefs, rock piles, humps and weed beds with cut bait. This attracts baitfish which in turn attracts large predators in the area. Once these spots are located, set your dead baits – suspended just above or laid on the seafloor – and wait for the big one to move in!
Jigging for trophy fish: How to do it
When hunting trophy fish, jigging can also be an effective strategy. Plus, it gives you something to do in between tip-ups. It’s important to use large lures that draw a lot of attention when you’re jigging for trophy fish, just like when you’re using live or dead baits on tip-ups.
In deeper water or when targeting aggressive predators like pike, large flutter spoons such as the Magnum Flutter Spoon or the Big Daddy are ideal. You can make these spoons more enticing by tipping them with either a whole dead shiner or minnow or a big chunk of cut bait just to put a little blood in the water, which can help to attract a large fish.
Heavy ¼- to 2-ounce jigs are a great way to catch trophy fish. You can use cut bait, whole shiners, or plastics such as 7- to 10-inch Hogys or 6- to 8-inch Grub Tails. Although they can be cast at various depths, the sweet spot is in shallow waters between 6 and 20 feet. To get even better results, utilize LiveScope, an underwater camera, or another live feed fish finder to locate the fish and observe their reaction to your presentation. At times, you may need to switch it up and rapidly drop your jig on the bottom or suddenly surge it back upwards – these may trigger strikes from the bigger ones!
Don’t give up
You need to be patient when fishing for trophy fish. Being successful often means waiting on a strike for hours or days. It can be a struggle, one that often sees you wandering aimlessly around the ice, building snowmen, burning up data on your phone, and basically doing everything but catching fish. Nevertheless, sticking it out to the end of your game is often the best way to find a monster.
“A lot of big fish don’t feed under the sun, so that’s why the Golden Hour of sunset and sunrise is prime time for big fish,” Jay explained. I have caught so many of my biggest fish at last light, so if you want a big one, just stick it out and stay out an extra hour. Don’t be the last one to leave the ice.”
Sticking with it and having the right strategy is what it takes to succeed in ice fishing for trophy fish. Even if you have to drive far, feel your toes freezing and keep away from that cozy Lazy Boy on your living room, the reward will be worth it in the end. Every time you look into the darkness beneath an icy hole and question what’s beneath, ice fishing can provide an answer.
Sources: TheMeatEater
