Deep snow and thick ice; February has been great for fishing, if you are willing to work to get there. The deep snow has made it a bit harder to get out on the lakes. All of the thick early ice has caused the oxygen levels to drop much earlier than in years past. This has moved the bluegills out into deeper water. As the month has progressed, we have been finding them slightly suspended outside the first drop off. Color and action have become more important as we are working with lower light levels due to the snow cover. The guys and I have also moved to smaller baits to mimic the natural foods that are in the water.
Crappies have started to become more aggressive in the bite as food sources are more spread out. Many of the large predators are moving more in the open water and not hugging the drop offs. Both of these have combined causing the schools to start moving around. Dropping oxygen levels in deep water have brought the schools up to mid-water levels. Ice trolling has become the aggressive tactic of fisherman. During the Frostbite Tournament on Reeds Lake in mid-February, teams took one of two tactics, chase the schools or wait for them to pass under you every few minutes as the circle structures and loop around evading predatory fish.
My partner and I chose to do some chasing. Cordless drill on the auger in one hand and Hopper Bucket with your flasher in the other; we would drill and catch a couple fish, then try to jump ahead of the school to catch a few more. During March as the days warm and the nights are still below freezing, I am hoping that the snow cover melts off our lakes so hole hopping or ice trolling is a little easier than it was in the last month. Don’t be afraid to scale back your kit, leaving some of that extra equipment in the truck as the temps creep up and the snow cover dwindles, you may have to drill a few more holes.
March is one of my favorite times for tip-ups and pike. With the food supply dwindling and the predators instinctively wanting to bulk up before mating, northern pike are more likely to hit a bait fish not in a school. Many of the old timers that I chat with tell wild tales of just re-hooking a minnow or shiner make the bait look different to attract a big one.
Here is hoping for a few 40 degree days of sunshine when we can fish in shirt sleeves and catch some more limits without shoveling or having to trudge through deep snow. Get your cleats back out, wet ice is slippery ice.
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