Everyone would love to catch more fish during late ice. Ice anglers seem to fall into a more relaxed routine when they head out onto the ice this time of the year. They may catch a few fish but once they stop catching fish, it is blamed on the fish - "they just stopped biting". My personal favorite is "fish stop eating late ice". This is just not a fact! Fish eat all year just as you and I do, however, patterns change just like our diets change.
During late ice, remember that light penetration, weed growth, and oxygen levels all decrease in the shallows. Forage becomes less available and more widely scattered. This is when most fish leave the shallows and begin to suspend off structure over deeper water. I look at late ice the same way I do the dog days of summer, it is time to go for it and try new things! Late ice is the best time of the season to try spots as far away from other houses as you can.
The fish that hang around "the best spots" have seen every trick in the book. A large number of them have been pulled into a fish house and let go. The point here is, try something different. Look for spots where only a few or no people have checked out.
When you get to your new spot, and have everything set up, do not forget to try something different! Change the size of your bait, try to have 3-6 different sizes of the same bait handy and just put on a smaller or larger size. This is true for what ever bait you are using from minnows to large blade baits for northern pike. Finding the correct size of bait is as important as being at the correct depth. Next, take a look at your lures. Are they all vertical style lures? If they are, get some horizontal baits. My best crappie fishing this late ice period always involves horizontal jigs. This also seems to hold true with perch.
For walleye, it seems that what the bait does is the most important. Most anglers only move their jig up and down and fish become accustomed to this presentation. If you want to catch a few more walleye, try holding the line between your index finger and thumb. Next roll the line between your fingers back and forth. This will cause the bait to spin. Also try moving the bait around the perimeter of the hole, large fish respond especially well to this pattern during late ice. I have used this a number of times for northern pike and have had wonderful success.
Another wonderful change is to allow the bait to bounce off the bottom of the lake. Fish like walleye, perch, and eelpout feed a few inches off the bottom. By allowing the bait to bounce off the bottom, a small cloud of muck and sound created by this action will help call them in.
Now for RandyMan's favorite change idea for fishing this late ice period comes from a good friend of mine "The Liz". I would find it hard to believe but I saw this with my own two eyes. In fact, he out fished me using this simple idea. He set up his bait up much like mine, however, instead of jigging, he placed his rod in a holder. Every now and then he would tap his foot next to the holder, often to a song on the radio. This has worked on a number of my trips where the fish come up to look at your bait but no matter what you do, they just will not take it.
Next time you are about to say " the fish are not hungry today" or "fish stop eating late ice" try a change or two and see how late ice could become your favorite time of the year to fish. There are some big up sides to late ice. There is more than enough snow to bank your house with. The nights are clear "for the most part" and the air is crisp. Most fishermen are spending more time hanging out then fishing so there is less pressure. Some even do the unthinkable and pack it in for the year. For me there is just way too much time between late January and ice out! Hope to see you all on the ice trying something different!
Enjoy the experience,
Randy "Randy Man" Johnson
JustNorth Outdoors Columnist