First Ice, Best Ice
Reaction Strikes for Tip-Ups and Jigging
First ice, best
ice—this is what so many descriptions of early ice fishing amount to for
mysterious reasons that no one knows for certain, me included, although have an
idea. It’s not a theory separated from practical success on “black ice,” ice
newly formed, free of any snow or milky-white false layer. It’s an idea that
works.
Very many years ago—I
was 16—an older mentor and I had December ice in Princeton Township. We
got out two or three times on a 4 acre pond for phenomenal largemouth fishing
before snow covered clear ice—and the number of flags decreased by a ratio of
10:1. Curious the first day, but one or two more days of that contrast got us
thinking hard.
We reviewed the
conditions: the first days had been cloudless, the ice clear, water clear, and
most interestingly, a number of bass had taken shiners, run off about five
yards of line, and dropped them. We were sure these were not sunfish hitting
large shiners, and we never had this happen on snow covered ice. Largemouths
normally take a shiner under ice because they mean it, and they will strip a
tip-up spool if you let them.
Why Cold Front Conditions are Best
I don’t remember which
one of us had the illumination, but the idea seemed certain since the bass had
been hitting shiners with highly
reflective scales in brilliant sunlight through clear ice in very clear, fairly
shallow (8 to 10 feet) water. Reaction strikes. Just like a bass slamming a
high speed crankbait on a tough day in the summer. I wanted to believe this is true, but it’s a good supposition. You can count on it to frame your approach in December. By whatever
cause, or combination of causes, bass and other gamefish tend to hit better
just as the season starts. It may seem counterintuitive to pick a cloudless day
and clear water shallows to go after largemouths, but these conditions tend to
be best for black ice. It’s a good idea to pick a shallow lake like Musconetcong, Budd Lake, a
pond with clear water, or otherwise a shallow, weedy flat like Hopatcong’s
State Park area, and take along jigging rods with silvery spoons as well.
Standing directly over fish on clear ice jigging might spook them, so if water in
the five foot range is very clear, rely especially on tip-ups.
Fascination & Reaction
I don’t believe the
classic cold front condition does the opposite of summer and turns bass on
during winter. It’s clear to me that if a bass takes a shiner and drops it, the
interest wasn’t to feed. Bass obviously feed less in winter; being cold blooded,
they metabolically require less. And with high pressure and intense light, my
guess is that in shallow habitat, like State Park, they tend to go into what
weeds remain. In our relatively shallow Princeton Township pond, we fished the
deepest water, over which we could begin to make out the bottom we set shiners
a foot above. But bass travel about a pond even during winter. That’s plain to
see as a tip-up spool spins. And a shiner flashing before them as they approach,
reflecting abundant light, fascinates and incites them to strike.
It isn’t that under
snow covered ice, bass, pickerel, or other gamefish have no way of sensing a
shiner. It’s very dark under thick, snow covered ice, especially with an opaque
false layer. But fishes’ lateral lines are extremely sensitive and allow them
to directly target prey in darkness. So I ask how much sight has to do with
arousing a strike even when fish are not actively feeding. It’s as if they are
mesmerized by the sight of that baitfish emitting light from those scales—which
normally serve as protection for schooling shiners, serving to confuse predators
by so many random flashes of light. But here’s a single shiner sending a beacon
that now serves the opposite of nature’s intention. The bass hits.
Large Shiners, Small Hooks
Use large, or even
extra-large shiners if you can get them, for the obvious reason. The bigger the bait,
the more it will swim and turn in the light, and the more light its
scales will reflect. I’ve seen ice fishermen impale shiners on what looked to
me like 2/0 hooks---those shiners pretty much stayed in place, straitjacketed
by thickness and weight of metal. It’s not impossible to catch a fish that way.
(Northern pike will hit dead bait in winter.) But it’s much less likely without
active flashes. Size six straight shank, or circle hooks, are all you need. Go
with “light wire” and play out a big fish. If you are targeting muskies, you will
need to refer to other techniques, but for bass, pickerel, and northern pike—go
light and let shiners work for you. Step light, too. Don’t come stomping to a
tip-up. Especially under these conditions when fish are skittish, bait gets dropped.
Safety
Unless you are well seasoned ice fishing, 5 inches of clear,
hard ice is a wise rule. Why? Ice thickness is not uniform on New Jersey lakes.
We all have access to plenty information that will tell us a 250 pound man can
stand safely on 3 inches of ice, but 3 inch thickness along shore does not mean
it exists further out, perhaps an inch or two does. Who wants to be a total greenhorn at this,
poking about a frozen lake with a split bar to test hardwater that may kill him
in a moment or two? If ice is relatively thin, you are an enthusiastic beginner,
and snow is coming tomorrow—take a little advice. Don’t take this so seriously.
Find a guide or wait until later in the season when ice is very thick and safe,
get used to ice fishing, and at some other, safe opportunity try for reaction
strikes. Someone I knew in high school died an awful death as a result of ice
fishing—to fall through is serious.
Every year people
across the northern tier of the nation die falling through, and I wonder what
percentage could have lived if they simply wore a pair of ice spikes around
their necks. By whatever cause, if you go though, fasten your fists around the
grips, dig the spikes into ice, pull yourself out, and crawl away to thick ice.
Otherwise, unless you can at least use your car keys to similar purpose
(not as sure), try climbing out of ice water onto ice with wet hands. It may
not be impossible, but certainly is unlikely. A throw rope that your fishing
partner could toss to you would reduce your amount of crawling effort in such
an extreme situation.
Ice fishing comprises
some of the most rewarding outings I have all year. I love it when dawn greets
zero degrees, and welcome colder to see even more steam rise from holes. Get
out, brave a new world! And don’t doubt it—be safe.
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