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12-28-2015, 08:21 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Southwest
Posts: 532
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Is ice fishing usually slow to start the season?
Hey friends. Just wondering if it's normal for the fishing to be slow at the start of the hardwater season? This is my first year on the ice and I've only managed one small pike at a lake where I average about 10 per hour in the summer.
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12-28-2015, 08:25 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 1,489
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That doesn't sound too out of the ordinary to me. Somedays she's slow, especially if you don't use a tip up. Honestly it could be the days you've been going with cold fronts and whatnot? Good luck on your next outing
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12-28-2015, 08:28 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 128
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I've found January to be very slow for me the last few years, haven't gone out much during December.
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12-28-2015, 08:39 PM
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Strathmore/Calgary
Posts: 1,017
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This is only second year on the ice but I've noticed the opposite. Yet I don't expect what I learned last year to be a pattern until I notice it many more times.
You have to realize that fish are cold blooded and the water temp greatly effects their expendable energy. They will move less in the winter.
That means you have to find the fish or catch very little. I haven't been skunked in a long time on the boat, but come close. Now a slow day on a boat is a for sure skunk when you only fish in a dozen or so spots on ice.
Your going to have to do more scouting and take notes on time of day and such. Also try using a Solunar chart to pick days and times to go.
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Theres a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
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12-28-2015, 08:45 PM
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Strathmore/Calgary
Posts: 1,017
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IMO ice fishing with a flasher is a must, unless you only go a couple times and like to let chance dictate your success. Some will say a camera is a must, I won't go that far but it's a big help.
Fish don't have weeds or have very little like they do in open water. So other forms of structure become more important. Often structure as simple as sand bottom meets rocky bottom. If pike are you target, choose shallower bays and find points.
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Theres a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
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12-28-2015, 08:55 PM
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Strathmore/Calgary
Posts: 1,017
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I just upgraded to a Humminbird ice 35 from my boats HB 778 with Ice fishing mode. The Ice 35 is quite a bit more accurate and I had very picky Walleye a couple days ago. I thought they were pike cause pike like to stare at your bait for a long time.
Most times I notice the eyes like the bait right on the bottom. Well the other day I could only get a few of the larger eyes to strike when I got them to follow the bait up 3-4 feet, and even then it took a bit.
Now with my old sonar/flasher I wouldn't have seen as much enough to trigger those strikes, most likely. And without a flasher at all I would have just assumed there were no fish at all.
If you don't have a flasher, get one if your serious. And then punch lots of holes and move until you mark fish.
Use a noisy lure like a rattlin rapala and jig aggressively near the bottom and wait 5-10 mins to see if anything comes for a look. If not, move 20' or more laterally but 5' depth wise and try again.
If you find a friend but he won't bite switch to a jigging spoon with a minnow or bait if your choice.
__________________
Theres a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
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12-28-2015, 09:02 PM
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Strathmore/Calgary
Posts: 1,017
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What lake are you fishing? What are you targeting? What depths and spots are you fishing? By "spots" I mean structure type, not actual location.
Try fishing spots you find the fish at in late fall.
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Theres a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
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12-28-2015, 10:01 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Southwest
Posts: 532
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All good food for thought guys. I don't have any electronics at all. I like to keep it simple. Even in the summer I just mostly fish out of my kayak. I have tried making lots of noise with rattling lipless cranks and tried jigging spoons. I've tried every type of lure and bait actually. And I've tried drilling dozens of holes and moving all over the lake. My only pike so far came on the tip up. Maybe it's just bad luck to start the season.
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12-29-2015, 03:47 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 6,470
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Hard water usually picks up in Feb or so. Lots of variables to concider. Low presure system, wind from the east, cloud cover, sunny, full moon, no moon, clear/cloudy water, etc.... But ya, bites will start to pick up in Feb.
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Kim
Gonna get me a 16" perch.
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12-29-2015, 06:02 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 817
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If your fishing pike
Where there are pike ,it's the bait ....there's also a tendency to not
Fish shallow enough . If it's your first year ,you have to have the
Right presentation and bait .
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01-05-2016, 05:09 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: New Beijing, Canada
Posts: 1,470
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kim473
Hard water usually picks up in Feb or so. Lots of variables to concider. Low presure system, wind from the east, cloud cover, sunny, full moon, no moon, clear/cloudy water, etc.... But ya, bites will start to pick up in Feb.
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Can you expand on these variables?
Thanks
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#defundtheCBC
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01-05-2016, 05:48 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 4,087
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kim473
Hard water usually picks up in Feb or so. Lots of variables to concider. Low presure system, wind from the east, cloud cover, sunny, full moon, no moon, clear/cloudy water, etc.... But ya, bites will start to pick up in Feb.
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I agree with this post . My old fishin buddies that have been out have reported poor fishin SO FAR
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01-05-2016, 06:14 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: pigeon lake
Posts: 1,595
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marlin1
I agree with this post . My old fishin buddies that have been out have reported poor fishin SO FAR
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who you calling old ha ha
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01-06-2016, 08:29 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 4,087
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not including any reports from you fish99 . You haven't given me any , lol
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12-29-2015, 08:10 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Southwest
Posts: 532
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Not shallow enough could very well be it!
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12-29-2015, 08:43 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 271
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pike
Last year most of the pike we got were in about 20 ft of water right on the bottom, most were over 63 caught around 11am till about 2pm i was surprize to catch them so deep but where there is perch there are pike.
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12-29-2015, 09:11 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 547
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I fish 8-14fow for pike and have very good success.
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12-29-2015, 09:45 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 580
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I agree with Kim....and yes, try 10 ft or less of depth.
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12-29-2015, 10:08 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Rocky View County AB.
Posts: 3,569
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Where you catch them in the summer is something you should forget.
Under 10 FOW and as close to a weed bed as you can get
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01-08-2016, 07:06 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Deep
I agree with Kim....and yes, try 10 ft or less of depth.
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Something wrong with this guy
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01-05-2016, 10:59 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Southwest
Posts: 532
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How deep should one fish for trout this time of year I wonder? I can't catch any of those either it seems.
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01-05-2016, 04:43 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Cowtown
Posts: 770
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Best pike fishing for me is 6 foot or less, I have caught plenty of pike in only 3 feet of water.
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I have been thinking of three things I would rather do than fishing...
#1 win the lottery (so I could fish everyday)
#2 & 3 still thinking.....
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01-08-2016, 07:18 PM
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Strathmore/Calgary
Posts: 1,017
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Some notes from my Lindner books is to remember fish don't feed constantly.
Also to try and think of fish as a land animal. They will move to different spots for different reasons. And it's almost always due to the lake/river bottom.
I'm not doing the best job of explaining what they wrote, but I found it helpful to think that way. It makes fish a lil less mysterious.
__________________
Theres a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
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01-09-2016, 11:53 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fort Saskatchewan
Posts: 733
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slow start
Oxygen levels, cover/structure and feed tend to be large factors as well. Moving around can up your success sometimes. January can be slow for sure.
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02-20-2016, 09:13 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 51
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Fishing first ice can either be slow or extremely fun. It will take a bit for the fish to adjust to the conditions but once you find them. They should hold around the same area all winter long. During your summer adventures on the lake, take note of weed lines and how healthy they are. This will give you a good base to start your search for finding fish. Drill a couple of holes and have a peek, if you still see weed growth. It’s probably a good indication to start fishing for a bit and see what comes about it. Hope this helps, Tight Lines.
Cheers Henry - Legend Boats
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