Is ice fishing usually slow to start the season?

[Tom Pullings]

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.

[FlyTheory]

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

[Sigg]

I've found January to be very slow for me the last few years, haven't gone out much during December.

[PlayDoh]

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.

[PlayDoh]

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.

[PlayDoh]

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.

[PlayDoh]

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.

[Tom Pullings]

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.

[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.

[Newellknik]

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 .

[Tom Pullings]

Not shallow enough could very well be it!

[d bowhunter]

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.

[Mitchthefisher]

I fish 8-14fow for pike and have very good success.

[Deep]

I agree with Kim....and yes, try 10 ft or less of depth.

[TROLLER]

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

[Tom Pullings]

How deep should one fish for trout this time of year I wonder? I can't catch any of those either it seems.

[Fishslayer99]

Best pike fishing for me is 6 foot or less, I have caught plenty of pike in only 3 feet of water.

[CMichaud]

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.

Can you expand on these variables?

Thanks

[marlin1]

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.

I agree with this post . My old fishin buddies that have been out have reported poor fishin SO FAR

[fish99]

Originally Posted by marlin1

I agree with this post . My old fishin buddies that have been out have reported poor fishin SO FAR

who you calling old ha ha

[marlin1]

not including any reports from you fish99 . You haven't given me any , lol

[fish99]

Originally Posted by marlin1

not including any reports from you fish99 . You haven't given me any , lol

heading out on friday we will have report for you on monday ,call you then , last week was ok for small perch.

[PerchBuster]

Just remember that fish feed all the time year round, they don't take a month off! If you're not having success you simply need to change tactics, presentations, locations, and times until you find something that works.They all don't eat at the same together and at any given time on a body of water there will be a portion of the population ready and willing to feed and the balance are neutral to negative.....or maybe just full already lol! A fish really only has 3 goals in life....Eat, Breed, and Survive. Experimentation is a wonderful teacher.

[Pikebreath]

Fishing tends to get tougher during the dog days of summer,, end of July through mid to late August,,,, same goes for winter, catch rates typically tail off end of Dec through January,,,, both times of the year represent the extreme ends of the temp scale.

This is not saying that fish can't be caught at those times of year,,,, just what worked in the month or two before doesn't always produce results in the dog days of summer or the dead of winter.

Creel surveys typically show that catch rates improve through Feb into March when the days start getting noticeably longer.

For ice fisherman, first ice and last ice can be magic.

[EZM]

I use my GPS to get me to the drop off and set up right along the drop off and do quite well. Some tip ups go shallow, and others go deep. It seems to me that low light (mornings and late evening) the shallow tips up work better. The rest of day the deeper ones usually do better.

That's been my observation anyways.

[wbaj]

Originally Posted by PerchBuster

Just remember that fish feed all the time year round, they don't take a month off! If you're not having success you simply need to change tactics, presentations, locations, and times until you find something that works.They all don't eat at the same together and at any given time on a body of water there will be a portion of the population ready and willing to feed and the balance are neutral to negative.....or maybe just full already lol! A fish really only has 3 goals in life....Eat, Breed, and Survive. Experimentation is a wonderful teacher.

Totally agree with you pearchbuster, it's my philosophy that somewhere in the lake I'm fishing, somehow a fish can always be coaxed into biting. If I'm getting skunked I'll try stuff I've never tried before, whether it's a long forgotten hook or a technique I've read about or been told about, I'll give it a try.
It's amazing how often it works in getting a bite.
Mind you don't think I've never been skunked cause I do!

[top_angler]

Originally Posted by Deep

I agree with Kim....and yes, try 10 ft or less of depth.

Something wrong with this guy

[PlayDoh]

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.

[DOGFISH]

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.

[Legend Boats]

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