I have been struggling getting fish to actually hit after following my bait up. It seems I have tried every lure or minnow/wiggler combination I have. So looking for advice on what others do when fish don’t seem to be ultra aggressive. Having fun watching them on the vexilar, but would like a few more on the ice. Having this issue with walleye, perch and panfish.
You’re not alone believe me. Some days are just like that and they don’t want the dead stick either. One thing I always do is try to keep the bait above them. Then I’ll vary the cadence. Sometimes slow it down sometimes get a little more aggressive with it and sometimes just let it hang there above them.
You can watch too many of the fishing shows where a couple guys are putting 30 fish on the ice in a 30 minute show. I’m sure James Holst and the others will tell you there are many hours of doing what you described that we never see. It’s easy to get yourself to believe that every fish these guys mark gets on the hook but it’s not that way.
I almost always have a pole with a bobber and a minnow on a plain hook or a jig. I also get it that the fishing shows show only the best and get tips on where hot bites are. Just looking for possible help to be more successful. Thanks for your reply.
I’m sure James Holst and the others will tell you there are many hours of doing what you described that we never see. It’s easy to get yourself to believe that every fish these guys mark gets on the hook but it’s not that way.
100% truth. We struggle our butts off like everyone else. When the fish are in a funk it doesn’t matter what you do, they’re not going to eat. There’s no magic bait. No magic jig cadence. All a guy can do is keep drilling holes and switching up baits. The harder you work, the more holes you punch, the more ground you cover…the more fish you put top side.
What do I do to get fish to hit after following? I Throw in competition. Sometimes you gotta jig that Giant Chubby Darter…No they won’t eat that 5″ or so lure, but after you jig it. Sometimes you attract another fish to come in, competition. They’ll munch on it. No guarantee, as fish don’t always bite.
Lure change up…lots of it. Sometimes you go bare metal spoons. Sometimes you need to drop a wet fly. There are times where I have to surgical cut one tail from a tube jig and bait that on a hook.
Sometimes you need to raise them to the max ceiling before the fish will at least take a swipe at your lure. I’ve pulled chasers from +35′ all the way to just shy of 5′ before they swipe at it. Often they swipe right at the 10′ marks. Yes a majority of them might turn away at the 15′ mark. There is a cat and mouse chase that you just have to get it just right. I’ve managed to pull crappies or walleyes on some occasions just like this. It is a rare scenario that this would ever happen.
Many occasions, it’s that dead stick lure that’s doing nothing, get’s bite after they give up following such a lure. Who knows if it’s another fish or that one fish that just followed. As it happens often enough that having a dead stick just sitting there makes a difference. There are times where the dead stick strike zone is where the fish are showing up. There are other times where the dead stick strike zone is up there at the max ceiling.
As James mentioned, switch baits.
If I have that happen 2-3 times consecutively (talking walleyes), I’ll switch colors (there was something about the profile it was interested in is my thought). If that doesn’t work, I change size with a similar silhouette profile…almost always smaller. If that doesn’t work I’m going to a different profile altogether.
This is where small snaps are key. I also like to have a puck with multiple minnow heads so I’m not fiddling around with that when I get on top of some fish. A little preparation in that department makes it really easy to burn through lures until you get something dialed in. Of course, sometimes nothing works.
Sometimes…it’s you’re lure is spinning and they get crossed eye’d staring at it. LOL.
So pay attention to your jig and plastic alignment. Pay attention to the line coils coming from your reel. Maybe stretch the line out to loosen some of those memory coils.
Put a swivel in the line, to reduce the lure spin.
Use a spoon with a dropper hook set up. Sometimes it makes that difference to solicit a bite.
Tie direct to your spoon or jig and set the knot to an offside on the eye. As it sometimes that you change the angle of the lure just ever so slightly, it makes a difference.
On some lakes, have the lantern burning full brightness attracts fish to bite. While on others, dim the light down to just a glow and the fish are more willing to bite.
What do I do to get fish to hit after following? I Throw in competition. Sometimes you gotta jig that Giant Chubby Darter…No they won’t eat that 5″ or so lure, but after you jig it. Sometimes you attract another fish to come in, competition. They’ll munch on it. No guarantee, as fish don’t always bite.
This is so true. You can one fish rush your lure then slam on the brakes and stare at it, but the second another fish comes into the picture and starts moving towards your lure that first fish turns on again.
But as others have said, on negative days, sometimes you just have to throw the kitchen sink at them.
Thanks for all of the thoughts and suggestions. I do enjoy the challenge, but it can be frustrating at times. Still I guess it is better than sitting on the couch or at work. I will keep at. No magic, just putting in the time and effort.
I do love the In Depth Outdoors shows, and watch them all. It would be nice at some point to have a show that goes through that whole process of finding, or possibly not finding the ticket to get the fish to hit. It wouldn’t be as exciting possibly, but more realistic for the majority of us. Just a thought…… I would be happy to be the person struggling on one of the shows, and even have myself shown up on how to get it done… 
Sometimes ( Most often ) you need to keep the bait moving. Once in awhile you have to just stop the bait and give the fish a few seconds to hit it. I find that Crappies almost always want the lure moving to hit it. Sunfish seem to sometimes need the lure to sit motionless for 10-15 seconds before they will hit it.
One other thing I’ll add is, if you don’t have a rod with a light spring bobber on it – Get one. Often the panfish bite can be so light that without a spring bobber you will not even know the fish bit the bait. I’ve had times where myself and fishing partners have had a great day while others near us fishing a traditional bobber hardly caught any fish. If fishing crappies watch the spring bobber for a up bite. Crappies often hit the bait from below and this will cause the slight bend (tension) in the spring bobber to be removed.
As others have said – There are days that nothing you do will matter. Often under changing pressure the fish just will not feed – Even thought they want to chase the lure all around.
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