Need advice…

Just read the “lesson’s learned” posting regarding the usage of vexilars. Spent several hours over a couple of days ice fishing in several locations with waxies and red worms. Half Moon Bay, Pepin Harbor both inside and outside break wall, then south of Alma in backwaters. Net result has been a few very small blue gills and small perch.

In particular, when fishing the Pepin Harbor, one can see lots of gills swimming around throughout the water column (5′-6′), but they pass right by the waxie or red worm without pausing. No Vexilar needed to see this, just look down the hole. I’ve seen fish stop to stare at a waxie and refuse to bite, but never have I seen fish simply swim on by without even pausing… My buddy and I tried different small jig colors with and without bate, fished the whole column, but only luck was catching the small perch off the bottom and very slow & light bite at that.

What do you suppose the blue gills would bite on in that situation?

I Dont know the area you are fishing but give some guesses. Have you tried larger presentations, small spoons or horizontal swim jigs. How many spikes/waxies are you using. Try loading them up 4-8 spikes or 3-5 waxies. When we target gills we load up small spoons with waxies, other than that, I guess they call it fishing

My buddy tried some larger jigs. In general, when it turns cold and the fishing slows down, then we expect to have more success with smaller jigs.

I was only fishing with one waxie or read worm on the jig. Did not attempt to load it up and I guess as I am programmed to think small jigs, fishing with spoons wasn’t considered.

I’m used to catching fish just off the bottom, so it just really struck me as odd that one can have fish passing by the hole throughout the column and not slowing to check out the bait. Usually when the gills are hard to catch, one can see them stop to “window shop” and stare at the bait, but just not willing to take it.

I was wishing I had some of my small trout nymphs along to give them something insect like to try.

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I was wishing I had some of my small trout nymphs along to give them something insect like to try.

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What you have described above tells me to down size. I’m talking hook size 14 down to 22.

When we’re talking size 18 – 22 hooks it’s difficult to get 1 lbs test line into the eyes. I would pre-tie them, then use a blood knot or Uni to Uni knot to attach them to the fishing line.

Just a wee bit of waxie on the hook has worked well for me.

If you’re in that shallow of water and can see the fish, chances are they can see your shadow and hear every ding and scrape you make. Then too with the super cold weather and yo-yo barometer, the fish get in a funk, especially panfish.

Down-sizing a huge amount can help, maybe rig up a dropper spoon with a size 16-22 fly instead of jigs/bait. This situation is also where a single pin prick of light on a glow jig instead of charging the whole jig might be beneficial. Spikes can take over in this kind of bite too and if you can find some, golden rod grubs are a dynamite cold weather bait, better even than spikes.

Used to think down sizing was the way to go also but like mentioned above sometimes up sizing to spoons seems to work. Other times going with out bait they will come in and quickly test the hook of the jigs. need to be using a camera or sight fishing for this. They suck it in and back out so fast you would never feel it on the line. Plastics is another choice or it might just be time to move. Other area or different body of water.

I’ve also tried just dropping a half dozen euro larva down the hole on slow bites to see if the fish would move in and feed on them. Figured if they wont hit a slow sinking larva with no hook on it its time to move.

black nuclear ant with a red larvae…. if they don’t like that, then they are on a diet.

Thanks for advise… Probably not inclined to waste another day in the cold to try out the ideas today as I have a car battery acting weak and just cleaned the terminals and am presently warming the car to give it the test. + terminal was dirty, but probably due for a new battery though.

My buddy was telling me that we might need to try further down sizing using the 1# line as suggested by Brian.

G’s black/red ant or #22 nymph/bead head patterns were along the lines of thought I had.

The odd thing about Pepin harbor is that they have an aerator in the harbor, so while there were plenty of gills swimming by we were thinking that the water is going to be oxygenated, but uniformly colder throughout the column due to the circulation which may be why the gills were at all levels instead of hanging low. One also wonders if there might be opportunity for insect hatches to be present due to the aerator and open water, similar to trout streams.

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What you have described above tells me to down size. I’m talking hook size 14 down to 22.

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When the bite is that tough the tiny jigs are great!
A 1/100oz to 1/200oz jig has been kinda hard to find sometimes but now that VMC has the Larvae jigs in 1/200oz a guy has more options.
A few years back a local guy put out some that were lighter than that…..
1st pic is VMC 1/200oz on the the right….2nd is colors that always seem to work for me…

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When we’re talking size 18 – 22 hooks it’s difficult to get 1 lbs test line into the eyes.

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Ya…..Old eyes can make it a challenge