First Ice Backwater Bluegills

Well its that time of year again! Sometime between November 1st and December 1st my mind switches gears from hardcore bass mode to hardcore ice mode. With the way the bass fishing has been, the thought of Ice fishing knocking on the door was almost as daunting as final exams fast approaching. But as the days grew colder and the boat entered the garage for the winter, the time to embrace the ice finally came. Over the last two weeks anticipation has grown to the point of being downright antsy! A checking of the ice on Monday revealed that we were almost there, but needed one more cold night to seal the deal. Monday night was just enough (well, barely). I ventured out to a backwater today hoping to find ice that required more than just one spud hit. I found it in a protected backwater bay and it was game on!

Though the ice wasn’t much more than that one glorious spud hit, it was just enough for my limitations. At 2 to 2-1/2″ of rock hard density, I was comfortable enough to venture out with a buddy about 50 yards from shore where we set up in 10-12 feet of water along a gradual break from a 5 foot flat. This community hole will get pounded in a couple days, but for now it sure was great to drill holes in virgin ice where beautiful bull gills await. A drop of a MarCum Lx-3 transducer into chilly waters revealed a “Christmas tree effect” of bluegills loading up the bottom half of the water column. A #14 diamond jig tipped with a lindy plastic was anxiously dropped into the face of an equally anxious 6″ gill to start off the 2011-12 season. From that point on it was gill after gill after bull gill, all outing long.

A slow lower and quiver of the rod was just enough to entice the passive-aggressive round-heads into making their journey to the top of the ice. I tried other baits and techniques- which produced a few fish, but finesse was the absolute key today, and a spring bobber was a must, as the final bite was usually quite light. In total, 19 bluegills and one bonus 11″ perch were taken home between Chris and I for a fish fry. I easily released 6-8 fish that fell into that beautiful 9″+ range to fight another day. A few of them were of the 9-1/2″ HOG GILL category too. Over my years of experience on the ice I’ve seen numerous community holes turn to slim pickin’s when it comes to those those truly slob bluegills. Stoddard area on Pool 8 comes to mind. When I first fished there 7-8 years ago 9″ bluegills were common. The fishery is still very good but you don’t see limits of 9″ers as frequently these days. I believe a lot of it is because that class has been heavily harvested from the area. The extra meat might be tempting, but please let the trophies go back to where they came from to keep this fishery as outstanding as it already is! I’d love nothing more than to see a protective “slot” limit on bluegills in the Mississippi River.

All Ranting aside, it was a great first day on the ice. It was nice to share it with a good friend from the Winona State Fishing Club, and staying dry is always a plus! With that said, make sure to use extreme caution when venturing onto the early ice. Unless you know exactly when the ice locked up in the area of interest, it is really hard to tell what you’re walking on, even with a spud. For all you know there was a sheet that formed 3 days earlier close to shore that is an inch thicker than everywhere else, giving you a false representation of the area ice thickness. Carry a spud, proper safety equipment and know your limitations! Some people frown upon traveling on 2″ of ice much less fishing on it, but everyone knows that people do it, and always will. It all comes down to your comfort and experience level. I hope everyone has as safe and joyous of a first ice excursion as I did on this nippy December day. Good luck!

Cade