Time on the ice has come a little easier with the break from 3M’s need for me to burn every last minute of my vacation balance. Only to get to start all over with a fresh bank in 2011 !!!
The need for live bait as yet to call for my outings on the ice. Although hole hoping is a must to stay on the moving fish. Stay in one hole for to long and your catch numbers will be on the low side.
Some of my favorite spots that normally have zero current now have flow… It has been an all new learning curve for me in my own waters to locate the big gills and crappies. In the first pic, Josh has a legal walleye that was taken on a Pahoo Mini Mert tipped with a ratso body. I remember hearing from behind me… “That’s not a blue gill” !! I looked back and was amazed at this fat little walleye. At cleaning time at the end of the day we found several minnows in the stomach..I might have to go back there with some fat heads and several tip-downs and target these fish !!
I remember this bass, It was my first hole of the morning, I dropped my Lil Cecil into the hole, picked it up on the marcum about a foot under the ice. As I made the Cecil dance it’s was towards the bottom a large red return appeared tight to the bottom. The heart will almost double in speed when this happens, then with a flick of the wrist and a little manual drag of the long rods in-line reel she came out of the hole for a quick pic !!
The best bite for me has been early till around 10 am. Some really nice crappies have been had at this window before sun up. This picture of Steve holding his prize 13+ inch crappie, the picture does not do it justice at all. Steve has been fishing some rockers he has from Custom Jigs and Spins as he has told me that not all rockers are equal.
It’s been a great year so for and there will be many more to come I hope !!
See you on the ice !!
Nice report Dave Keep beating them up
Nice fish Koonce!
You look a littly chilly holding that summertime money winner Dave
Nice fish and thanks for the report. I just might have to head south one of these days.
great report!
Great report Dave
Koonce you animal! Love the report and the fact that you’re using jigs that I never learned how to fish right. One of these days, maybe even this weekend I’m going to get an on-ice tutorial from you on how you fish those Cecils, Rockers, Purests, etc. Before then, wondering if you can elaborate without letting too many cats out of the bag, on your jigging cadence when fishing backwaters with these baits?
Thanks!
Joel
Nice day on the water!
How do I put this into words ?
let me get back to you on this…
So…
I will call it the Koonce Rhythm !!!
jiggle jiggle
dip dip
jiggle jiggle
dip dip sway
jiggle jiggle
dip dip
jiggle jiggle
dip dip sway
pause (at the bottom)
jiggle jiggle
lift lift
jiggle jiggle
lift lift sway
jiggle jiggle
lift lift
jiggle jiggle
lift lift sway
pause (just under the ice)
depending how much water I’m fishing there could be an extra verse !!!
I always have some classic rock in my head to keep the beat too !!
Good stuff right there
That there is a mixed bag fellas!! Great job!!