Pool 8 Perch & Bluegill Report 03.19.11

This may possibly be the last ice report for me this season. As I type this, the rain is pouring down in buckets and the temp is well above freezing. The weather has been trending warmer for some time now and the ice is showing signs of rapid deterioration. I guess that’s the trade-off for racing up to the first day of spring.

If Saturday was to be my last day on the ice in the La Crosse area, so-be-it. I enjoyed one of the finest days on the ice a guy could ask for. Lots of fish were caught and many laughs were shared. I even got to meet another outstanding member of the IDO family! Member Troy S and his Daughter Megan joined Bret and I on the ice for a late ice adventure.

Bret and I had talked since the Wednesday prior about setting up some tip ups for Pike. On that Wednesday Bret lost a trophy class Pike at the hole and we were on the hunt for to put that big girl on the ice for a first class photo shoot. Friday afternoon, I picked up a dozen anxious shiners, hoping one of them would be the Willy Wonka Golden Ticket for that Pike’s trip to the topside of the ice. These shiners were feisty and ready for action.

I hit the ice just after 7am and had my 1st tip up set within minutes. Over 3hrs later I found myself moving that tip up to what I thought would to be better territory. The move may no difference. I would not experience a run on my tip up all day long. Bret on the other hand caught 2 small Pike early in the day and had a jig stick that the Pike found entertaining for much of the day. They’d drag his slip-bobber all over the bottom of the ice and then for whatever reason drop the shiner once they had their fun, never once giving Bret the opportunity to hook up for a rod & reel battle.

In the meantime, I rigged up my ice rods with Diamond Jigs, Gill Pills, Lil Cecils and MiniMerts, hoping to pass along the uneventful tip up bite with some quality Perch and Bluegills. I would not be disappointed on this day. While at times, the bite wasn’t very good, the flurry of activity on my LX5 kept my attention throughout.

I started off the morning by tossing back most of the fish I caught, thinking this day was going to be dedicated to chasing Pike and at any moment I’d be putting out another tip up once the bite turned on.

After seeing the tip up bite fizzling out, I started to keep a couple Perch, then a Bluegill, then a couple more Perch. Pretty soon I had a nice fish fry shaping up.

Like my last Perch report, it was important to not stay in one spot for too long. Most holes would produce a couple fish at best and then it was time to move on. This was the do-si-do dance step for everyone on the ice.

The area we were targeting held fish in 6-8 feet of water. Fortunately the rising waters were not affecting this area and the water quality was very clear. I’m not sure how long this will last but if the ice falls apart it won’t matter a whole lot…

The best colors for me were Purple Moon Glow, Clown, Orange Tiger, & Zebra. The bulk of my fish were caught on the Clown pattern Diamond Jig in the new size #8. I tipped most of my jigs with waxies, trying some Berkley Gulp! and other plastics with no results.

I did find out, that those bigger Perch were favoring a minnow. Megan, pictured with that Tuna-sized Perch proved the point with emphasis only after being on the ice for all of about 5 minutes. She did a fantastic job putting that big fat bottomed girl on the ice. Plenty of high fives were shared and pics were taken. With renewed purpose we were all back to fishing, hoping one of us would be the next to haul one of those piggies to the surface. It wasn’t too long after and Megan’s Dad had another toad flopping on the ice. This one again devoured a minnow and fell just a bit short of Megan’s 11.75″ Perch.

The rest of the day was spent hoping from hole to hole, chasing red marks on the LX5. It’s amazing how far those fish will chase your bait without hitting it just once. Many times as the bait was falling they’d race up, only to stop and stare. I kept switching up trying to find the hot trigger that would get those fish to commit to striking. I never did find the perfect bait or combo, but I was able to prove the best jig was my Clown pattern Diamond Jig.

I want to thank Bret, Steve, Troy & Megan for making this day a memorable one. Seeing those jumbo Perch and the smiles all around made for a great day. I know the chances of doing that again anytime soon are minimal, so as I stated if that was my last day out on the ice, I can walk away with a smile.

Thanks to the many sponsors who make my icefishing adventures worthwhile. Marcum for making the best & most powerful flasher on the market. Strikemaster for developing the Solo engine and making drilling holes a dream. Otter Outdoors who make a very comfortable ice house and the most well-built product available. Thorne Bros. for producing the finest ice rods on the market. Lastly, Custom Jigs & Spins for making the ice lures that put the most fish on the ice for me.

I can’t say enough positive things about the sponsors I listed above. They truly do keep me on the ice and on the fish.