Last time we were on the ice, Mark talked about the best bite being the hour around sunrise and sunset. We talked about the next time going out at 2:30pm and staying til after dark. We got our chance last night. My brother is in town for Christmas, so he and another friend of his, also an avid angler, joined us.
There were quite a few fishermen out yesterday (see left). It was a nice brisk day without much wind. A perfect day to go ice fishing.
We set up camp not far from our last outing. Mark and I got there first and drilled holes at 20 ft, 18 ft, 16 ft, and 10 ft. We got on the ice at about 2:30. My brother and his friend showed up at about 3:00.
It was pretty quiet for the first hour and a half. But as the sun went down, one of the holes at 18 ft got a couple of hits. Mark saw his bobber go down so he opened his bail and fed line out. The fish took all of it. He then let out some more line so a few curls lay on the surface and he closed the bail. As soon as the curls were pulled straight, he set the hook. He pulled out a 6″ and 8″ walleye with this method.
As it got darker, the tip-up at 16 ft got three hits, but all of them dropped the minnow before we could pull them in. The method there is that once the flag goes, the line should spin out for a few seconds as the fish takes the bait and swims with it. It will then stop when it arranges the bait in its mouth to swallow and go out again as it swims away. On that second run, pick up the tip up off the ice and lay the line on a few fingers. As soon as the line is pulled tight, set the hook and pull it in.
On each of our hits, the line never made a second run after the initial flag flew up. The fish probably felt too much resistance and spit out its meal.
While we only pulled in two small walleye, the good news is that there was a fair amount of action. It gives hope that we could land a nice keeper (or three) the next time out.
Love reading the updates… Just out of curiosity, what tackle are you using on the end of the tip-up? We’ve had really good success with a red treble with a smaller blade on ours, with on hook inserted right behind the dorsal of the minnow, trying to keep it as lively as possible. This normally sets right in the mouth.(I’ll have to post a picture of the end.)
Love to run up and see that spool spinning away though 🙂
@Jon My apologies for the late reply. I never got notified that you commented.
These aren’t my tip-ups, so I’m not positive what’s at the end of them, but from what I’ve noticed, they are just a hook.