Cold Weather; Hot Fishing

Because cold front conditions legitimately do affect fish behavior under the ice, just as they do in most other fishing settings, fishermen have a general perception that extreme cold equals tough fishing. That's not always true, as Jeff Sundin has seen for the last month or more. Temperatures in Northern Minnesota have been brutally cold (even for Northern Minnesota), but it has been that way every day, which has made conditions stable the fish's behavior predictable.

Jeff has shown me that first hand for the past couple of big days, with jumbo bluegill and nice crappie that haven't been the least bit shy about eating. This morning it was -25 when I woke up and -20 when we started fishing. Afternoon high was 10. We began catching fish soon after putting down baits.

We're also not having to go super finesse or work the fish forever. I caught my fish on a Lindy Bug matched with a waxworm. Jeff caught most his with a Watsit Grub. Jon Thelen, who I joined in a shelter most of today, mixed up a Lindy Micro Slick Jig and Tungsten Toad. The fish were deep, probably as deep as they'll be all winter, but they weren't at all shy about biting.

While bluegills and crappie definitely have been the main attraction, I managed to land my first-ever tulibee today (hard fighting and really fun). I also added a rock bass to my 2014 fish list. Those two fish brought the total to nine. Maybe I can reach double digits tomorrow!