Georgia Pond Report

Ice lures and vertical presentations once again paid dividends on a pond near home this morning. Our friend Calvin caught a couple of bass on Rattl'n Flyer Spoons, and we pounded quite a few nice bluegills with Lindy Toads and Ice Jigs, tipped with worm pieces and fished straight below us, right on the bottom.

This Southern-fried spin-off of ice-fishing has worked so well for us that I'm eager to try in on other waters. Of course, if it keeps getting as warm as it has for the past couple of days, it won't be long before the fish start moving out of the deep water!

Southern-Style Ice Fishing

Asher Samsel, 7, used a Lindy Toad to catch this bluegill. Photo by Nathaniel Samsel.

Nathaniel decided last week that it was time to try something different, and that something has worked really well.

Following an instinct, Nathaniel, his 7-year-old brother Asher and I began using vertical presentations with ice lures and very light line in the deepest part of the pond and catching fish better than we ever have during the winter in this particular pond. Catches have included plenty of bluegills, which have always just sort of disappeared this time of year. The best lures have been Lindy Rattl'n Flyer Spoons for bass and Lindy Toads, tipped with small earthworms, for bluegills.

We still have a lot to learn about the approach, which is a lot like ice fishing without the ice, but the first few days of experimentation have yielded nothing but positive results.

Panfish Through the Minnesota Ice

A Lindy Toad proved irresistabe to this big bluegill for Minnesota fishing guide Jeff Sundin.

Because I haven't spent an enormous amount of time ice-fishing, every day on a frozen lake provides new experiences and understanding of the sport's strategies. Most recently, I spent a couple of days in northern Minnesota, learning how to target bluegills, yellow perch and crappie (or crappies, as they say in Minnesota) and gathering photos of the same species.

Beyond the obvious need to downsize baits and gear from what you'd use for walleyes, bass or pike, targeting panfish involves picking the right lake and the right part of the lake. We focused on the edges of deep holes in smaller waters and used a run-and-gun sort of strategy, drilling lots holes and doing quite a bit of searching with flashers. We also looked for suspended fish, which were feeding more actively than fish on the bottom. Our most productive lures included Lindy Toads, Lindy Bugs and Micro Slick Jigs, all matched with plastics, fresh bait or both.

My next hard-water outing will be at Devils Lake in North Dakota, with walleyes and yellow perch as the main attractions.