Tip of the Month for February  - Changing Conditions

Hi everyone,

The month of February is here with the ice at its thickest and the snow at its deepest.  Although the days are getting longer, sunlight does not penetrate very far into the water. As a result, the weeds that were still around are beginning to die off.  The resulting oxygen depletion in shallower water will force the fish to vacate and migrate to deeper water such as the basin areas where there is more oxygen.  The fish remaining in the shallow areas will be smaller fish and with the reduced oxygen, they will be rather lethargic. In some lakes there will be a winterkill situation, but most lakes will have enough oxygen for the fish to survive.  

The locational patterns are now evident. The first will be the soft bottom basin saturated with insect larvae, now one of the most abundant food sources. The other major location will be the rock and especially wood cover areas out in the deeper basin areas. These areas will harbor the minnows and young of the year fish and the predator fish will be close by. The perch and bluegills will be out in the basin roaming the soft bottom areas searching for larvae, their favorite food. 

Crappies tend to be found in both the wood cover areas looking to pick off some minnows and in the basin areas following and feeding on the many planktons. The plankton suspend in the water column depending on the sunlight penetration and are pushed around by the water currents. During the day they are found near the bottom and toward late afternoon and evening they move upward to almost beneath the ice.

The Chippewa Flowage is closed to walleye fishing during the winter months, but has an outstanding Crappie, Bluegill, and Perch fishery which does not receive much fishing pressure during the ice fishing season. Be sure to take a few days every winter to catch your share of these panfish. 

The Big Chip is blessed with many deeper sunken bog and wood flats in the 15-25 foot range with some covering large areas and others relatively small. To fish these areas, you must be mobile. With an ATV or snowmobile, venture out to one of the woody flats and drill a hole. Spend about 5-10 minutes jigging and if nothing, move about 50 feet, drill and repeat the process. If you catch fish and see a lot more on the locator, stay and fish that hole until it no longer has any marks. The fish move constantly searching for food, so you must keep moving as well.  Hold off setting up a shelter until the late afternoon when you want to fish cover like a big sunken log or a sunken bog or a rock bar. My favorite are the sunken bogs - especially the large ones which seem to draw lots of fish of all species. Just remember to immediately release any Walleyes you may catch as they are not in season on the Big Chip.  We want to bring their population numbers up so we can experience a walleye ice fishing season in the future.  

Baits I prefer for ice fishing panfish include horizontal baits such as the jigging raps, just plain jigs in the smaller sizes and small spoons. I like to tip my lures with either a minnow head or Waxxies.  Always have both along because fish preference can change daily and during the day. With a plain jig try a crappie minnow hooked the same as in the summer. At times this is very productive, especially for the perch and crappies. 

Good luck fishing everyone and be safe.

Walleyemaxx

A reminder that now is a good time to order your copy of  "The Walleyemaxx System".   In over 52 years of fishing, I have boated thousands of walleyes in developing this ultimate system.  Increase your catch this next season and arm yourself with the practical knowledge you need to be a successful fisherman every time out.  Click here for more information and to order your copy today.

 

For more information about our services or to book your next fishing guide trip
to the Chippewa Flowage, contact WalleyeMaxx Guide Service today!

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