by Garry Patterson

Over the years fishing for different species in different waters, one discovers various ice fishing techniques that work for others, in other places. These just might work here for you next time you’re out on the ice.

Wire Worms: On a central Alberta lake fishing for whitefish and perch the locals used a hand made lure called a “Wire Worm”. Easy to make and simple to use. This should work here for brook and rainbow trout also. Take a standard jig hook and wrap shiny copper or silver or brass wire along the shank. (Some mixed alternate turns of shiny brass and silver). Add some feather fibres or animal hair – these represent feelers or legs - at the hook eye tied down with thread and coat the wire with clear nail polish to keep the brightness and flash from fading. Instant weighted nymphs for tantalizing trout in the shallows beneath the ice. 

Dead Minnows: Most ice fishers want lively minnows to appeal to their quarry. That’s OK when putting them on the hook, but to bring the fish in and keep them around your ice hole for a while, consider chumming every so often with a few dead or salted minnows. When fishing shallow on some Haliburton lakes, we’ve seen splake swim in and begin picking up the dead chummers, initially ignoring the single live minnow on the hook.  With the chum bait drifting down or on the bottom, they switch into feeding mode and soon - bang – the hit you wanted on the minnow with the hook in it. (Most game fish will readily pick up dead minnows especially under the ice.) 

Make a Little Noise & Make a Lot of Flash: This one was explained to me, haven’t tried it yet, but it makes sense. Use a very large silver or gold wabbler or spoon such as a Williams Whitefish. Drop it to the bottom – you need to be fishing over rocks or gravel for this to work – and jerk the spoon 5-6 times fast up and down about ½ metre off the bottom. Then bounce the lure lightly onto the stones 4-5 times and haul the spoon up fast and drop your minnow or smaller jig spoon down quickly into the same zone. Seems that the flash and noise (clicking on the stones) will bring curious fish in to have a look and then they find your bait.

There can be long periods between fish action summer and winter. But, when standing on the ice, those in between times can be especially boring. Keep an arsenal of different ideas, baits, and techniques in both tackle boxes – the one in your pocket and the one in your head. Just trying something different will at least keep the outing more interesting, and might put one or two more fish on the ice.

Young’s Point General Store carries a wide selection of ice fishing tackle – augers, lures, heaters, ice fishing tents, ice fishing rod & reel combos plus live minnows.

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