Hello. I'm new to spoonplugging. I started getting really into it and geared up a little late in the season. Now that the lakes are frozen over I have a question. Do the tactics still hold for ice fishing? Should I be seeking out the deep water structures and trying to fish them? Or do we go about things quite differently since trolling and casting are no longer options for us?
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Ice fishing
Re: Ice fishing
Welcome - just an opinion, but you still follow the guidelines. Obviously you can't cast or troll, but you can vertical jig just as if you were in a boat. This will mean slower speed control, but this time of year that is usually quite appropriate. The only other difference is pretty much having to interpret contact points and migration routes as best as possible to avoid drilling too many holes. I'd still work shallow to deep as recommended by starting on a known structure situation. I'd likely start on the inside weedline first, then the outside weedline before moving to a depth breakline and then out to a base breakline if necessary. Any specific "breaks" in between or along these breaklines would also get some attention. While you might be able to get by with jigging spoons and jigging raps for larger predators like walleye, you'll likely have to go to micro jigs tipped with bait and very slow speeds for panfish. Good luck!