Regardless of what species of fish you choose to target, these tips will help put more fish in your bucket during the ice fishing season. Strategies which happen every day on open water, get lost during ice fishing.  Of course not every principal translates from soft water to hard water, but the key principal does.  If you’re not catching fish…..move. 

Ice fishing makes mobility on the lake much tougher than on open water.  It’s just not as easy as pulling up the anchor and turning on the motor.  With ice fishing the gear needs to be packed up, holes need to be drilled and the movement from location to location can be hinder by snow pack or glare ice.  Not to mention the three layers of clothes and an ice suit which makes movement more like Godzilla pounding through Central Park.

One of the keys to mobility on the ice is to pack light.  If you have ever watched any of the survival television shows such as Survivorman, the host (Les Stroud) is carrying all his gear on his body in most cases.  He takes what he needs to survive and leaves the rest behind.

Every piece of fishing equipment which can be left at home is an advantage for your mobility.  Many of the ice suits on the market offer multiple pockets on the suit.  Utilize these pockets to become a moving “living” tackle box.  If your vital tackle is in your pocket, there is nothing to pick up and move outside the poles, auger, Vexilar and some miscellaneous items.

When you set up to drill holes, do the drilling with a pattern in mind.  Straight lines, triangles, v-shaped patterns will allow you to analyze the water, and the fish which live in these areas.  Drill more holes than you will need, and spend a few seconds with the sonar to determine if any fish may be present at each hole.  Once you have a hole with some “marks” in it….start Fishing. 

Fishing fast also means throughout the water column.  Explore the entire column of water from the ice down to the bottom of the lake, until there is a determination where the fish are staging.  Once the staging depth is found, eliminate the dead water going forward.  In deeper bodies of water, getting the bait down to the strike zone is important also.  Make sure to use baits heavy enough to get to the desired depth quickly.  Otherwise, you are just fishing dead water as the lure drifts slowly into the strike zone.  Too much weight can spook fish with a rapid drop, so it is important to select the right lure weight.

Limit yourself to no more than a half hour at a spot if no fish have been marked or are non-reactive to your presentation.  Sitting and waiting is counterproductive to ice fishing success.  The move does not have to be two miles away rather just far enough to examine new water.  At times, this can be just a few hundred yards. 

Be mobile, be aggressive, and become successful while ice fishing.

If you live in the upper Midwest, one of the most sought after fish is the yellow perch also knows as Ringed perch, Lake perch, or Raccoon perch. We are lucky to have some of the best fisheries in the country in our backyard including all of the Great Lakes, Devil’s Lake, Mille Lacs and Lake Winnebago. There are many others which can rival any of the above mentioned waters. 

perch are typically schooling fish, which move from place to place seeking food sources. When found, they like to thrive in the bottom portion of the water column, especially at or near the bottom of the lake or river. Their natural diet consists of small fish, fish eggs, insects, crayfish, snails, leeches and worms. They are very active daytime feeders for most of the year, but tend to feed in short spurts. I would suggest moving often (every 30 minutes or so), especially during ice fishing, until you locate an active school of fish. Focusing on transition areas within the lake (rock to mud, sand to rock etc.) is a key element in locating the perch initially. Good electronics will also make this task easier.