Old man winter blew in strong at the twilight of 2013, four days of consecutive ice storms. Creeping into 2014 he laid a deep freeze over the land through the “polar vortex.” Be that as it may, we are now in a period of 50-degree days though some ice remains. As with all things, you have to make hay while the sun is shining.

The MKFF crew had a few opportunities to get out on the hard water before the January thaw. Of course we took every chance we had to dangle a piece of bait into the icy abyss. I’ll run the December through January highlights below.

Brant Lake

New Years Eve fell midweek this year, essentially terminating all plans for a four-day weekend. We salvaged what we could and went up to Brant Lake, NY to drill some holes into the ice. The good news was that the ice had grown to a thickness allowing us to be safely out on it. Three days of fishing various locations on the lake, we were unable to hook into a single fish. Talk about disappointment! Additionally, we moved over to Loon Lake for a few hours on our way home, despite two hits, again we emerged without a fish. Even through a brutal skunking, any trip to Brant Lake is a great time!

Predators

During the warmer days preceding the polar vortex we finally experienced predator action. The pickerel came out to play and we were more than happy to oblige them. Customarily, I like to rig a heavy mono set up for pickerel, 15lb test at least; the interesting thing about early season in this instance is that they were leader shy. The pickerel were taking the Perch rigs I had out, let me tell you, 6lb Fluorocarbon and a toothy Pickerel result in a challenging fight. In the end, we missed two and landed two, all of the lines broke on final push through the ice.

Jigging for Perch

Perch provide incredible entertainment when you are hanging out on the hard water. They tend to travel in schools, once you key in on their behavior, a skilled ice angler will be able to land at least a few of them. Always useful is a fish finder, sounder or underwater camera, these tools enhance your understanding of the chilly world below the surface of the ice. In addition, you will avoid wasting time jigging holes where no fish are. Jigging imitates a dying baitfish, all jigs work by lowering the jig to the bottom of the lake, raising it six inches or so and allowing the jig to flutter powerless to the initial vertical position. This process is continued repeatedly while slowly changing the vertical zone you are targeting. Without a fish finder, I was able to land two Perch and missed several. Dave also nabbed one on a tip up.

Crappie Success

Dave loves to eat Crappie, this is a fact, whenever we go to the undisclosed location in Sussex County with a Crappie overpopulation problem; he eats for at least a week. Pressing on, by mid January 2014 we have experienced some warm days and severe ice melt conditions. For example, I went for a run in shorts and a t-shirt last Sunday. That very same day, Dave was ice fishing! Despite the ice being four inches thick, the holes he drilled expanded to the size of garbage can lids. Ice fishing rigs are a foot in length at best; this is where Dave truly shines, innovation, he used sticks to prop across the holes creating a wooden platform with which to support a tip up. A normal human would have given up, not Dave! Using a small shiner on a medium to small hook supported right of the bottom at dusk; Dave successfully pulled in four Crappie, him and his girlfriend will have a delightful meal soon!

Coming Up

Mark, a few other friends and myself are headed out to meet up with Brenton in Utah for my 30^th at the end of this week. I am looking forward to some snowboarding and maybe a little Trout fishing. When we return, we are hoping for a little more ice fishing. After that it will be two months to Trout season; the preparations and fly tying will begin. Stay tuned!

For more info on tools and equipment, see our page on ice fishing.