There is no doubt that the mid-winter blues are here for us. The easy bites and eager fish are no longer so cooperative on the ice. The recent rain, then heavy snow pac on most of Iowa's lakes has caused the slowdown to increase the typical mid-winter blues. I am not sure of the exact science, but sunlight surely does play into it. The fish, typically are more lethargic this time of year than any other time. As ice anglers we need to do everything possible to get bite possible this time of year. Smaller jigs and live bait offerings are a good place to start, but over the past few years I have noticed a big difference after changing line on my finesse rods.
Fresh line does two major things this time of year. First, you will immediately notice the or spin of your lure will almost disappeared. This is crucial this time of year when panfish will look and study your bait. This can be seen first hand when sight fishing, or when using a camera to study the fish. When your jig is spinning...which is not a natural thing for microorganisms to do, the fish will simply back away. Secondly, your line will now be "less curly". New line, no matter what reel you use will always have some memory, this is worst with a spinning reel. The coils in the line will give an advantage to the light biting fish. When there are coils in your line, you loose a lot of sensitivity and direct contact with your jig. When fish are slow and picky, you want total control over your jig and you want the utmost contact with your jig. My favorite ice line for panfish is 2lb test line.
If you are experiencing the mid-winter blues, get to your Scheels and grab some new line. Soon you will be catching more fish through this tough winter slow-down.
No comments:
Post a Comment