A Simple Ice-Off Pattern
Like so many other life pursuits, fish-catching prowess isn’t limited as much by talent as it is by access. Got a boat? Then chances are you’ve got a better shot at catching a trophy than someone fishing from shore. However, several times a year, fish behavior negates this hierarchical structure, creating more chances for the proletariat angler. As ice vacates the small lakes and ponds of central and northern Illinois, one of these egalitarian opportunities emerges.
Game fish, drawn by the energy reserves of warmer water and an abundance of baitfish, migrate towards shallow bays and springs. While in these skinner-water haunts, bass, pike and panfish use their increasing energy reserves to feed, their behavior slowly altering from opportunistic eating, to actively pursuing calorie-rich meals. Although they are not feeding at pre-spawn levels, this increase in game-fish activity is still significant. Additionally, since most of these changes occur in shallow water, shore anglers can easily capitalize them. The following two-stage presentation is an efficient way to make this most of this Spring feeding period.
Begin by analyzing your pond or lake. You are looking for large, shallow bays with a few primary elements:
- Easy shore access. There is no point identifying a spot you cannot fish.
- Quick access to deep water (a good feature of any fishing spot)
- Isolated structure (logs, weeds, rocks)
- A stream or creek flowing into the bay
key on areas close to deep water, or with an incoming creek or stream
After deciding upon on a location, start probing for productive water. The simplest way to do this from shore is with a search-lure. Typically fast moving, hard-body crankbaits, search-lures allow you to cover lots of water, gauge depth and identify bottom structure without use of a depth finder. My search-lure of choice for this time of year is the lipless crankbait. Their ability to be fished with a steady retrieve or swam erratically makes them ideal for ice-off fishing.*
When using a search-bait to eliminate water, you should opt for a quicker retrieve. However, once you catch a fish, flutter the bait on your next few casts. This will often entice skeptical fish to strike.
Continue working the bay with your search-bait, making mental notes of where you caught the most fish. I refer to these locations as “key areas”, essentially spots within a spot (a rock-pile, a pocket or the elbow of a point).
Once you’ve covered the whole bay thoroughly with a search lure, return to your key areas with vertical-pattern bait (sinking plastics, shakey heads and jig-n-pigs all work brilliantly). Working each area precisely with these lures will help you pick up any fish who were too lethargic for your faster presentation. Remember, any remaining fishing likely have a small strike zone and won’t hit anything more than a few inches from their mouth.
After both these passes are over, consider the bay vacant and move onto the next. Remember, fish feeding patterns vary greatly lake-to-lake and even from bay-to-bay. Fish may be active in one area and absent in another, so don’t waste time chasing fish that aren’t biting. Keep it simply, effective and concise and I guarantee this ice-off pattern will result in success early-season excursions.
*There are several varieties of lipless baits, but the Strike King Red Eye Shad stands above the rest. It has a wider wobble than the Clackin’ Rap and falls slower than a Rat-L-Trap, resulting in the broadest variety of presentations. Also, I always replace the factory treble hooks on my Red Eye Shads with high-end hooks such as Gamakatsu or VMC.