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Alaska Ice Fishing Article
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Your Ice Fishing Lure Selection
from: Maxx Sports GuidesIt's always a challenge deciding on the best ice fishing lure to use. While there's no specific science to lure selection, but there are some basic factors anglers should remember when deciding what type of ice fishing lure is likely to attract the most fish.
The key is most often to have a good selection of basic lures, including spoons, hard bodies, plastic worms and bugs, and bait-type lures so you can switch them around. Jigs are a key type of ice fishing lure no matter where you fish, but they aren't neccessarily a great idea if the bottom is full of a lot of debris and vegetation.
Most seasoned ice fishermen and women feel that minnows and live bait are typically the best type of bait to use on larger species, such as pike and bass. If live minnows are too difficult to work with in cold temperatures, frozen minnows, worms or even bloodworms from bait stores can be quite effective in addition to a lure or as stand alone bait.
Most ice fishing is about getting the fish in a mood to feed. In colder, winter weather the fish move to the deeper parts of the lake to stay in the warmer waters. They move slower and have a greatly reduced metabolism, which leads to a decrease in the amount they'll actually need to consume.
Therefore, ice anglers have to be concerned about making their lure look very attractive to the fish, as they'll pass on lures and bait that doesn't look good. Bright, shiny colors with reflection are often an excellent ice fishing lure quality, regardless if it's a spoon or hard-body. Many anglers prefer the brightly colored or even "glow in the dark" options of plastic worms, jigs and hard bodies lures to attract fish in the darker, clear waters.
Fishing in deep weedbeds and where there's a lot of debris requires a special ice fishing lure as well as a special jigging method. A bright colored jig can be dropped into the center of the weedbed. Since hooks naturally snag on vegetation, try using plastic worms or larva on the hooks, and stop any jigging or up and down motion to avoid hanging up in the reeds, weeds and submerged logs and debris.
The natural movement of the water causes the jig, which should be floated at least 3 - 6 inches off the bottom, to mimic the movement of a minnow or bait fish in the water. Slowly falling spoons and tails don't work as well as an option for an ice fishing lure in weedy conditions as they may snag on the upper edges of the weeds, much higher in the water than the fish are feeding.
Alaska Ice Fishing News