Christmas on the Ice

Sometimes you just must take advantage of ice time when the opportunities arise, Christmas morning was one that we had the time. Locally, we are looking at open water once again after having 60-degree temps and rain for over a day.

Luckily, an hour drive north we can get on the ice, ice was down to 5 inches versus the 7 that was there a week ago. Temps were cold, and the winds were blowing but, when time is limited, you dress and get to the fishing.

The crappie in this lake hang around the deeper part of the lake, key is to find where the better sized fish are. Water ranges from 15 to 17 feet deep, with the 15-foot depth a better range for the better fish.

Conditions were bluebird skies, stiff north wind up to 20 mph, and air temperatures right at the 20-degree mark. On a morning like this, the lake is void of anglers and having the luxury of fishing where ever you wanted works to your advantage.

Clam Drop Kick jigs in gold with a Maki Mino XL plastic in white, you had to take off the bigger end and mainly just have the tail left. Most of the fish were 3 feet off the bottom, but if you could find those that were riding higher than that, they were of the better size that we were looking for.

For the few hours we were there, many of the holes that were drilled had fish in them. There was no shortage for finding the fish, the problem was these were mainly lookers and not biters. High bluebird skies and high pressure had them very finicky, but we could catch enough to be able to enjoy the morning on the ice. Mobility was key and searching for those active fish is what produced.