PRESSURE TACTICS
Too many ice anglers on your favourite lake? You can still quickly find and catch more fish than the rest of the crowd. Here’s how
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Expect to catch more and bigger walleye in the late afternoon before darkTACTIC #6: TIME IT RIGHT
I’m lucky to live where I do, having access to thousands of lakes within a relatively short drive—in a moment’s notice, I can slip out and be ice fishing. On top of that, there’s no question I could catch the fish of a lifetime on the next drop down the hole. After ice fishing for as many years as I have now, I also know when to pick my battles. If you fished from sunrise through to 4 p.m., for example, I know I could catch as many or more (and likely bigger) walleye than you if I only fished from 4 p.m. until dark.
When ice fishing for lake trout and brookies, on the other hand, you’ll smoke me most days if you’re up bright and early, drilling holes as the sun rises and I don’t come out to join you until mid-morning. Nearly every giant winter pike that I’ve caught, on the other hand, popped its head up a hole in the afternoon, with a shocking number of those between 2 and 4 p.m. As for whitefish, perch and crappies, they always seem to be hungry during the day.
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The takeaway here is that if you only have a few hours to get out on the ice, do it during the peak periods of activity for the fish species you’re targeting. And if you know the lake well, head straight to the very best big-fish spots during those times.