Be ‘Fish Ready’ When you hit the Ice

By Mark Strand

One of the facts you have to face when it comes to ice fishing is that it’s easier to do most things when you’re inside and warm. That includes obvious stuff like tying knots, but it also includes stuff like thinking clearly.
One of Dave Genz’s favorite sayings, when it comes to ice fishing: if it’s easy to do, you’ll do it. But once you get outside on a winter day, anything even moderately difficult gets put on tomorrow’s list.
That’s why you should strive to be ‘fish ready’ when you hit the ice.
In order to fish the way Dave does, you should approach the sport the way he does. It’s the same way a football team approaches every game: you try to anticipate what might happen and prepare for it; you have a game plan in mind and start out by trying your best ideas to work that plan; and finally, you see what actually happens and make adjustments.

Preparing For It
One thing you know for sure is what kind of fish you like to catch. Some folks love bluegills, others are partial to perch. Could be crappies. Probably pike for some people, and the list goes on. Often, it’s dictated by what species are available in your area. In some cases, you travel to fish trout, big walleyes, or whatever.
Regardless of what you’re after, the time and place to prepare gear is the day before you hit the ice, in the cozy confines of a heated home, cabin or motel room. Even if it’s a hurry-up trip to a nearby pond, you’re better off leaving a half-hour later, after getting your equipment in order.
Information is extremely important. The best anglers make a lifetime study of the general tendencies their favorite species show. If you fish crappies a lot, you already know that they often wind up in deep water at midwinter. But you also know they’ll use shallow weeds, especially at early and late ice.
Beyond general knowledge, there are inside tips you can uncover about almost every body of water. We say this all the time, but bait shops are fantastic places to learn something. In exchange for the price of a few ice jigs you need anyways, and some wax worms, you can get a few insights into how deep the bluegills are in the lake you have in mind, and you might get a good tip on a new lake to try sometime.
Phone calls to your friends who fish are another good idea. So is time spent on the message board at iceteam.com. Networks of ice fanatics share information, so plug yourself in to the network.
Doing these things ahead of time helps you formulate a plan. You find out that the nasty fall weather knocked down all the good weeds on a certain lake, and you hear the rumor that in order to catch any decent fish, you have to vacate the shallows and look in the deeper sections of a certain big bay. That’s good information. It helps you rig up ahead of time with slight heavier jigs than you usually do, anticipating the deep bite.
“Have a plan,” says Genz, “but don’t make the plan too big. Bring a couple ideas with you, and make sure you try them. Lately, I’ve been catching bluegills on the smaller Frostee Jigging Spoons tipped with plastics. When we first made those baits, I thought they might work on ‘gills. But I probably wouldn’t have even tried them if I didn’t rig up a rod with that setup ahead of time, and decide that I was going to try it.
“If you think you’re going to tie up some new rig after you get out there, it’s probably not going to happen. And if you rely on your ability to think of something new after you get out on the ice, that’s probably not going to happen, either.”

Fishing the Plan
The easiest thing in the world is to lapse into old patterns after you hit the ice. Drill a few holes, get all comfy in front of the heater, and who cares if any fish come by. It happens to everybody. That’s why you have to have a plan and stick to it.
This is the point at which the core concept of mobility gets tested. Only if you plan, and pack, for mobility will you actually execute your plan. If you insist on bringing every piece of fishing tackle you own, by filling the sled of your Fish Trap, it will be heavy and hard to move. It becomes an anchor.
“As you put every piece of equipment in the Fish Trap,” says Genz, meaning during the packing stage back at home, “have a reason for bringing it. You can catch yourself before you bring too much stuff that way.”
Have a plan before you hit the ice, and execute that plan. Write it down if you have to. Set an alarm on your watch if you have to. Decide ahead of time that you’re going to give the first spot a half-hour to produce. Fish it well, then move on if you aren’t satisfied with what you’re seeing and catching.
Know what you’re going to do if the first spot doesn’t produce. Even though somebody told you the weeds were all down and no fish are in the shallow water, check it to make sure. Some people like to protect their hotspots by making up slight variations of the truth.
Rig up three or four rods ahead of time, with the lures you want to use. Tie the knots at home, where it’s warm and your fingers work properly. Go through your jig boxes and know where your backup jigs are, so you can grab them in one second. Make sure your heater works, and keep the propane warm until you leave for the lake. Make sure the batteries are charged on the Vexilar and Aqua-Vu. When you do all this, everything works while you’re out there, including your creativity.
This is what ‘being fish ready’ means.
It also means that you are ready to fish before you send the jig down the hole. Many people open their reel and start the jig descending, and then start fumbling to light the heater, adjust the seat, reach for their coffee, etc. One of the universal truths about ice fishing is that the first drop down a new hole is crucial. Often, if you’re going to catch a fish, it’s going to happen right away. If it’s going to be a big fish, it often happens right away, too. You simply have to be focused, and fishing, as you start the jig down the hole. In many cases, it’s also important to ‘fish’ the jig all the way down. Most times, you get a better reaction from the fish if it comes vibrating slowly down into their zone of awareness.

Making Adjustments
The final part of being fish ready is being ready to try something else if your plan doesn’t work very well. Everybody said the crappies were in the deep hole out from the access, but you fish there for two hours, in 20 holes, and don’t see much.
Think back to the football team. Coaches get paid to notice what the other team is doing and make changes to the original game plan. Nobody is forcing you to stick with your plan if it doesn’t work. If the crappies do not appear to be in the deep hole at the moment, look shallower. Try the edges of the hole. Look way shallower, up into weeds or reeds. Usually, you will find fish and catch some if you keep looking.
If not, at least you will have gained firsthand knowledge that will help tomorrow.
But only if you’re fish ready when you get to the lake.
Note: Dave Genz, known as Mr. Ice Fishing, was the primary driver of the modern ice fishing revolution.