Fishing Michigan

Part two, using spring bobbers vs the tightlining method of catching panfish through the ice. Although I mostly tightline while fishing for these lil’ critters through the ice, spring bobbers do have their time and place. Besides that, they can actually be quite the teaching tool for newbies young and old just starting out.

Lots of folks learn visually, and other folks learn hands on better than they can by just being told what to do and expect out on the ice. You can explain the movements that the fish will take over and over again, but till they see it and feel it for the first time, it just doesn’t sink in. That can also be attributed to the confidence factor that happens to all of us while fishing at one point or another.

My favorite application of the use of spring bobbers is applied to catching crappies in deep, dark or stained waters. If a crappie takes your bait, in a lot of instances they will move up in the water column. Unless you drop your rod tip and see the line bunching up because your jig is no longer sinking to the original depth, you do not know what is going on below the surface. With a spring bobber and the tension drawing the line up with the lack of weight, the spring telegraphs the underwater scene to you. Basically meaning the spring comes up for crappie a lot of the time.

That might surprise a lot of people who would think that the spring is only there for telling you that fish has gone down deep, by the spring going down. It is a common misconception overall, but not false by a long shot. Most fish will react two ways, up or down. Then you have your darters, that come in and grab, then run horizontal one way or another. The spring will tell you that too, but you should also pay attention to your line because it will tell you first in this instance.

Buying a could spring for your rod, or getting a rod with the spring already on, was not always a sure bet. Some where to thick a wire, others too flimsy. Meaning some of them barely moved, and others moved too much. By far the best made here in the U.S., are those developed by St. Croix for their Legend series of ice rods.

These are a type of fine wire where the base is coiled like a spring with a (roughly) 2.5 inch arm. They are more specialized than others, with them being matched to fish light, med or medium heavy rods. They can be further adjusted by pushing the bobber deeper into the grommet or out further. In for heavier jigs, out for lighter offerings.

Others would tear apart old ballpoint pens or disposable lighters and canibalize the springs within to get what they needed to make their own attachments. They work, but cannot be adjusted once applied.

There you have spring bobbers in a nutshell.

The New Age question for two old age techniques. What’s the best and most effective way to approach panfish through the ice? My philosophy is to do what gives you the most confidence in catching fish. If you lack that mental edge in a certain technique, you are off to a bad start right out of the box.

Tightlining is by far my favorite approach to catching gills and crappie. Give me a matched rod and reel, equipped with the right lb test line to fit the weight of the lure that I am using, and off I go. I personally will take that setup over a spring bobber rig 98% of the time.

Some folks call it line watching, and to a certain extent that is true. You do watch the line for tell tale signs of the action below, BUT it really is more than that. Tightlining is a concept as well as an approach to ice fishing for pannies. Examine the word itself and it tells you the first step in the technique.

Tight and line, combined are two key parts of the tactic. You have to have a heavy enough jig, with the right lb line to keep that line straight. If the jig is too light and your line doesn’t go straight down the hole, you have lost the key component in the method. Without the proper weight at the end of your line, it makes identifying hits more difficult and your line can stay curled and unreadable.

What to look for in fish bites, there are several things to look for, and you will catch on the more you use the technique. Most obvious is when you notice your line starting to move out of the center of the hole. A gill or crappie has sucked it in and is slowly starting to move off. Another ID for a bite is when you are jigging and the line becomes suddenly tight, or to say the slack is went out faster than during the time you have been jigging. Either the fish is taking the bait down or is swimming off with it. Line bunching up on the surface of your hole tells you that either the fish is holding steady or rising after the bite. This can also be accomplished by suddenly dropping your rod tip down an inch or two, if you have the same results, set the hook.

Going back to the description of line watching, you need a fairly high visible line to accomplish this goal. Under most conditions I use 2 lb Hi-Vis Gold Stren, occasionally I will have some reels spooled with 4 lb test. Again, it all comes down to the weight of the jig and keeping your line tight. In deep, DEEP water bites for gills and crappie cruising I break out my Yellow 5 lb Power Pro. The no stretch properties ensure a quick hookset.

In all cases, I use either 2 or 4 lb Vanish Fluorocarbon as my leaders. I pick up the pony spools at the beginning of each season and that 110 yards usually makes it through the winter. You might have a different type of line that you like, and what I said about confidence still goes, if you like it, use it. Connected with a double uni knot, this way to connect two lines together hasn’t failed me yet.

I will get into spring bobbers in Pt. 2 of this. Sure feels like the ice isn’t far off this morning.

Spent a great day on Saturday fishing and scouting for the winter ice season. Moved around a lake out in Irish Hills checking spots, fishing a few, and putting over 70 waypoints on my GPS. Its all about getting ready for the ice season and checking out new lakes.

Yesterday’s destination was out in Irish Hills, looking for bluegill and crappie, and finding a few bonus walleye spots. Taking the boat roughly faster than idle the lake offered many, MANY spots to check out this winter. Its all about the process of elemination.

I will take the same spots, and if they prove unproductive, I will erase them off the memory as I check them out once the ice forms. You would think out of 70+ there will be some good spots to go to. Thats the great thing about ice fishing, you see, you go, or you stay on top of fish.

I kept just enough for dinner last night, and even though because of the cold weather it took the oil a bit longer to come up to temperature (350′)….it was well worth the wait. We watched the Pistons beat up on the Bullets…I mean the Wizards. Showing my age again!