Ice fishing advice needed...

[Outdoors Junkie]

I am no expert when it comes to Ice Fishing.  I ice fished as a kid, but got back into it a few years ago with my two boys.  Here is my problem.

I live in western SD.  I have been here for two years (lived my whole life in MN before).  There are two good walleye lakes in the area (Orman... also called Belle Fourche Reservoir and the other is Angostura).  The SD Game, Fish and Parks Dept work hard to keep a good walleye population in both of these lakes.  They have been releasing Shad (gizzard shad) into both of these lakes each year to add a another food source for walleye.  The walleye have been doing well and feasting on Shad.  From my research, the Shad have a high winter die off rate.

We can locate quite a few walleye in these two lakes.  We just can't get them to bite.  The Shad haven't died off yet.

What lures and bait and or technique would you recommend trying?  Any advice would be appreciated!  My two boys (ages 12 & 9) are frustrated with going home with only one or two fish.

[HD]

What have you tried?

I would try to imitate the food source as close as possible.....in color and size.

Walleye's are a predator and an easy meal of a injured bait looking similar would be where I would start.

Hunter

[pheasantman2121]

Totally agree with hunter.  try to find a lure tha twill closly resemble the shad in color and size and it should pay out.

[Woody]

A Chubby Darter might be a good lure to try. I'm not sure if they have one the same size/color of Shad.  I don't know if there are any bait shops around, but check for shad.  Also try different presentations & lures until you find something that works.  In the winter fish are more lathargic, so size and presentation can make a world of difference.  

When I'm out on the lake for the first time, I typically dead stick live bait.  And then I jig with a lure on the other.  I'm not sure how many poles you can fish with in SD-so check that first.  I hope this gives you a starting point.

[Outdoors Junkie]

We have tried mostly live bait (minnows, wax worms, and red maggots) on demon glow jigs and swedish pimples.

Great advice guys, keep it coming! 

I am going to try as many things as I can.

I fogot to mention, in SD we can have four lines out per person.  So, we can try a lot of things at one time.


** I have also included a couple pictures of gizzard shad, so suggestion can be made based of their color and body shape.

The Gizzard Shad is a very common herbivorous fish associated primarily with freshwater habitats. It has no commercial value, but is a forage fish for larger, carnivorous fishes.

description To 16" (41 cm). Deep, moderately compressed; back dark blue or gray, sides silvery, belly white; 6 or 8 horizontal dusky stripes on upper sides; dusky humeral spot. Head small, mouth small and inferior; adipose eyelid present. Pelvic fin almost directly under origin of dorsal fin. Last ray of dorsal fin elongate, filamentous. Ventral scales scutelike, forming distinct keel.


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[Woody]

I fogot to mention, in SD we can have four lines out per person.  So, we can try a lot of things at one time.

SWEET! 


Tie a rod to each foot, and hands.  Lay on your back....jig all four holes at once! 

[HD]

Is the water stained or clear?

If nothing else is working I base my color choice on the water clearity...........

Then again,    dynomite.... ALWAYS works!   


Hunter

[Outdoors Junkie]

Orman lake is cloudy.  Angostura is pretty clear. 

Orman lake is only 15 miles away from my house.  I would like to find more success on this close lake.

Angostura is hour and a half to two hour drive away.

[thunderpout]

Yeah, Darters like Woody said or maybe try Cicada's, theyre a weighted jigging blade/spoon....

[HD]

Dennis,

I would try this lure, it's a glow..........It's a Buckshot and they come in a bunch of different colors.
Just jig it with a minnow head.

It has been deadly for Walleye's in cloudy water for me!


Hunter



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[Woody]

Good call Hunter!  Buckshot rattlespoons are deadly! 

[Outdoors Junkie]

Thank you! 

[tom fellegy]

dennis,
 i have heard that the chubby darters work well on devels lake in north dakota, here on lakemille lacs, i haven't had much luck at all with them. by the pictures i see that there is purple and green and silver colors in the shad, glow is also a good color, so there is a starting point with colors. i would use jigging spoons from 1/8oz, 1/4oz and even 1/2oz. there are a whole bunch of styles, i mostly use ones that are like the buckshot, between 1 and 3 inches long. hook a minnow through the bottom of the jaw and out through the top of the head and pinch it off behind the gills, so you just have the head on one of the trebles. when jigging the spoon, start at about 1 foot off of the bottom and pull up 18 to 24 inches and let it fall back down, make some smaller pulls, 2 to 3 inches, every now and then. do you have a flasher??? if you do, watch on the flasher and you will see the lure and fish coming to the lure. if you don't, invest in a vexilar or that style flasher, it will improve your success rate and the boys will enjoy fishing more by seeing the fish come up to the lure and BANG feel the fish hit. any more questions, just ask...............tom fellegy

[Outdoors Junkie]

Thanks Tom.  We will try your tips out this weekend.   

We do have a flasher (Marcum VX-5).   

[tom fellegy]

i won't hold that against you..... LOL   i am a vexilar guy

[Stensethfan]

If you do make the trip to the clear lake even though it is a longer drive i would try to fish more during the low light and no light period times.  Clear lakes always seem to do better for me at night.  Mille lacs is more of a night bite for me due to its clear water and LOW seems to have the better day bite because of its stained nature. 

[Spinach]

Stensethfan nailed it.......... One of the biggest things is when to be on a certain lake.

Clear lakes: Low light periods are generally best.

Cloudy lakes: Generally a daytime bite is found.

Others also mentioned to try and imitate the current bait fish and to downsize in the winter months.  I'd start with a small Swedish pimple and a minnow head and then keep switching colors. Some type of jigging spoon should be key with a very slow jigging motion, try raising the bait a couple feet and letting it flutter back down to the target depth, watch your Marcum and slow the presentation down when they are just staring, if they start to chase the bait as you raise it up, go a little higher and slower until you find a combination that works.

[guythathunts]

If you find that the fish are comming through on your flasher. I like to hold it just a hair above the fish. This way you can see if the fish is reacting to what you are doing with the jig. If you put it right in the face of the fish sometimes you will spook it and with the 2 lines on your flasher being at the same levle it is hard to tell if the fish is reacting to what you are doing. i like the buck shot (like the one that is pictured) and shiners if you can get them/keep them alive.

Good luck

[Outdoors Junkie]

Again, thank you all for the tips! 

If there are anymore tips from anyone else, keep them coming!   

[kingfisher1]

I'm not sure if the lakes you're fishing has any current in them due to springs or any streams/rivers flowing through them, but if they do, and even if they don't and you're fishing deep enough water, what I like to do is drill my holes (usually the two I will be fishing) about 2-3 feet apart, and then drill a third hole about a foot "behind" the first two holes so the 3rd hole is downstream from the first two.  I put the flasher in the third hole and by the time your lure(s) are at the depth you want, they have are in the cone of the flasher.  Also, it keeps the flasher out of your hole so you don't have to worry about it while bringing a fish in.