Since the open water fishing has about come to a halt due to early staged of freeze up and the deer
hunting season, I will provide fishing tips until the first safe ice fishing report is generated.
So you tie on a new ice jig—tungsten, lead, tiny hook and all—whatever. You go to the “honey hole”
and the Vexilar is lit up with a ton of fish. The second the jig falls the fish rush the bait and slam it good.
Four times in a row and only one light hook up and the fish falls off below the ice. Check the hook—it
could be dull. Probably not, because today’s new hooks are awesome unless it’s a “cheapo” brand –then
yes it could be dull. But typically, the problem is on these tiny ice baits is the tiny hooks with no “bite”
or gap in them. Before I tie on any jig, I bend the hook point slightly up so it is no longer perfectly
parallel to the hook shank. It only has to be a very tiny amount—hardly noticeable, but trust me your
hooking percentage will skyrocket!
Lotsa Fish! Lotsa Fun!
Minnesota Fishing Guide Service, Capt. Josh
218-732-9919 www.minnesotaguideservice.com www.minnesotaicefishhouserental.com