January 2009 - "Tip of the Month"

[Team Otter]

A tip of the month will be provided by me on a monthly basis throughout 2009, so you can be critical within reason and civility. Feel free to ask questions or comment here too. Your feed back is welcome to this new idea of providing our FM/HSO users with a "Tip of the Month". I hope you all enjoy.

Vertical and Horizontal Presentations for Mid to Late Winter Panfish

The style of your ice jig is just as important as the color of your ice jig. Most of you, I'm sure, are used to (or more accustomed to) using something that hangs vertically off your line. Some common vertical presentations include Lindy's Frostee Jigs/Spoons, Custom Jigs and Spins Demon or Shrimpo or JB Lure's Ju-Ju. When fish remain underneath you but stop biting your vertical presentation, rather than giving up, switch to a horizontal presentation such as Custom Jigs and Spins Rat Finkee or Ratso, Fiska Jigs or JB Lure's horizontal teardrops. Generally speaking, pan fish are more prone to biting horizontal presentations, especially when heavily pressured and/or during the month of January and into February speaking from personal experience.

[Jesse Drummer]

awsome tip there otter!

[pascooter94]

thank you i will try it soon

[PDOGG]

Although when fish quit being aggresive I tend to make a move rather than a lure change (just me, sitting in one spot for to long is hard for me to do) changing to a horizontal presentaion will make more fish strike when they arent aggresive. It's amazing how the change from a shrimpo to a ratso (basically the same lure just shrimpos are vertical and ratso's horizontal) of the same color will make fish bite. Great tip Jamison!

[jrpohlman39]

Can someone please explain to me typical habits of panfish relating to time of winter, time of day and water depth? Is there any basic rule of thumb that you can use. I understand that nothing is a sure thing and each lake is different, but I'm trying to simplify this silly game of cat and mouse.

[BK19]

i think this is a great idea to have the tip of the month thanks

[Team Otter]

Can someone please explain to me typical habits of panfish relating to time of winter, time of day and water depth? Is there any basic rule of thumb that you can use. I understand that nothing is a sure thing and each lake is different, but I'm trying to simplify this silly game of cat and mouse.

Generally speaking, it's "cat and mouse". Sorry. Some fish will always inhabit shallow water while others will always inhabit deeper water and some will rock back and forth between the two. The fish in deeper water will vary in where they can be found in the water column; the higher, the better and day-time bites are not uncommon. The fish in shallow are more prone to low light feeding but if there's cover or ample food available, fish can be caught during the day in these types of locations too. As far as time of year, you can expect most pan fish to be near their spawning areas during late ice, so this again, brings us back to "cat and mouse". Lots of time between first ice and late ice...

[norwall]

Thnx TO, Very good tip.I'll be sure to try it this wknd. On a side note where did the tip originate from ?

[riverrat56]

I do believe TO is speaking from personal experience on this...

This tip is a great one to remeber during cold fronts as well, when panfish get very lethargic and tight to the bottom I will often switch to a very small horizontal jig and let it sit in front of them for a very long time with no motion.

3 benefits to using a small horizontal jig IMO are it gives a larger profile than a verticle jig, but is still narrow and light enough for the fish to inhale it instead of just picking at it. On heavly pressured waters they are often not fished as much by anglers so the fish aren't accustom to them. And some styles of jigs will almost "sail" out to the side (if they are light enough with a large enough surface area) when dropped on a semi-slack line, allowing you to fish more than just the 8" hole.

[Team Otter]

On a side note where did the tip originate from ?

Personally applying things learned through article reading and seminars attended.

[CrappiesNCats]

i have also heard this. to go along with it you really want to barely even twitch the jig when they are showing up on the electronics. you can turn that negative nancy pannie into an ultra negative or scared off pannie in a hurry

[herm0026]

Thanks for the Tip TO. I Think the tip of the month is a great idea.

[Rippinlip]

Great tip TO, this has been the way my fishing has been most of the year. I normally start out with a frostee jigging spoon with waxies or a minnow head to see how the fish are reacting to my baits and try to get the more aggressive ones to bite. If by watching the Vex I see alot of lookers and not much for action, I drop the bait and go to a horizontal bait and it is amazing the affect.

I have had this year when I have went from a vertical to a horizontal back to a vertical when I plucked a few fish from the school, they seemed to get turned back on.

[Team Otter]

I have had this year when I have went from a vertical to a horizontal back to a vertical when I plucked a few fish from the school, they seemed to get turned back on.

"One bites, they all bite..."

[BK19]

another tip relating to this is to keep your knot in the right position on the eye of the jig or else it will sit more verticle keep the knot towards the open part of the hook make scense?

[norwall]

Whats a good horizontal jig to use for perch or eyes?

[Team Otter]

Whats a good horizontal jig to use for perch or eyes?

Custom Jigs and Spins Toadie

Lindy Techni-Glo Fat Boy

Lindy Techni-Glo Genz Worm

JB Lures Horizontal Tear Drop

JB Lures Hot Head

[morefishplease]

Great tip TO. Is there a prefered way to bait this type of presentaion such as where to hook a minnow?

[PDOGG]

I would hook a minnow on a horizontal jig through the lips and a vertical jig through the back. But if I was already getting this "finessy" I think I would be tipping them with worms rather than minnows. Just my $.02

[riverrat56]

With horizontal jigs I like to use just a small minnow tail, pinched off near the middle of the minnow, I think it simulates a whole minnow still as the jig will dart around and the tail will move similar to a live minnow.

[morefishplease]

Makes sense, I will have to try that riverrat. Thanks RR and pdogg

[Team Otter]

Great tip TO. Is there a prefered way to bait this type of presentaion such as where to hook a minnow?

When fishing for perch and 'eyes, I typically use horizontal presentations under a float with a whole minnow hooked towards the end of the tail, on top. When going after pannies, I'll have the same presentations gobbed with spikes.

[Morneau132]

When fishing for perch and 'eyes, I typically use horizontal presentations under a float with a whole minnow hooked towards the end of the tail, on top. When going after pannies, I'll have the same presentations gobbed with spikes.

Gobbed is an interesting word... but i like it!

[ec30_06]

That same jig and minnow that worked in the fall for perch and eyes often produces under the ice too.

[Team Otter]

Originally Posted By: Team Otter

When fishing for perch and 'eyes, I typically use horizontal presentations under a float with a whole minnow hooked towards the end of the tail, on top. When going after pannies, I'll have the same presentations gobbed with spikes.

Gobbed is an interesting word... but i like it!

Creativity is my middle name.

[PDOGG]

Originally Posted By: Morneau132

Originally Posted By: Team Otter

When fishing for perch and 'eyes, I typically use horizontal presentations under a float with a whole minnow hooked towards the end of the tail, on top. When going after pannies, I'll have the same presentations gobbed with spikes.

Gobbed is an interesting word... but i like it!

Creativity is my middle name.

Her I alwys thought it was Wally?

[Team Otter]

With all the chatter about a slow bite, your focus should be even more on a tip such as the January '09 "Tip of the Month" in combination with other things that are "out of the box" (i.e. fish under the ice, fish shallower than you're supposed to, etc).

Good luck!

[Cold_blood]

i was using a vert jig and was havin good luck but they were really finicky then they just stopped biting so i dropped a slug bug down and they started poundin it must have caught 6 in under a min with the last one being a nice 2lb bass

[luckycrank]

A tip of the month will be provided by me on a monthly basis throughout 2009, so you can be critical within reason and civility. Feel free to ask questions or comment here too. Your feed back is welcome to this new idea of providing our FM/HSO users with a "Tip of the Month". I hope you all enjoy.

Vertical and Horizontal Presentations for Mid to Late Winter Panfish

The style of your ice jig is just as important as the color of your ice jig. Most of you, I'm sure, are used to (or more accustomed to) using something that hangs vertically off your line. Some common vertical presentations include Lindy's Frostee Jigs/Spoons, Custom Jigs and Spins Demon or Shrimpo or JB Lure's Ju-Ju. When fish remain underneath you but stop biting your vertical presentation, rather than giving up, switch to a horizontal presentation such as Custom Jigs and Spins Rat Finkee or Ratso, Fiska Jigs or JB Lure's horizontal teardrops. Generally speaking, pan fish are more prone to biting horizontal presentations, especially when heavily pressured and/or during the month of January and into February speaking from personal experience.

anybody in the area stock the fiskas in polka dot colors?I have looked with in a 25mile radius of faribault with no luck

[PDOGG]

Not sure what colors they have but Fleet has a good selection!