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Posted

I'm going to be heading out Sunday. Hopefully around 1-9 or so. Never been on the lake but I figured I'd walk or snowmobile out to the meth hole and just set up there. All I have is crappie and walleye gear so slender spoons and buckshot and things like that. I'm just curious how you fish for cats through the ice. Any tips would be great! I'm not lookin for your secret spot or anything but anything from what jigs are best and what bait works good. Thanks!

Posted

Scroll through past posts here in the St. Cloud forum on the subject of tackle and tactics; you will be reading for hours. Crappie gear is all that's needed, along with minnow heads and/or chicken liver.

Good luck out there Sunday, let us know how things went.

Posted

Cool. I'll be looking through all the threads. Can I snowmobile from the winter access to the method hole with the current ice conditions?

Posted

Cool. I'll be looking through all the threads. Can I snowmobile from the winter access to the method hole with the current ice conditions?

'Cattin the chain' 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 threads all have a ton of stuff in them smile 2015 is getting started now.

Here's the 2015 post:

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubb...ain-2015#UNREAD

2012 with a video

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubb...012#Post2726103

2011:

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2406571/2

2014

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3174752/1

The list goes on.

Basically over the years Darren and I sort of migrated from jigging all the time to mostly using bobbers, and from daytime fishing to night fishing (obviously we get out before dark but now fish well past dark).

Check out some of Darren't videos on youtube for ice cats. They can be informative.

Only tips I have are

a) don't go to big on hook or bait -- these aren't flatheads mid-summer smile

B) jig to get them to show up, but if they're there they will likely want it sitting still before biting. obviously there are exceptions to the rule but in general they won't bite an aggressively jigged bait like a walleye might.

c) neutrally bouyant bobbers

d) they can be anywhere in the water column

e) fishing sharp breaks has been the best for us.

f) drill plenty o holes while it's light out, and try to find the schools of fish. if you aren't marking fish by the time it's dark, keep moving until you do. You should be able to find giant schools of fish and they'll stick around as long as you have a line in the water most of the time.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • monstermoose78
      Ok the ice was 15-16 inches and less than 2 inches of snow. It’s was -15 this morning and the weekend looks to be cold again. The fish were there but not biting with change in weather. 
    • Dash 1
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    • Dash 1
      I remember Jeno's boxed pizza years ago.  Mom made it every Saturday night while dad and I watched All Star Wrestling.  
    • smurfy
      Chef boyardee box pizza. Good stuff 
    • smurfy
    • leech~~
      Smurf, still trying to get his lure jigging down when using the camera!  🤭   https://www.facebook.com/reel/517510734635573
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore... Ice fishing is going great on the south shore of Lake of the Woods, with resorts and outfitters reporting thickening ice conditions with two feet of ice in some areas.  Many ice roads are now open to 1 ton vehicles pulling a wheelhouse.  Every road has different weight limits, check with each resort for details before traveling up and out on the ice.      Some good fishing this past week.  As a rule, fishing activity is happening in 28 - 32 feet of water.  Resorts do just about everything they can to get customers on fish and this past week, some resorts made some long runs, resetting fish houses in new areas miles off shore.  Most are reporting good fishing as a rule.     It is common to sort through some small walleyes and saugers to get your keepers on LOW.  Naturally, some big fish are showing up, especially in deeper water.  In addition, this has been a very good year for jumbo perch with good numbers being caught.  Other fish in the mix are eelpout (burbot), pike, tullibees and an occasional sturgeon.      Anglers are using the one-two punch of jigging in one hole and deadsticking the second hole. In the jigging hole, a jigging spoon tipped with a minnow head or tail in gold / pink, gold / glow red, glow white / pink, or Wonder Bread have worked well.     Especially in the deeper water, some anglers are finding success on rippin raps or using jigging spoons with a rattle as well.     On the deadstick, a small jig with a live minnow hooked behind the dorsal fin set 6 inches - a foot off of the bottom is working well.  One day the jigging line catches most of the fish, the other day a deadstick is hot.     Electronics are very helpful to see suspended fish, know when fish are coming through and adjust your presentation to the mood of each fish.  Most resorts, outfitters and bait shops in the area rent electronics by the day.   On the Rainy River... The Rainy River is still producing some nice walleyes and saugers, primarily in the mornings and evenings.  A jig and minnow working well.   Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing continues to be good for those targeting them.  An oversized hole, or three holes drilled together, with nightcrawlers or frozen emerald shiners on a sturgeon rig fished on the bottom are what anglers are using.     Ice conditions on the river can vary significantly due to the current. To stay safe and maximize success, always work with a local resort or outfitter familiar with river conditions.    Up at the NW Angle... Ice fishing continues to be very good up at the Northwest Angle. Resorts have fish houses set up on various pieces of structure as well as adjacent to structure in deep mud.  A consistent mix of walleyes, saugers, jumbo perch, pike and tullibees in the mix.     Shallow structure is best right away in the morning and as the sun starts going down in the late afternoon.  Mud is more of a slower bite but all day.   The ice road from Jerry's on the mainland (Angle Inlet, MN) to island resorts (as of this past week) was open to 1 ton vehicles.  Guests drive right to their island resort after picking up a road pass at Jerry's or Point North Services.  Venmo is also available at all resorts.  Work through your resort for specifics.   Ice fishing is in full swing across Lake of the Woods and there are openings for lodging, fish house rentals, sleeper fish house rentals and meal plans across the area.  Ice fishing is extended on LOW with fish houses allowed on the ice through March 31st, walleye / sauger season open through April 14th and a pike season that never closes.  
    • Brianf.
      From your fingertips to God's ears...  Finally got some snow!   Several inches of new snow fell before and during the weekend.  Sunday eve when we left, the high winds had already begun to create some drifting on the lake.  It was fun riding for sure.  Lots of folks on the lake this past weekend too.  We fueled up the sleds at Shamrock and saw as many people fishing in that area as I've ever seen in the Winter on Lake Vermilion.     Our weekend results were decent.  Jeff and I and a buddy caught probably 50 walleyes between the three of us, mostly fishing a jig/plastics with our three biggest being 24", 25", and 25.5".  We also got one large pike of unknown length.  During the midday on Sunday, we targeted whitefish and Jeff managed one big one.  We released all of our fish, except for three small walleyes that our buddy wanted to bring home for a meal.  Definitely a fun weekend on Lake V!   
    • leech~~
      The Vikings are the Vikings so it's nothing new.  It is kind of sad that Darnold's off season stock is now going to drop like a rock after these last two games. It kind of shows he's not a big game guy.  🤔
    • smurfy
      I'm blaming leech... his food selection has been lacking game days recently  🤣
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