While in many areas of the country the unusually warm winter has put a damper on ice fishing, here at Vermilion Bay Lodge we still have what it takes to enjoy winter….snow, ice and fish!
Since January 1st we have fished two trout lakes with good success. On the first lake there was about 16 inches of clear ice.
Although I caught one trout on a jigging Rapala, it seemed that most of the fish preferred a tube jig and minnow combination. Depths ranged from 40-80 feet.
While we didn’t catch any giants, they were all very tasty and fun to catch!
A few days later we were at it again, this time on a lake that produced a 36 incher for me a few years back. Conditions were a bit windy and only about 8 inches of ice.
A technique that I haven’t used for a number of years is this “hanging board”. This particular fish was down about 60 feet in 120 feet of water. I also lost several that were just below the ice, but for the most part the majority of the trout caught that day were deeper and seemed to like minnows.
The hanging board is basically an hour glass shaped board (or wire) with braided line wrapped around the center. A bent piece of metal strapping is attached by a screw on the top and the line is held by friction by the contact of the metal onto the wood. This tension can be adjusted so the line can be stripped off freely by a fish. A piece of flagging tape is used to visually signal a strike (although the metal will click as line goes out) as well as mark the depth or amount of line set out. Some wire holds the whole contraption to a stick that is angled over the hole. At the end of the braided line I have a swivel and small weight which connects to some monofilament line and a small treble hook tipped with a large minnow.
What are the advantages of the hanging board for ice fishing?
When trout fishing, in particular, you need something that will hold plenty of line. When a trout hits it will often peel off yards of line. You need something that will allow this without failing…..this is foolproof. It’s easy to set the rig to go off with even the most tentative bite. It’s easy to make, won’t break, and compact. The best part in my opinion, is when you are ready to pack up. Generally you are half frozen and dealing with regular tip ups is, how would you say it, a pain in the arse! These you can work with your gloves on…..simply rotate the metal strapping out of the way and you can wind up the line quickly. Hook the treble into the wood and off you go.
Susanne and I ended the day by doing the snowshoe loop to burn off some of the tube steak calories. I’m looking forward to a little more snow that is forecast for this week…….and the cooler temps.
On behalf of the Boyes Group, I would like to pass on our sincere thanks for hosting the Muskie Madness Week and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at VBL and had a great time!! This was our 7th year on Eagle Lake and we have stayed at a few other lodges but VBL takes the cake hands down! You can definitely count us in for next year. I’m happy to see you post some of my pics, they turned out well. Thanks again Gord for a wonderful week of fishing and your stellar hospitality, you run a first class operation, we look forward to seeing you next year!
