Mobility, technology will help you find fish this winter

During the open-water fishing season, the successful angler is one who exhibits a high degree of mobility and versatility.
When fishing, the odds can be tipped in your favour if you are able to move from one location to another.
One moment, your favourite weedline might be the productive spot, but in a New York second, the fish might have moved or just aren’t in the mood to inhale your offering.
While the open water season remains a few months away, those who ice fish can move around to produce good results.
On some days when you’re drilling holes, you might just have to walk a short distance.
On others, you might be forced to take a longer stroll before hitting the jackpot.
On a big body of water such as Lake Simcoe, it might require an angler to have access to an all-terrain vehicle. Or if ice conditions are safe enough, driving your vehicle from one spot to another.
Wil Wegman, Focus on Fishing columnist with The Georgina Advocate, agrees that mobility is a vital ingredient.
“Mobility allows anglers to travel with the fish and to actively search for them — not just during the day as fish move within the general location they are fishing — but also throughout the year at different locations around the lake,” he said. “On Lake Simcoe for instance, lakers and whities (lake trout and whitefish) can be hot off Jackson’s Point one weekend, but dry the next. Being mobile, allows anglers the flexibility to try different parts of the lake in search of the ‘hot bite’.”
While ATVs can be expensive and using your car might be a huge risk, Wegman suggests using a cross sled, a Scandanavian kick sled that allows an angler to stand on two runners and kick down and back with one foot to propel the sled forward.
On this device, Wegman can bring all of his tackle and ice auger, he said.
While the model Wegman uses is no longer sold in Canada, there is another model that can be found at: http://www.goslide.ca/en/index.html
Being mobile means anglers don’t need to stand out in the open all day without shelter, especially when the temperature is well below the freezing mark.
A portable hut or heater can be a Godsend and are pretty reasonably priced.
“The relatively low cost, great quality and excellent selection of portable huts available to anglers today makes mobility easier than ever,” Wegman said. “For those who don’t want to fish out in the open or don’t want a permanent hut, the portables are definitely the way to go.
“When I was on Cooks Bay shortly after New Year’s Day, there must have been a thousand anglers out there and it appeared about 60 to 70 per cent of them had a portable hut of some sort.”
When searching for that honey hole beneath the ice, the most important items an angler can possess is a portable electronic graph for depth, bottom structure and identifying potential fish and a portable GPS to reveal your exact location on a body of water.
Good electronics not only help you catch more fish, it helps you become a better all-round angler, Wegman said.
“For instance, depth patterns can be critical throughout the day,” he said. “There can be days when you find that magic depth where all the perch for instance seem to be — let’s say its 18 to 22 feet. When action dies in one area you as the modern day angler who knows the importance of staying mobile gets set to move.
“Where to go? Well, your first choice should be places similar to where you just caught perch. Perhaps you were also near a weedline or off a hump. You can check your portable GPS. I really rely on my Lowrance i-Finder and the Navionics chip which shows me a map of the lake. I look for similar locations on that map, head over drill a hole and drop my Lowrance ice machine transducer before I even drop a line – looking to ensure that magic depth is there. If the spot produces well – I save it on my GPS and can come right back to it the following week. So yes – electronics are very important.”
Being versatile also includes the useage of a variety of baits. One moment, the fish might be after a small offering of a certain colour. Within hours they might feel like consuming bigger-sized offerings of another colour.
“It is always re-assuring to know that if conditions change or something unexpected comes up (like you found perch while initially targeting whitefish) that you are prepared,” Wegman said. “With this in mind, I seldom go out without a half dozen HT rods, rigged and ready to go.
“Even if I’m just after perch, one rod could have a dropper spoon rig, another an Alien jig with a Berkley Micro Power Craw, another might have a Foxee Minnow jig, another a micro Power tube jig … or whatever – all ready to go. I would even bring along a Polar or Windlass Tip up – and terminal tackle for it in case I wanted to try for pike while I’m perch fishing.  Those pike are often in the same general areas and with the ability to use two holes/lines here in Ontario, there’s nothing quite like the one-two punch of perch fishing with a rod in one hole and pike fishing with a tip up in another!”
Mobility and versatility are definitely the keys to a good day on frozen pond.

Comments

[Merrill Taylor]

Like the look and shape of the
Bentail Dancer Crankbait.
Can anyone tell me who the CAN.
Distributor is?.
Merrill,
Old Dad Taylor Tackle
Edmonton,Alberta