Ever fish a crack in the ice?

[Gadgetman]

Did the strangest thing tonite, there was a crack about a foot wide in shallow water 5-10' - Dropped the camera down and saw a crappie, stared fishing there and caught a bunch of very nice fish, some so big that we just let them go. It was a blast and very strange, I usually dont like to get that close to cracks but the ice was a good 18" thick and didnt move at all. Was this a freak accident or is there something to this

[Brad B]

it doesn't surprise me that there was fish there. if this is where the lake is opening up then that will be the first area of the lake to get oxygen back into it thus explaining why fish would want to be in that area.

[engfish]

Several years ago when Devils Lake was a huge perch destination (and about a fifth size it is today), we drove through rain the entire way only to find several areas on the lake that had opened up--some of them were several feet wide and ran for hundreds of yards. I didn't dare go close until I saw some guys with the strangest ice fishing gear I've ever seen. They had sections of metal coating their line that unfolded like some of today's shooting sticks. They dropped these weighted lines right into the cracks and started fishing. I'd like to say they were killing 'em that day in the cracks, but that wasn't the case. Still, we did pick up a few walleyes and from the number of people I saw fishing in the cracks, it probably paid off for some of them once the weather improved.

[icehousebob]

I'd be a little uneasy about getting too close to the cracks. What can be a six inch opening on top can be much wider at the bottom from the melt runoff. It might break loose with your weight on the edge. I'd rather drill a hole a couple of feet away.

[The Grebe]

Years ago, I fished panfish in a crack on Knife lake up by Mora. It was pretty cool....late ice, warm, like the weather we have been having recently. The crack was probably 4 inches wide and I though, "What the heck, give it a shot?" I got a limit of crappies out of that crack and a bunch of nice sunnies. Sometimes I was like slow trolling, walking slowly along, pulling the bait along the crack, catching fish. First and only time I have ever done it....dam near drowned on the way back in!

[vman11]

A few springs ago I was on the ice with 65 degree air temps. The spot I was fishing had some dead timber in it and the sun had heated up the stumps enough to melt 6-8" of ice around it.

I wasn't catching much in my drilled holes and decided to try around the trees which were in 5 feet of water. To my suprise, I pulled out one crappie after another. Definately a cool outing - ice fishing comfortably in t-shirts in melted areas around dead trees.

[deadeye]

I did some "trolling" on a pressure crack at LOW once. Didn't catch anything but I got a couple of odd looks and laughs directed at me. Its something to try while your bored and want to stretch the legs.

[carpmanjake]

i do it all the time late winter, trolling for perch, alot faster than jumping hole to hole!

[so haaad]

Say no to crack! Actually cracks will allow more runoff into the lake so the fishing should be decent.