Ice fishing?

[GeluNumber1]

This winter is my second season of ice-fishing,but the first one in which I plan to target rough-fish. Since I know fairly little about non-game species and their activities in winter (fairly well in summer), I was hoping for tips to catch some. It doesn't matter what species, but suckers and bullheads may be easier to catch.

Thank you for reading.

[mainbutter]

bullheads shut down when the water gets cold, and seem to pick back up again once the water hits 65*F+ or so.

Carp are catchable through the ice with some youtube videos showing 'em, but they school up pretty tight and can be hard to locate. This behavior can also strangely lead to weak ice as they swim in circles agitating the water in a small area, so be careful.

Eelpout are caught more often through the ice than they are any other time of year in many places, but I've struck out chasing them. The eelpout festival at Leech Lake is something that is on my bucket list to attend in MN one of these years.

I know nothing about catching suckers through the ice, I avoid walking on rivers as a rule and that's the only place I've caught them in open water.

[fishuhalik]

I've caught a few suckers ice fishing in deep water while fishing crappies and tullibee. Look shallow for carp. Caught a few bullies outta Fish Lake in Maple Grove a few years ago. For a real good time, probably the most fun you can have ice fishing, check out channel cat fishing on the Horseshoe Chain by St. Cloud. For all the info you'll need about baits, presentations, spots etc look in the St. Cloud forum on this site on the "Cattin the Chain" thread. Lots of good guys go up there frequently & are more than willing to put guys on em. 100+ fish nights are fairly common once you get em figured out.

[Lunker]

Besides eelpout I've only caught one sucker(pictured) in about 20 fow fishing perch, and saw a carp caught once in 4 fow fishing walleyes. and i've spent a lot of time on the ice.

If you're looking for roughfish through the ice i'd put eelpout and channel cats on the list, and forget about the rest.

[rockman]

Many years ago I used to catch bullheads occasionally, through the ice. I found them on the mid depth flats, out from the main weed line. I have caught carp, fishing for bluegills. The carp were caught in fairly deep water, suspended above the basin. These rough fish were caught using tackle and bait for bluegills. The catfishing on the Horseshoe Chain is a lot of fun, as was already mentioned. The carp, and bullheads, were incidental catches, so I agree in pursuing catfish, and suckers, more than the others, through the ice.

[DTro]

Catfish--->Not rough fish.

[rockman]

True. Point taken. My bad.

[popriveter]

I don't like the "don't bother trying" answer. If you want to catch roughfish through the ice, you might have to develop a way.

I've caught bullheads in winter, but never many. I've caught channel cats through the ice. But like DTro said, they aren't roughfish. For my dollar, a channel cat through the ice becomes the best fried fish of the year. Walleye is nowhere close to the food quality of a cat through the ice IMO.

If I were you, I'd plan to spend some ice time on a lake that is has many roughfish with few game fish (West Vadnais, Otter and backwater lakes like Pig's Eye come to mind.) For better suggestions, email your local DNR fisheries office. Once I pick a place, I'd get creative with baits and timing. I'd try to recruit some others to join me so there would be more lines to try and establish patterns in a shorter timespan (bribes of beer and jerky go a long way with some fishermen.) I'd fish shallow since most ice fishermen are out deep and they don't catch many. Maybe target spots with a slight inflow of potentially warmer water (with extreme caution.)

InFisherman had a video posted about icefishing carp awhile back, but it isn't up anymore.

There are a number of threads on forums that might add pieces to the puzzle for you. Rather than discouraging you from trying, I'd encourage you to become our local expert. When you got it down, teach me!