Bass through the ice

[jalberg]

I have done very little ice fishing. I would like to try to catch a few bass through the ice. Can anyone help me out? Where do they tend to hang out in the winter? What baits/presentations work for them? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[big musk411]

Chewamagon[sp?] Bay near Ashland WI is pretty good for Smallies. Other than that Bass fishing through the ice may not be all that productive.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Fish chisago and other area lakes. Anwhere you get the 'gills you will probably find the bass. I would go with larger panfish style lures with either larva or minnows. I dont like to target them in the winter, I guess its hard on the fish, but I usually get a few fishing panfish each trip in these lakes.

[Jason Durham]

Alberg,

I catch quite a few bass through the ice, typically largemouth. Alot of people will tell you that largemouth go dormant over the winter, but that's an all encompassing statement and those types of conclusions rarely cover every situation.

Here's what works well for me. First, start is pretty shallow water. 6-15 feet is a good place to start but the presence of vegetation and smaller fish is what really makes an area good for bass.

My favorite bait for bass in the winter is a jigging spoon, blue/glow Lindy Frostee (it has a red treble) with one single waxworm hung from one of the hooks. Then I shake the spoon, attempting to keep the body of the spoon stable while the worm flits like mad. My theory is that this simulates the same visual effect as a wounded minnow, it's white belly jumping around vigorously. Let me know how you do.

[Bobb-o]

your first step is to find a lake with a very large population of them. I have caught all my winter bass in depths under 12 feet, all while fishing for gills. At my cabin they all seem to be in one little bay with the gills, and they will stay there all winter long. I also have caught them all over the water column, here is a pic of a 19 incher i got 2 feet under the ice in 10 feet of water:

[ikeslayer]

i watched a video once by the linder gang and even they don't target bass through hard water. Al said there is much more productive types of fishing through the ice. That was all i needed to hear. Good luck let us know how you do.

[Quickstrike]

I've caught them quite often in shallow (8-12) weedy bays when tip up fishing for pike or walleyes. I have also caught them in these same areas fishing for bluegills. Fishing for huge smallies in chequamigan bay can be a blast (talking 18-24 inch bass!!!) but I don't taret largemouth through the ice.

[jalberg]

Thanks everyone for the info. I'll post my results, if I have any.