Question...Still learning to ice fish

[Mongro02]

Everyone always says..."Find the weedlines, hard bottom, rocky bottom, etc"

How do you find a weedlines, and what the bottom looks like through the ice...what do you look for?

How can you tell if there are even weeds and such under the ice?

[This message has been edited by Mongro02 (edited 01-20-2004).]

[gcmedic1705]

Well, my friend, I'm no expert, but the best way of knowing where structure is on a given lake is to find a topical map of the lake. It will most often show you the bottom structures, depths and weedlines. You can usually buy maps or you can try the MN DNR site. Good luck!

[gophish]

I am also no expert but getting to fish three or four days a week this year has helped me learn a lot. THree main things have helped my success. FIrst of all i started using the lake maps. YOU can find small lake contour maps for MN and ND very easily on their DNR websites. dont know about otehr states though. second of all buy a vexilar. It can save time drilling holes if you get clear ice which you can read right through and it will even more importantly let you see fish. Never have had second thoughts about buying mine. third of all, keep using FM. it is immensely powerful
good luck,
and if need a fishing buddy if ever in fargo area let me know.

gophish.

[Mongro02]

Well, I use the Sportsman's Connection maps...but they don't show much.

Just water depths and Emergent Vegetation, Submergent Vegetation, and Floating Vegetation...I don't even know what those mean. And some rocks...I guess I need to buy better maps then.

[Steve Foss]

The lake finder feature on the Minnesota DNR Web site gives you not only lake maps, but a written description of the fishery, including the general weed type and depth of weedlines.

Beyond that, call the nearest DNR office to your lake and ask for someone on the regional fisheries staff. They are the folks who know their onions regarding the lakes in their district, and they'll be able to tell you generally where there are weeds and where there aren't on the lake you want to fish.

Incidentally, hard bottom is overrated. Sometimes they're there (many species), but often they're not.

Weeds show up as unmoving marks on your electronics up above the bottom. If you have doubts, drop down a lure with a treble and jig, and those marks will become weeds in a hurry. If you're after the deep weedline, keep drilling holes further and further out until you lose the weeds. If you're after weedline 'eyes, drill daytime holes in deep water well off the weedline, and move to the deep weedline edge an hour before sunset for the evening bite. If you're on a clear lake or one with a known night bite, drill holes right in the weeds for a little later, but make sure you don't use a lot of light, and don't make much noise. Shallow night-time 'eyes can be spooky.

For pike, set a tip-up off the deep weed edge and one right in the weeds. If you're in a state that allows three or four lines, set one up on the inside weed edge, too.

Generally speaking, deep weed edges on northern Minnesota lakes are found in 8 to 12 feet of water. That varies, and some clear lakes have deeper weedlines. But lakes with weedlines don't always have weedlines ALL AROUND THE LAKE, so check things out first.

And don't be afraid to call the local bait shop, or stop in there on the way to the lake, buy some bait, and ask where the fish are biting. Those stores make a living on their sales, and one way to guarantee sales is to put anglers on fish. They don't all think that way, but the smart ones do.

Good luck.

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"Worry less, fish more."
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 01-20-2004).]

[Mongro02]

stfcatfish,

Good info...very interesting reading. I learned a lot from the info.

[rmh2o]

I use a camera now but before that and this is going to sound a little funny but it works really well.Get a steel tape measure {not the small ones}get one that is about an inch wide and 30 or so feet long after you drill a hole you can stick it down the hole to the bottom and feel what kind of bottom it is.This is not a joke it actually works.

[RogersResort]

Make sure you use someone else’s tape measure, they get mighty rusty after a few weeks, plus they don’t work well past 30 feet…

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Get a good lake map and a good depth finder like the MarCum LX-3 and finding the weed line is a cinch. Also easy to tell bottom types after you become familiar with the LX-3.
Cliff

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Cliff's Guide Service
CliffsGuideService-LakeVermilion.com
Lake Vermilion
Phone: (218) 753-2005

[Mongro02]

Thanks Cyberfish,

I see now...I guess I just need to find better maps...

Any recommendations????

[loosegoose]

HuskersRule, Make sure you pull the transducer out of the hole if you get a fish on. The line will wrap around it if you don't and you may loose the fish.

[Rick]

If you want good maps get the LakeMaster ProMap Series Lake Maps (used to be ReelBottom).

You can get individual BigLake Maps but

The best deal are the ProMap Series. There are 51 maps in 1 foot or 3 foot contours ALL mapped using the latest GPS and sonar on the water mapping technology. All the included lakes are listed. Now YOU have the power

Can you say No More Secret Spots!!!
SWEET!

Minnesota-lake-maps.com - CLICK HERE

[Chris Haley]

Here's another tip:

Hard bottom on the depth finder will be a thick line at the bottom. This is because the hard bottom reflects the signal back much faster and stronger.

Soft bottom on the depth finder will be a thin line. This is due to the soft bottom absorbing much of the signal and only reflecting a small portion of it back.

How do you tell the difference between weeds and hard bottom you ask?? Drop a jig down and follow it with your depth finder, if you hit the top of your thick line and it keeps dropping you're in weeds. If you hit the top of your thick line and your line stops, you're on hard bottom. Now you could also be in large boulders that will read a thick line and also allow your line to drop past your reading. You just have to have a little knowledge of where you are and what SHOULD be in that general area.

[Dobber]

I adjust the gain on my Vexilar so the lake bottom shows up red, any weeds show up orange and my bait is a small green blip.
Finding the depth with a Vex is a no brainer. It's easy to do and works great once you get used to it.

[HuskersRule]

I have a rookie question. Tomorrow night I'm going out and using my X67c ice machine for the first time. How far down the hole do you put the ducer?

[EBass]

Husker,

The bottom of the ducer should be just below the bottom of the ice. You'll get a better reading that way. Hope that helped
EBass

[HuskersRule]

Ebass, Thanks that's kind of what I thought. That helps a lot.

[Cyberfish]

Well, I use the Sportsman's Connection maps...but they don't show much.
Just water depths and Emergent Vegetation, Submergent Vegetation, and Floating Vegetation...I don't even know what those mean. And some rocks...I guess I need to buy better maps then.

Emergent vegetation. That would be plants that start growing under water but emerge into the air. pencil reeds, wild rice, water lillies, bulrushes, etc.

Submergent Vegetation. Plants that grow mainly underwater. Including All varieties of pond weed, coontail, milfoil, eelgrass, etc.

Floating vegetation. That would be like bogs floating on the lake, usually cattails and various swamp grasses, sometimes can move across the lake on windy days.

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simul iustus et peccator

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