Adjusted Mid-Winter Ice Crappie Tactics

 By February, ice fishing action for crappies typically has moved offshore, with most fish holding in deep holes in main basins and the water darkened by a snow blanket atop the ice. Reduced snow totals this year and last year have gone against the norm, so Travis Tuthill of TUT Outdoors has had to change his mid-winter crappie fishing strategies.

Reduced snow totals have had two significant effects on ice fishing in Minnesota and much of ice country. First, a larger number of crappies and other gamefish have remained shallow, relating to weeds and shallow structure. In addition, both shallow and deep fish have remained more wary than is normally the case through the middle of winter, calling for greater finesse in the overall game. Understanding these differences and fishing accordingly can help you continue to catch crappies through the remainder of winter.

The shallow fishing option typically goes away almost entirely on many lakes through the middle of the winter because shallow weeds lose necessary sunlight and die, and as the vegetation dies and deteriorates, dissolved oxygen becomes too depleted for the fish in the shallow zone.

With limited snow this winter and most of last winter, some shallow vegetation has remained in good condition, and those areas provide good crappie opportunities that feel more like early-season ice fishing.

Tuthill likes shallower structure on days when the cold demands him to set up in a shelter. Shallow fish tend to hold on or move through predictable locations, meaning he can set up on a spot and wait. On days that allow for a more mobile approach on the open ice, with multiple holes drilled in an area, he’s more apt to try to find fish in deep holes in the main basin because those fish often move in larger schools.

Tuthill also likes structural features like points that bridge remnant shallow weeds with deeper holes in a lake’s main basin, especially if the structure itself has vegetation on top of it.

“I like those areas because I can catch crappie and bluegills together, he said.

“With the clear ice we’ve mostly had this winter, the fish are spookier than normal and seem more sensitive to sound and vibration,” Tuthill said.

Typically, by mid-season, the combination of the crappies moving deeper and the insulating snow blanket makes stealth less of a factor than during early winter and necessitates bigger baits, rattles and more aggressive presentations. Tuthill simply has not found that to be the case this winter. He has continued to find the best success by staying small with offerings and subtle with presentations and by being intentional about moving quietly.

With the development of live sonar technology in ice fishing electronic units over the past several years, a popular mid-season strategy is to “scope” through one hole in the ice, find a group of fish that might be 30 or 60 feet away and have another angler walk to that location, drill and drop baits to that school. When the fish are wary beneath the clear ice, though, they often scatter when the new hole gets drilled atop them, rending this technique less effective.

“This year, we’ve had to really study the contours, guess where we think they will go and wait for them to come to us,” Tuthill said, noting that it is highly beneficial having a few anglers fishing together, all positioned strategically to pattern the fish’s movements.

Whether he is fishing shallow or deep, Tuthill’s go-to ice crappie bait is a Bobby Garland Itty Bit Mayfly fished on a small tungsten jig. The insect profile and subtle wavering action is ideal in his mind.

If the fish won’t quite commit, he’ll add Euro larvae or a waxworm for a bit of scent. Occasionally he’ll go to a small live minnow on a plain hook, usually as a secondary dead stick line, and will fish an Itty Bit Mayfly or small spoon in a second hole.

Every day is different, and it’s important to figure out the presentation that prompts the most action any given day. Tuthill’s default Itty Bit Mayfly presentation and his most common starting place begins with a constant cadence, with very light jigging or jiggling to draw fish close.  

“When a fish moves in, I start to very slowly taking it away,” he said.

Tuthill said he imagines the bait to resemble an insect coming up out of the mud, hovering a bit, and then gradually moving up in the water column. To the fish, it seems like a would-be dinner is about to get away and that triggers the bite.

• Go Early and Late – With limited snow, especially, the periods around sunrise and sunset become critical. Be in prime position and focused through the prime time. Give yourself a little rest through the middle of the day, so you can be at your best when the bite is the best.
• Work in Teams – A few anglers positioned strategically on different parts of a structure or over different depths in a main basin hole can be far more efficient than a solo angler for finding crappie and figuring out their movements. That’s especially true when conditions require staying in a shelter, which prevents significant hole hopping.
• Minimize Ice Noise – The shuffling about you do atop the ice sends far more signals of danger below than you might realize, especially when there is not much snow to muffle the sound. You don’t have to tiptoe. Just be aware of your steps and how abruptly you move items.
• Double Up – If two lines are permitted in your state, fishing a jigging rod in hand and a dead stick rod beside it is a spectacular way to appeal to crappie in different moods, to call fish with one bait and entice with the other, and to pattern fish more effectively. If the dead stick is getting all the attention, add some bait to your jig and cut the jigging motion WAY back.