Question: Which catches more fish on the ice?. A line with a Kastmaster/lure on it. Or a line with nothing but bait. Which is better to use. ice fishing?
I would like to know what you guys think.
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I have great action both ways. It depends on what the fish like that day. I have had days where dead sticking with/without the kastmaster have worked great. I have also had days where that kastmaster with a little jigging was the only way to bring them in. You just have to see what they like for the day.
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I will use a Kastmaster or Swedish Pimple [flasher] without a hook, as an indicator and for weight, when I'm fishing in water that's over 20' deep.
The weight of the Kastmaster can interfere with a very light bite, so I only use it when I deed the added weight to get down fast.
I take the hook of the Kastmaster so it won't catch the ice as I bring a fish up out of the hole.
I use the Kastmaster with an ice fly or Maniac jig.
I usually have the jig about 12" below the flasher.
I never use a bare hook with bait though.
I do see folks that simply use a baited hook with a split shot for weight and they catch fish.
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From my experience - Kastmaster hands down. + bait is boring.
Matt
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For trout I leave out the spoon but prefer it for perch. I leave the hook on and tip with either perch meat or meal worm, 12" or so below that is my "bait" usually a maniac of some sort. My brother has been reversing the set-up lately and putting his maniac 12" above a jigging spoon (small) that he has modified "Hali" style and tipped with meat or worm.
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I fish more with a flasher and a maniac jig below it. If the fish are semi active I do 12 inches. If the fish are less active or in-active I do 18 inches. If the fish are really active I straight line it with a gizilla or a cutter bug with an 1/8th or 1/4 oz. jighead. . That also helps me catch the biggest perch out of the school. I used to do a trebile hook below a cast master with a strip of Perch meat but I found out a lot less tangles if you use a jig head a little bit of weight. I am also one of them weird ducks that like Perch. LOL
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I really like being able to thunk a lure back down there, hopefully without twisting on itself. But been thinnin' on dropping the kastmaster below the jig, so I can bounce it on bottom while the jig is in the action zone.
Guess with 3 hooks - I could put some above, some below.
Just got some of the new spreader rigs - have to give em a try.
Ever drop spinner blades, or "other" attractors under ice? You can do another line without hooks, - as I understand it.
Get a second pole license and use one with the Kastmaster and one with the Strait Line. Let the fish decide what works best. By the way, can you drill two holes for fishing? My neighbor and I were talking about PowerBait verses worms. I told him I'd like to try worms on one pole and PowerBait on the other pole. This is what makes fishing fun. It's the "what if I do this" and then you experiment to see what happens. I admit I am biased towards the Kastmasters.
I know a gal from church that says she likes to use baby shrimp as bait when ice fishing at Otter Creek. She has one pile of shrimp to eat and one pile to fish with. I would think a Kastmaster baited with the shrimp would work well. I may have to take up ice fishing to get some decent fish in the wintertime.
Just my 2 cents.
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[cool][#0000FF]Using a flasher does two things...adds attraction to help bring fish in from a distance and provides weight to get lighter jigs down faster. The third benefit is that a bit of extra weight helps keep your line straight by taking out the coils and increasing the "feel" at the end of the line.
You can use a "flasher" either above your smaller jig or you can put it on the bottom and rig "dropshot" style with the small jig above the heavier weight. I do both. But I use the flattened lead "ice weights" I make from hammered lead "spinner bodies" from one of my molds. I run a wire through them and flatten them before painting. I also use glow on some, for ice fishing under heavy snow pack or on dark days.
In the pics below you can see the spinner bodies as they come out of the mold and then the flattening process. Since these are made of soft lead you can also put a slight bend in them to add a bit of flutter and flash. They also make good deep jigging lures when you add a split ring and hook...single or treble.
[inline "FLAT LEAD FLASHERS.jpg"][/#0000FF]
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Thanks for the input. I would have to agree that fishing with a flasher is a better way to go. I have done both and it seems like I do catch more with a flasher. Some guys I have fished with tell me not to use it. It scares the fish. But I would think it would be more of a attractant for the fish. [fishin] Put that two pole permit to use and try one with and one without
Thanks again
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I used to think that a flasher would scare the fish. I no longer hold this to be true.
With the addition of a fish finder [flasher] to my ice gear, I now see that the fish are actually attracted by the flasher.
I use one with most rigs or just use 2 jigs at the same time.
I very the distance between the flasher and the jig.
Some of my setups are as close as 6" apart while other rigs are up to 16" apart. I like to have more distance between the jig and the flasher when fishing for trout.
For Perch, I keep everything close to each other and close to the bottom of the reservoir.
For Trout, I will have one rig fishing on the bottom and another rig fishing about 10 to 15" under the ice. Depending where I see fish in the water column will determine how deep I lower the jig.
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