Strawberry/ 12-29

[tuber]

Well, we hit Strawberry today. We were suppose to have 8 of us going, but ended up only 3. A few turned to girls because they thought it would be too cold. Too bad for them, as it was an awesome day, with pure sunshine. We didn't get fishing till about 9am. Caught a few and it slowed down. Moved about 20 yards after 30 minutes and could not stop catching them. We were in 26 feet of water. It was my best day ever at the berry. This was the first time I had a finder. I ended up getting the humminbird 565 and it worked great. What a difference a finder makes. Although, it was frustrating watching fish after fish go right by my jig. I would say 99% of the fish would come right up to my jig when I got about 8-12 feet down. I would jig for a minute and drop anothe five feet. They would come play again. I would do this all the way to the bottom and back up. Fish were in all ranges. The ones on the bottom hit a bit harder. We really had to play with them before they would bite. White Watta Crickets tipped with minnow and smelly jelly worked best. Caught quite a few 22 inchers, but nothing bigger. All cutts. Did I say how nice it is to have a fishfinder? [sly] Thanks everyone for their advice and helping me set up my finder on the ice. It made a big difference getting ideas and pictures from everyone. Everyone is really great and helpful on this site. Looking forward to fishing with some more of you soon.

tuber
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[Theekillerbee]

Sounds like a lot of fun. A good finder sure can make a big difference! Did you guys stay around the marina, or did you get away?
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[Fishcrazy]

Sounds like you had a great day.Yeah-some of my friends turn into "girlie men" when it comes to icefishing.Fishfinders?If I leave my Vexilar home,I turn around and go back to get it!
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[tuber]

We fished between the marina and mud creek. Not one person in site except for the occasional snowmobile and four wheeler, but wee were hoofing down on foot.
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[fishin4fun]

Glad you like the 565. Great little ice fishin unit eh?? [cool] Won't leave home without mine!!

Since this is a Berry post, I need to post my results (late due to no net for 2 days!) Hit the Berry (marina) on Tues. the 27th with some family. The day started out great as we iced them left and right. Cooled off as the day went on and we left around 2 pm with about 40 fish iced among 6 people.

Next day, my 3 yr old was pouting because he wanted a "fishy". I took him and my other boy up and went right off the ramp. We fished for 1 hr and he got bored and cold, despite good planning. LOL.. he's 3! We, shall I say, HE caught 2 fish! With in five mins, he landed a nice 22", 4+lb cutt (dad helped [unsure]). We took pics and let him put him back. Surprised he let him go, but enjoy that part as much as catching him. 5 mins later, he landed another 16" cutt. My goal was to get him a fishy and we did. Went home happier than on Christmas day even though I didn't get a bite in that hour! [cool]
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[fishin4fun]

tuber- How do you like the real time screen on the 565? Does it get any better than that?

Also, how did you end up riggin it?

F4F
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[fsh4fun05]

Glad to hear someone had a good day at the berry, alot of reports this year have been a fish here, a fish there. How about some details about exactly how you fished ( jigging speed, how many times, time in between, etc.) I dont know much about fishing for trout, but if you have a worm then you can catch one from what I hear[]Just kidding. Ifished for trout last fall and realized that maybe I've lost my touch for the slime rockets. I would hate to think that there is a fish out there that I could'nt catch!
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[tuber]

F4F,

Its a great unit, thanks for the feedback from you and Bigcat. You guys steered me that way. I thought I was going to have to go to Cabelas, but then I found one at Gart Brothers on Riverdale Rd, so I didn't have to make such an long trip. Cool deal with your son. I am taking mine next year and can't wait. What an experience

tuber
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[tuber]

F4F05,

I was constantly jigging. I probably only let it sit still for 30 seconds at the most. Maybe I should have let it sit longer. I am still learning as well. Since the fish were at different depths, I would drop down a bit, jig, drop some more, jig, hit bottom, and do the same coming up. I am sure some others can give you much better tips than I can. If you can get a way from the crowds a bit, it seems like you will do much better

tuber
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[fishin4fun]

fsh4fun05 - NICE HANDLE!! []

When jiggin for trout at the Berry alot of techniques can be used. Usual jigs/lures work just great with the usual colors (i.e. Foxies, Rat Finkies, Maribou Jigs, Tube Jigs, etc. in White, Green, Sparkle, the works.) My personal favorite is a white/red maribou jig with a custom dipped glow in the dark head.

The most important thing is the bait tipped on the end. Some days, it's mealies, another waxies, another minnows. A little piece of minnow has been good this year.

Next is presentation, the fish are getting less agressive. You need to entice them a bit. A finder helps here, since you can sometimes "watch" the reaction you get from the fish with different techniques. When I have a fish do "fly by" when I'm trying something, I figured I just missed the boat on getting him to bite. You should be able to trigger there instinct to bite somehow. Unfortunately, you usually get one shot and every fish might be different.

Finally, and very importantly this year up there, the bite is LIGHT. Very light. I caught two on Tues. that literally didn't bite. My little spring bobber never moved. I went to jig, felt a little pressure and popped them. Another trick is a slack line bit. Alot of fish will pick it up, making you go slack. It's important to have your pole in your hand, because the slightest change on that line and he drops it. It drives me nuts when I go anywhere and see everyone with their poles on the ground, they are wandering around, standing, and complaining that they can't catch anything. Well, they might be missing bite after bite.

Good luck and tight lines!!
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