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I have recently taken up Icefishing and I went to the Berry today for a "Berry" Humbling experience. We fished from 7:00 to about 1:00 and only had a couple of bites. We tried fire flies, paddle bugs, minnows, meal worms, wax worms, power bait, etc. People around were catching fish but we had no success. Anyone up to give out some adviice or even like to meet us at a lake for some helpful pointers. My 72 year old dad and 16 year old son were ready to leave in the first hour. Please help!
In serious trouble![shocked]
James
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Welcome to the site James. I'm going to move your post to the Utah board where you should get some help with your question.
WH2
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I have to use a fish finder when I am out at the berry on the ice. Sounds like you were in an area with fish and I would say you had the right stuff. Just got to "see" what level the fish are coming through at.
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Sounds like the tackle and bait you used are fine.
I think the main thing you can do when ice fishing for trout is to start at the bottom and progressively bring your bait up and stop/jig at about 1 or 2 reel cranks. remember how many cranks when hopefully you start getting some action and drop down and crank up to that level again.
In many instances the trout are within a 10 to 20 foot depth below the ice.
Good Luck!
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If you have recently just taken up ice fishing? Then don't start at the big "Berry" try a beginner friendly dam or lake!
Use a kastmaster , 6 inches below that put on an ice fly, tip it with a wax worm, jig it 6in to 12in off the bottom.
You could have been getting hits at the berry all day , the cuts there barrelly tap it , almost unnoticeable if you don't know what your looking for!
Hope this helps
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If your serious about getting into ice fishing get a underwater camera. I have learned more about fish and how they act from that camera in two years than I would in ten without it.
.
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All really good tips to remember. My contribution is this. Don't be afraid to move around...or dont set up camp too early. My 8 yr old and I were fishing Causey today. We were using identical bait, identical line, and 3 cranks off the bottom... and might I add I pay better attention to both our poles than he does his own. Not to mention I have a much better jigging cadence than he. I didn't get a bite all day at that hole while he realed in 4. I drilled another hole 10 feet on the other side of him and started catching. As I have a 2 pole permit I left my first pole in the first hole and continued to moniter it...nothing all day.
Moral of the story, don't be afraid to move around after 30 minutes if the action dies
That's my input
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[quote jjmorris9]
People around were catching fish but we had no success.
[/quote]
Welcome to BFT. Don't hesitate to talk to the people around you who are doing well. Most of them will be willing to share with you what is working for them. And for those who won't, just ignore them and move onto the next angler.
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Don't feel bad. Until my last time out, I sucked ditch water at ice fishing. I hardly ever caught anything - for years. Finally gave up and sold most of my ice gear.
But since joining this website, I've gotten the itch again. Went to Mantua and got bites but couldn't hook anything (same old story). Went to Pineview and had guys only feet away catching perch non-stop. I couldn't connect to save my peri  les.
Until...
All of a sudden, the bites somehow felt different. I can't even describe the change, but almost magically, I could now feel when the bait was in a perch's mouth. I caught 25 in less than that many minutes. Actually caught even more - I kept 25 and released a bunch of dinks.
It will come to you. I can't say when or even how, but you'll suddenly just "get it."
BTW, I use a heavier jig (1/8 oz) on the bottom and tie a small ice fly or teardrop in drop-shot fashion a few inches above. Tip both with a very small bit of perch meat (or eye) and try to hold that bottom jig one inch off bottom. I think that holding the rod is better than setting it down and watching the tip for bites. Maybe the tiny shivers of my hand give just enough action.
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I've been in the same boat-so don't worry about it. Moving around and talking to people around you can be some of the best advice you can get, especially for a specific lake. The rainbows at Strawberry like different things then Fish lake. Other fisherman should be your allies and most are more than willing to give you some pointers.
What personally helped me hook more fish is a better rod. I started with a $10 on sale rod. I could feel the slightest nibbles, set the hook, reel, and then I could only feel my jig. I upgraded to a med/heavy rod and it made the world of difference. I can land more fish then the people in my group. But then again, I LIKE fishing with a heavier rod, and some people don't. Moral of the story, find some gear (within your budget) that you can fish better with. You will feel the difference with better gear.
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If you take some time and read through old posts about ice fishing, you will learn a lot.
There are different tactics for each type of fish.
Read up on posts about places that you want to try ice fishing at. This will give you valuable information.
Dress warm and have fun on the ice.
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My two cents, I do much better with a fish finder. It let's you know where the fish are holding in the collom, and let's you see your jig in relation to the fish. A cheap finder works well. I love my fish easy as much as my expensive ones for ice fishing.
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James,
Don't know Strawberry very well, but I've found depth and location are very important ice fishing.. Didn't notice if you had a finder or not, and on the berry it might be useful if not. You have Kokes in there that will be swimming through suspended somewhere between top to bottom and if you want to catch them you'll have to be at the correct depth and they school around so when the fish are there get your line back in water as fast as you can to catch the fish while they are there... For the bows, I'm finding them about 6" off the bottom this winter, with some others suspended, but the fastest action has been right off the bottom... I have been fishing 20' deep at Hyrum and really nailing them with wax worms on ratso's or other small jigs with little wiggly rubber tails... I typically don't jig much for the trout, just an occasional twitch to help them find it.. I've seen a lot of guys use a kastmaster about 18" above their jigs for weight and visibility, they take the hook off and tie the line on the bottom.. I have done okay without, but it might help you... I did have to add weight to get to the bottom this year and it has helped... For the Kokes I like a kastmaster or krokodile and keep it moving... (jig it)... Other point was if you aren't catching fish in the holes you have, move a little ways away and try another spot... I keep finding that one hole out of my group will always be better than the others, so try to find the hot spot in your area... Good luck, and if you can't find them there and want to head up north let me know and maybe I can meet ya on the ice and watch ya out fish me... Good luck J
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I live in Provo and hit the Berry as often as work allows. Based on my experience fish will usually be between 20 to 30 feet of water. An easier way for beginners is to 'dead stick' so just let the jig and bait sit. It makes seeing and feeling the bites a lot easier! I prefer earthworms for bait on my jig with nothing else on the line. A slow raise and drop every 5 mins or so will still help grab the fish's attention. Its really nice if you have a 2 rod permit because then you can practice jigging and feeling the bite with one rod and watch the other rod to pick up any of the ones you miss. The Cutts in the Berry are super-agressive/competitive and will often move thru in groups so even if you miss a hit drop it back to the same depth before you reel in and a lot of the time you'll get another shot, and if not watch your other rods! Cant tell you how many times i've been caught running back and forth between rods more than one on that frozen lake. Good luck! hope that helps!
-fishfighter91
"if I were half as good at fishing as I am at talking I'd actually need a net!"
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