12-28-2003, 08:31 PM
[cool][size 1]With the heavy new snowpack on the ice, be prepared to find the fish responding differently on your next trip. The light levels will be a lot lower and the oxygen levels start to drop once open water is gone and sunlight does not reach underwater vegetation.[/size]
[size 1]Colors will be a big factor in future successful ice trips. If white or silver worked before the snowfall, it is likely that chartreuse or hot pink will get more attention now. In very dark conditions, it may take contrasting colors to be visible enough for the fish to see. Good contrasts are obtained from a combo of hot red and either white or chartreuse. Even black and white...or all black...can work best in low light conditions.[/size]
[size 1]It's hard to go wrong with anything with chartreuse in it this time of year. The bright colors stimulate slower fish in colder water, and are easily visible in almost all light levels.[/size]
[size 1]I just got through making up a batch of "Glitter Bugs", incorporating some of the hot colors. I have been making and using different colors for my bait bugs for several years. For cold water and ice fishing, I have found that adding a bit of sparkle or flash can help too. [/size]
[size 1]In the attached pic, you will see that almost all of the variations include either glitter heads, tinsel ribbing, sparkle chenille, "Ultra-Flash" chenille and almost always Krystal Flash tail fibres.[/size]
[size 1]Just thought I would post this, since I have had a lot of trips in the past where the conditions changed within a couple of days (heavy snow pack) and the attitude of the fish also changed radically. That's what makes this sport fun...trying to stay one step ahead of the fish.[/size]
[size 1]For those who keep logs...and have sonar...just see if the fish are holding deeper or higher in the water column. Then, see whether they still go for what they ate last time...or whether you have to offer them something else. Be sure to post any radical changes you find so that others can respond accordingly...especially the ones who don't have underwater eyes yet.[/size]
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[size 1]Colors will be a big factor in future successful ice trips. If white or silver worked before the snowfall, it is likely that chartreuse or hot pink will get more attention now. In very dark conditions, it may take contrasting colors to be visible enough for the fish to see. Good contrasts are obtained from a combo of hot red and either white or chartreuse. Even black and white...or all black...can work best in low light conditions.[/size]
[size 1]It's hard to go wrong with anything with chartreuse in it this time of year. The bright colors stimulate slower fish in colder water, and are easily visible in almost all light levels.[/size]
[size 1]I just got through making up a batch of "Glitter Bugs", incorporating some of the hot colors. I have been making and using different colors for my bait bugs for several years. For cold water and ice fishing, I have found that adding a bit of sparkle or flash can help too. [/size]
[size 1]In the attached pic, you will see that almost all of the variations include either glitter heads, tinsel ribbing, sparkle chenille, "Ultra-Flash" chenille and almost always Krystal Flash tail fibres.[/size]
[size 1]Just thought I would post this, since I have had a lot of trips in the past where the conditions changed within a couple of days (heavy snow pack) and the attitude of the fish also changed radically. That's what makes this sport fun...trying to stay one step ahead of the fish.[/size]
[size 1]For those who keep logs...and have sonar...just see if the fish are holding deeper or higher in the water column. Then, see whether they still go for what they ate last time...or whether you have to offer them something else. Be sure to post any radical changes you find so that others can respond accordingly...especially the ones who don't have underwater eyes yet.[/size]
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