Catching deep-water roach

Summer deep-water roach (bull bluegills) head for deep water
photo courtesy Dave Richey Outdoors ©2012

The tug from deep water was soft but easily identifiable as a strike. My rod tip bowed slightly toward the stern, and when I hooked the fish, there was an old and unmistakable feeling I hadn't experienced in many years.

There was a good fish on my line, and it was putting up a fight equal to that of a fish twice its size. This wasn't a crank-'em-in thing; this was a scrap that required some finesse, patience and skill on light line. It was no place for a heavy-handed angler.

This was on a Traverse City area lake that shall go nameless for many reasons. A husband and wife team who read my daily blogs has told me about some of their catches. Their fishing method is identical to mine.

Look for a clean lake bottom in 25-30 feet of water

Pick a lake with bluegills, and that means any number of lakes in this state. Look for the deepest water with a fairly open lake bottom, and line up the boat with the prevailing breeze, and start drifting downwind.

Setting up to bottom-fish a lake is quite easy. The terminal rigging is simple.

Run six-pound line through a light egg sinker, tie it to one end  of a small barrel swivel. Tie a three-foot leader of four-pound-test, with a long-shank bronze No. 10 hook, and then tie the opposite end to other end of the barrel swivel.

Hook a cricket, and lower it over the side and send the egg sinker and bait to the bottom. Tighten up the line, and if you can't feel bottom, let out more line. The cricket will float up slightly off bottom at a perfect depth for bottom-hugging 'gills.

Back when I was a kid, we called these big bluegills deep-water roach. The name is still heard in some areas, but they are nothing more than big bluegills that have learned to head for deep water once the spring spawn ends and the surface water warms up.

This means hunt-and-peck fishing. Bluegills often gather in certain deep-water locations, and it's up to the fisherman to find them. A slow wind drift works perfectly. Let out enough line to keep the egg sinker bumping along bottom.

Light line means just one thing; within reason, the lighter the line, the more bluegills you'll hook, but a big 'gill on two-pound line may be lost unless the ultimate in care is used while fighting the fish. Four-pound or six-pound line may produce slightly fewer hook-ups but an angler has a better chance of landing a fish.

Slow wind-drifting with crickets on bottom pays off

The secret means slow-drifting with your bait bumping along bottom. Bluegills usually tap-tap the bait, and then pull the rod-tip down. Set the hook gently, and be prepared for a spirited fight.

The fish will try to stay deep, and will turn broadside to the pull of the line, and it is a battle all the way to the boat. A slow drift is preferable to a fast trip down the lake because it becomes too difficult to keep the bait nudging bottom where the larger 'gills will be found.

The middle of the lake often is good, and bull bluegills with the pug noses are usually caught in 20 to 30 feet of water. Fish along the outside edges of weed beds, and keep prospecting for fish. It may be likely that all the big fish will be concentrated in one small section of the lake, and it's up to you to find them.

Anglers who find a bull-bluegill hotspot in deep water should never keep a limit. It takes years for a bluegill to grow to 10 to 12 inches, and a lake can literally be cleaned out of big 'gills in a season by a greedy fisherman.

Find a good lake, don’t keep many and don’t tell your buddies

Keep one or two, and if it's lots of fish you want to eat, work the shallower water for a bunch of six-inchers. They are better to eat than the big fish, and you'll be doing the lake a favor by removing some of the small but competitive and hungry fish.

Not all lakes hold big bluegills. In fact, an angler may wind-drift a dozen bluegill lakes before finding one that holds a decent number of big 'gills. Once you find such a spot, keep it as secret as one would their favorite grouse or woodcock coverts or a secret beaver pond where foot-long brook trout are caught.

Lakes with a fishable number of deep-water roach are something to protect from greedy fishermen. Anglers who find such a lake are duty-bound to keep their silence and never speak of big bluegills around anyone. Never take and show photos of big 'gills, and never fish it often.

To do otherwise is to destroy the very thing that made this inland lake so desirable to you and the fish. It's the personal ego stroke that leads to heavy catches that soon dwindle down to nothing.

Searching for deep-water bluegills

Big-gills put a serious tug in your line and on your smile
photo courtesy Dave Richey ©2012

The tug from deep water was soft but easily identifiable as a strike. My rod tip bowed slightly toward the stern, and when I connected with the fish, there was an old and unmistakable feel I hadn't experienced in many years.

There was a good fish on my line, and it was putting up a fight equal to that of a fish twice its size. This wasn't a crank-'em-in thing; this was a scrap that required some finesse and skill on light line. It was no place for a heavy-handed angler.

This was on a Traverse City area lake that shall remain nameless for many reasons. A husband and wife team who read my daily blogs has told me about some of their catches. Their fishing method is the same as mine.

Pick a lake with bluegills, and that means any number of lakes in this area. Look for the deepest water with a fairly open lake bottom, and line up the boat with the prevailing breeze, and start drifting downwind.

Setting up to bottom-fish a lake is quite easy. The terminal rigging is simple.

Run six-pound line through a light egg sinker, tie it to one end  of a small barrel swivel. Tie a three-foot leader of four-pound-test, with a long-shank bronze No. 10 hook, and then tie the opposite end to other end of the barrel swivel.

Kids and crickets are a winning ticket for big gills

Hook a cricket, and lower it over the side and send the egg sinker and bait to the bottom. Tighten up the line, and if you can't feel bottom, let out more line. The cricket will float up slightly off bottom at a perfect depth for bottom-hugging 'gills.

Back when I was a kid, we called these big bluegills deep-water roach. The name is still heard in some areas, but they are nothing more than big bluegills that have learned to head for deep water once the spring spawn is over and the surface water warms up.

This means hunt-and-peck fishing. Bluegills often gather in certain deep-water locations, and it's up to the fisherman to find them. A slow wind drift works perfectly. Let out enough line to keep the egg sinker bumping along bottom.

Light line means just one thing; within reason, the lighter the line, the more bluegills you'll hook, but a big 'gill on two-pound line may be lost unless the ultimate in care is used while fighting the fish. Four-pound or six-pound line may produce slightly fewer hook-ups but an angler has a better chance of landing fish.

The secret means slow-drifting with your bait bumping bottom. Bluegills usually tap-tap the bait, and then pull the rod-tip down. Set the hook gently, and be prepared for a spirited fight.

The fish will try to stay deep, and will turn broadside to the pull of the line, and it is a battle all the way to the boat. A slow drift is preferable to a fast trip down the lake because it becomes too difficult to keep the bait nudging bottom where the larger 'gills will be found.

The middle of the lake often is good, and bull bluegills with the pug noses are usually caught in 20 to 30 feet of water. Fish along the outside edges of weed beds, and keep prospecting for fish. It may be likely that all the big fish will be concentrated in one small section of the lake.

Deep water is the bull-bluegill hotspot to seek, but limit your take

Anglers who find a bull-bluegill hotspot in deep water should never keep a limit. It takes years for a bluegill to grow to 10 to 12 inches, and a lake can literally be cleaned out of big 'gills in a season by a greedy fisherman.

Keep one or two, and if it's lots of fish you want to eat, work the shallower water for a bunch of six-inchers. They are better to eat than the big fish, and you'll be doing the lake a favor by removing some of the small but competitive and hungry  fish.

Not all lakes hold big bluegills. In fact, an angler may wind-drift a dozen bluegill lakes before finding one that holds a decent number of big 'gills. Once you find such a spot, keep it as secret as one would their favorite grouse or woodcock coverts or a secret beaver pond where foot-long brook trout are caught.

Lakes with a fishable number of deep-water roach are something to protect from greedy fishermen. Anglers who find such a lake are duty-bound to keep their silence and never speak of big bluegills around anyone. Never take and show photos of big 'gills, and never fish it very often.

To do otherwise is to destroy the very thing that made this inland lake so desirable to you and the fish. It's the personal ego stroke that leads to heavy catches that soon dwindle down to nothing.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Teasing Winter Bluegills

A good assortment of tiny ice jigs or flies in colors is needed.

 

Bluegills have an endearing habit. Once hooked, they swim at right angles to the pull of the line and it makes them feel much larger than they actually are.

The other day before all the rain was a case in point. A small lake not far from Traverse City had six inches of ice. I eased onto the lake, checking the ice as I went, and reached an area pock-mocked with frozen holes left behind by other anglers.

A few things have been learned about catching winter bluegills, and one is to auger a bunch of holes and then let the noise settle down. Start fishing in the first hole drilled, and the reason is it's had the most time to settle down from the commotion of drilling other holes.

It’s my preference to use short, limber spinning rods.

 

I prefer a short soft-action spinning rod with a wee spinning reel and one- or two-pound test clear or green mono. I like tiny ice jigs in a variety of colors. I also like a thin wire rod bobber rather than a float (bobber) because of the sensitivity of some bluegill bites.

I also use thick coiled rod holders that sit on the ice. There's a big reason why this technique works so well.

A tiny ice jig of silver, silver-blue, silver-green, silver-orange, orange, yellow, red and white and almost any other color combination will work, but if one color isn't producing fish, tie on a different color. Experiment with fishing depths, lure colors and jigging action.

My rod is inserted into the coiled rod holder, the jig is baited with a mousie or wax worm, and slowly lowered to bottom. The rod holder is set on the ice and jigged an inch or two and allowed to dangle in the water column for several seconds before being jigged again.

Ice rod holders keep the rod, reel and line up off the ice.

 

I drill my ice holes three feet apart, and use two rod holders with a line down each hole. Watch the tiny wire bobber on the ice rod, and if it moves a fraction of an inch, set the hook.

Some anglers go to one-pound mono because bluegills can be so finicky during winter months. Too much jigging can spook fish, and learning to spot that delicate bite when a ‘gill sucks on the bait’ requires some experience.

Often the hooking and landing of one fish will lead to a strike on the other line. As one fish is reeled to the surface, keep an eye on the other line. if the spring bobber moves, up or down, set the hook.

One thing some anglers don't know is that a bluegill will push the bait upward slightly, and the trick then is to lift the rod and rod holder up until the fish is felt, and then give it a soft hook set.

Bluegills will hit in one spot and then move on in search of food. Try a different hole, and if it doesn't produce a bite or a fish within 10 minutes, try another spot. Sitting in one spot and fishing just one or two holes doesn't produce as good. The thing I like about these ice-rod holders is an angler can walk away from them for a minute to try a nearby hole, and if a fish hits while you are prospecting, the fish will often still be hooked when you return.

Successful bluegill anglers move around and fish different holes

 

Of course, sitting on a bucket with a rod in hand will work. Anglers can still use the wire rod bobber or use a tiny bobber that floats on the water.
Remember to keep jigging strokes very short (an inch or two is plenty), and don't jig too often. Too much jigging action can spook fish.

The whole jigging thing is nothing but a tease. Bait the tiny ice jig or ice fly, and move the baited lure up and down slightly, and it doesn't hurt to try to move it sideways on occasion. Shivering the lure in place can be deadly at times, especially when fish are really picky.

Bluegill fishing is a great way to spend a winter day. Fish near the edges of green weed beds, and try to avoid exaggerated movements. Keep everything low key, use light line, and prospect a bit for fish, and catching a mess of bluegills can be fun and provide some mighty fine eating.

Don’t forget: Get solid information on ice thickness, and even though some angler fish on one inch of ice, it’s never recommended. Be safe!

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Magic in a small box

Magic in a box: ice flies & jigs.      This angler unhooks a nice walleye.

There is such a thing as finding magic in  a box. Just ask any ice fisherman.

Most of us carry our ice fishing flies and jigs, and our larger jigging spoons in a small plastic box. We walk on and off the ice, and have learned to keep what we carry to a minimum, It’s just a matter of common sense.

We learn to experiment with different lure colors and lure sizes, but tying knot in one-pound line is nearly  impossible. Even when tied indoors, it often takes me 10 minutes of fumbling about to get the knot tied with the wimpy light line.

I always carry a few crappie and perch spreaders in my box. Most come with pre-tied long-shank No. 10 hooks. Add a bell sinker to the bottom of the spreader, bait the spreader hooks with minnows or grubs such as goldenrod, corn borers, mousies or wax worms. The combination of a bit of color and the smell of meat can many these rigs productive when fished near bottom.

Color, size and a bit of bait makes all the difference in success. Just experiment.

Keep the line tight, and replenish the bait whenever a fish is caught, even if the fish doesn’t keep the bait. My thought is it’s better to go with fresh bait than to try to scrimp and lose valuable fishing time because some fish won’t hit bait that has been mouthed by another fish.

It would be easy to state my favorite game fish to catch through the ice, and there would be two choices – bluegills and walleyes. The bluegills provide the biggest problem for me because of having to use light line and retying lost lures. That isn’t a major problem with walleyes.

Walleye fishing is easier. Use a level-wind or spinning reel with six-pound line, a three- to four-foot limber rod, and jigging lures. Fishing lures are being made faster than I can keep up with brand names, but most of my walleyes are caught jigging a jigging Rapala, Sandkicker, Devle Dog, Swedish Pimple or Do-Jigger (made by Bay de Noc Lure Company, the manufacturer of the Swedish Pimple).

The trick is to sweeten up the jigging lure with a minnow. I often put a small minnow on each hook, and the jigging stroke is critical. Many people use a three- or four-foot savage upward jerk of the rod tip, but I must prefer a lighter touch. A three-inch lure movement is plenty, especially if the hooks have been baited.

A too-violent jerk does nothing but make the minnows come off the hook. They lay dead or dying on the bottom of the lake. Play the jigging rod gently. Lures like the Sandkicker (originally made for whitefish jigging) are a great walleye lure.

Sometimes just making the lure “shiver” in one place is enough to make fish bite.

Lower the baited lure to bottom, reel up the slack line, and lift the jig two or three off bottom and let it settle back down on a tight line. Let the baited lure hit bottom, wait a second or two, and move it upward again. Most often, the strike occurs as the up-stroke begins and be ready to set the hook. Sometimes walleyes will hit the lure as it begins to fall, and it should be fairly easy to feel the strike or see the line jerk sideways. Again, set the hook hard.

Ice fishing for trout has always be a fun way to spend a day. Here, I prefer a white or silver Swedish Pimple, and one- to two-ounce lures will work. Buy some frozen smelt, thaw then out and cut off a small chunk of fillet. Put it on one needle-sharp hook, and lower the rig to bottom – often 100 or more feet deep.

Again, pound that baited jigging lure into the bottom. If it kicks up a puff of marl or sand, so much the better. Lake trout can hit a jigged lure extremely hard or simply grab it and hold on. If something doesn’t feel right, set the hook.

Ice-fishing lures are large, small and somewhere inbetween, come in all the colors of the rainbow and in different shapes, and oddly enough, most of them will catch fish.

As is true with all other lures, most lures used for ice-fishing are made with that sole purpose in mind. Granted, they may catch other game fish but their basic use comes once winter cold puts a solid mantle of safe ice on area lakes.

I’m like most people … there often are too many lures in my ice-fishing box of tricks. Too many of anything makes for difficult choices, and I tend to know exactly what I’m going to be fishing for. And mind you, I’ve got some lures in my on-the-ice tackle box that are no-name lures purchased well over 50 years ago, and I still have them because they catch fish.

This box of wee lures was found about 10 years ago after having gone missing for nearly 30 years. It just up and disappeared, and I searched for it and its contents, through almost everything I own. When I finally found it, the box had been stored in with a box of Winchester AA shot-shell cases. I’m clueless about why I stuck it there.

Use lures of the right size for the species of game fish you’re trying to catch.

Many of my ice flies and ice jigs for bluegills and sunfish are tiny. One-pound mono is ideal for these tiny lures, and my vision keeps me from tying them on out on the lake. I’m a great bel
Some general rules apply. Use a hook hone, and keep hook points sharp. Any contact with rocks on the bottom can quickly dull the points.

Bigger lures can twist your line, and a  quality ball-bearing or snap swivel can help eliminate line twist. Deep-water fishing can be much more difficult than fishing in shallow water. One trick that pays off occasionally is to set the hook whenever anything doesn’t feel quite right.

I look at this box of ice-fishing lures, and the box brings back countless memories of long ago fishing trips. I see 10-inch bluegills flopping on the ice, the soft but determined hit of a walleye, and the rugged deep-water battle of a lake trout that doesn’t want to leave the bottom.

All of these thoughts, and many others, are found in this small box of ice-fishing lures. Isn’t it amazing that a box of lures can bring back so many memories?

Think cold weather and ice, and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors