It was the day after Christmas and there was no ice to be found in the
Chicago area. It was a balmy 50 degrees! Not fishing on such a warm day would
just be wrong.
I managed to catch about 14 fish from 3 out of 4 ponds. A
couple fish were caught on Lake Fork Shads the rest on Little Atom plastics. In
fact Little Atom saved the day. Using these micro plastics on ice jigs got the
finicky fish to bite and were perfect for the small fish. The baits I used
today were the micro Nuggie and the Wedgee. I used weighted Thill floats to get
the long casts I needed to reach the deeper water I would normally be ice
fishing. The fish were small But I was not complaining to be catching when other were still in bed.
It was great to catch some fish with no ice, especially with the crappie being
shut off in a lot of the area. Next time you head out in cold weather or slow
conditions bring Little Atom along to save the day!
After a couple of 80 degree days the temperature plummets
down 30 degrees and my bass bite I had been enjoying shuts down.
DupageAngler,com has a podcast on Wednesdays which I
co-host. We were talking about the benefits of being a multi-species angler.
Two of those is the ability to drop what you are going after and the
willingness to change water.
Since my bass bite was dead I decided to switch to bluegills
in small ponds. I grabbed only a small ultra light and a box of Little Atom plastics. I rigged a fat-boy jig, a small Thill float, and a purl micro Nuggie.
My third cast I hook into the first of 3 bass. Funny, I came to this pond
because the bass were not biting. I then got into some nice gills. I continued
to switch colors and from Nuggies to Wedgees.
Once the bite slowed I switched lakes and quickly caught a
handful of fish. Yahoo!!! The temp drops, I am wearing a jacket, and I just had
a great couple of hours. Little Atom
came through big time!
These baits are affordable, durable, sleek, and deadly. They
are so sensitive that it only takes a slight twitch to get the tail moving. If
there is some wind and waves you don’t even have to get the baits moving at
times. They are so sensitive that the waves do the work for you. You can
purchase them HERE.
You can listen to our latest PODCAST where we discuss these
baits and others.
The podcast are on a regular schedule now Wednesday at 830 and the site has a new chat feature to chat in questions and comments during the live show. There is always the option to call in as well!!
THIS WEEK CLICK HERE The Podcasts are also available on iTunes!
Every year there are two days that I can count on fishing
for sure; father’s day and my Birthday. For my birthday I always take a day
off. This year thanks to the great friends I have found at DuPage Angler.com I
had partners in crime take off the day as well. Jason (aka Darkstar) and Ted
Yates (soonerbass) both agreed they would join me along with my brother-in-law
Al.
Well the winter weather again this year has been a
disappointment to say the least. Warm weather and unsafe conditions have taken
their toll on the ice angling community. I set my alarm and I was quickly off to
sleep anxious to start fishing in the morning. This morning mind you, I have
planned for weeks and talked my buddies into as well. At 3:30am I wake up to
pouring rain!! YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME! I pick up my sell and let the guys
know that it’s off, we are done, and we are sleeping in.
I could not sleep, so I look outside and no rain. Well I
figure I should go see the damage on to the ice at my local pond. To my surprise
the pond is not totally destroyed and safe. The shore was wet but that’s it!!
So I quickly make some calls and both Sooner and DS are back in.
Our first two ponds are a disappointment. The first we could
not find fish, the second thin ice, but the third was the gold! Ds made it to
the ice first and crossed the thinner shore ice that was covered with 4 inches
of water and started making Swiss cheese of the lake with his ION auger. I go
to pull my shelter on to the ice and got a shock! I was walking backward and
did not notice this hole in the ice!! Maybe a beaver hole I am not sure but in
a city second my left leg is completely submerged and my ass is on the ice!!
HOLY COLD ICEMAN!! Thinking on my feet, well once I got to my feet I hid in my
minivan and put on the extra pair of snow pants I brought. Then yelled “which
of you is wearing more than one pair of socks?” Thanks Ted for the donation to
the pondboy fell on his ass foundation.
We decided to fish the suspended fish we found in 6.5 foot
of water. The crappie bite was great thanks to Little Atom Wedgees and Nuggies.
The plastics out fished any other presentation. In fact I did not even open my
spikes and waxies! It was a blast everyone was catching fish. The bluegills
were not as easy to get on the line but we managed to trick some of them as
well. Both the full size Nuggies and the micro Nuggies worked. I really love
the red and orange colors.
After fishing a while the guys went and got pizza for my
birthday!! What an awesome meal on the water! Thanks guys.
Well when the guys brought the food on the ice they
discovered the shore ice was getting worse and worse due to the climbing temps
and the sun now beaming down on the lake. We had to either cut our day short or
risk not getting back to shore.
We very carefully got ourselves and our truck load of
equipment off the dying ice and called it a day. Although it was not the all
day fishing marathon I had planned we managed to find some ice and some fish. I
had a great time with friends as well. Not a bad birthday angling
adventure.
