Outdoors With Kevin Fox: Ice Out Fishing for Bass and Panfish

The weatherman had said that last Wednesday, February 25, temperatures should reach sixty degrees. Either he was wrong or the forecast had changed since I last looked at it. But in order to get to sixty degrees, it had to reach fifty first. I was busy most of the day, but I had made a promise to myself that when I got home — before dark — I would make perhaps thirty casts into the pond in the backyard.

While I still had time, I went to the garage where my rods and reels hang and grabbed the smallest combo already rigged with a lure. Tied on was a small safety-pin-style spinner — a knockoff Beetle Spin. The jig head was black, and the body was a red tube lure with a yellow skirt.

I went to my normal fishing spot that always pays off from late spring through summer. After making my thirty casts, I decided to head back to the house.

It’s easy to talk yourself into fishing, but very difficult to know when to stop — especially if you aren’t catching anything. So I walked around to the south side of the pond where the water was shallowest and was amazed when I actually spooked fish in the shallows. I’m slow, but you didn’t have to be Albert Einstein’s cousin to know that’s where the fish were!

I moved up along the shallows and began making a few casts. Just the day before, this area had been under a layer of ice, so I knew the water had to be very, very cold. That meant the fish would likely be slow to take my lure — if they took it at all.

It was tough fishing. The water was so shallow that if I slowed the retrieve too much, the lure dragged bottom. I don’t know how many casts I made, but I finally had a hit to the left of where I had seen the fish I spooked. I made another cast beyond where the strike occurred and retrieved the lure back through the area as slowly as possible.

It felt like years since I’d experienced that old familiar feeling — the thump of a fish hitting the lure and taking off with it.

The rod and reel were one of those old combos my grandson used when he was very young. There was no way I could horse this fish in, and despite the cold water, the bass put up a spirited fight. When I finally brought him ashore, I faced another problem: I was about five feet above the water with no easy way down.

So I hoisted him up, swinging him past some stubble and small briars. Fortunately, I had replaced the line last year, so I felt optimistic it would hold. It did.

When I ran into the house with him, my wife measured the fish. He was just shy of 15 inches. No monster — but for a pond that was nearly dead two years ago, I was very happy. He had great color and was thick, meaning he was getting plenty to eat. My hope is that he and his friends are taking advantage of the many green sunfish I restocked last summer.

He was also the first open-water fish of the new year, which made it even more exciting.

This week is supposed to be warmer — but with rain. I hope they’re right on both counts. I’m tired of winter, and my pond is in desperate need of rain. It’s lower than I’ve ever seen it.

Now we’re in that tricky fishing period when fish may still be lethargic — cold-blooded creatures and all. I’ll keep my thoughts focused on ponds and smaller bodies of water. I have no experience with ice-out fishing on larger lakes such as Mark Twain, where I fish during the summer.

Most fishermen — whether targeting bass or panfish — will tell you to fish the north shore because it gets more sunlight during late February through March. Evidently my fish can’t read, because this bass was on the shallow south side of my pond. However, when I had the pond dug out, the excavator left several dark mud mounds beneath the surface. Those dark bottoms warm faster, and in ice-out water, a few degrees can make a world of difference.

Besides targeting areas with the most sun exposure, look for runoff — if we ever get rain. Even a small trickle flowing over warm ground into your pond can carry slightly warmer water.

My mistake that day was using a small spinnerbait, which had to be retrieved faster than sluggish fish might prefer. I would have been better off tying on something like a Rapala minnow that I could retrieve slowly, pausing occasionally before moving it again. Even a plastic swimbait would have been better, giving slow fish more opportunity to take the lure. Tube worms or grubs would also be good choices.

If you’re using smaller jigs, think 1/16- or 1/32-ounce. Slow is the way to go in cold water.

Another consideration for ice-out fishing is water clarity. The water will likely be as clear as it gets all year. Line that is highly visible or larger in diameter will spook more fish than you’ll ever realize. All you know is they aren’t biting — but that may be why.

In clear water, fish rely heavily on vision to hunt for food. If I’m after panfish, I may grab one of my trout rods spooled with four-pound test line. The smaller diameter allows lighter baits to move more naturally. Avoid attaching swivels or snap swivels, as they only draw more attention and may spook fish.

When I mentioned smaller jigs, I was also thinking of my ice-fishing jigs. I’ll switch those tiny jigs from my ice rods to an ultralight combo and fish them under a slip bobber in deeper water. A bobber would definitely spook fish in shallow water — and besides, those tiny jigs are nearly impossible to cast without one.

Another reason I plan to try this? I still have a couple hundred wax worms left. If I don’t use them, I’ll lose them — unless they turn into moths, which has happened before. But they have a very low survival rate!