Page 7 - ODUNovAndDec2018

Ice Fish'n,

Bass Fish'n,

You Betcha!

By Captain Brian Koshenina

It's that time of year again in
Minnesota. The cool, fall air gives way

to the frozen wasteland we call
winter. That can only mean one
thing, Ice Fishing! As most of us seek
a limit of Crappie, a trophy sized Pike
or a delicious Walleye we often
forget about a plentiful and prized
summer fish, the Largemouth Bass.

If you are like me, I usually quit
targeting Bass in late September,
early October. Up here in the north
the steady drop in water
temperature forces the largemouth
into their winter, deeper patterns
and their metabolism slows, and it

becomes more difficult to get them
to bite. I shift my focus to Musky and Crappie for the remainder of the open water season and I put my
Bass tackle away until next spring. I love fishing for Bass, and I cannot wait until safe Ice to fish for them
again. Yes, you read that right, Safe ice! Bass have become one of my favorite species to target in
winter, Ice fish'n, Bass fish'n, You betcha.

Bass make a formidable foe under the ice. First of all, they do NOT like being caught in cold water and
they offer quite a fight. Second, they bite all day. Predators such as Walleye wait for low light conditions
to become active feeders, not Bass, which makes them easy to target the whole day. Third, they are
easy to find. Green, healthy weeds are the key to finding Bass under the ice. The healthier the weed, the
more likely you will have Bass cruising, looking for an easy meal.

You don't need "Special" or "Species Specific" equipment to target Bass. If I'm jigging, I use my
medium light Arctic Fusion combo from HT Enterprises spooled with 4-pound test monofilament
ice line, a Snyders Lures 'Willow Daddy" spoon (any color) tipped with a Crappie or Fathead minnow. If