(photo submitted) Kirk Moe hefts a jumbo perch taken in northeast South Dakota.
By Steve Weisman
Solid early ice…that’s what ice anglers are looking for. For many, it might be their Thanksgiving wish: “Please give us some solid, safe early ice!” Oh, and one more thing: “…with no heavy early snows!” Guess what. Maybe, just maybe it might happen.
I think we all know why. Early ice fishing gives one of the greatest fish catching opportunities of the entire winter. I mean the feedbag is on, especially for our panfish, walleyes and northern pile.
However, this early ice can also be iffy. That was the message from Kirk Moe, an Algona native, Clam Outdoors & Pure Fishing Staffer and ice fishing guide for the past few years in northeast South Dakota. Kirk and I were both presenters at the Clear Lake Bait and Tackle Ice Season Kickoff on Saturday, Nov. 3. Although his topic was “Running Down Fish,” his first words were to “always know your conditions.” A couple of years ago, he had the misfortune to dump his sled and himself in an area that he found out later that not long before had been open water. It was safe all around but that area. “I was really, really lucky,” said Moe. No fish is worth that type of experience.
As I listened to Kirk, I thought about the many close calls that took place last year on our own Iowa Great Lakes. Early, middle and late winter saw way too many ATVs, snowmobiles and vehicles breaking through the ice. No lost lives but definitely close calls. Some came because people were new to the area, while others were due to changing ice conditions and some, yes, some were caused by human foolishness. Again, Kirk reminded us to always have ice picks and rope. Use a buddy system. “If you are going to be by yourself, let somebody know where you are going to be and to check on you after a couple of hours.”
Running down fish
As a guide, Moe knows the importance of doing his homework, no different than the everyday angler should do to learn the water to be fished. Let’s say Moe is fishing perch in northeast South Dakota. “Check the DNR data and information about the lake. What are the top species in the lake? If there are not a lot of walleyes, then that’s probably not a fish you will target. Use your Navionics and get to know the lake, the contours, the rocks, the transitions.” Of course, checking out the area bait shops and if you know other local anglers having success.
Once on the water, Moe is constantly on the move. He will get his clients set up, spread out and started and then continue digging holes, searching for fish in case the fishing slows. Often, if he has a school of, say, perch under his clients, sooner or later the school will move. By watching his clients and if the fish are cooperating, he can determine the direction that the school is moving. That then becomes the direction he drills more holes.
Electronics are a must. “I am constantly on the move. I move-move-move until I find fish. I won’t drop a line in the water until I find fish.” Once he finds the fish, he will work his lure above the fish. I will fish aggressively with maybe a Clam Rattlin Spoon tipped with a Berkley minnow head or a Rippin Rap trying to bring up the aggressive fish.”
When that slows down or the fish negatively react to the aggressive presentation, he will then turn to his finesse presentation going smaller and maybe putting on a Maki or Berkley plastic. “You have to allow the fish to tell you what they want, paying close attention to how the fish react to the lure and the cadence in which you jig” When this fishing dies, it’s time to move on. The key is not to sit on a hole and wait and wait and wait…the fish might have only moved a short distance away, so get on the move, drill some more holes or as Moe likes to call it “shed some light”.
As anglers, we need to be aggressive ourselves and be on the move. I know it is hard for me to be constantly on the move. Maybe it’s age, but after a while, it’s easier for me to just sit. However, these are just a few examples why we need to run down the fish!
