By Bob Jensen

(photo by Bob Jensen) Photo Caption—Here’s one from way back. The Fishing Professor Jim McDonnell caught this walleye late in the ice fishing season.

If you live in the Ice-Belt, depending on where you live, we’re approaching the end of 2024. Soon we will be at the mid-season or late season of 2025 ice fishing season. As a participant in many ice fishing seasons, I have some wonderful memories of fishing through the ice at this time of year. I’ve also learned a lot about catching fish this time of year that I would like to share. Let’s take a look at late ice.

First thing. Be safe. Especially be aware of changing ice conditions during the day.

I’ve learned the hard way that, late in the ice fishing season, ice that was safe in the morning might not be safe in the afternoon. It’s a desperate feeling when you drive a vehicle to a fishing spot in the morning and aren’t sure if the ice is safe when you leave in the late afternoon. It’s an embarrassing feeling when that happens in the same location two years in a row. If you think that you’re losing safe ice, it’s best to get off the ice.

It works well to get away from groups of ice anglers, but from mid to late ice season, it can be very important. There are some areas that are well known spots and crowds gather there.  Late in the season, the fish numbers are down on these spots, and the fish that remain get lure-shy. Find some spots that you can have to yourself or your small group.

The same thing applies with lures later in the season. A particular color or lure style that was productive under early ice often isn’t as productive later on. Some of the fish that respond to a lure early in the year are taken home, and the ones that aren’t taken home often don’t respond as eagerly the next time they see it. If you’re seeing fish on the locator but they won’t eat your bait, try different presentations until the one they want is determined.

It was a late season ice fishing trip many years ago when I was introduced to baits that glowed. My fishing partners had been experimenting with these lures and were trying to determine if the glowing would attract fish or spook them. To activate the glow, we shined the bait with a small flashlight that had a unique beam. After doing so, it was apparent that the bait was glowing.

We dropped our glowing baits into the hole in the ice and watched our sonar units carefully.  As we moved from hole to hole in search of fish, it became apparent that the crappies and walleyes were reacting more favorably to the glowing baits. These were very early versions of baits that glow, and after about 20 minutes the glow would fade, then stop. When the bait quit glowing, the fish stopped hitting them as aggressively. When they were recharged with the special light, the fish were more willing to hit them.

Baits that glow certainly aren’t magic, but they will get fish to bite better, especially if the water is stained or during low light periods, or when the fish have been repeatedly exposed to lures that didn’t glow.

The last thing to remember is the same as the first thing. Always treat the ice with respect, but especially on late ice, we need to be safe. Be safe, but if the ice is safe, get out there. It could be several months before we can enjoy ice fishing again.