Lake Diefenbaker offers ice anglers early opportunities to target trophy fish!
Fishing early ice can be extremely rewarding and exciting, it presents anglers with a great opportunity to catch trophy fish to start off the ice fishing season. The key is find early safe ice.
Always remember basic ice safety when targeting early ice opportunities on any body of water. 4” of clear solid ice or more is required for safe walking on ice fishing conditions. Lake Diefenbaker freezes in different stages depending on the location, depth of water, and wind conditions. Be aware of currents and gas pockets in certain locations that can affect the quality of ice.
RELIABLE INFORMATION IS A KEY
Unfortunately relying on online message boards for ice thickness can result in you missing out on a great fishing opportunity. Many people protect their first ice locations with misinformation online to keep people away from some of the great fishing the early ice has to offer. The best way of checking any ice conditions is in person with the proper equipment and techniques. Watch the weather reports, keep an eye out for big storms moving in from the north bringing in extreme cold temperatures with them. When you see a storm bringing in temperatures of -15 and below you can be sure some of the backwaters are freezing up.
BACKWATER LOCATIONS
Look for back bays and coulees that have relatively shallow water ranging from 5-20 ft but are protected from the wind and currents. These areas will be the first to freeze up and certainly be holding good numbers of fish at first ice. Some must have first ice essential equipment are
- A quality spud bar to test ice thickness before each step
- A good set of ice cleats for grip on non snow covered ice
- A set of ice picks easily accessible if you do fall in
- A quality ice fishing suit with flotation
Remember, no fish is worth falling in over. Use the utmost care and follow all safety guidelines. Always make sure someone knows where you are going and what you are doing.
THE MIGHTY NORTHERN PIKE
Early access to pike fishing spots are usually some of the first to freeze. Large northerns can be found cruising the shallow coulees and back bays in search of baitfish to fatten up on before the winter months. The baitfish will be stacked up in these locations and the pike will be taking advantage of it.
Look for higher traffic areas such as narrows and entrances to the back bays where you will see a much higher number of fish moving through to target. The pike at this time of year are highly aggressive and not like you would expect in late or mid winter conditions. Getting into the higher traffic area will put you on a much greater number of fish this time of year. They rarely pass up a properly presented bait while moving through these locations.
GET THE RIGHT BAIT
Bait selection is extremely different from mid to late winter fishing for northerns. Traditional large dead bait rigged on tip ups is not the deal for early ice pike. They are not looking for a large meal but aggressively feeding on numbers of smaller baitfish. The most effective way of catching them on the early ice is to jig artificial baits or smaller frozen dead bait and grab their attention.
From watching pike activity on the Livescope early ice, it is amazing to see that there is virtually no interest in a large dead bait versus a bait jigged from a rod. The pike key in on the jigged bait and you hardly have time to even see the fish move from one end of the live scope to the other before they strike it.
Baits such as the Rapala Rippin Rap in size RPR-06 , or VMC bucktail jigs tipped with a small dead frozen minnow are more effective around early ice conditions and have landed some huge early ice pike.
EARLY ICE WALLEYE PATTERNS
Early ice on Lake Diefenbaker is one of the most rewarding times to fish walleye through the. The sheer number and quality of fish is hard to beat. Walleye locations tend to freeze slower, but some can be accessed early. Walleye are most aggressive at the start of the ice fishing season and the colder the weather gets the deeper they will go.
Walleye can be found cruising the back shallow bays, muddy flats, and points of coulees in search of baitfish before the winter months. Setting up in 12-18 ft of water in some of the back bays and coulees will produce walleye on first ice. Look for some sort of break in the bottom structure from a drop off edge to a hump in the flat of the muddy bottom and there will be walleye working the structure in search of baitfish. Typical lakeside points with 12-22 ft of water will also hold walleye early ice but cannot usually be accessed until a bit later into the first ice season. Walleye are low light feeders, early morning and evenings prove to be the most productive throughout early ice for walleyes.
LURE SELECTION
Using jigging spoons and artificial jigging baits are most effective early ice for walleye. Finding a bait with a combination of finesse and the ability to use it aggressively to attract fish with movement, rattles, or clicking can be the trick to catching a giant first ice walleye.
Some fish are aggressive and will strike right away while others can be cautious. For walleye that will race into a bait and chase but not strike, subtle movements of a jigging bait can entice these tricky walleyes into biting. Dead frozen minnows also will always be a top walleye bait no matter what time of year. Set on a jigging rod or rigged on a Jaw Jacker or IFish Pro can also be effective in catching early ice walleyes. Lures such as the Rapala Slab Rap Size SLR-06 and the jigging Shadow Rap offer aggressive jigging but also a subtle presentation for those finicky fish that chase and don’t want to strike. Try adding a VMC bladed treble on the bottom of your jigging raps for an extra little noise to entice tricky walleyes.
THE NOISE FACTOR
Early ice fish can be wary of noise as most of the fishing will be in relatively shallow water. Drilling holes, or excessive walking or dragging of ice sleds can push fish away and turn them off from biting early ice. Drill your holes early, settle in and focus on fishing. This will produce a lot more fish during the thin ice conditions.
Lake Diefenbaker offers great early ice fishing opportunities for the prepared angler. It is by far one of the most exciting times to fish the lake during the ice season. With the thin clear ice watching a giant northern or walleye just under the ice can be extremely exciting as they fight and run just below you. The aggressiveness, sheer numbers of fish, and quality make for one of the best times of the year to spend on ice fishing.
Lake Diefenbaker ice fishing access locations
Lake Diefenbaker offers many public access points from boat launches and parks which are accessible by vehicle and maintained roads. Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park offers two access points at the west and east boat launches. Species include Walleye, Burbot, Pike, Perch, and Whitefish.
Beaver Flats Resort Village offers access at the main boat launch on the east side and access at the west end of the village. Species include Walleye, Burbot, Pike, Perch, and Whitefish. Herbert Ferry boat launch. Species include Walleye, Burbot, Pike, Perch, and Whitefish. Rusty’s Marina in Palliser Regional Park offers access at the marina boat launch. Species include Walleye, Burbot, Pike, Perch, Whitefish, and Rainbow Trout.
Riverhurst Ferry has access at both the north and south side of the ice crossing from both boat launches. Species include Walleye, Burbot, Pike, Perch, Whitefish, and Rainbow Trout.
Hitchcock Bay boat launch offers access from the main boat launch. Species include Walleye, Burbot, Pike, Perch, Whitefish, and Rainbow Trout.
Elbow area. Douglas Park boat launch, Tufts Bay boat launch, Mistusinne boat launch, and Sunset beach boat launch. Species include Walleye, Burbot, Pike, Perch, Whitefish, and Rainbow Trout.
Gardiner Dam area. Coteau bay north and south boat launches, and Danielson boat launch.
Southern Saskatchewan is full of private land. There is a lot of private land access to bays and coulees on lake Diefenbaker which may not be accessible over the ice by reasonable means of travel. Some which may never see an angler during the winter months! Don’t be afraid to ask local landowners to access through their property to get into some of these back waters that are off the beaten path. Landowner names can be found through county maps available through the local municipal offices.