Most provinces in the country (all except B.C.) allow the use of a second rod while ice fishing and you would be selling yourself short if you didn’t take advantage of it! A second ice fishing rod, whether it’s a tip-up, deadstick, or automatic hooksetter, is almost as valuable a tool as your flasher and is something I utilize every time I hit the ice.
Now, you could keep your second line simple and drop down a jig and a minnow and be reasonably successful, but you would be missing an opportunity to utilize a strategy – especially during mid-winter when fish metabolism is often at its lowest and fishing pressure is the highest. There are several popular ways to present your second line offerings, and, in this article, I am going to share some of my most successful techniques when fishing for trout, pike, perch and walleye.
PRESENTATION PHASES
First, some general information. It’s commonly accepted that there are two jigging or attracting phases to catching fish. The first phase is calling fish in, literally ringing the dinner bell by being loud and flashy. The second phase is triggering the bite, often with more subtle actions and presentations. I will normally set up each of my ice fishing rods with one of these phases in mind, a loud and flashy lure on my “calling rod”, and a smaller, subtle lure on my “finesse rod”.
Stocked Trout
Often it will be the small ponds that freeze over first so stocked trout are always the first fish I target every season. My trout specific two-line setup will often include a small, shiny spoon on the first rod and a very small tungsten on the second. Here’s where the technique comes in, my “calling rod” is baited with a small jig and is placed at least 20 feet from where I am fishing in an automatic hook setter such as a JawJacker. Trout can be very wary and often need to inspect a bait numerous times before even sampling it. The smaller the bait and the quieter the ice above it the more likely that the trout will come in and take your presentation on the first pass.
Pike
Being the apex predator in the lake you would expect them to be aggressive eating machines, but when mid-winter rolls around they can be the most discerning fish in the lake. For most of the winter, I keep a lipless rattle bait like the Northland Tackle Rippin Shad on my “calling rod” and use that to attract fish. If pike are in a feeding mood, that is often all that is needed to bring them topside. If they are not aggressive however, the classic jig and minnow will do just the trick. I favor a ⅛ to ¼ oz jig head with a small willow leaf spinner attached. The extra flash provided by the willow leaf is often too enticing to pass up.
Perch
Personally, I find that schools of perch tend to get bored with one presentation pretty quickly. My finesse rod is typically a small tungsten tipped with maggots, mealworm or a piece of bacon fat. The tantalizing bait coupled with a subtle jigging motion is usually enough to convert the first few perch I drop my lure on. After a few minutes though, the school starts to lose interest. In order to re engage them, I will set my small tungsten lured down into the dirt on the bottom and, utilizing my second rod and an adjacent hole, I will quickly drop down a flashy spoon such as the VMC Tumbler or small jigging bait like a size 9 Jigging Rap and get the school worked up again by jigging more aggressively. This erratic jigging is only for a minute or two though. Once the school has moved back in, it’s time to reel up the spoon and miraculously reveal the small tungsten jig from the bottom. That magical bait and switch is often enough to convert a few more perch for the frying pan.
Walleye
Walleye are among the most popular ice fishing pursuits and because of that fishing pressure, they become understandably skittish. I can tell you the most frustrating part of ice fishing is stilling on a school of walleye and throwing everything but the kitchen sink at them without a single bite. One of the most successful techniques I’ve found for converting shy walleye into eaters is the classic jig and minnow combination but with a very important twist. The trick to this technique is to use a stand up jig head, like the Northland Tackle Fireball Stand-Up jig in ⅛ to ¼ oz and just gently set the jig down on the bottom so the minnow is standing up at an angle, slightly nose down. This technique works because the walleye think it’s a free and easy meal.
I can’t count how many times I’ve had pressured walleye move in, stare at my suspended minnow for a few minutes, only to have them drop their gaze and immediately eat a minnow that has fallen off my hook on the bottom. This technique replicates that fallen minnow and is sure to land you the biggest fish of the lake.
I still see many ice anglers not utilizing a second fishing line and I really think you are putting yourself at a disadvantage. Coupled with some of the techniques described above, having a second line in the water doesn’t just double your chances of landing that trophy, it is an invaluable method to attract, entice, and ultimately close the deal on that fish of a lifetime.