Ice Fishing Techniques

Whether you are just getting into ice fishing or are a seasoned professional, there is always room to “sharpen your saw” or learn another technique. Next time you head out in your skid house, try one of these ice fishing techniques. Even if you have been on the ice for years, there might come a day that your regular technique is not working. Now, you will be able to switch it up!

Jigging

To begin, the most common ice fishing technique is jigging. When using this technique you jig the lure up and down to attract fish. Normally, fish like a slight jigging motion from 4″ to 8″, but sometimes you will have to become more aggressive. Also, you can use vertical and horizontal jigs depending on the amount of action fish are biting on. Check out the different kinds of ice fishing jigs here.

Line Twist

If the fish are not biting on a jigging motion, try the line twist method. Start by holding the line between your index finger and thumb, then roll the line between your fingers. This motion causes the jig to spin in the water. Also, you can try moving the jig around the perimeter of the hole without creating any up and down motion on the jig. Fish tend to respond to this ice fishing technique in shallow water.

Bounce the Bottom

Another technique is bottom bouncing.  You can bounce the bottom to trigger deeper fish or target fish that have become lethargic. This ice fishing technique is exactly what it sounds like. Let your lure fall to the bottom of the lake before jigging it back up. When your jig hits the bottom and bounces back up, it causes fish to strike.

Bait

Lastly, be sure to change up your bait when ice fishing. There are a lot of options out there, including live bait and artificial bait. Check out the differences between using live bait and artificial bait. 

Armed with these techniques, you have a few more options to try when the fish aren’t biting.   Now that you are ready to hit the ice, make sure you do it in comfort with a skid house from Ambush.  Find a dealer near you for more information about our ice fishing skid houses.