Did you ever notice how some people seem to catch more and bigger fish than other people? It is not just luck! The guy or gal who always seems to be the lucky ice fisherman is usually the person who is always messing with their lines and paying attention to small details.
Let’s start with the tip-ups. Make sure that when the flag trips that it does so smoothly and the reel turns freely. If you can’t get those tip-ups tweaked to go off without sticking and the reel to turn easily — buy some new ones. Remember, you usually get what you pay for.
If you want to catch nice brook trout and togue, you need to go fishing in the right lake. The Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) headwater lakes have plenty of beautiful native trout and togue just waiting for you. You can’t expect to catch a nice fat 18-inch brookie in a pond full of perch.
After you have picked the right lake, you need to set up in a good location. It is no secret that brook trout in the AWW can be caught in shallow water near shore. I like to find a rocky/gravelly shoreline with about three feet of water under the ice. Suspend your bait (minnow or night crawler) about six inches off the bottom. To get the exact distance off the bottom I often lie on the ice and look down the hole, if you block out the sun with your hands the bottom will come into focus. The correct depth of your bait in shallow water is imperative – you absolutely don’t want the bait lying on the bottom.
Catching more and bigger fish is a bit of an art. Sometime all you need to do is put bait down the hole and wham, the biggest fish in the area inhales your offering. Other times, you need to finesse those fish into taking the bait.
An old friend of mine, Larry Dyer, who is one of the best fishermen I have ever met, puts a small white button on his leader. The button acts as an attractor, if you put the leader through one of the button eyes and out the other you can adjust the distance from the bait to the button – keep moving the button until you find the distance that works the best.
You should also try setting tip-ups at different depths. Set some near shore just off the bottom and some in deep water just under the ice. If you are trying for togue, set some tip-ups in 30–35 feet of water about two feet off the bottom.
Last year I started marking the amount of line I had out by tying a bread tie on my line. Just attach the bread tie about six inches below the reel, after catching a fish or resetting the tip-up after a bite – just reset to the desired depth using the tie as your guide. An added benefit of the bread tie is that you can see how much line has been taken when you get a flag.
Jigging can be an effective method of catching fish through the ice. A Swedish Pimple being bumped just off the bottom has enticed many a lunker togue into hitting. My dilemma has always been whether to add a piece of cut bait to the jig or not. I have had good luck with and without the cut bait. My theory is that the jig has better action without the cut bait, but on the other hand, that piece of bait might be just what it takes to get that fish to hit.
It is essential that fish be released so that they survive. If you can see the hook when you bring the fish into the hole, simply remove the hook using a pair of pliers. If you can’t see the hook, cut the leader close to the fish’s mouth without bringing the fish out of the water.
One thing is sure; you can’t catch fish if you don’t go fishing. So get out there and enjoy the season by spending the day on the lake with some friends. And remember; try some different tactics if the fish aren’t cooperating.
The AWW headwater lakes have special fishing regulations to help ensure that the native fisheries of the waterway thrive. Bring a Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife law book with you, or check the fishing regulations on online at www.maine.gov/ifw. The waterway also has special regulations for winter use that you can access at www.maine.gov/allagash.
For general information on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, go to: www.maine.gov/allagash for an information packet call 207-941-4014; or write to the Bureau of Parks and Lands, 106 Hogan Road, Bangor, ME 04401.
Matthew LaRoche is the superintendent of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
