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Ultimate Guide To Deadstick Ice Fishing
Deadstick ice fishing is a well-known technique, but it is not always looked upon in the same light as jigging would be. However, it can be one of the most effective ways to get fish to bite when they don’t seem to want the fake stuff.
Deadstick ice fishing is just lowering your bait in the water and letting it just sit there until a fish takes it. It’s essentially the type of fishing that we all started off with. It can be seen as boring, or something that only a beginner would use, or someone who doesn’t have the skills to actually use a jig. But really that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Many fishermen don’t like this technique because it seems boring or because there is little to no skill involved. But on some days, you’ll find the fish are a little more lethargic than usual and they’re just not interested in eating your fake jig bouncing up and down. Instead they’re drawn in by the small erratic action of a live minnow tied to a hook, and those are the days you need a deadstick.
How Does the Deadstick Method Work
Deadstick ice fishing is traditionally done with a plain hook, or jig head with a minnow hooked just under the dorsal fin underneath a bobber. You then set it a foot or so off of the bottom, and that’s it. Pretty easy and simple set up and that almost any angler can use.
But there is always room for creativity when it comes to how you present you lure or bait to a fish. Using the set up above you can do the same thing except now raise 3-4 feet off the bottom. Walleyes are comfortable coming up in the water column to hit on a minnow and sometimes this is the ticket when the bite is slow.
You can also change the color of your hook. In stained water you can try out gold, glowing, or bright colored hooks, while silver and natural colors look best in clear. Feel free to also change up what bait you’re using. Somedays a shiner will work, on others a fathead minnow. The key here is to bring a few different types of bait.
Recommended Deadstick Ice Fishing Rod
- High performance 36Ton solid body Toray graphite blank
- Airfoil Carbon Handle ultra-light and sensitive it helps to keep the cold off your hands
- ALPS Thin Wire Double Diamond Coated Guides
- Combines high-quality components and cutting-edge technologies
- One-Piece construction
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