14 
Forest and Stream 
METHODS OF WINTER FISHING 
THE ICE-FISHERMAN SHOULD MAKE A CAREFUL STUDY OF 
THE MOVEMENTS OF FISH DURING THE WINTER MONTHS 
By ROBERT PAGE LINCOLN 
T HERE are many anglers who can¬ 
not possibly see any joy in ice 
fishing. They cannot understand 
how any other person or persons 
can go forth and cut a hole in the ice 
of lake or stream and stand there or sit 
there for hours waiting for a bite, and 
often, it is true, coming back with 
nothing to show for their attempt but 
red noses and icicles clinging to their 
clothes. But there is a fascination to it 
and a host of men look forward to the 
winter fishing with as great an enthu¬ 
siasm as fly-fishers wait upon the com¬ 
ing of the trout season, when the fish 
are rising well and they can use their 
beloved winged lures. Indeed, there are 
ice-fishers who disdain to spend valu¬ 
able time in the summer on the waters, 
who prefer the cold days to come a 
thousand times over and who have made 
a special study of fishing as it applies 
in the season of ermine and crystal. 
Your man who has not tried the game 
will think that it is merely a matter of 
cutting a hole in the ice somewhere, any 
depth, bait up with a minnow, drop it 
down and pull up the fish. Or the doubt¬ 
ing one will believe, perhaps, that the 
fish have all gone to bed and not even 
the choicest morsels will bring them to 
life. And yet the man who actually 
catches fish in the winter through the 
ice must know the places where the fish 
keep themselves, their movements, the 
best times during the day to try for 
them—these and a hundred other things 
that all go to make the sport worth 
while. Unless these things are known 
one will have little success even in the 
best waters. To know a lake, therefore, 
is one of the prime points of knowledge 
that the ice-fisher must have at his com¬ 
mand. 
It is generally believed that fish refuse 
bait in the winter; that they go into 
hibernation. Now it is true that many 
species of fish do go into hibernation 
and these, of course, cannot be taken on 
the hook through the ice. Brook trout 
for instance sink themselves in the mud 
and remain there till spring. But lake 
trout are abroad and are caught often 
in great numbers in the winter season 
in the North. The black basses, both 
the small-mouth and the large-mouth, go 
into hibernation sometime in late No¬ 
vember and early December (depending, 
of course, upon the state of the weather) 
and are not so easily taken with hook 
and line. They seek the shelter of rocks 
and underwater cliffs, as often as not 
in deep water. On the warmer days 
of the winter they are abroad at times, 
but this is very rare indeed. The pick¬ 
erel, pike and muscallonge after their 
prodigious feasting during the autumn 
when they are laying in fat will remain 
somewhat dull during the month of 
December and a part of January but 
from the middle of January on to spring 
they are very active. February is the 
banner month for these three fish when 
one is ice-fishing. This is especially 
true if the weather turns mild. Ice¬ 
fishing during a February calm is some- 
IIIIII1IIIIMM 
Ozone-laden air that instills new life 
in the blood and sweeps the cob¬ 
webs from the brain surrounds the 
ice-fisher, and the roaring fire on the 
bank warms him with its ruddy glow. 
Read how you may find sport dur¬ 
ing the dull days of winter. 
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiB 
thing to look forward to and the ice- 
fisher, among them all, knows what to 
expect. The sunfishes are also moving 
about in the winter and there are times 
when one may catch a limit in short 
order. The perch are active all through 
the winter. But it takes the so-called 
crappie and calico bass to win first place 
in the estimation of the man who in¬ 
dulges in fishing through the ice. The 
crappie is not only active the whole 
Crappies 
winter through, but is active apparently 
at all hours from daybreak to midnight. 
He fights well and comes often in one 
and even two-pound weights. Added to 
the above is the fact that as a pan-fish 
the crappie is second to none. Ice fish¬ 
ing would win as a sport if only for the 
crappie alone ! 
The crappies are generally caught by 
aid of live minnows, mud minnows, 
chubs and shiners. The minnows that 
are taken from lake or pond water are 
by far the best in that they do not need 
water so well aerated as that demanded 
by the stream minnows. Unless the 
minnows taken from a stream are pro¬ 
vided with water that is well supplied 
with oxygen they do not do very well 
and if crowded in a bucket they will 
suffocate and die. Mud minnows, how¬ 
ever, are exceedingly tenacious as well 
as active and make one of the best lures 
that one can put on his hook. The best 
size to use for crappies is one about two 
inches in length. A minnow under that 
length has not sufficient vitality. 
The man who fishes in the winter and 
looks forward to the sport with the same 
amount of enthusiasm that the angler 
looks forward to the summer season 
prepares himself with minnows in the 
autumn. Some even have large tanks 
made of galvanized iron with a system 
for keeping the water fresh. With min¬ 
nows in the winter selling for fifty to 
seventy-five cents a dozen it well pays 
one to put in a supply. But it is pos¬ 
sible to obtain minnows even in the dead 
of winter if one knows where they have 
schooled up. Usually in the brooks and 
streams one is most apt to find them in 
the deep holes and by cutting open the 
ice they may be brought forth in suitable 
numbers to make a happy day’s fishing 
possible. If you strike a deep hole on 
a creek that has minnows in it, cut a 
hole three feet or more across to work 
through. Obtain a hoop, or employ a 
heavy wire bent around like a hoop. 
Sew mosquito netting to this to form a 
net with a fair sized pocket hanging in 
the center. Use black netting as this is 
more inconspicuous; white netting will 
often frighten the minnows. To lure 
them over the net drop crumbs down 
over its center. Sooner or later they 
will move in over the net when it can 
be lifted up by means'of a cord con¬ 
nected to four cords which are attached 
at various points around the hoop. If 
you find it hard to obtain these minnows 
by day go there at night and shine a 
light in the water. The light will at¬ 
tract them over the net. In small, 
muddy ponds and lakes with very little 
outlet or inlet one can cut through and 
find swarms of these minnows, the sort 
known as mud minnows. Being pos¬ 
sessed of great vitality they are, of 
course, the best for use. 
T HE best lure for the pike, pickerel 
and muscallonge is the perch, as 
they feed a great deal on that specie. 
A six-inch perch is not a bit too large 
for the purpose; indeed, it is the best 
size to be had. The hook to be used 
should measure an inch across the bend 
and be made of very durable material. 
The trouble is that most of those who go 
