Main locations and tactics to Ice fish for bass

Ice bass fishing is something that is often overlooked in the north of the country. These largely targeted open water fish seem to slip from most anglers’ minds when the lakes harden up for winter. Wired2fish’s Nick Dumke doesn’t forget about his little green friends, though. In this video, Dumke shows us how to ice fish for bass with some tips on location and a handful of proven tactics and techniques. *List of featured products at the bottom.

ICE FISHING BASS LOCATIONS

Like most fish species, largemouth bass congregate and head for deeper water when temperatures begin to cool. Deep basins provide warmer water and, as a result, food. In his search for largemouth, Dumke focuses his efforts on the edges of the basins. Although largemouth are much more lethargic under the ice, they rarely stop moving. While examining the forward-facing sonar, Dumke noticed the largemouth circling the outside of the basin, closing in on the bait. One of the best ways to catch these roaming bass is to predict their movements around the basin. This, however, can be extremely difficult, especially without the right equipment. Dumke shares one more thing in common in winter largemouth hiding areas in case you can’t land the fish in the basin.

Another region that often has bass throughout the winter is areas with good green grass. Bass relate to grass (weeds) year-round, and under the ice is no different. “That good grass that you find in the fall that you might catch them off of, a lot of times those fish will stay in that area and stay schooled,” Dumke says. Weed points and deep weed flats are a couple of areas to watch out for. Finding the fish is only half the battle, though.

BEST TACTICS FOR FISHING IN SHALLOW ICE

Many traits remain from the open water season when it comes to bass ice fishing, but there aren’t many similarities in the ice fishing gear. Dumke breaks it down into three different lures that he always has with him when chasing largemouth through the ice.

Tungsten and wax worm. It’s hard to beat a simple bellyfish rig like a micro tungsten jig and a wax worm or euro grubs when ice fishing for bass, especially when they are extremely picky. They don’t always want a big meal, and sometimes you have to persuade them with an ultra-fine presentation.

Jig and plastic. Similar to open water, bass have a hard time resisting soft plastic lures. Dumke opts for a small bug or minnow that mimics soft plastic, as largemouth don’t usually need a big meal like they do in the summer.

Bigger aggressive lures. As Dumke explains the fact, bigmouths aren’t always in the slow mood they were on this particular day. Similar to the best walleye ice fishing lures, bait categories such as lipbaits, spoons and other aggressive lures can be extremely effective for bass all winter long.

Main locations and tactics to Ice fish for bass

ICE FISHING BASS LOCATIONS

BEST TACTICS FOR FISHING IN SHALLOW ICE

FEATURED PRODUCT (links to detail)

JIG AND PLASTIC INSTALLATION

OTHER EQUIPMENT