icefishing for gills in shallow water

Just curious about some tips on success. Early and late. Weeds.Noise.Baits used.etc.

 Tip downs work good for shallow fish under clear ice. Stay at least 50 ft from them so the fish won't be spooked. Kind of like dead sticking, but easier to see light bites. Some days most of my fish were caught on the tip downs under those conditions

Quackshot I agree totally what you say in your post, I fished a spot that had 3" of very clear ice on 12/16/20 that as you walked up on  swishrods set for perch with small floats and the reels set to freespool the fish would dart away as you walked up to the hole. I wasn't wearing creepers as most others were and as the day went on as guys walked by the fish would shut down (it was a long narrow lake only 4 feet in depth) There was even one guy cutting thru the 3" inches with a power auger, at least he was away from the main group. But as the day wore on all the drilling and walking around with creepers did IMO affect the fishing. Too many were drilling multiple holes to walk around hole hopping which spooked the fish. 

The Mississippi backwaters near me now have close to 4" of ultra clear ice and I will be out tomorrow. 

#1. Don't wear your blaze orange suit. IMO it makes a difference

#2 Don't skim your hole clean. Leave a little spot to get the bait down you don't want a big bright spot shining down into the shadowy water column

#3 Be still and watch your shadow

#4 If other fisherman move in on you wearing bright clothing and making a commotion - move

Fishing here starts super shallow - stealth counts

Good Luck

well I fish from the bottom of the ice to the bottom then back up shallow I find that the fish want it fished down most eve and up in the am,,,,,,,,these days I get ta fish every day if I want *retired  so I fish 12 ta dark and sleep in when I fish ,,I fish a tight line long rod the sun has a lot to do with how I fish a hole somedays I put my shadow on the hole and keep it there somedays just the opposite ,,,it is fishing what worked yesterday may be 180 from what works today, if they are hitting on the up jig thats what I do on the down then then thats what I do ,,,,,if they quit on the up switch to the down , NOW the part most do not believe if I count to 100 without a bite I move to one of my other holes I allways drill about 4 to start after going out in a line till the first bit then a circle from that bite,,,,,,,it is a rare day I don't pull 50 fish may keep 5 ta 6 for dinner  maybe 0 just like ta fish back can't take a boat so bank and ice is about it fer me.........use a drill for the auger the last 18 to twenty years so drilling is easy..........most days I work plastic  

Heres another bait . I've never tried that an older gentlemen swore by. Chicken Skin.

Use a camera to search for fish and weeds that hold fish.  Don’t drop a line until you see fish you want to catch.  Keep drilling holes until you find what you want.  Long rods are best, stand up fishing is best if it’s warm enough.  You just waste time and spook fish messing around with buckets and reeling.   Don’t skip the sonar.  If you have a good sonar unit, they work great in shallow water and are a big help.  A lot of guys who say not to use one have the cheaper vexilars that don’t work well in shallow water.  I do really well with my marcum lx3 and lx5 in very shallow water.  It lets me stand back from the hole and not spook fish but still have the extra clairvoyance to know if fish are there or not.  Knowing if you’re getting shot down by fish is just as important as being able to see bites.

going to give goldies a shot this year. like they say when they get more slugish in Feb.

They don't always want a big meal.

If the day is nice, go light. Keep your shadow out of your hole.   Find some weeds.  Skip the sled,  just auger, bucket, few poles.  Be quiet, fish will hear you if in only 3 to 4 fow.  No extra walking around.   In those shallow depths 3 to 4 fow I don't use my vex. I fish the whole depth.   If depths get 6 feet or more,  I use Vex for sure.  Numerous times I have found fish up 2 to 4 feet from bottom in 7 to 8 feet of water.  In 8 fow i have caught crappie and gills at 6 to 7 feet.  Without Vex, i would not have seen them.  

I have watched many fisherman not do well when close to me because they always fish the bottom up to about 2 feet.  Sometimes the fish are suspended up a little.   Fish don't like to bite down, especially crappie.  

I have noticed fisherman with spring bobbers on their pole,  the spring hanging almost straight down because the jig they were using was too heavy for the spring bobber.  That spring bobber needs to float like a spider web to pick up those ultra light bites.  It takes a few seconds longer to get a lighter jig down in 8 feet of water but the improved results might be worth it.  Experiment,  different pole might require different weight jig.

  I agree a camera when fishing shallow water or fishing close to bottom would be tough to beat.  Need a locator that does both, camera and locator at same time.  Gosh, would that be expensive!

Good fishing everyone!

My favorite bluegill/perch spot is 3-4 ft deep weed patch i mark on my phone gps coordinate on navionic app drive My ATV to the mark set up same honey holes every year about 10 yds of a sand flat in the weeds but not to thick sometimes I'll move once but that's it in my opinion is get a camera i have a recon 5 but my friend's use other brands that work as well as then set up pop up shanty drill holes drop in camera and watch them bite and set the hook in shallow water a camera works way better than a flasher but that's only shallow water. I use a small tungsten jig spikes sometimes waxies or a small spoon works good to. tip downs i use as my extra lines produce to buy usually more perch than gills. Also with a camera your spring bobber might not move but you will see the jig in the gills mouth ups the success rate alot . And yes traffic  or guys who drill hole after hole around you will spook the bite for a little but they will come back. Using this method i have caught my limit of 8" + gills plenty of times but usually only keep 10-12 can't fish a spot out and expect success in the future.

if the area has alot of people I feel its best to stay out of the group. I personally like to line watch. If its breezy I lay my line to the edge of the hole. And watch for the line to jump.

I am as quiet as possible when fishing shallow water for bluegills. No sled, an auger and a couple of poles and a bucket is all I bring out there.  I use long rods tied with 3 pound test followed by a 1 pound test fluorocarbon leader about 2 to 3 foot long, depending on the rod length.  Whichever way my shadow goes into the hole I stand in the other direction so my shadow isn't seen.  If it's windy I will put the spring bobber right down by the hole, which then there s almost no wind resistance.  I fish a hole for about five minutes max, if no bites I fish another hole, sometimes just five feet away makes a huge difference.  This works for me in depths up to 8 feet, in weeds.  One spot I fish is only 2 feet deep and it's even trickier.  Anyone who comes out there with a sled the fish always spook and it's several minutes before I get a bite again.

I lb. leader,tiny jigs and a camera.