First trip of the year

[Erb]

Wanted to get out before the warm up and rain next few days. Left home at 5:30 started driving. Got to a pond pats exit 36 once I started seeing Ice,  by 8:20 I was on just under 4 inches of black ice. Pond has bass pickeral and pike according to local. Tiny pond less than 20 acres. No bites for first 2 hours at 10 a flurry of flags, 2 nice bass 2lb and 2.4. And a few flags I missed that really took off taking a lot of line going to pretend it was a pike. Got to a second pond at 1:30 caught a bunch of little perch. Got to use a few new toys, 6 inch jiffy torch with rigid drill worked great. Jawjacker caught a few yellows on. A snapper hook setting system caught a bass on. And a jack trap no fish on.
A long day in the silence I have a lot of questions since it was a new experience never have went up north looking for early Ice.
How much line do you set out for pike and how deep should you be? I was told 2 ft from surface?
How far from the bottom of the pond do you usually set your bait for bass and pickerel I usually do about 6 inches?
What setting do you run impact drill on when using your bit with it?
Guys that have float bibs do you have to seal the with water proof spray I noticed mine got more wet then last year?
When on early and thinner ice, is something to look for color and bubbles? What is the sign that it’s time to get off if it warms up? Loud cracking?
I know that’s a lot of questions was a long day all alone in the silent wilderness up north but really enjoyed it.

[Fishin_603]

Wanted to get out before the warm up and rain next few days. Left home at 5:30 started driving. Got to a pond pats exit 36 once I started seeing Ice,  by 8:20 I was on just under 4 inches of black ice. Pond has bass pickeral and pike according to local. Tiny pond less than 20 acres. No bites for first 2 hours at 10 a flurry of flags, 2 nice bass 2lb and 2.4. And a few flags I missed that really took off taking a lot of line going to pretend it was a pike. Got to a second pond at 1:30 caught a bunch of little perch. Got to use a few new toys, 6 inch jiffy torch with rigid drill worked great. Jawjacker caught a few yellows on. A snapper hook setting system caught a bass on. And a jack trap no fish on.
A long day in the silence I have a lot of questions since it was a new experience never have went up north looking for early Ice.
How much line do you set out for pike and how deep should you be? I was told 2 ft from surface?
How far from the bottom of the pond do you usually set your bait for bass and pickerel I usually do about 6 inches?
What setting do you run impact drill on when using your bit with it?
Guys that have float bibs do you have to seal the with water proof spray I noticed mine got more wet then last year?
When on early and thinner ice, is something to look for color and bubbles? What is the sign that it’s time to get off if it warms up? Loud cracking?
I know that’s a lot of questions was a long day all alone in the silent wilderness up north but really enjoyed it.

Nice job getting out and getting on fish! I  don’t know much about pike fishing but for bass I’ve always set my bait about a foot off the bottom and if I have no hits I bring my bait up a few more feet and try different holes to. Your bait could be in a location where it’s not so visible to fish due to structure, Pickeral are pretty simple just put out a shiner on the edge of some weeds and should be able to hook up. Different jigs work to for pickerel and bass airplane jigs work well. for the ice I wouldn’t go by noises or how it looks. Ice will crack doesn’t mean it’s not safe it’s just expansion, the best tool will be your chisel. That’s how you’ll get to really know the ice and if it’s safe. Especially this time of year you should be hitting the ice with your chisel every few step. Ice can change pretty quickly to so always be looking out. Couple years ago I was on a big lake and it was a warm sunny day I had a trap out closer to shore and within a few hours i was barely able to retrieve it.

[BHardy]

Drill should always be set to drill mode, nothing else.  As far as clothing goes, if it’s not Gortex I don’t want anything to do with it. 

[Rhansen]

I'm pretty new to chasing pike myself but finally started to catch some last season. You can see in this picture how close to shore I am and my hole was between me and the shoreline. All of my luck came between 1-2' of water and I typically set my bait halfway between the bottom of the ice and bottom/weedline. If youre fishing with live bait near weeds I like to gently pull on my line regularly to keep my bait from hiding in the weeds while also trying to keep it in front of the potential pike stalking. If you are using metal leader, ditch that and swap it out with some heavy flourocarbon. It seems like every pike in the area will drop the bait as soon as you touch your line with metal leaders. I've ran into a few locals in the area that I'm assuming you were in that were extremely helpful. Good Luck out there.

[jethro]

Ice makes noise either when it's making ice or losing ice. Learning what is safe ice is something that just takes experience. After going swimming a few times I no longer fish ice less than 6".

For the floating bibs, what exactly is the material? It may need to be refreshed, which you can often do using heat (a dryer). I would talk to the company that made them and see what they recommend for cleaning and treatment. I've had good luck with Scotch Brite Waterproofing Spray.

[Erb]

[Rhansen  “All of my luck came between 1-2' of water and I typically set my bait halfway between the bottom of the ice and bottom/weedline. If youre fishing with live bait near weeds I like to gently pull on my line regularly to keep my bait from hiding in the weeds while also trying to keep it in front of the potential pike stalking. I've ran into a few locals in the area that I'm assuming you were in that were extremely helpful. Good Luck out there.”
Funny you say this, local stopped me and told me the exact same info and two feet from surface. Must be the same place!

[Erb]

BHardy
“Drill should always be set to drill mode, nothing else.  As far as clothing goes, if it’s not Gortex I don’t want anything to do with it. “
Drill or hammer drill, and setting 1 or 2?

[800stealth]

Nice report Erb... Never run you're drill in hammer mode with an auger, blades are delicate enough with out pounding them into the ice and you should always be in the slowest speed it has to get the most gear ratio you can to turn the heavy bit.
It's been my experience that bass like to cruise around at 10-12 feet of depth whether your fishing 12 feet or 25 feet that 10-12 foot range seems to be the most active for me anyways. Pickerel are like garbage cans, they'll find your bait anywhere in the column, especially when you're jigging your favorite expensive micro tungsten for crappie, the slime darts will find it every time lol.
Like mentioned already reading ice is something that is tough to teach, it's really more of an experience to learn thing... The best tip I can give for that is to listen to your spud... It's all about the sound it makes when hitting the ice.

[BHardy]

BHardy
“Drill should always be set to drill mode, nothing else.  As far as clothing goes, if it’s not Gortex I don’t want anything to do with it. “
Drill or hammer drill, and setting 1 or 2?

Again….set your drill or hammer drill  to Drill mode.  Speed setting is up to you and how “HeMan” your feeling and want to impress your friends.

[Erb]

Another question I have, what size hooks do you guys use for warm water ponds on your tip ups? And I’ve also been thinking of setting my two bigger tip ups with bigger hooks and setting those with the biggest shiners anyone else do this?

[jigmaster5]

And I’ve also been thinking of setting my two bigger tip ups with bigger hooks and setting those with the biggest shiners anyone else do this?

When I used to fish tip-ups, that's what I'd do.....get the biggest shiners that I could (or live perch in Mass where it's legal) and let them soak while I jigged.  It works!  Some days you get no flags w/ big bait, but I'd still catch plenty of fish jigging, so it's all good.  But, yes, definitely try that....esp. if you're fishing spots w/ pike.  I'd rig up 2 bigger tip-ups for pike near shallow weeds or reeds....and then jig slightly deeper water (to keep an eye on the traps).

[jigmaster5]

How much line do you set out for pike and how deep should you be? I was told 2 ft from surface?
How far from the bottom of the pond do you usually set your bait for bass and pickerel I usually do about 6 inches?
What setting do you run impact drill on when using your bit with it?
Guys that have float bibs do you have to seal the with water proof spray I noticed mine got more wet then last year?
When on early and thinner ice, is something to look for color and bubbles? What is the sign that it’s time to get off if it warms up? Loud cracking?
I know that’s a lot of questions was a long day all alone in the silent wilderness up north but really enjoyed it.

That is alot of questions, lol.  Looks like you had a fun day....I haven't even been out scouting yet (which is late for me).  Congrats!   

When I've fished ice fished for pike (mostly Maine), it varied....1 day only hole that produced was the deepest spot in a big weed flat....like a hole in a weed choked cove.  Next day, they were all shallow.  And I saw guys catching them out deep, too.  So, I guess it depends on the day and the lake....and I'd try different stuff until you figure out what works best for you & your lake.

For bass + picks, I'd go higher than 6" off bottom.  6" off bottom is where alot of perch like to hang out and they will harass you all day long + run thru your shiners.  So, I'd go 3 feet off bottom (or more) just to try & keep the perch off the shiners.....unless you want to catch perch.

For early ice, 4" of black ice is usually a good place to start.  Bring a spud, if your spud goes thru in 1 or 2 whacks....that means it's getting soft & you should probably retreat.  Best way to tell if ice (any ice) is safe or not is to test it.  (I guess that's true for alot of things).  Drill lots of holes, poke around with the spud bar & stay in areas that you've tested.  When in doubt, head back to areas that you've crossed before.  Expansion cracks are a good thing....that means the ice is growing.  If you hear a noise that sounds like breaking glass....that's not so good....back up the way that you came out.  I think late ice is trickier....can be plenty thick....but bubbling up like a fresh can of soda and have no structural integrity at all.  Clear, black ice is usually easier to tell what's safe and what's too thin or weak.  Just be smart, test as you go, and if it seems sketchy...go back.

Good luck!   

[jethro]

Another question I have, what size hooks do you guys use for warm water ponds on your tip ups? And I’ve also been thinking of setting my two bigger tip ups with bigger hooks and setting those with the biggest shiners anyone else do this?

Usually warm water fishing I will use medium shiners and #10 baitholder hooks. I seem to be able to catch bass and pickerel but also the perch and crappie I am usually targeting.

[Erb]

Made it out again, shockingly made the 2 hour trip to the SAME place again. Luckily this time no fog and with my fishing partner,. 16 acre pond, only 3.5 inches of ice. Crazy. Set the traps further in the middle 15  fow. And two traps in 3 ft for pike. Never caught one before but heard they are in there. Caught 4 nice bass 12 flags in the day. First fish on a jawjacker 4.30 hours in the car but great day! Looking for tips for pike. And tips how to find monsters big bass or big fish on lakes, positioning on edges or rock beds or weed how deep? I can catch a lot of small fish but not many big ones!

[dbarnum24]

Was just there Thursday. We had the same issue, tons of cookie cutter 12-15” bass, a few perch, but no 4-5 pound fish and no pike. From threads in the past, there was a die off of pike in 2018 or so. Still a solid day but would have liked to catch some better fish to write home about.

[800stealth]

Nice second outing... If you want a good chance at bike pike, leave NH lol... In seriousness there are some, Moore is pretty much the pike grounds in NH, maybe Nosaj will chime in, he and his son usually posts some studs every year.

[DConICE]

You've had two solid outings... nothing wrong with that. 

As Stealth said, NH def not known for Pike fishing.  Maine is probably a better choice this winter (not sure what kind of ice you'll see in Mass). Connecticut river in NH has them, but I doubt its got fishable areas at the moment.

Good Luck

[Erb]

Made it out again today finally within 30 minutes of home! Caught 14 fish in two hours 12 pickerel and 2 nice perch. My snapper rig went off 3 times as I sat over it setting it. I bought a snapper and a jawjacker this year and I can say I like the snapper much better so far. Jawajacker keeps not popping think it ices up, haven’t missed a fish on the snapper. Two big pickerel that fought well. Back at it tomorrow hopefully get some bass