No bite - lake Champlain

[vttransplant]

So this is more first season ice fishing - I’m learning as I go but have been out five times now with not one bite! I’ve tried south sandbar twice, mallets bay twice, lake Iroquois in the past 3 weeks and gave north sandbar a go this afternoon. I have one tip up with a single hook n’ shiner. I also jig a hole 30-50feet away with a small rapala jiggin rap with spikes. I have been fishing everything from 5-30 ft of water.... I’m not targeting any species in particular but would be stoked to pull some panfish and maybe a pike or laker at some point! I’m out of Burlington so any insight on spots or techniques where I have a good chance of catching even one perch would be awesome!

[Light liner]

Sorry to read that. We have been doing well out of
Georgia beach.
12-16 fow.
Perch minnows been the ticket. If they dont hit the whole minnow just try the head. Pink jigs have been good color for me.
If your using a flasher keep drilling until you find them.
If not jig just off the bottom.
I hope your luck changes for you.

[Brochet]

good advice from Light liner, I'll add my recommendation to get more tipups... VT allows 8 lines on most waters and 15 on Champlain, so if 1 line is your jig then you can have up to 7 or 14 tipups.  Every one you add increases your chances of success.  Just get one more and you're doubling the odds of a fish. 

Usually I will have only 1 or 2 tipups in a spread that produce, but they catch multiple fish, so if you set enough you'll get lucky and find the good spot.  But if you only use 1 it could be in the unlucky spot.  Space them apart at different depths and set 1 to 3 feet off the bottom in 10-30 FOW for perch. 

good luck !

[bootstrap]

are you getting out early? 7-10 am is prime time

[shiveringjoe]

I would suggest trying Iroquois again, should be a good place to find fish. As others said, get more tipups so you can have more baits in the water. Set your tipups in 4-8 feet of water with medium shiners 1-2’ off bottom. I think you would be better off with almost any other jig. In my opinion jigging raps are a fairly advanced lure. Pick up a Hali jig in perch colors and try that with a couple of maggots. For Iroquois I would try jigging close to the bottom in 10-15 feet of water.

[Adam.love05]

I would highly recommend buying a flasher. It is a little pricey at first. But it will up your success rate ten fold.. And if you take care of it, it should last you for years..

[fishingidjit]

Make sure your tip -up shiner is 6-12 inches off the bottom, I would jig right next to the tip -up with a silver swedish pimple around  a 4-5 size tipped with a berkeley powere egg for a starter.

[stitch]

More tip ups and a lot of patiants.i dont know about where you are but down here in mass.its been a slow year for a lot of guys.even the panfish bite has been off.stick with it ,your time will come.

[JMailbox8]

If you catch a perch on a tip up, immediately start jigging in that hole, since there is a chance the school might still be around.

[Island_Viking]

I would suggest any of the bays up in the Islands. Carry, Missisquoi, Dilenback, etc to target pike and perch. Been getting pike in 3-10 fow with jumbo shiners set around the bottom 3rd of the water column. Pike will see the bait above them. Been getting good action with perch on the smallest size jignrap in hot perch color and also small jigging spoons with an eyeball. The pike seem to be starting to move shallower with more daylight hours. We found some bigger ones last weekend. Good luck man, be patient and tight lines will come!

[vttransplant]

Thank you everyone! a lot of helpful advice on here - I was not expecting that much feedback so thanks again. I'm gonna get out either tomorrow or later this week and will report back - hopefully with some good news hah

[PIKE426]

Good luck to you. Holiday Harbor North Hero good place for bait & tackle if needed. And Bruce will give you heads up on the bite and what to use & where to go. Im 3 hours away so this forum helps a lot. Good luck and God bless

[dbldnii]

So this is more first season ice fishing - I’m learning as I go but have been out five times now with not one bite! I’ve tried south sandbar twice, mallets bay twice, lake Iroquois in the past 3 weeks and gave north sandbar a go this afternoon. I have one tip up with a single hook n’ shiner. I also jig a hole 30-50feet away with a small rapala jiggin rap with spikes. I have been fishing everything from 5-30 ft of water.... I’m not targeting any species in particular but would be stoked to pull some panfish and maybe a pike or laker at some point! I’m out of Burlington so any insight on spots or techniques where I have a good chance of catching even one perch would be awesome!

Was anyone driving trucks on Iroquois?

[Adam.love05]

Vttransplant-
 Shoot me an email.. Ive got an older Marcum that needs to be sent back to marcum because I think the motor burnt out.. I'll give you the unit if you want to send it back and have them replace the motor.. I think it costs around $80 for them to go through it and get it running again. ( someone correct me if I'm wrong) a flasher is a huge asset to have on the ice and will enhance your chances of catching a fish 10fold..

Adam.lovelette @ gmail.com