Light hits

[hardysf]

My buddy and I have been out 3 days now, and we have been doing decent, no less than 15 but no more than 25 keepers. We have got a lot of little fish that we have tossed back, but the fish are biting so softly if there is any size to them. Any ideas on why the bite is so timid, and any tips. My spring bobber is barley triggered with these hits. What we have been doing is holding the line. That will get you cold in a hurry though.

[ole green moe]

Maybe try High Vis line. Be a line watcher it is sometimes more sensitive than any spring or bobber around. Just a thought. OGM

[4cator]

try flourocarbon line 

[crappie66]

Are you using any split shot above your jig?  I use the smallest size split shot about 8 inches above my jig, this way the line is tight going through the spring.  Any movement will trigger that spring to bounce one way or the other, sometimes the spring will go up, when the fish picks up the bait and goes up with it, letting off any tension there was.  Also use thin line, but hey you might already be doing this, just ideas.

[hardysf]

we are using size 10 charteuse jigs tipped with spikes, with nylon thread bought from walmart. maybe the split shot is a good idea. thank you. We figured this thread thing out last year. its actually pretty good stuff, pulled in a 16 inch bass today on it. Sometimes we break off on big crappies and gills, but its worth it for all the hits we dont miss. Usually i dont use a rod with a spring bobber on it. My buddy left all the ice fishing stuff up at home, because he didnt think we'd have first ice before the end of the semester. So we dont have an auger, only a crowbar  ,one pole each, no shanty and no tip ups. These fish best be wary for when we return January 8th. 

[crappie66]

Get rid of the nylon line, the nylon line is visible in the water, and in my opinion thicker, therefore, giving you less feel, and takes away from the sensitivity.  It kind of surprises me you are loosing fish with the nylon line it is supposed to be stronger.  I would go with a common mono line, and just leave you drag loose, like I have said before a decent bluegill can make my drag scream, you never know what is going to hit, so you want to be prepared, and also sometimes your line or jig gets stuck on ice chips, with a loose drag it just peels off line rather than breaking the line or pulling the rod out of your bucket when walking along.