smallmouth bass, ice fishing?

[NomadicAngler]

In all my years of ice fishing, I’ve only caught 1 smallie. That was on the St. Croix. It’s defi a fluke deal. Largemouths are easier to find/catch in the winter in my opinion. I always catch a couple every winter while targeting sunnies.

[EdgeWater]

Oldstar wrote:
You can stumble into them sometimes, like I said. As you see that is all different guys and I know Jim is on Chequamegon which is known for a viable place to get smallies through the ice.And one pic is from NY. The original post was about smallies on Mille Lacs through the ice. There are a few lakes that they bite, but not many and very hard to “target”. More of a fluke. I can search the web for Sasquatch pics too! ” title=”” class=”bbcode_smiley” />

There are a few lakes that they bite but not many

I love it! Can you list these lakes so we stay away from the ones where fish don’t eat 4/5 months of the year?

[Oldstar]

Mille Lacs for one. Which was the original question.

[nofishfisherman]

I think some of you guys are muddying the waters here a little.

Lets clear some things up first.

Can you catch smallies in the winter?
YES, some bodies of water make it easier than others but its possible to catch them.

Do smallies eat in the winter?
YES, but their metabolism does slow down in the cold water making them feed less often and less aggressively.

Can you “target” smallies in the winter?
YES, however thats a subjective word. Many people have targeted bigfoot over the years but have they found one? To me the ability
to target a fish/animal would assume some reasonable likelihood of success. Due to smallies schooling up into tight groups in deep water and not aggressively feeding finding them and catching them is generally very difficult, sure you can target them but how reasonable your chances are is the big question. Its certainly not impossible and again some bodies of water make it easier than others. I just wouldn’t let a few photos showing smallies on the ice in other states fool you into thinking you’ve got a good chance to hit the water and start pulling them through a hole.

Strictly speaking of Lake Mille Lacs as it is the lake in question I’d venture a guess to say it will be very difficult. With the number of guys that hit the lake each winter if smallies were reasonably catchable I think you’d hear of more incidental catches. If you put in the time and really search you might be able to stumble onto a honey hole but you may be rewarded with sluggish fish reluctant to bite. If you want a challenge this would certainly fit the bill.

[chris63]

I would add crappies and perch to that statement as well.I’ve caught GIANT crappies and buckets of JUMBO perch over the years but not like it used to be.Granted I don’t fish as frequent or hard as I used too but I do put my time in.If you do find the holy grail of any of these species make sure you post the GPS spots! good luck don’t fall in!!!c63

[Author]

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