Very Light Dependent!
Clouds Are A Bite Killer Right Now!
The sun is out, they are acting like they should be for this early part of January; when the clouds move in, then we have problems. Fish that were fired up the day before a guy can’t even get a glimmer on the Vexilar. Even in the shallower water, the snow has cloudy day Perch in a ‘standy-by’. Unfortunately, we won’t get any help with that until probably late February or early March! So, we do what we have to.
Slow Down!!
On cloudy days, slow your presentations way down, down-size, and make sure to be using UV in your lures. Also, think about going shallower rather than deeper! Dead sticks and very subtle movements on our smaller jigs are going to be more effective! Also, be ready when the sun does come out because you are probably going to see an eruption when it does!
Depths We Had Successes In!
Obviously, on the shallower end for the most part, definitely under 40 feet. The most common depth is in the 18-28 foot range. However, as the lack of sunlight getting at the ice, I would look for those numbers to climb as the fish are going to start to head to deeper waters. The last week we have been having the best luck in 22, 26-28, 19-22, and 27-29 feet. Obviously, there are going to be active fish in much deeper water but for the time being, shallow to intermediate is a good place to start!
Lures and Colors!
I love by gold Varmint, it’s my favorite lure, and it has landed us some fish, That Purple Wonder Bread Buck Shot and Coffin Spoon are two early favorites for this season, as well as the gold Bad Bo, basically a varmint, just really small!
I hate when we have to resort to tungsten and plain hooks but the conditions are requiring it and the trusty hook and a minnow can be very effective.
Good Luck out there!
