Sk8man

Useful tips/suggestions regarding ice fishing in the Finger Lakes 1. Some of the common baits used for jigging for panfish and perch, bass, and walleyes in the Finger Lakes are: Fathead Minnows Spikes ( fly larvae also known as "maggots") Waxworms (larvae of the greater Wax Moth) Mousies (Rat Tailed maggot) Mealworms Red worms, garden worms and nightcrawlers (usually pieces) Cut up pieces of fish, minnow heads, perch eyes or other species eyes Various plastic tubes, minnow immitations, immitation worms etc. Some additional commonly found baits are: cut up small pieces of shrimp, and canned corn 2. A lot can be learned by either looking down the hole and watching your jig operate in clear water, by using a flasher such as a Vexilar , Marcum, Lowrance etc. or the use of an underwater camera A lot of times without using these methods it is assumed nothing is below you and often this couldn't be further from the truth. During the winter fish often become sluggish, slow to respond, very fussy, and appear to maintain their curiosity about line movement, the jig itself, scent attractants, or the bait but they are reluctant to actually bite the bait and may nudge the line or jig or maybe even "mouth" the bait without biting it. They can do this without a detectable movement in your line or jig and unless you are closely visually observing them. They sometimes just appear "disinterested". They may repeatedly come back to the jig and bait many times without biting and it is very frustrating indeed. It may be that they just aren't hungry, they have fed earlier or at night, they are actively feeding on something different than your bait (e.g. fresh water shrimp and may be "stuffed" with them). Again, if you weren't actually watching you'd assume there was nothing there. There is another common thing involved that may escape your attention but it is critically important and that is that some (often tiny) part of the jig hook is exposed (e.g. the very point). The hook always needs to be completely covered and especially when the fish are "fussy". Another thing that is a problem and wouldn't be realized without the above visual methods is that the jig may be spinning and that may trigger them to be very cautiously avoidant because that motion is probably not "natural" in appearance to them in their environment. Constantly vary your jigging motion and the speed of it. Don't be reluctant to jig just under the ice either especially for gills and trout as well. Vary your jigging depth periodically....they are not all oriented toward the bottom (especially Crappies and bass etc.). When looking down the hole and the fish all of a sudden take off (possible predator nearby) observe which direction they went and if they don't return fish for them in that direction. 3. The use of swivels should be avoided as they can "spook" the fish and appear as "unnatural" If a small barrel swivel is desired it should be place about 3 ft. up the line from the jig. Small "fast snaps" can be useful if changing jigs frequently but often tying directly to the jig is the way to go. Use the lightest lb test line (2 lb is not uncommon) you can for pan fish and perch. Use a very light fluoro leader in clear water and in shallow (i.e.most of the time). If fishing where pike and pickerel abound and fishing 15 ft or more of water you may wish to increase the test of the line (to a max of 6 lb test of clear line). Check your drag settings frequently because in the extreme cold they can easily stick. 4. If your hole is constantly freezing over in the cold (especially if not in a shelter) pour a little coffee or tea in it as it will warm it enough to keep it free for awhile at least. 5. Change jigs and baits frequently if you aren't getting results. Spending 15 or 20 minutes per hole is a good yardstick measure. If no action move on. In this regard, Drill a bunch of holes when you first arrive rather than waiting so that they can have a chance to calm down for a bit and allow any fish that were spooked to return. 6. If your rod is relatively stiff the use of a spring bobber (lightweight small diameter stainless steel wire with loop at the end andoften a bead installed at the tip of the rod which the line runs through) can help detect very light hits.

Geez....I didn't even realize my bathing suit was down when they took my pic

I now use only my own home made flies but here are setups that worked best last season

Great fish and looks like you had a great time of it too.

TX 22's - the TX44's too unwieldy and can dive when close to the boat if not careful TX22's seem about right for most things and are easier to manage.

Here are pics of the weights Rich makes and you can see from the top view that they are very hydrodynamically designed to cut through the water (note the nose area)

Good point

Don't get discouraged....things have been pretty slow for most folks lately no matter where they fished. Some days you can't buy a bite and the next they may be hammering your setup. Lately we have had many many lookers both perch and panfish and they may bump the jig at most and just look at the bait and swim away. After changing to many different setups and line types different shaped and colored jigs and talking with many people who had the same results I'm of the opinion that in many places the fish are either feeding and stuffing themselves on freshwater shrimp or possibly feeding at night or wee hours so they are not readily tempted by our offerings. Just have to keep going and trying until everything comes together - time of day for active feeding, barometric pressure (or change) move around to find active feeders, and try variety of setups.

I'm with Chris...I'd have to see a video of it to change my opinion.

Tim you have a PM. Fishy Business is the place to go for your fishing needs over that way for sure and Gerry is on top of his game information wise too so definitely worth stopping by if fishing Keuka.

You might want to include description/pricing for the last two images