Fishing On Ice Locked Waters
By Ray Merckx – Featured Sports Writer covering the South Jersey Fishing Areas for The Sentinel of Gloucester County Weekly Newspaper – Published Week of 1/28/2021 Print Edition
Many anglers say, it’s pointless to fish when water temperatures go below the 45 degree mark. Others will say if there’s ice, wait until it thaws. I’m here to tell you, if you have an open spot of water, put your line in the water and see what happens. High winds and cold temperatures this past Saturday definitely made many waters in our area locked with ice Sunday morning. However, there are some spots where water is moving like spillways and tidal water where it won’t freeze and you might be able to get a few good casts into that spot. This past Sunday, I found such a spot and caught over 2 dozen crappie, a dozen bluegill, half dozen perch and 1 decent bass. Even other anglers who decided to brave the cold and joined me, caught close to a dozen crappie themselves as well. While many bass anglers hate to put down the bigger baits, wintertime fishing when there is ice is a good time to fish for smaller fish. Sometimes you get a surprise like a decent sized bass or a rarity like a trout. For the tidal waters off the creeks like Woodbury, Mantua and Racoon, there are many crappie, perch and bluegill with some crappie and perch reaching over the 12 inch mark. All it takes is an ultralight rod and reel combo with 4 to 6 pound test line, a bobber and a small jig like a crappie or trout magnet. These little baits can really help you catch a lot of fish as long as you’re in a spot they are biting. If you see any open water, throw in your rig and see what happens. I would say to start with color choices, depths between the lure and bobber and sizes. As this could make or break whether you catch them or not. The rig I have been using these last few weeks have a 5 to 5 and a half foot rod and spinning reel with 6 pound fluorocarbon. The bobber size is a small orange or chartreuse color about 16 to 24 inches between the bobber and lure. As for my lure choices, they are called trout magnets which resemble a meal worm with a gold or silver jig hook. Colors vary between yellow, white, pink, orange or chartreuse. With this many colors, you’re bound to find a color they favor. So just because there is ice on the main part of the water, don’t be afraid to get out there and catch some of these great panfish. Besides, you might also hook into a nice pickerel, trout or bass depending on the waters you are fishing. Just be sure to dress in layers to stay warm and dry. You may just have yourself an awesome day fishing on ice locked waters.