by Bob Hickey for The Mack Attack, January 01, 2014

Winter is here in full force. It doesn’t matter if you have snow on
the ground or not; it’s cold. Colder weather means that it’s time to
go ice fishing! Many lakes have already frozen over and it’s finally
safe enough to walk on to the ice. The thought of ice fishing and its
rewards of a stockpile of fish in the freezer; warms me up. It takes
finesse, observation, presentation and patience to effectively catch
fish; so let’s talk about the how to.

A good lure to use is the Mack’s Lure Sonic BaitFish™ (SBF) with
a Glo® Hook added to it. The SBF lure was developed by Pete Rosko
who also created the crippled herring in the early 1980’s. The
versatility of this jigging spoon should be one of the “go to” items
in everybody’s tackle box. Not only can it be jigged, this lure can also be trolled, cast or swam. Enticing and attracting fish is the name of the game, especially when the water gets colder and the fish become
more lethargic.

During the winter months, fish tend to be neutral or inactive, but
they still have to eat. You must determine where to put the lure to
get a reaction strike from the fish. Generally, start with fishing three inches off the bottom or right above the fish. You can best determine where to fish with the use of a fish finder.

I recommend that you also try rigging the SBF with a 2 ½’ to 8” leader attaching a snap swivel to the nose of the Sonic
BaitFish™ and a Glo® hook to the tail using a meal worm or maggot as bait. The Glo® hook is an added attraction when fishing in cloudy water conditions, low light or at night. Shining a flashlight on both the SBF and hook will allow a glow for approximately a half hour. Before
dropping the lure into the water, make sure that you check your
presentation closely as though looking at it through the eyes of a
fish. Pay close attention by observing if bites happen while your lure is dropping or when being pulled up slowly. Don’t be afraid to try different jigging speeds and rigging techniques. It’s your imagination along with the versatility of the SBF and the added attraction of the Glo® hook that will help you fill that freezer.