I was happy until I got the Vex18 and now that I can see that the fish are down there and follow the bait up and down and nip at the split shot etc, but just won't bite, what can I use other than dynamite or a spear??

Just pack up and go home??

Mac.
Sometimes the Ol'FL-8 can be the worse thing to have. Especially when you can see that all your offerings and jigging technique attempts are going both unnoticed and untouched by your intended aquatic prey.

Getting any fish to bite when they just dont feel like it, is what that TV commercial so attiquatly discribes as a "TUFFY". But heres a trick to try especially during ice fishing. "DROP YOUR OFFERING ON THE BOTTOM" Yup, Jig it up, and let it fall back flat on the bottom. I cant tell you how many times this has worked for me. Mainly on the smaller species such as perch and pan fish. But sometimes on walleyes to. They swim over and gulf it up right off the bottom. I dont have any scientific reason I can site as to why they do this. It just seems to work on those finiky biters.

<Just pack up and go home??>

Well, that depends.....were there any beer left? ;)

Seriously, though, if the fish are there, then it's just a matter of finding that one right variable to tweak to get 'em going, whether it's bait, speed of drop/presentation, and the choice of lure.

I'm no expert on ice fishing, and do not know what you were using, but in similar situations on soft water, I've been taught that if/when fish are finicky - go to simple and slow. Get rid of everything but the hook and the bait, and slow everything down.

Nothing works every time, but it usually beats going home.

Good luck.

derrek.

"Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not.
In either case the idea is quite staggering"
- Arthur C. Clarke

My best luck in those situations follows the last post. hook and bait and slow movements. On the opposite side of that coin, when i have tried everything and they still won't bite, I have had occasions where I put the biggest castmaster or dojigger on and jig very aggresivley, sometimes you just have to tick them off.

I agree,even in open water,do something that will make them hit. Not in a biting mood?Slam a big 3/4 oz jig-n-minnow on the bottom.Slight lift.Slam back to the bottom.One key,I don't fish the fish I see,I fish the spot...see?lol

Try turning off the Vexilar - seriously. While ice fishing up at the cottage over Christmas and New Years I was jigging and watching everything on the Vexilar. I'd see the fish come up, check out the offering for a while and - gone. My wife was about 15' away without a finder and she'd be hitting fish - same presentation (jig/minnow). As an experiment we moved the Vexilar to her spot, what happened to me would happen to her - she'd see the fish come in and leave, whereas I'd get bit. Maybe the sonar was spooking them? Maybe seeing the fish on the sonar causes the fisherman to subconsciously vary the jigging speed or style? I don't know, all I know is that the hole without the Vexilar would catch more fish.

Best Regards,

FJH

Mac,

They were always down there nipping at your split shot, you just didn't know it. Now your entertained. lol Certainly try all the previous suggestions.

If they are nipping at your shot they might be little itty bitty fish. Not always. And more than a few times, we had a lot of lookers, knew they were cigars after eventually (or later) catching one, yet we would periodically catch a quality fish. Little guys may attract company?

If possible, don't be afraid to try a move to look for friendly fish. You can always return.

FLH,

Maybe next time leave the flasher on but cover the screen when the fish 1st shows up? I just read something the other nite (maybe from a link posted on WC?)that indicated that the frequency of signal put out by a sonar cannot be heard by fish or people regardless of power. The clicking we (& fish) hear is movement of the crystal in the transducer. I guess noise is noise.

Since they they came in to the flasher, I favor your differences in jigging style theory. Mines extremely different w/o flasher.

Good Luck,
jc

mac, a little more information would maybe help. Reducing bait size would be all that I could tell you with the info. you supplied. The best information you have had so far is "leave the Vex at home". If you are fishing Lakers it's a must, otherwise it's a crutch at best.

This is my opinion only, and because I fish the same 12 lakes.

DRINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!lzy

I fish in an ice shanty & can see the fish. When I have this problem I spin the line with my fingers, then let it spin back. You have to be quick and often need to set the hook by hand but "sometimes" it works.

Nibbling at the split shot? Second hook, on the splitshot. Nuf Said

try drilling a hole right next to the one your jigging in and put a dead stick, still fishing, in it, sometimes the fish will attract to your jigging, and then take the still one. Had the same thing happen to me, I ended up limiting out on perch, and not one hit the jigging pole all day, but if I stopped jigging, they quit on the still pole.

Just one more thing to try.

When all of the above mentioned items still do not work, try the following: Make a drastic geographical relocation, like get the heck off the lake.

Good Luck

I was in the shack Sat marking fish on the Vexilar, couldn't get a nibble, tried jiggin spoons, minnows, teardrops, waxworms. After a couple hours I figured this would be a good time to try out the camera I got myself for X-mas. Fishing in 19' & the water was real clear, lowered the lens down & guess what? BULLHEADS!

Now I can't even tell by buddies about the big school of Walleyes I
was on that wouldn't bite!

Terry

I like response #11 there MR. SD ice fisherman. I think I'll try that one myself. Was out yesterday and they just wouldn't hit for nothing.


Adam.

Pull out the DYNAMITE,,,,,,,,,,,,FIRE IN THE HOLE.............KABOOOOOM!