Fishing With a 45

Here is a great article that I found while poking around online. It sounds a LOT more fun that you might think.

Fishing With a 45

Fishing With a 45


by: Fishing the Wildside On Ice with Tommy Skarlis

It's January, and the frozen hardtop of many a midwestern lake appears as peaceful and inviolable as a quaint country estate.

Perhaps a few anglers are frolicking about on the ice tossing a football or simply being social. Perhaps a Coleman Road Trip Grill teases the nostrils as the aroma of burgers or steaks wafts through the air. Perhaps an angler and his son share a laugh as they tug an Otter Sled filled with gear toward a promising part of the lake. Don’t be fooled by this false sense of serenity. Inside those tents and icehouses, a darker world exists where anglers are frequently the victims of muggings and robberies that can occur at any time without any warning. Some are gang-related. Others are random acts of debauchery.

Either way, it can happen to you, if it hasn’t already.

Protect yourself. Fish with a 45.

Before we go any farther, let me explain. I’m not advocating some half-cocked vigilante style of glacial justice. I’m talking about the muggings and thefts that take place beneath the ice when fish swim up to an ice jig and either pull the bait free or whack the head of the jig instead of the business end.

After watching it happen on underwater cameras time and again, I decided to fight back. In fact, I was reminded of a country music tune by Hank Williams Jr. titled “A Country Boy Can Survive.” The lyrics include the lines, “I’d love to spit some Beech Nut in that dude’s eyes and shoot him with my old 45s ‘cause a country boy can survive.” Thus, the concept of fishing with a 45. And while there are days when a well-placed bullet between a perch or bluegill’s eyes might seem justified, I’ve found that using specific jigs, knot placements and bait presentations that ride at a 45-degree angle is far less messy and will often put those fish in their place at the bottom of my bucket.

Fish tend to rise in the water column to bite a lure. What happens is that an ice jig tipped with live bait or a piece of Berkley Gulp! or a Power Wiggler ends up hanging at more of a 90-degree angle when it’s actively jigged for awhile. So, as the fish rises up to take the bait, it’s easy for it to grab only the bait and miss the hook. If a jig is hanging at a 45-degree angle, it’s a lot more difficult for a fish to come from below and grab hold of just the bait. The idea is to adjust your presentation so that the first thing the fish comes into contact with is the hook. Keep in mind that different lures are designed to fish at different angles.

Presenting a lure at a 45-degree angle can be accomplished by simply using a “tight” knot such as a Trilene, Palomar or improved-clinch knot and making sure it’s situated correctly on the lure’s eye. With the knot positioned properly, horizontal jigs such as Lindy Fat Boys or Genz Worms or one of Northland Tackle’s new Bro Bugs or Forage Minnow fry jigs will hang at a 45, making them deadly. Make sure to check both the knot position and how the jig is riding after every fish, strike or hook-set that could alter the jigs angle.

Other lures that can be fished at a 45-degree angle are vertical styles such as Lindy’s Techni-Glo Frostees or Northland’s Super-Glo Doodle Bugs. When those are the lures the fish want, adjust the knot so the line angles back toward the hook point at 45 degrees. This knot position should cause the jig to ride at a 45-degree angle in the water.

Perhaps the best way to fish with a 45 is to use a lure specifically designed to fish at a 45-degree angle. The answer is: Lindy’s new Genz Bug, a lure with a 45-degree angle hook so it rides at 45 degrees naturally. Fishing the WildSide’s Chip Leer recommends Northland’s Ghost Grub as another option that is designed to keep the business end in business.

If these options don’t result in more hook-ups, try switching from live bait to artificial bait such as Gulp! maggots and grubs or Power Wigglers that aren’t as easy to pull free from the hook. If you’re still a victim of the “bit and spit” routine, hooking your bait through the center rather than the head (t-boning) will often work, as will loading the hook with multiple baits. Don’t get mugged in your ice tent this winter. Stick to your guns. Fish with a 45 and take a bite out of crime.

Editors Note: Fishing the WildSide On Ice, co-founded by Tommy Skarlis and Chip Leer, is an extensive effort focused on generating excitement for the great sport of ice fishing. For more articles, fishing tips, info on the latest and greatest ice gear or a schedule of Fishing the WildSide On Ice Pro Staff appearances, log onto www.onicetour.com or www.fishingthewildside.com

The best gear for ice fishing.

The right gear can mean success or failure while ice fishing. To have a successful ice fishing trip you are going to need to pack the right gear as well as bring along the right friends. There are several ways to have fun out there in the cold and on the ice but the best way is to bring along good friends that are going to help you laugh your frozen butt off and toss back a few beers while you are doing it. Ice fishing gear is varied and there is quite a bit of it, if you want to bring more than just the basic essentials.
The basic equipment that you will need to survive and catch some fish are, very warm and very comfortable clothes for obvious lack of frost bite reasons. Gloves and hand warmers because after you pull a fish through the ice your hands are going to be freezing cold. Thick warm boots and possibly snow shoes depending on the conditions and how you will be getting to the location. Make sure that you pack extra socks, you might need them and if you do you will really appreciate that they are warm and dry. That covers keeping warm and cosy in the sub zero temperatures but if you want to actually catch some fish you are going to need some more gear.

First you will need a fishing rod or two, with sensitive tips but still have some strength just in case you haul in that huge one. There are ice fishing specific rods that you can buy which are shorter that regular rods but if you are on a budget you can use a regular rod. Be sure to bring some good line, four to eight pound test is usually a good fit. You are definitely going to need some kind of bait such as crappie minnows or worms. Bring jigs spoons and hooks to help you catch more fish if you need them. You can bring along bobbers if you don’t have a proper ice fishing rig which lets you know when the fish strike. Be sure to also bring some minor tools to remove the hooks, cut the lines or whatever you might need them for. I suggest a folding multi-tool. An ice scoop is required to remove any ice that forms in the hole that you cut with the auger or ice saw. Also you are definitely going to need something to sit on. A large bucket works great because you can haul you gear out in it and use it to haul you catch back home when you are done.

There is a huge amount of gear that you can bring to make your trip a lot more easier and almost luxurious. Some of this equipment is quite nice but the rest is just extravagant. This includes fish finders, cameras, cell phones, underwater cameras, strike sensors, and GPS equipment. Nicer pieces of equipment include, a fishing hut, a space heater, cleats for easy ice walking, flashlights and lanterns, lighters and matches, and something to check the thickness of the ice. Tip ups are nice to bring along but are not quite necessary.

If you are going out for a all day expedition you are going to need extras such as food and drinks. I suggest beer as a proper beverage. There are other things that you are going to want to bring such as sun glasses to protect your eyes from the glare of the ice and snow. Those are the best bits of equipment that I can suggest, but there are many variables that you are going to have to cope with yourself. These are things such as ice thickness, storage for gear and transportation because if you are driving a truck right onto the ice you can bring pretty much any thing that you want but if you are walking ten miles then you are going to have to think about what you want to carry for that distance. Most importantly though you are going to have to have fun out there. Why bother if you are not enjoying yourself?

YouTube - Ice Fishing Pro Video

YouTube - Ice Fishing Pro Video

Here is a video that I just put together to display some of the best and the sexiest pictures of ice fishing. Enjoy!

Ice fishing Equipment list.

Yesterday, I added a complete list of equipment that you will need to make a happy and relaxing ice fishing trip. Today I went to as many ice fishing blogs as I possibly could and added a comment and my link to their sites. Some of them required moderation but Ther were good messages with no obvious advertising in them. Hopefully this will help my icefishingpro.com site.

I am going to keep trying to get the word out about ice fishing and how much fun it is while learning all about the internet.

Lake Simcoe Ice Fishing in Ontario, Canada | World Fishing Network

Lake Simcoe Ice Fishing in Ontario, Canada World Fishing Network

Now im blogging about ablog that is blogging about a blog that just blogged about icefishing.

This is too much fun. Google makes it way too easy to do this.

Ice Fishing IceShanty.com -Home

Ice Fishing IceShanty.com -Home

A nice forum that is all about icefishing.

There is a snowstorm on the way so im going to be having some fun soon.