They were using small fluorescent jigs tipped with wax worms on small ice fishing spinning rods. The vexilar flashers were fascinating to watch; as a fish would rise for the bait, a red flash would appear… then you could feel the fish taking a chance of not getting caught. A brisk wind was blowing out of the north, and a few snow flurries and biting cold provided a winter-like feel . These guys I fished with are avid kayak fishermen, but refuse to give up the winter for dipping a line. It will be a couple months before we can get our plastic navy back out on the crystal clear water at “ice out”. In the meantime, most fishermen in the Midwest will settle for drilling holes in ice and jigging for anything that will bite.
Here in Nebraska, anglers are taking numerous northern pike, largemouth bass, walleye, bluegill, yellow perch, and channel catfish on jigs or spoons. Anglers at the Refuge Lakes in the northwest central part of the state are having huge success right now. Most of the water is getting safer for fishing on the ice, but one still needs to be careful with their selection of spots.
