The cold weather pattern continued this past week, with a bitterly cold forecast for this weekend in the Bemidji area.
Cold temperatures will eventually slow down the ice fishing. The cold also makes anglers much less likely to stay mobile, because it is simply too uncomfortable to fish outside or keep changing locations with a portable fish house.
There is always something biting in the lakes, regardless of the conditions. When the conditions are less than favorable, the percentage of the total fish population that is active at any one time is lower, especially during non-peak periods of the day.
Walleye action typically occurs in flurries, with a few fish getting active during the peak low light hours of the day. When the conditions are bad, fewer walleyes will participate in the feeding movement and the duration of their feeding activity will be shorter than it would be under better conditions.
Cold fronts in the winter can shut down fishing just like they do in the summer. The passing of fronts can even shut down perch and sunfish that are normally most active during the day. Anglers may be able to find the fish, but getting them to bite is the challenge.
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Aggressive presentations like jigging spoons and jigging minnows may be less likely to produce fish when the conditions are bad. Anglers may have to use smaller, more subtle presentations to entice the fish to bite when they are in a neutral or negative feeding mood.
Fish in a negative feeding mood are nearly impossible to catch in most situations. Anglers have to hope a few of the fish are in a neutral feeding mood and can be coaxed into biting with the right presentation.
Many times anglers can switch to a slip bobber rig and place a choice minnow in the fishes' face and let it sit there until something bites.
Sometimes a small shiner minnow or redtail chub, hooked on a plain hook and pegged in place by a split shot several inches above the bait can entice the fish to bite when other presentations aren't working.
Dropper rigs are another option for anglers fishing cold front conditions. Anglers can make a dropper rig by tying a small hook on a short piece of monofilament line below a jigging spoon or jigging minnow.
The dropper rig attracts the fish with the spoon or jigging minnow and then the small piece of bait dangling below the spoon hopefully gets eaten by the fish.
Getting fish to take a whole spoon or jigging minnow is more of a challenge when the fish are not actively feeding, but the fish may be more likely to take a small bit of food instead.
Wax worms or eurolarve are a good choice for bait below a dropper rig, but anglers can also use a small minnow or a fresh minnow head or tail.
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Scents tend to be more effective in cold water, because the scent doesn't disperse into the water as quickly as it would in warm water. There are negative and positive scents for fish and adding a fish scent to bait can both mask bad scent and add good scent to anglers' bait in the winter.
Another presentation anglers can try when the conditions are tough is to go light on everything. Lighter line, small jigs and small baits may be more attractive to the fish than larger baits when they are in a neutral or negative feeding mood.
It is like trying to feed a person a big steak when they aren't hungry. They may be more likely to take a piece of candy or a small snack rather than eating a full meal. The same can be true for fish when they aren't in the mood to feed.
Be careful on the lakes this weekend and bring survival gear and supplies in case something happens. People can get frostbite in only a few minutes of direct exposure when the temperatures are as cold as they are forecast to be this weekend.
Paul A. Nelson is a multi-species fishing guide living in the Bemidji area. He can be contacted by calling 218-759-2235)
