Catching Catfish Through the Ice: Tips & Techniques

Until recently, I wasn’t a fan of ice fishing. The prospect of sitting on freezing cold ice, enduring frigid arctic winds, and trying to catch random panfish that most often just scoffed at the maggot on the end of my line wasn’t awe inspiring. So when a buddy invited me to go ice fishing for catfish in his farm pond, I was skeptical at best. However, he assured me that things had changed dramatically since the days of ice fishing with a spool of line, wooden pole, and wing nut for a drag. So against my better judgment, I conceded and agreed to meet him on the ice and have a go at the cats.

After bundling up reminiscent of Randy from “A Christmas Story”, I trudged through fresh snow to my pickup and drove to the pond, still grumbling about leaving a cozy wood stove for what would surely be an exercise in futility. Upon arrival, I was surprised to see what looked like a hunting blind perched out on the ice, and even more curious when my buddy emerged from the structure with a beaming smile, motioning for me to join him. “What could he possibly be smiling about?”, I shivered to myself, awkwardly skating across the frozen ball bearing-like surface. “I’ll be lucky to make it to that tent without falling and breaking my neck…” Thankfully I navigated the slick surface successfully, sliding and ungracefully catching myself up at the threshold. My buddy opened the flap of the blind, and I was immediately stupefied by the warmth emanating from the interior and the tangled pile of whiskers laying on the ice. Times certainly had changed since my last foray on hard water, and I couldn’t wait to get a line in the water.    

We cleaned up on the catfish that day several years ago, but I’m still a novice when it comes to ice fishing for catfish. Fortunately, Whisker Seeker Pro Staffer Troy Hansen is a foremost expert on targeting cats through the ice, and he shared the following tips for hard water catfishing.

Approach/Target Areas

“When I'm looking for cats through the ice, I use lake maps to find areas from mid-depth to deep (for that body of water) or possible wintering holes. For example, underwater points with tapering slopes and ledges sloping to flats with lots of bait. Or I look for a nice deep hole with structure nearby like deep wood/brush piles, rocks, or other man made structures. Pro tip: If you catch fish in a spot during late fall that’s usually a good place to start searching for ice cats.  

When fishing underwater points/ledges I like to drill a lot of holes. To effectively cover the area, I make a grid pattern up and down the slope/ledge. Then across the various depths I set passive deadstick rigs and fish actively with jigs (in Iowa you can use three rods). When fishing with friends using this strategy we’re able to set a large number of rods across the grid and cover a big area. Having the holes pre-drilled allows you to hop from one hole to the next to find the fish and then stay on them as they move. To cover the maximum amount of water, I've been known to drill 50 holes or more throughout the day. I like to think of ice cats as a herd of buffalo feeding underwater that just roam around during different times of the day, and when you catch one there are usually more around that are eager to take a bait.

Lake maps are great for pointing out specific areas to target fish. However, LiveScope and other modern electronics make it much easier to locate schools of fish. That being said, old-school flashers can effectively find fish, and pre-drilling a bunch of holes allows you to walk around with your flasher to try to find them. On a flasher you will usually see catfish from the bottom on up to a foot or so above the bottom. Sometimes they will be suspended in the mid depths, but most of the time they are near the bottom.”  

Presentation

“I like to do two methods. The first approach is passive fishing and my personal favorite. For this we use tip-up devices like Jaw Jackers, Automatic Fisherman, or my homemade version of the Jaw Jacker. These devices are like the old school “tip ups” that are traditionally used for walleyes and pike. With these passive devices you drop your bait down the hole, set it to fish at a certain depth, and bend the rod tip down to fasten it to a spring loaded trigger mechanism. When a fish runs with the bait, it pulls on the rod tip which releases the spring trigger and sets the hook for you. The beauty of passive fishing is that you can cover a lot of water efficiently and the rods are super fun to see or hear go off! Once a fish is hooked, it’s a footrace to see who can get to the rod first. When setting these up it’s important to fish some close to the bottom and others off the bottom. Finding the ideal depth may take a little experimentation and this ensures that you’re targeting the most active fish at the right depth.  

The catfish rig I prefer for passive fishing is a very small Carolina rig using a small treble or J hook, and it's important to size your hook to the size of fish you are chasing. The rig is similar to a standard slip sinker rig and includes the hook, 3-4” monofilament leader, small swivel, small bead and a 1/4 oz bullet sinker. I specifically use bullet sinkers, because they’re easier to get up out of the hole when bringing in a fish. They don't get hung up on the bottom of the hole like other sinkers can, and this reduces the risk of losing cats at the hole. I also like the Carolina rig in situations where the fish want live bait, because with the short leader live baits can swim a little more, improving the overall presentation and attracting more fish.

The second method is active fishing, and for this technique I use a Whisker Seeker Tomkat ice jig, buckshot rattle spoon, or a tingler spoon. The Tomkat jigs are nice, because they sink fast, have sharp treble hooks, and are easy to mark with your electronics and set at the right depth. When active fishing, I hop from one hole to the next to locate fish on the bottom, dropping the jig down and twitching it until they come to the bait. You will see a “mark” on the flasher when a fish comes off the bottom, and at this point it’s important to hold the bait as still as possible. When the catfish bites, you’ll feel a thump and then the fight is on! Sometimes it takes a little while for them to bite as they are tasting it with their whiskers or actually rubbing their bodies up against it. We’ve documented this behavior with underwater cameras, and it can be maddening! Pro tip: If there’s a set of tip-up rods that keep getting bit, you can catch even more fish by actively jigging in the area.”

Bait

“For me, if there’s shad in the waters I'm fishing then shad is king for bait and the guts are best. The main thing for ice cats is you don't want a huge piece of bait. Their metabolism is slowed way down in the cold water, so it’s harder for them to digest big baits. As a result, a small piece of shad guts about the size of a marble usually works well. If that’s not working, you can cut some small chunks of shad and try those as well, but try to keep them the size of a dime or your fingernail. I filet one side off the bait fish and cut small chunks with bones and some without bones. Catfish can be really picky during winter.

Other good baits are fresh bluegill or crappie, if legal in your state, and cut suckers or minnows work too. When using minnows, I like to pinch them in half. First hook the tail portion, then the head, and finally put a small live minnow on the hook. For this presentation, treble hooks come in handy as you can separate the different pieces on the multiple hooks. When using a Carolina rig, the short leader allows the minnow to jiggle around and create some action to grab their attention. When catfish come to the bait they have the option to grab the live minnow or the chunks depending on their mood.  

If you’re on a body of water that holds larger fish over 10 pounds, experiment with larger baits to target these fish. If that doesn’t work, sometimes downsizing the bait and going with a small jigging spoon or tungsten jig tipped with a couple wax worms is the ticket. Believe it or not, there are days when tiny wax worms or spikes will outperform shad guts or even fresh cut bait.”

Rods/line

“My go-to rod for passive fishing for ice cats with tip-ups is the Whisker Seeker Whisker Stick. It's a 38 inch rod that comes in both spinning and casting configurations. The flex in these rods makes it fun to catch small cats while still having enough backbone to handle the biggest fish in the lake. The Whisker Sticks work good for jigging as well, but I also use standard light to medium ice rods for active fishing.

When ice fishing for catfish, I run anywhere from 30 pound Whisker Seeker Braid to 4 pound monofilament line. In my experience cats aren’t line shy and the color doesn't matter either. You want to size your line to the style of fishing and the size of fish you are chasing. In most Iowa waters, 4-6 pound monofilament or braid will work just fine. However, there are some lakes in Iowa and other states where the channel cats can reach 20 pounds or more. For these lakes I upsize my line to improve the odds of landing trophy cats at the hole. Sometimes big cats really thrash around the edges of the hole, and it’s nice to have the extra security of heavier lines to prevent slicing and breakage.

Electronics 

“Having good electronics can greatly increase your efficiency when ice fishing. For beginners and anglers on a budget, the old school flashers work well. However, experienced ice anglers that want the latest and greatest technology use the Panoptics LiveScope. If a guy can afford it, I strongly recommend a sonar unit that can display the topographical maps (Lakemaster, Navionics) of the lakes you're fishing. If your unit doesn't have this ability you can always download the Navionics app on your smartphone. That way you can pinpoint the structure you want to fish. It’s also fun to have an underwater camera that lets you observe the fish working a bait as it provides anglers the next level understanding on how fish react to your jigging or certain baits.”

Ice fishing for catfish is the latest evolution in the pursuit of these worthy predators, and Whisker Seeker has the gear and expertise you need to put more fish on the ice. Using Troy’s tips and techniques will make you a more successful ice angler, and as always, please use selective harvest when fishing for catfish and even more so during the winter when they are in big schools. It’s easy to get carried away when the cats are biting, and overfishing a wintering hole can have severe consequences to fish populations. Finally, don’t forget to visit www.WhiskerSeeker.com for more information and products dedicated to ice cats.