Big Water Whitefish on Ice

Delectable whitefish attract a dedicated group of anglers who pursue them through the ice on the Great Lakes all winter. All five Great Lakes have some whitefish, but not many places around these sweetwater seas offer safe ice over the fish’s wintertime haunts. The bay of Green Bay in Wisconsin is one of several exceptions.

It’s on the radar because some of the fishing occurs close enough to the shoreline of Wisconsin’s Door County Peninsula that anglers don’t need a snowmobile or ATV. The bay also benefits from aggressive marketing by guides such as Bret Alexander, who takes clients to whitefish and walleye spots then supplies a steady stream of the video-taped escapades to www.icefishgreenbay.com.

Bottom line: The whitefish angling on Green Bay is darn good.

Wisconsin angler Justin Maes cashes in on these fish every winter. His approach is simple. He networks with fellow whitefish aficionados via www.lake-link.com to find areas producing fish. Then he and his companions head out, fire up gas-powered augers, and drill up to 30 holes.

“Whitefish like rocks,” says Maes. “Anywhere you find zebra mussels you find gobies and whitefish come in. I’ve found whitefish stomachs full of gobies up to an inch-and-a-half long.” Maes adds that whitefish can be five feet deep or 40 feet and deeper. He also recommends stealth. If too many anglers come out and make noise, whitefish scurry.

“That’s why we drill a lot of holes first thing, not after we start fishing,” says Maes. “Noise from drills and snowmobiles moves fish out. They’ll come back, but you never know when. One of my friend’s father-in-law comes sometimes and I don’t even want to be sitting close to him—he hoots and hollers too much.”

Tackle is simple. A 24 to 28 inch medium-action rod has the backbone to set the hook when the fish are deep; Maes spools his small spinning reel with six pound test P-line monofilament. His favorite lures are a green Northland Forage Minnow in the smallest, 1/16-ounce size, and a 1/12-ounce gold Acme Kastmaster spoon. Each gets tipped with a minnow head.

A trick: Thread a small number 12 treble or single hook on the main line and then attach an 18 inch leader via a barrel swivel. Bait the sliding hook with a waxworm. Whitefish might refuse the larger jigging spoon but grab the unobtrusive free-sliding hook.

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