Fish-Hawk.Net

We were out to Buckham s Bay on Saturday. I stayed on the ice in short sleeves for a few hours before putting on a sweater. Great day, but only two fish. A silver one which was not a bass or a sucker and a perch. I did set out in a half-hearted attempt to find schooling fish by drilling test holes along the shoreline. I followed a map with depths indicated, and made a hole about every forty feet apart and a stop-time at each hole of 20 minutes, and, if no response, move on to my next spot down the shoreline. I do not have a powr auger so drilling many holes at randem at any given spot may not be an option. I can conduct my search over a long stretch of ice, or I limit my search to several locations and drill multiple holes. I was thinking of trying both approaches. But what works best for you.

You know I have tried this approach many times with differing success but the thought that travels through my head all the time is this...

What if the fish are one step behind me???

So should you randomly go back and check the old holes again???

I find it really depends on what type of water your fishing and what type of fish as well.

If I'm fishing large, structureless flats for roaming fish, I don't move too much. I just use something flashy and sit and wait.

If I'm targetting fish relating to structure I'd try to hit as many spots in a day as you can if one goes cold. This could mean fishing different points or different humps, or just moving to the other side of a point or hump or something.

I think it may have to do with the water you were fishing. I'm the same as bradford, when I fish large mostly featurless areas, like buckams, I dont move as much. Its just seems to be a to much of a guessing game where the fish are going to be. That being said, there are a few little variances like small ponits in buckams that could hold fish more often the the lagre flat basin area or the standard drop off that runs around the bay. Oh yeah, not sure if you have a flasher or not, but to me that is the most important part of run and gun. You could be right on top of them, just using the wrong bait and you wont know.

run and gun is tough without a sled, power auger, and sonar/fish finder
so I usually drill holes in the same general area but at different depths or points on and around structure. If I had those three items I mentioned above I'd probably move around ALOT if I wasn't getting any action.
Having a gameplan and some gas powered toys can make it almost impossible to get skunked.

Like the last guy said, it's important to try different depths, maybe morese that different spots. For example Sunday morning we drilled about 15 holes for 2 guys in depths ranging from 12 - 30 fow. That particular morning the fish didn't seem to be schooled and we'd often get one fish on the drop in a new hole.

that silver fish - good chance it was a mooneye - lots on the ottawa river - although I have never actually caught one through the ice... as for drilling holes - drill, drill, drill until you find something!!