Nick Simonson
By Nick Simonson
The great mysteries of what fish experience are likely something the average angler, and perhaps even the best ichthyologist, may never truly know. What and a walleye sees underwater is anybody's guess, and it's easy to anthropomorphize their approach to eating an unsuspecting minnow, or even better, imagine they have some sort of magical heat vision like the Predator from the eponymous sci-fi-action movie series from the 1980s. Just like we know that fish can see their prey in some way, it's very evident that they can hear as well, and the ice fishing season provides great evidence of this.
Who hasn't punched a hole and moved on to another one, or two, or a dozen more before coming back to the first one in the ice? Who hasn't thrown a rock in with a resounding splash and watched a school of bluegills in the shallows scoot away at the impact? We know fish hear things, but what we likely don't know is what their prey sounds like. Sure, I've grabbed a crayfish in freshwater from time to time, and hooked up a clicking shrimp when fishing inshore in salty environs, and I know both make a clickity-clack noise, but really, does most prey make any noise just before it gets eaten? I don't know if that answer matters, because making a little noise when searching fish out under the ice often pays off, and unlike high school math class, showing your work as to why isn't necessarily a requirement.
The expansion of rattling baits, from metal spoons with tubes built into them, to vertically-jigged crankbaits with a selection of shot in their hollow bodies all have changed the way we search for active fish under the ice, and unlike the thrown rock or the dock bounced upon in summer, the slight rattling of these lures seems to be an effective way of drawing fish in for a look and, oftentimes, enticing a bite with just a bit of sound added to the equation. So, while we may not know how sound specifically registers with the hearing of fish, we know that it does, and the results are often good – and that's good enough.
However, there are times where even a rattling spoon is too much, and the cadence at which its call is cast out needs to be a bit muted. On days following cold fronts, in clearer waters, and any other time the fishes' moods require the need for a bit more finesse, downsizing any bait – including a noisemaking bait – is a good idea. Then, a subtle shimmy, or shorter hops may be required in the cadence, as opposed to those bigger jumps and harder shakes that kick out more noise and solicit a strike from aggressive fish at first or last ice. In some conditions, it's best to use a rattling lure simply as an attractor, to bring neutral or negative fish into the lighter sound of something edible (we presume) and let them take a look at a minnow or other live bait offering suspended in the adjacent hole. Even in those tougher times, shaking things up with a rattling lure is a good way to put the call out that dinner is ready, but it's the difference between shouting it and simply stating it.
Keep this in mind as the hardwater season progresses from early ice into the doldrums of midwinter. Utilize spoons and baits with built-in rattles in an adjusted manner as the fish require. When things are on and the action is fast, go wild and really shake things up. Following a front, or at the mid-point of the season, use rattles as an attractor only, not expecting any bite on such an active lure, but taking the bonus whenever it comes.
From perch, to walleyes, to pike, what they see and hear under the water will always remain a puzzle that we won't have all the pieces to, but we do know that sound plays a role, and through trial, error, and experimentation, you'll be able to find the right sound from the right ice fishing lure that gets them all rattled up and sets off a strike.
Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors.
Featured Photo: Spoons with rattles built in them, like the Lindy Flyer, have been triggering bites under the ice for decades. Simonson Photo.
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