I mark 'em, but they won't bite

Vollmer · Jan 3, 2016

I've had a few situations this year where the fish simply destroy my lure and it's an easy catch.

I've also had those moments where I mark the fish on the vex, but it's a battle to get them to trigger, and bite.

What do you do to get these finicky fish to bite?

The tactic that has been working best for me, as of late, is, if I see them leave, I'll immediately pound the bait into the ground 2-3 times quickly then do a small quick twitch with the bait just barely off the ground.

I don't know if it over-triggers their 'it's wounded' mechanism or what ...

I know that there are many options for trying to get that tough bite. So what do you do?

3Roosters · Jan 3, 2016

ahhh yes..those darn locked jaw fish at times!! What has worked for me on occasion for marked fish that don't want to bite, is I actually reel my lure back up the hole...get it out of the fishes sight if you will...kinda tease them if you will. Then drop lure back down so it thuds on the bottom. Some times it works..sometimes it doesn't..another thing I like to try is after I have reeled the lure up with a minnow head on it, I will either change out minnow heads or I will cut another portion off the minnow..so it is just a touch smaller. Other times...especially near dark, I will just reel in the lure if they aren't biting and RETAZE the lure with more light. Doing that has fooled many a walleye.
Lastly have another rod set up with a different lure/color/weight presentation handy to change out in a moment to see if maybe that finicky fish wants another lure than what you have down there currently.
Dang lock jawed fish sure makes things frustrating when you mark but they don't bite!

dean nelson · Jan 3, 2016

Have had allot of perch that you can get to chase it up for a couple feet but once up to the bait they immediately disappear of the vex. For those I've had good luck dropping the bait back down to about six inches off the bottom and do a little hula with the bait for a second or two then go full stop and let it hang for a bit. Most times the perch comes back in from the side a takes the head. Only problem is without the camera I would not have felt most of the hits they are so lite.

Brian Renville · Jan 3, 2016

Pretty much all of the tricks you guys have said can get things going. Amazing how many times I have dropped a different jig, color, shape, bait, down to have the same stare-only fish light it up. Sometimes however you get the feeling the only way to get them to bite is to annoy the heck out of them until they finally can't take it. And other times it just doesn't work at all. Go to youtube and watch some ice fishing videos and it amazes me how often fish will just stare a something without biting. Aggravating beyond belief yet it makes me feel a little better when I can watch someone else having the same issues as myself.

luvcatchingbass · Jan 3, 2016

If I'm confident in my color choice I will have a vertical hanging bait with a backup rod that has a horizontal option or if one or the other is mostly what they want I start with the bigger option and have a smaller presentation ready to go. These have helped me ice many a crappie while hole hopping.

ISELLGUNS · Jan 3, 2016

I have had luck also with pulling bait up maybe 5ft or so and letting it go back down. I also use really small minnows when they don't want to bite(if I have some). I seem to have better luck with smaller minnows. The other thing that has sometimes worked is if I put the line against one side of the hole and then pull it quickly to the other side and let it settle again. Kind of like trying to jig sideways.

svnmag · Jan 3, 2016

Small piece of American cheese or a smear of Powerbait. Don't start out with it, keep it as an ace up your sleeve.

Kickemup · Jan 3, 2016

Fresh bait sometimes even just a different type like a perch eye compared to a minnnow head.

Riggen&Jiggen · Jan 3, 2016

I have noticed a lot of times when that happens it is real small perch. I don't have a camera but if I have that happening to me I drop down a tiny jig with a wax worm. If it is small perch I will catch them with the tiny jig. I am taking about 3 or 4 inch perch. If I don't get anything on the tiny jig then I know the fish are being finicky. Give that a try next time and see if you catch any small perch.

thriller1 · Jan 4, 2016

Dynamite.

gonefshn · Jan 4, 2016

You've been fishing Devils haven't you......

Vollmer · Jan 4, 2016

gonefshn said:
You've been fishing Devils haven't you......

The DL system, anyway.

DirtyMike · Jan 4, 2016

My fishing experiences, so far this season, have been.....stressful. Friday = no snowmobile, a lot of snow on the lake. Marked one fish. Couldn't move much because I lifted legs two days prior and thought Lt. Dan got off easy. Sunday = snowmobile but glare ice. Marked some fish and even caught some. Had many that were just lookers. Packing up resulted in me slamming the seat down on my friends marcum, which was an accident, I swear. Forgot to see if the skirt on the ice house was frozen in. Headed to Menards for some more self taping screws. Had to be home by 1 p.m. according to my wife. Rolled into the driveway at 12:55 with a fist pump and G n' R on the radio. Wife was still mad because the puppy spilled her coffee, wine, and pooped on the floor.

SDMF · Jan 4, 2016

thriller1 said:
Dynamite.

Yep.

johnr · Jan 4, 2016

I had a guy set up next to me that had his kids with, the kids were not there to fish, they were there to run snow machine around my fish house for 4 hours straight. Turn the fish off hearing that old shitty sled run laps around the entire area people were trying to fish.How do you get fish to bite in that type of situation?Been a while since I have been that pissed at a persons lack of respect for the entire group of anglers.

Vollmer · Jan 4, 2016

johnr said:
I had a guy set up next to me that had his kids with, the kids were not there to fish, they were there to run snow machine around my fish house for 4 hours straight. Turn the fish off hearing that old shitty sled run laps around the entire area people were trying to fish.How do you get fish to bite in that type of situation?Been a while since I have been that pissed at a persons lack of respect for the entire group of anglers.

move ...

DirtyMike · Jan 4, 2016

johnr said:
I had a guy set up next to me that had his kids with, the kids were not there to fish, they were there to run snow machine around my fish house for 4 hours straight. Turn the fish off hearing that old shitty sled run laps around the entire area people were trying to fish.How do you get fish to bite in that type of situation?Been a while since I have been that pissed at a persons lack of respect for the entire group of anglers.

I think someone had mentioned dynamite.

- - - Updated - - -

Or fire up a few big cigars upwind of him.

Duckslayer100 · Jan 4, 2016

I grew up pretty much exclusively fishing panfish. Spring bobbers solved a lot of my problems. So many times something would come in and hit a traditional bobber but would hardly register. Bet my catch rate improved 10:1. To really dial it it I found hinged sometimes on the smallest details, like how many Euro-larvae we put on a hook. Sometimes on single, tiny worm did the trick. Otherwise it was 2 or 3. If it was 3 and you weren't getting bit, chances are one got pecked off and you needed to re-bait. Then, boom, fish on. Those metro pannies are the definition of fickle fish.

fnznfwl · Jan 4, 2016

Vollmer said:
The DL system, anyway.

We ran into the same situation. We cracked the code a bit Friday and found that changing lures made all the difference, even colors.

One guy in the trap would be catching fish, the guy next to him not a sniff, change lures and then bam. Then if we started getting stared at again, it was time to switch up lures again. Also found that a long pause would get get bites too. We even caught 3 or 4 fish the last trip out with rod sitting in the rod holder while outside drilling holes or tending to mother nature etc. and the guy in the house would be jigging like crazy and not getting a sniff.

FightingSioux · Jan 4, 2016

Make sure you always have a deadstick with mono line and a plain hook with a minnow through the back. If they don't take the jigging lure they will hit the plain hook. I will also pause the lure to see if they hit it then. Sometimes a camera and a small jigging rap can help you find out how the fish want it jigged. Without the camera you may never feel or see the bite.

I mark 'em, but they won't bite

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