The key today was going deep and slow — I never fished shallower than 43 feet today and used ultralight gear to sense the very light bite of the very lethargic white bass I located.

I experimented with a new 6′ ultralight rod presented to me by flyrod manufacturer Temple Fork Outfitter. The rod is made with a 3 weight flyrod blank. I coupled light 6 pound mono with an ice fishing jig and worked over schools of very stationary, lethargic white bass today with good success.

Start Time: 7:15a

End Time: 5:00p

Air Temp: 50F at trip’s start.

Water Surface Temp: 48.8F

Wind: SE the entire day at 5-9 until ~2:45p when winds went slack.

Skies: Grey, heavy cloud cover dropping light mist and occasional light drops of precipitation through the dayr.

Environmental Note: Spotted first flocks of robins on 12 Jan.

In summary, I found fish bunched in two distinct locations today, both very similar to one another in that they were both 43-48′ deep and adjacent to even deeper water, with bait present.

The first locale spanned from Area 587 through Area 588 to Area 589 (BA – 20 G/T). I didn’t get on the fish here very well, as I was still trying to figure them out. I tried every form of smoking, easing, and jigging, but the fish would not respond, despite being suspended in schools which is usually indicative of a willingness to feed. I then tried downrigging with both a small and moderate sized lure, but still nothing – the fish definitely spooked down and away from the ‘rigger. I noted that fish would not chase a moving lure, and often were spooked downward by one. I left this area scratching my head.

At the second locale, spanning from Area 580 through Areas 581, 582, 583, 584, and 585 to Area 586 (BA – 45 G/T), I finally cracked the code. These fish responded well to a sniping technique, either used motionless (best for stationary, stacked fish) or with a slow upward movement (best for individual fish).

The strikes were very, very light, often just being detected as a change in pressure, not a true strike. Bare fingers were a must to feel the line, and watching the rod tip was also a must.

Although I fished until 5pm, all but 3 of these fish were caught by 2:40pm. It was at that time that the winds died and the fishing died with it.

The breakdown on the catch was 2 crappie, 5 largemouth, 7 hybrid (4 legal), and 91 white bass.

TALLY = 105 fish, all caught and released

***For a complete listing of gear and lures used, please go to the “About” tab, and click on the “About Your Guide” page on the drop-down menu.