Michiana Sportsman Spotlight
Hometown: Edwardsburg, Mich.
Occupation: Clear H2o store manager
Favorite species and biggest fish of that species: crappie, 16 1/2inches.
Favorite Michiana lake: Wawasee
Hobbies when not fishing: Deer hunting
If you only had one lure and why: Ice fly. It catches big ones.
Favorite rod and reel: HT Ice Blue, 24-inch ultralight ($6) and Schooley reel ($14).
Best tip to give a new Michiana angler: Safety aside, have a sonar to know there are fish below you.
By Louie Stout
You probably know Brian Hensley best for his successes as a tournament bass angler or the expertise he offers as store manager at Clear H2o Tackle.
He’s still an avid bass angler, but during the wintertime, he spends his time hammering panfish through the ice on lakes across southern Michigan and northern Indiana.
He’s not a conventional ice angler. He’s one of the best you’ll find when it comes to fishing ice flies through hard water and even makes and sells his creations at Clear H2o.
He likes to find new waters and focuses primarily on lakes with shallow water. He’s not afraid to venture outside his immediate area.
“I’m pickier about the size of fish I’m catching than I am about getting a limit,” he says. “I don’t keep bluegils under 8 inches or crappies under 10 inches.“
Here’s a Q&A we did with him about his wintertime tactics:
MON: It’s remarkable that you work at a tackle shop that offers a lot of premium ice rods and reels, but you’re fishing with a $20 combo. Why is that?
HENSLEY: The setup I use is one I’ve used for years and I’m comfortable with it. Plus, I carry several rods onto the ice, so I have each one rigged with a different jig weight and color. I’ve tried the graphite rods but they are too fast for me. I fish with fiberglass rods that are parabolic and have a slower bend. That allows me to use lighter line and lose fewer fish.
MON: Does that have a lot to do with your technique?
HENSLEY: Absolutely. Fishing flies requires a subtle presentation and the rods give me that. The drag is pretty darn good on that $6 reel. Now, it may not last more than two seasons because the line guide will get a groove and wear out. I just get a new one.
MON: So, you don’t use a bobber or livebait?
HENSLEY: Most of my rods have a small wire spring bobber. I will sight fish if water clarity allows and my third option is to tightline my flies. If I’m not getting bit on the flies, I may use livebait 20 percent of the time; I will use a little Dot jig head, put a spike on it, and tightline with a spring bobber.
MON: What size line?
HENSLEY: I like the 2-pound Sunline, but if around big fish, I will step up to 3 pound. If fishing shallow, I like monofilament with a fluorocarbon leader. If fishing deeper than 10 feet, I use straight fluorocarbon. If I go to bigger line, it’s tough to get that little fly to sink. I also like the Sufix Advance monofilament because it’s neon colored. It helps me see subtle bites as the bait is falling.
MON: You said you like to sight fish panfish. Tell me about that.
HENSLEY: I use electronics, mostly a Humminbird Ice 55, but a lot of times I’m visually looking into the hole for fish, especially in water 5 feet or less. Oftentimes you can see them suck the bait in.
MON: Tell me about your “Brian’s Flies.”
HENSLEY: I make them out of various materials, but generally with floss, tubing or with UV resin. For crappies, I prefer bright colors, like chartreuse or orange, neutral colors for bluegills in clear water and pink or orange in stained water.
MON: How do you work the flies?
HENSLEY: Like anything else, you have to let the fish tell you what they want on a given day. I usually use a subtle rocking/ jigging motion. I’ll raise the fly slowly, stop about a foot off bottom and keep rocking it, then raise another foot and repeat it. Sometimes dead-sticking is better. I just experiment until I find the rhythm they want. When fishing crappies, I do the same thing in reverse; start high in the water and work it downwards.