St. Croix Report

St. Croix’s hyper-performance Croix Custom Ice (CCI) SeriesSt. Croix’s hyper-performance Croix Custom Ice (CCI) Series

In northern climates, long rods and long casts will soon give way to hardened surfaces and vertical presentations with short sticks as impassioned anglers try to pull a host of fish species through holes in the ice. But simple sticks they’re not. Growing numbers of ice anglers expect to take full advantage of new materials, improved ergonomics, advanced construction methods, and ice-specific componentry to give them the upper hand in their personal hardwater pursuits. More than ever, fishing tools that deliver more success and more enjoyable on-ice experiences are in demand.

Technique-specific custom ice rods like St. Croix’s hyper-performance Croix Custom Ice (CCI) Series have increased the ice-IQ of anglers across the Ice Belt, offering presentation- and species-driven lengths, powers, and actions that simply make better tools for any given task. But even as high-tech options far surpassing the overly whippy, rug-beater ice rods of old abound, anglers demand some middle ground, too.

No doubt, that’s a lot of options, but first ice is often all about having such options. Enter legendary fishing guide, Rob Manthei of St. Germain, Wisconsin. Manthei needs little introduction to those in musky circles; he is widely regarded to be among the best musky anglers, not just in a specific geographic area or time period, but one of the best ever. What many don’t know, however, is that Rob also has a deep-rooted passion for ice fishing for walleyes and panfish.

Break Line and Deep Option ‘Eyes

Early in the season, Manthei primarily fishes first-break weed lines to target aggressively feeding walleyes. “We can fish multiple lines here, so it’s nice to set up a tip-up or two to monitor an area, but we catch most of our early fish by actively jigging,” he says. “The fishing can get tougher as the season drags on, so I really focus on that first streak of good ice.” Simple 1/16-to-1/8-ounce spoons tipped with either a minnow head or complete minnow fit the shallower depth range and size profile that hungry walleyes are looking for this time of year. “Good green weeds are definitely one of the keys here,” adds Manthei, who takes note of the best weed beds during the late stages of his open-water fishing and returns to them at first ice.

Another great first-ice option on some of Manthei’s waters are deeper grass flats where fish can settle out into larger areas. “Especially on many of the basin lakes I fish, we’ll find first-ice walleyes slid out a little deeper than many people might think,” he says. “You’ll have to up your spoon size a bit to get down to these fish, but the strategy is much the same.” Again, Manthei employs a set-line approach with several tip-ups as an efficient way to monitor high-percentage spots, while he and his pals press the edges with aggressive jigging presentations. “We’re looking for roving packs of hunting walleyes near changes in bottom content or other deeper structure. What we find while jigging regularly changes up the game plan,” adds Manthei, noting that it’s often an evolving bite. “Walleyes can start deeper and then just move their way up to a break, so you either have to anticipate that move, or move with them. Be prepared to drill a lot of holes and move your tip-ups a lot.”

Panfish Prowling

Manthei also enjoys chasing schooling crappies which congregate in basins come first ice and often remain there throughout much of the rest of the season. Schools of moving fish can require additional drilling and searching, making basin crappies a cat-and-mouse game until you settle over the group of fish, which may not last long. Once found, teasing fish into biting can be the most important part of the equation. Electronics are key, and so is being able to get down to marked fish before they disappear. “It’s fun to settle in over the top of a big school of fish and figure out what trips their trigger,” Manthei says. “So often for us, that’s a 1/16-ounce spoon. It offers them some finesse and smaller profile, yet also provides flash and the ability to fish down to the crappies fast.”

Hi-vis orange tips on select Tundra rods help anglers detect strikes from light-biting panfish like crappies, making the entire process of visual bite-detection that much easier. “I really like the models with a soft, extra fast tip. If they breathe on it, you’ll see it; there’s just no need for a spring bobber on these light power, extra-fast glass rods,” says Manthei. “That’s true when they just thump it and the rod tip drops, and also when they rise up and hit it, which often makes the rod tip lift in the process.”