ice fishing caalling them in.

Icing Early Eyes
Ron Anlauf

Calling Them In
by Cory Schmidt

This game of "power attraction" is kind of an up-and-coming thing in fishing circles right now-- something I believe we're going to be hearing and reading about much more in the future. With the proper application of underwater cameras to certain situations (not just in icefishing), as you've talked about, we're gaining a new level of understanding in fish behavior relative to our presentations.

Beyond 'Judas baits'-- i.e. big vibrating bladebaits or jumbo baitfish-- which work to draw fish into your fishing zone, but won't necessarily catch them, it is in some cases the camera housing itself that works to decoy fish. For example, we've seen walleyes, perch and smallmouth bass drawn in from great distances simply by repeatedly banging the housing on the tops of large rock.

Along this same vein, many of us have experienced the effects of agitating bottom in sand or silt areas with a lure or camera. It stirs sediment, which often attracts baitfish, perch, bluegills and ultimately larger predators.

This phenomenon has been repeatedly demonstrated with walleyes on Mille Lacs mudflats-- even in the face of anglers who swear that disturbing this soft subtrate spooks walleyes everytime (it's that "Don't drag your sinker in the mud" theory you've heard about). But this just is not the case.

In researching material for a magazine article on this subject, Nature Vision's Jeff Zernov and Ron Lindner both have told me about their strong beliefs in this power attraction factor-- not just on Mille Lacs, either. Walleyes often appear out of nowhere in areas where they've mudied the water with a camera or substrate collection can.

Presumably, of course, these fish are in a feeding mood. Or at the least, they're curious, which means they are also catchable.

Another example, somewhat analogous to the others are trout in streams. Many trout anglers, myself included, have while wading seen trout butt right up to their waders as we inadvertently kick insect larvae free from streambed rock. Trout move in to intercept this artificially-created feeding lane.

Sometimes, I've even felt little "pecks" on the downstream side of my waders, only to glance down and see a big trout attempting to eat some tidbit of food off my leg-- a nymph that's been jarred loose from a rock is clutching to my waders.

Back to ice fishing, many of us have toyed with ideas and methods to retain fish in our area, rather than just catching one or watching through a camera as a pod of fish swims past your hole.

As many of us have so often observed while sitting atop a seemingly high-percentage area along a drop-off or weedline, small pods of fish like crappies, bluegills, walleyes, perch and lake trout cruise along the edge in a methodical fashion. Often, but a single fish peels off the pod, briefly inspects your lure and continues swimming along a definite path.

If we can learn to really tie into this deal, that is, compel fish to remain in our fishing zone, then we've gone a long way toward taking fishing to a different level. That's what it's all about.

Ultimately, it's perhaps important to define the ethics of how far we take these practices. But that's in the future. For now, it is intriguing to keep this discussion open to other observation-- yours!

-a friend called Toad

[Editors Note]: The Angel Eye Spoon is an excellant vehicle for attracting fish and when slightly jiggled can entice a good bite. The Angel Eye JR is effective for Crappies and Perch. Click here to see them.