Tom Gruenwald helps clear the transducer cord as Vexilar’s Corey Studer works a fish. The trick is to slowly and carefully shift the cord away from the line, drawing the cord against the ice while steadily lifting at a 45-degree angle.

This isn’t just another series of tips for catching more fish, it’s literally about how to “land” one or more, or how to “ice” more fish. A large percentage of fish are lost at the hole due to poorly-tied knots, old or damaged line, improperly set drags, line becoming wrapped around transducer cords or snagged on rough ice surrounding holes, incorrectly played or handled fish, etc.

Here are some tips designed to help turn more hook-ups into successfully iced fish:

Clear the ice
In our haste to fish, it’s easy to drill holes without cleaning the surrounding ice. Multi-angled piles of slush often freeze into rough masses of sharp-edged, line-snatching claws that easily snag loops of line, wreaking havoc upon otherwise rigorously vigilant ice anglers—just don’t chance it and clean it off well.

 Line and knots
Always spool with fresh line consisting of a suitable style, strength and diameter properly wound to avoid line twist and any line-weakening issues. And should your line be subjected to any type of potential damage or show the slightest hint of deterioration, cut back that portion and retie or re-spool entirely.

Knot failure happens more often than most admit. Learn to properly tie essential ones, such as an improved clinch or a Palomar. And despite the tendency to cheat when your fingertips are cold, always double-check the knots after tying and or retying, as necessary. Reeling up a line exposing a telltale terminal curly-cue is disheartening and embarrassing, but it’s also avoidable.

Drag
In the heat of the battle, taking time to fine-tune the drag is frequently overlooked. Be sure to set the drag before lowering your lure beneath the ice. Just don’t forget that once a fish is hooked, you’ll seldom find the drag setting perfectly tuned. So after the fight is on, raise your rod tip slightly, and with the line tight, give the drag a quick click or two in the appropriate direction, providing a fish-saving move.

Solid hook-set
Be alert, stay focused and don’t second-guess yourself. If you sense a strike, be confident and react. Lower your rod tip slightly to help ensure that the fish takes the bait while simultaneously reeling down to tighten the line. Then snap the rod upward with a quick, sharp upward movement. Just be sure to align the strength of this motion with the species. If you’re fishing bony-mouthed pike or walleyes with large, heavy lures or baits in deeper water, increase the height of that lift and amount of force used. However, if you’re fishing shallow for soft-mouthed species like crappies, tone the intensity down correspondingly.

Clear that transducer cord
Once a fight begins, this becomes a primary concern of any winter angler. Those spending serious time on the ice are fully aware it doesn’t take long for line to wrap around a swinging transducer, especially when the ice is a couple of feet thick and there’s an equal length of cord extending to the base of the ice. This situation intensifies exponentially when fishing ultralight systems and light lines.

Provided you have a partner handy who can offer assistance with pulling the transducer and moving your sonar to a safe distance, all may be well. But that person needs to be responsive, and very careful. More than once I’ve had a well-meaning bystander unintentionally move their head, arm, or even the cord itself directly into the path of my line. The trick is to slowly and carefully shift the transducer cord to the side opposite of the line, drawing the cord against the ice while steadily lifting at a 45-degree angle. This way, the transducer is stabilized below and rises straight up along the edge with minimal swaying motion. But if you’re on your own, extend your rod high (not fully extended) to keep the line tight while directing your line away from the cord as best as you can, then lift it free as described above. Don’t have your rod-hand arm in a fully extended position; should the fish make a sudden rush upward you may need that extra available lift to maintain adequate line tension. When situations become tense, you’re often better off to simply let go of the transducer cord and use both hands to focus on regaining control of the fish. Once that’s accomplished, you can return to dealing with that malevolent transducer.

Maintain a tight line
This is typically more of a challenge for inexperienced anglers, but depending on the situation, depth and species, the formation of slack line can happen to anyone. This usually occurs when a fish makes a sudden turn or an upward movement or the rod tip is abruptly lowered. After the hook has been set and the drag appropriately adjusted, keep your rod tip up and use its bend to maintain continual pressure on the fish. If slack is allowed to form, the fish may be able to use the weight of your lure as leverage to shake the hook free. Be careful not to apply too much pressure, especially with crappies that have soft mouth tissues. A tear in this membrane allows increased opportunity for hooks to slip loose.

Hold your rod neck-high
Many factors determining success rates are based on angling skills that are often overlooked. Actions such as positioning your rod neck-high provides improved control, helps maintain a tight line and allows you to lower the rod if the fish makes a hard run or to raise it if the fish suddenly rushes toward the surface.

Keep ‘green’ fish at a distance
We are all in a hurry to secure our catch, but moving too hastily can bring problems. A strong, thrashing “green” fish—still filled with energy—will do everything possible to escape, making determined, head-shaking runs and rises while abruptly changing directions, opposing your force and evading capture. Provided you’ve done everything correctly—using fresh line, checking your knot and drag, moving a transducer cord, positioning a rod tip at the correct level while maintaining an appropriately tight line and clearing the fish of any potential line tangling cover below, working the fish strategically against the constant tension and flex of your rod—will eventually induce fatigue. These spent fish are much easier to control and guide safely into the ice’s hole.

Turn and guide the head carefully
Once the fish has tired, steadily raise its head; using your rod tip, carefully turn and guide its nose into the hole. At times, it can be quite a challenge to turn the head of a lengthy fish into an 8- or 10-diameter hole.                Just be patient and use your rod tip to slide the tired fish slightly backward while raising it up into the hole. Once a large one is facing upward within the hole, they can’t turn easily and it’s impossible for them to swim backward, so any swimming motion they offer will only work in your favor. You’ll need to be more careful with the smaller fish in larger-diameter holes. Panfish in particular are very capable of turning, so in these instances I like the added insurance of using smaller-diameter holes. I will often gently slip a skimmer cup beneath each fish as I safely guide and land it to the surface of the ice.

Careful at the surface
Once the fish’s head reaches the surface, seek help. Have your assistant gently place both hands securely around the fish while sliding it out onto the ice. Or, where applicable, lip-lock the jaw and gently but firmly lift the fish. If you’re planning to keep one and are using a gaff, commit and be swift with the final movement and steer those hook points—especially when using a treble-hooked gaff—away from the ice. With fish destined for release, never use a gaff, squeeze the gut or handle sensitive areas such as the gills or eyes. Once through the ice and out of the water, support the fish carefully at the belly, gripping only the less-sensitive jaw or tail regions then carefully remove the hooks and return your fish to the water promptly to promote a successful release.

Tom Gruenwald has contributed to the modern “ice fishing revolution” over the years by authoring hundreds of magazine articles and four books on the subject, all while spending countless hours promoting the sport through his seminars, appearances and award-winning television program, “TGO, Tom Gruenwald Outdoors,” now airing on Sportsman Channel, Wild TV and Midco Sports.