Deadstick, rattle reel, or bobber and minnow combinations are among the most utilized and familiar tactics used by today’s modern ice anglers. As simple as it sounds, three key factors will help you put more fish on the ice when using them: Split-shot placement, hook placement on the minnow, and the minnow itself.

Split-shot placement (or distance from the minnow) is extremely important and must be mastered. The good news is this applies to any bobber situation—hard or soft water!

Have you ever been in a fish house (or a boat) where one angler is outfishing the others three to one? If your answer is “no,” then you’re lying. It’s classic: Everybody has the same bait, the same color lure, the same line variety, the same depth, the same… you get the drift. But did anyone in the group note how far the distance between the minnow and the split-shot is on the “hot rod”? Probably not. The fact is, that little detail can be a deal breaker in the numbers of fish you catch.

It is important to match the activity of the minnow to the mood or feeding attitude of the fish. How many times have you witnessed on a Live Scope, Vexilar or AquaVu a fish cruising up to the bait, waiting for a second, and then sinking slowly away—all the time the bobber and minnow is cranking like the Indy 500 in the hole. Odds are that the minnow had a leash that was too long, so it was able to swim away from an inactive fish as it approached your minnow and “kinda tried” to eat it.

Time to adjust the split-shot placement and shorten the “leash”—to restrict the minnow from dodging death. Last I checked, it is much easier to catch a dog tied to a tree on a short leash versus a long leash, correct? Especially if you’re not in the mood to play keep away.

I start with an average of 7 inches of “leash” in between my minnow and split shot and adjust the distance from there. Now, if the fish are fairly active, a 7- to 10-inch leash typically works fine. But of course, that only happens 10 percent of the time, so I typically start at 7 inches, then move the split shot 1/2-inch at a time closer to the hook until bites are produced. On average, a 4- to 7-inch leash will catch the inactive or lazy fish. The shorter the leash—the smaller circle the minnow can swim to potentially escape from being eaten—is better.

Here’s some basic math: A 4-inch leash equals an 8-inch-diameter circle that the minnow can swim; a 7-inch leash equals a 14-inch-diameter circle the minnow can potentially swim. So, with that in mind, putting your split-shot 12 inches from the bait might not be that good an idea in general.

When the fishing first begins, make sure everyone varies their “leash” length and bait depth a little, but make sure that everyone has the same size/weight of split shot on their line. It’s easier to work as a team and figure out what the best distance is. The reason for equal weights is that all the minnows are “anchored” the same.

The first question you should ask the angler who caught the first two or three fish is: “How far is your split shot from your hook?” The second question should be: “How high off the bottom is the bait?” The third question I like to ask is: “Where or how are you hooking your minnow?”

Yep, that’s what I said. Is the minnow hooked up through the lips? In front of or behind the dorsal fin?

As a basic rule, avoid hooking the minnow through the lips while ice fishing with a rattle reel or bobber. It’s my personal professional opinion that hooking the minnow in front of the dorsal fin is better than the “traditional” behind the dorsal fin. The reason is that it is much easier for the minnow to actively swim around on “the leash.” I compare it to tying a rope around your waist (in front of the dorsal fin) versus around your ankles (behind the dorsal fin or close to the tail) and trying to run 100 yards. It’s obviously easier to run with the rope around your waist. This, of course, keeps the minnow happy and healthy much longer—which helps keep your dialed-in presentation more tempting. On that note, picking the right minnow is not to be taken for granted.

I tend to choose a minnow that is medium-sized (for the species that is being used). I avoid the monsters or the tiny minnows. I also aim for the minnows that are jumping out of the minnow scoop or jumping out of my hand multiple times. If the minnow is hard to catch or grip because it’s out of control—that’s the minnow I want. Give the lazy minnow to your buddy and start placing your bets.

Let’s face it. All minnows are not created equal. Time on the hook will quickly separate the good minnows from the bad minnows. Pay attention to the activity of the minnow via bobber movement, line twitching, or underwater camera. If you notice that your bobber or rattle reel line is not moving around much, ditch the dead-beat minnow and replace it with a new minnow—pronto! Also, if you have to “wake up the minnow” by jigging the line—ditch the old minnow and get a new one. There is no time for wimpy minnows. One of the downfalls and success killers while fishing in a sleeper fish house overnight is not getting up occasionally to put new minnows on the hook.

So, what it boils down to is that a good starting point for an effective deadstick, rattle reel, or bobber minnow combination is: A lively, medium-sized minnow hooked lightly in front of the dorsal fin, with the split shot placed 7 inches up from the hook. Remember, that’s just a starting point. Trial and error, along with detailed observations of what’s working, will quickly help you deduce what is needed at the time to capitalize on the fishing situation at hand.

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