A Time to Spear

Sometimes people tell me that they cannot stand the dead of winter in the upper Midwest. The same message usually entails there is nothing to do or everything is cold and boring. Well, I think there might have a possible solution to their boredom; a new addiction and chemical free I should add.

Imagine, hunting on ice. That’s right, hunting on ice. Spearing is a relatively new sport in North Dakota and it is one of the most entertaining activities going. There are days when northern pike come in like a flash of lightning with mouths wide open, smack your decoy, and trash it like a vicious dog would do to a teddy bear. There have been times I was startled with how fast they streak toward the hole and attack. There are other days when they slowly roll in offering you the opportunity to observe their natural behavior. There are many “little things” that you need to know and do correctly to have success with spearing. My goal is to help by sharing hints and tips accustomed to this awesome sport. When clarity is good, it is like watching an action movie: The only difference is that spearing is the real deal and it is all happening just inches below you. 



How it All Works
It is really a pretty simple sport to get started with (and fairly inexpensive). When it’s all said and done you’ll be looking at spending $300 to $400. Below is a list of items you’ll need to be successful. 

Spear
Young Manufacturing makes awesome spears with interchangeable heads to accommodate the angler on different spearing circumstances.

Tents
Mobility is something I strive for and suggest to anyone interested in spearing. The Ice Cube (made by Eastmans) is a great mobile tent compromised of lightweight material and easy to set. If you choose a different tent be sure the interior is black.

Decoy & Attractants
Dewey’s decoys are a personal favorite. They have every color imaginable and also a good variety of sizes. Another reason I like Dewey’s decoys is many of them have blades attached, which is great for attracting northerns. Spoons will also work to attract fish as well.

Hole Prep
An ice saw and tongs will aid in preparing your spearing hole.  There are many brands available.
 

Note: You can leave the treble hooks on this year, which is the first year this has been allowed in North Dakota.

Location
You have all heard the statement, “location, location, location.” The same applies to spearing. If the water is not clear, spearing will be difficult if not impossible. Some lakes will have the clarity change from year to year. Even if you know a certain lake is loaded with northerns, you must have clarity before you will ever stick one. We will often drill holes and put a decoy or a bright lure down and see if we can still see it. If you can’t see it after the lure goes a few feet down the hole, it probably won’t work for spearing. Underwater cameras can be very useful for checking clarity as well. If you can locate your lure near the bottom, you should be able to spear. You can also drop rice, lima beans, egg shells, and potato peels down your hole to help with vision. Putting any of these items down your hole will help you to differentiate the bottom from where the fish is located in the water column. I have personally used egg shells before in a lake with average clarity, and it really helped me see fish more quickly and easily.

Depths
On average I would say that I spear in 6-14 feet of water. You can go shallower and you can go deeper. These are just the depths that I seem to do well in. The important thing to remember is that northerns will come up in the water column and you do not have to have your decoy on the bottom. In fact, I almost always run my decoy about 3-6 feet below the ice. I try to run it as high in the water column as I can get away with. This is something that you can play with and may need to tweak from day to day.

Shallow bays with good clarity in known northern waters are great places to work if you are looking for numbers of fish. Don’t expect as many big fish in these areas (obviously, you could still see one). Just know that the shallower bays usually produce more numbers than size. If you are looking for that big fish, I would recommend drop-offs. I have seen/speared many fish between 15-25 pounds, and all of them have had deeper water close by. It seems like the bigger fish need that deep water close, just something to keep in mind.

Cutting Your Hole
I will usually start by drilling 9 holes with the auger. Between each hole there might be a 3-6 inch gap. Our holes are usually about 2.5 feet by about 3 to 3.5 feet. The next step is to cut your hole. Follow the outside holes all the way around until you have made a rectangle. I will usually cut the rectangle into halves or thirds and then pull out the ice chunks with ice tongs. Remove all ice debris. When you get your house over the hole, bank it in with snow so you limit the light and reflections.

Working the Decoys
I am personally a believer in creating motion with my decoys under the hole. There are some days when a more subtle approach may work for bringing northerns in, I just prefer to take a more aggressive approach and go after active fish. Sometimes you will notice a fish hanging just out of range or one that is just swimming around the decoy. This is when it gets fun and you can play around and see what they want. This year, North Dakota also made it legal to angle out of your spearing holes. It is a lot of fun to watch a northern come in and smack your lure. Overall, northerns are aggressive fish and they have a hard time passing up a decoy moving around.

Throwing Your Spear
The best time to go for your spear is when the northern is directly below your hole. The only exception to this rule is if there is one swimming around and hasn’t totally committed to your lure yet. This may give you time to get your spear ready before the fish comes back into your hole. Also, while waiting for a fish to come into your hole, angle your spear so one of the tines is in the ice and the rest are in the water, and you will have the shaft of the spear resting on your shoulder. Most spears are heavy and it is not realistic to hold your spear for hours at a time. Having your spear ready to go is a huge advantage. When you release your spear at the fish, try to aim behind the head of the fish. It is also important to have your spear lined up perpendicular to the body of the fish. This will give you a better chance at hitting the fish. When you bring your spear into the water, try to be as quiet as possible and try to avoid making a splash when the spear enters the water. Once you line up your spear with the fish, just simply use your bottom hand as a guide and your top hand to push it off. I say push because you really don’t want to throw the spear. This may lead to your spear darting off from the path that you desire.

Must Do’s

Use heavy braided line on your decoys. I would recommend 15-25 pound test.