Mist from the baitcast reel erupted into the morning air as the crankbait rocketed toward the conspicuous riprap that hugged the edge of the river. As soon as the lure hit the water it was brought to life with a few cranks on the reel.
Instantly the wobble of the lure going back and forth could be felt in the rod tip. It didn’t take very long for the lipped crankbait to start digging in the rocky bottom. Tick, tick, wham! Fish on as the lure got to the edge of the swifter current and it feels like a good one as the fluorocarbon line is being stretched by the bull-dogging fish in the current.
Tony Roach is no stranger to that game, as he fishes across northern Minnesota each winter, doing his best to put clients continuously on panfish, perch, and walleyes. It should come as no surprise then that underwater viewing systems are a key part of his strategy, and have been since their inception.
His camera and digital sonar approach mimics his now-famous “ice-trolling” concept of roaming select structural elements while drilling holes continuously, in an effort to both locate fish and stay on them. Few have drilled as many holes in the hardwater as Tony, and fewer yet have followed that up with as much underwater viewing as he has either.
The upshot is a 1-2 punch of underwater viewing and sonar that focuses on two main parts; the finding, and then catching, each of which utilizes different strong-suits of cameras and traditional sonar.
Finding and CatchingEarly Ice Walleyes It’s been a few years, but I’ve always been a big fan of full-moon fall…
Tony Roach, a man who has seen just about everything that swims on a host of ice-fishing sonar units. “That’s a walleye,” he confidently announced while staring at his MarCum M1. “See it belly-to-bottom, then come up, then drop down. It’s done it about three times in the past 30 seconds.” Eventually, Tony connects, bringing a particularly goldeneye up on a panfish jig of all things. How did he know it was a walleye, when we had landed nothing but gills the prior 10 hours on ice? More importantly, what are the tell-tale signs, species by species, that will help us determine what we’re fishing for, and ultimately what bait to present and how?
Everyone has personal preferences when it comes to their ice fishing sonar. MarCum has you covered whether you like the proven technology of an ice flasher, or the customization and cutting-edge performance of a digital system.
It’s important to note the differences and strengths between systems, as each category has come a long way in recent history.
TONY ROACH AND JOEL NELSON TALK ABOUT THE PAST 20 YEARS AND EVERYTHING THEY HAVE LEARNED A ANGLERS THROUGH THE LENS OF AN UNDERWATER CAMERA.