Cold Weather Fishing Tips

These cold weather fishing tips should help bring you some better luck if the recent weather most of Minnesota has been experiencing decides to stick around for another month... which is looking more and more like the case!

The first tip is to stay warm! This usually means starting dry and keeping dry. Packing extra gloves, hats and dressing in layers is the key. Hey, we're Minnesotans... we know this!

When fishing those still frigid Minnesota lakes and rivers, remember fish are cold blooded animals. Their metabolism changes with the temperature of their habitat. When the water temps are cooler, they slow down and feed less. One cold weather fishing tip is to use smaller, slower baits and lures.

Because of their slow metabolism, fish feed less. This means they look for smaller meals that are easier to catch... why do you think ice fishing lures are so tiny?! Try and avoid those fast retrieval lures with jerky movements for something a bit slower.

One of the biggest keys to fishing is knowing where the fish are at (DUH!). One of the tricks I use is to check the belly of the first fish I catch (assuming I catch anything) for silt. If there's any sandy residue on the underside of the fish, there's a good chance it's been on the bottom for some time. If this is the case, I'll switch to a slow-moving, vertical fishing pattern just off the bottom.

Hopefully these tips bring you more success! Until next time... pray for a warm up and more active fish!