BLOG

Micro Lines for Macro Midwinter Panfish

Depending on your location in the Ice Belt, midwinter fishing patterns can start sometime around the second or third week of January and run well into March. Midwinter often means thick ice on lakes, deep snow decreasing light penetration to the depths below, and a host of panfish that just as easily sniff and swim by a less natural-looking bait than eat it. Yo-Zuri has come out with two ice lines that can help combat the negative moods panfish are in during the midwinter ice period and turn finicky fish into fish that bite…the Yo-Zuri 1 lb. test TopKnot Ice Super Fluorocarbon and Yo-Zuri 1 lb. test Ice Hybrid.
1-lb-test-Hybrid-Ice-Line-Bluegill-4.jpg
Yo-Zuri 1 lb. Test TopKnot Ice Super Fluorocarbon
The Ice Super Fluoro is extremely sensitive and it has an exceptionally thin diameter (.005”). It is the perfect line when chasing big bluegills from deep weedlines to basins in 20’ of water or more because these fish are notorious during midwinter for hitting and spitting a bait faster than an angler can blink. The super sensitivity the Yo-Zuri 1 lb. test TopKnot Ice Super Fluoro allows anglers to detect even the slightest of bites, which of course can lead to higher percentages of hookups.
Another feature of the Ice Super Fluorocarbon that really makes this a special ice line is that it is abrasion resistant. Pound for pound, big bluegills are renown for their fighting prowess. When they swim in circles at or near the bottom of the ice hole, having an abrasion resistant line like the 1 lb. test Ice Super Fluoro can oftentimes be the difference between landing these brutes and losing them.
1-lb-Fluoro-Bluegill-2-a.jpg
Yo-Zuri 1 lb. Test Hybrid Ice Line
Similar to the 1 lb. test Ice Super Fluoro, the 1 lb. test Hybrid Ice Line has an incredibly thing diameter at .005” and is highly sensitive. One important difference is that it has a little more give when it comes to stretch, so this will be a line that I will use when I am after slab crappies roaming 25’ down in 40’ basins. The little extra stretch that the 1 lb. test Hybrid Ice Line offers can help with getting a softer hookset as is often needed with big crappies. In addition to big crappies, the 1 lb. test Hybrid Ice Line can be loaded with lures up to 1/16 oz. for jumbo perch in everywhere from 10-20’ of water over flats containing gravel and sand or long points jutting out into a lake.
Do not let the more challenging midwinter bites get the best of you! Going with the Yo-Zuri 1 lb. test TopKnot Super Fluorocarbon or Hybrid Ice Lines allow for natural presentations with durability and sensitivity needed for big panfish. It is time to go micro with your lines for macro midwinter panfish!
Tight lines and stay safe!