Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2021 - 21

Always prepared
Dan Wielobob, Crawford County, has
accumulated more years on ice than the
previous two interviewees together. " These
days, I have settled on targeting crappies
exclusively, focusing on Conneaut Lake,
Crawford County; Pymatuning Reservoir,
Crawford County; and Lake Wilhelm,
Mercer County, " said Wielobob.
With decades of experience on these lakes,
A selection of soft plastics (bloodworms and bugs on the left; minnow-like baits on
the right) plus a few different jig heads-both traditional lead and newer tungsten.
Wielobob has a sense of where crappies will
be during early, mid, and late ice. Arriving at
a specific area, he drills a series of holes, then
drops his sonar transducer in each hole to
pinpoint exact fish location.
Wielobob always goes prepared with a
variety of bait presentations, because you
never know what crappies will want on any
given day.
" I always have small Fathead Minnows
with me and several tip-ups. I carry a supply
of ice jigs and soft plastics, plus waxworms
and maggots for tipping. Also, in the arsenal
are jigging minnows, jigging spoons, and
small vibrating blade baits, " said Wielobob.
Wielobob tries different baits until the
crappies strike. Sometimes, it is shaking a
jigging spoon with a minnow on a stinger
hook; sometimes, it is sweeping a blade; and
sometimes, it is a motionless, tiny tungsten
teardrop tipped with a couple of maggots.
It was the latter bait that drew attention
(From left to right) (column 1) jigging minnows; (column 2) jigging spoons
including a dropper hook to hold a dorsal-hooked minnow; (column 3) flashy
blade baits; (column 4) small, compact lipless crankbaits fished vertically
similar to blade baits but with different harmonics.
can be fished more aggressively than soft plastic, allowing
me to cover more water. I frequently employ a jigging
minnow, 11/2-inch rattle spoon, and 2-inch mini lipless
rattle bait. Color wise, I do best with silver or chrome/
blue for crappies and chartreuse, orange, or red for
perch, " said Glasgow.
" When it comes to soft plastic baits, I narrowed my
selection considerably. My primary soft bait is a thin tapered
body roughly 11/2-inch long. It is effective for both crappies
and perch. I use 5mm and 6mm tungsten heads exclusively
with my plastic because the compact heavier-than-lead
tungsten gets smaller jigs down deeper faster. And, when you
are fishing in 20 feet of water, you need to get that bait back
to the zone as quickly as possible, " said Glasgow.
www.fishandboat.com
of a near-state record crappie late in the
afternoon of February 2021 on Lake
Wilhelm. Wielobob realized it was a big
fish when the hook was set, but he guessed
it was a bass. He carefully recovered
2-pound line until a huge mouth appeared
in the hole. Wielobob grabbed it. To his
surprise, it turned out to be a 20-inch,
4-pound, 2-ounce crappie-his biggest
ever. " Normally, I would not expect to
catch a large crappie on such small bait, but you have to be
prepared to offer what fish want, " said Wielobob.
Ice fishing for panfish appears to be growing in popularity.
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * November/December 2021
21
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2021

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