Wisconsin angler is pulling thick fish from incredibly shallow depths under the ice

When ice fishing, Quinn Erdmann consistently catches big northern pike and walleyes in the shallowest water possible, often in as little as 8 inches of water below the ice.

“I get as close to shore as possible and look for big flat areas,” he said. “I’m not looking for weed lines or drop-offs. I believe the big predators have learned they can push baitfish into areas where the bottom and ice come together to block an escape.”

Erdmann, 26, of Slinger, Wis., gets strange looks from others walking or driving past him as they head for deeper water.

“The vast majority of my big northern pike comes from less than three feet of water,” he said. “The two I got around Christmas were in a foot and a half of water. It would not have been over your knee during the summer. I’ve caught pike in as shallow as 8 inches of water under 10 inches of ice.

“The northern pike are cruising in shallow areas so that the bait becomes sandwiched between the bottom, ice, and shoreline, so the only place left is right into their mouth. Some northerns even have scrapes and scratches on their backs, which I believe is from chasing baitfish into super shallow areas where their backs are rubbing against the ice. In these instances, I look for a smaller flat near deeper water and put my baits as close to the shore as I can, while still presenting them properly. That means that the tip-up, spool, and leader is set correctly, and the bait is swimming below everything.”

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An 18-inch leader is too long when setting up in less than two feet of water. The bait can’t be sitting on the bottom.

“Some leaders that are 6 to 8 inches just for that reason. Also keep in mind when fishing this shallow is to be careful when drilling holes,” he said. “If you hit the bottom, you’re going to dull your auger blades. When I’m fishing three feet of water or less I keep that bait as high as I can – right under the ice. I know that sounds funny, but I’ve burned hours of fishing because my shiner was swimming in the hole I drilled rather than below it.” 

Medium shiners are his preferred live bait.

“They provide fun action, everything eats them, and they work almost everywhere,” he said. “They are also a more hardy and cheaper than suckers and chubs. I will buy big shiners, but do not find they help me catch fewer small fish or more big ones.” 

Later in the season, like February and March, in certain conditions, Erdmann also fishes with dead baits and hot dogs. Yes, whole hot dogs.  

“For dead baits I like smelt, when you can get them, but fresh dead shiners have also worked. On the right bodies of water and time of year, dead baits will absolutely out-fish live bait. And hot dogs are just another way to mimic a dead bait,” he said. “I like the cheapest, most oily hot dogs I can find at Kwik Trip on my way to the lake. Towards the end of the year these dead baits really work well. I have had days where one tip-up with a hot dog out-fished two with shiners. It is worth it to vary baits, depth, and spots.” 

For live baits, Erdmann said a 20-pound fluorocarbon leader is tough enough to stand up to some teeth.

“A 1/0 offset circle hook gets the corner of the mouth more often than not and I still catch plenty of walleyes on this same setup.”

Circle hooks require a different style of hook-set.

“You are more stopping the fish than setting the hook. I have watched my friends pull too hard and pull the hook right out of the fish’s mouth.”

He has tried wire leaders and quick-strike rigs with live bait, but no longer uses them.

“If they see extra hooks and wire, they may not bite on tough days,” he said.

“With dead baits, you are dealing with a scent bite instead of movement. These fish are just as much scavengers as they are predators and will eat dead and stinky baits.”

He does use a treble hook on a wire leader or a quick-strike rig for dead baits because he is going with big baits.

“I am using a full hot dog or an 8-inch smelt. You will be surprised at how small of a fish will eat a big bait.

“One day we bought two 8-inch mackerels from an Asian market just to have fun. Those two baits caught a 25-inch and a 33-inch pike. Nothing to laugh at, but not the 40-incher we were hoping for when we dropped those baits down the hole. The other thing when you are doing this type of fishing is to wait. Every hour or so switch out your bait with a fresh one to make sure there is more scent being dispensed to draw in more fish,” he said.