Seminar fuels the fire for ice fishing

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, how would you rate your ice fishing skills?

Canadian fishing authority Gord Pyzer posed that question Thursday night during a packed-house seminar in Fargo's Doublewood Inn. The Fargo-Moorhead group F-M Walleyes Unlimited hosted Pyzer's appearance, with sponsorship help from WDAY 970 Radio, Gate City Bank and The Garden Hut ("Home of Ice Castle Fish Houses").

The title of Pyzer's presentation: "The Path to Ice Fishing Perfection."

Now a field editor for In-Fisherman magazine and television, fishing editor for Outdoor Canada magazine and co-host of Canada's "Real Fishing Radio Show," Pyzer spent 30 years working for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resource, including several years as district manager for the MNR's Kenora (Ont.) District. The Kenora district includes the Ontario waters of Lake of the Woods, Rainy River and Rainy Lake.

Pyzer now makes his living as an angler and a communicator, but his natural resources background has allowed him to approach fishing from a biological perspective.

That was apparent during Thursday night's seminar, which was rich in science without overwhelming.

Pyzer started his presentation by asking everyone in the audience to stand up for an informal survey of their ice fishing skills - or at least, their perceived ice fishing skills.

Sit down, he said, if you rate your ice fishing skills at 5 or lower.

Perhaps three-fourths of the audience sat down.

The rest - myself included - remained standing.

Remember that, Pyzer said before asking the rest of us to sit down, and see if you feel the same way later.

Over the next 90 minutes, Pyzer proceeded to put on one of the most informative, entertaining ice fishing sessions I've ever encountered. An hour-and-a-half is a long time to sit on conference room chairs, but never once did I look at my watch, hoping the presentation would end.

Particularly refreshing was the almost complete absence of product pitches, which infect far too many fishing seminars these days. He wasn't peddling line or lures, and that made his presentation all that much more convincing.

So what did I learn? A few highlights:

-- Depth control is the most important consideration when choosing a lure. If the lure doesn't reach the fish, you're not going to catch it.

-- Color - the be-all, end-all in many anglers' eyes - really isn't that important. If your lure reaches the fish at a speed that interests them, in a size and profile that gets their attention, you're probably going to be successful, regardless of the color.

-- Line color isn't a big factor, but line diameter is crucial because it affects how a lure acts under water.

-- Fish such as walleyes tend to bite best during the two times of day when the changes in light intensity are the greatest. The periods after dawn and before dusk are when the changes are most dramatic. That's when the fishing is best - not specifically at dawn or dusk. (Dusk always is the better choice, Pyzer said, and for people like me who are allergic to morning, that's good to know).

-- Bigger is better when selecting bait for northern pike under the ice; Pyzer says he's used baits weighing up to 2 pounds.

-- Don't try to "think like a fish." With a brain that's smaller than your thumb, fish don't think; instead, he said, learn how and why they react to specific conditions.

Pyzer ended the session with a story about legendary bass angler Rick Clunn, calling him perhaps the best fisherman of all time. On most days, Pyzer said, Clunn ranks himself a "4 or 5" in terms of fishing skills; very rarely, Clunn might give himself a 6, Pyzer said.

For those of us who ranked our ice fishing skills at 6 or better, it was a striking reminder that the "path to perfection," whether on ice or open water, is an elusive goal.

But the pursuit sure is a lot of fun.

Reach Dokken at 780-1148, (800) 477-6572 ext. 148, or bdokken@gfherald.com .