NAIFC

Jim Siebert and Bill Whiteside

By and large, anglers fishing the second NAIFC Ice Tournament of the season on Wisconsin’s Upper Turtle Lake in Barron County were pleased with the number of fish they caught before and during the tournament. The team that ended up winning this event were not strangers… at least to each other. For nearly twenty years, Jim Siebert from Ridgeland Wisconsin and Bill Whiteside from Eau Claire Wisconsin have been fishing partners. Over the past couple of years, this team has been bitten by the ice fishing bug and have been competing in organized ice fishing tournaments like the NAIFC. The road to victory is a road that both of these anglers have enjoyed immensely, stated Jim Siebert. “The good will amongst these anglers is just amazing. We learn so much from some really great ice anglers and this bunch of guys we get to fish with and against are some of the greatest people you will find.” Friendships aside, Whiteside and Siebert were also hungry for their first NAIFC victory and as the saying goes; he who drills the most holes wins. Needless to say, the Strike Master was hot after these two anglers finished. “Between pre fishing and preparing for the tournament and actual game day, I would guess that we drilled close to 700 holes,” explained Jim.

This tournament allowed anglers to weigh their eight largest bluegills and crappies. A mixed bag of pan fish can often create major adjustments in strategy but in this case, many anglers found both crappies and bluegills together. Before the tournament, the team of Whiteside and Siebert focused on an area that formed a bottle neck but this area was no secret as roughly half the field was fishing this location during the tournament. Come game day, the commotion seemed to shut down the fish in this particular area so Siebert and Whiteside started drilling holes, moving out and away from the crowd. As the pair worked out over a transition off the edge of a channel in 19 to 22 feet of water, they found the fish they were looking for. While they could watch the crowd of competitors all day, nobody came near Bill and Jim; they had the spot to themselves.

The bluegills outnumbered the crappie and generally, the crappies were suspended above the bluegill. A Vexilar was used to pick off the larger fish that were suspended anywhere from three to six feet above the bottom. Both Jim and Bill were using St. Croix Legend Ice Rods that feature a patented spring bobber system, paired with either two pound test Vanish or three pound test Cajun line. While many anglers fishing the tournament were using pan fish jigs on the small side of the spectrum, Both Bill and Jim found they were able to fend off the smaller fish by using larger pan fish jigs, specifically the larger Demons made by Custom Jigs and Spins in glow colors tipped with spikes. These larger jigs were tweaked further to trigger some of the larger blue gills and crappies with an interesting trick involving knot placement. These anglers would tie the Demon to the line using a Palomar knot and the knot would be slid to the side of the eye, causing the small jig to slide more horizontally through the water. “Sometimes, we couldn’t even see the jig on the Vexilar because it would slide so far to the side and this seemed to trigger many fish for us,” stated Jim.

Both anglers were impressed with the quality of fish found on this fishery in Barron County. Most of the contestants caught several fish and the lake holds a variety of game fish and pan fish. “I hadn’t fished this lake in twenty years and it is only a half hour drive from where I live but I will definitely be back to fish this lake some more on my own,” expressed Jim.

Coming up hot on the heels of Jim Siebert and Bill Whiteside was Chris Bressler and Jon Bloom. This Minnesota team has been red hot as of late with a second place finish on the NAIFC and a first and third place finish on the True Ice Tournament Circuit that is gaining popularity in South Dakota. Chris and Jon are both pro staff anglers for Jason Mitchell Elite Series Ice Rods and prominent Ice Team Power Sticks.

The next stop for the NAIFC will take anglers to Silver Lake New York on February 24th. Silver Lake is an impressive fishery for perch and bluegill where anglers will have to target both species to do well. According to Ice Team Power Stick and New York ice angler Shawn Hayes, anglers should anticipate a strong bite again for both target species but warns that both of these target species may be relating to entirely different programs. Anglers will have to make hard decisions and target each species specifically in different areas according to Hayes. More information on the NAIFC can be found at www.naifc.org.