# "Chum"??



## Steelhead Fever (Dec 31, 2009)

Who out there uses "chum" while ice fishing? I have heard of a few different things being dropped down the hole...


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Decades ago, I used egg shells and oatmeal. Dont think it helped much. If the fish arent there, they just aren't there. It'd be interesting if somebody with a camera would do a little video research while they're ice fishing.


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## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

When I lived in vermont I heard about someone who sank a cow. I don't know if this was a carcass or just a dead cow.


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## quackpot (May 17, 2009)

No more than I caught last year I should have done the research.


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## westbranchbob (Jan 1, 2011)

last year,and this was in a farm pond mind you,I was running tip-up's for perch an one hole was very hot.Must have gotten 7 or 8 in an hour and I did notice as time went on it got hotter.So I pulled the tip up and began jigging,pulled two perch one after the other and both spit up a fresh minnow,as time progressed the hole cooled back off.Might just be an isolated incident but I plan on testing it further this year.


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## Steelhead Fever (Dec 31, 2009)

**urgent**
Just fired up the vex, want to use it off of some docks tomorrow, it said 30 then went to 00, what to do??????? thanks!!!!!!


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## wiki21 (Nov 4, 2010)

got totally skunked one day up in mich on bear lake and was cleaning up threw the rest of my hot dog that we cooked on the grill down the hole turned my head and my buddy who cant identify a fish to save his life seen something come up through the hole and snag it. Im guessing maybe a pike??? Ive heard some things about guys bowfishing from a large cutout dont know the legalities so would not try it but seems like it would be a blast. also tried egg shells, instant rice, oatmeal.... with no measure of success.


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## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

We usually always pack some food with us while ice fishing and for our sandwich we always use mozzarella shredded cheese......if the bite slows down we will put only a few pieces down each hole...when it falls it looks like dead waxies.....while using our camera we can see them fall on the bottom and they literally look like dead waxies on the bottom....we have seen perch come in and eat the cheese off the bottom!


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## Steelhead Fever (Dec 31, 2009)

Scum_Frog said:


> We usually always pack some food with us while ice fishing and for our sandwich we always use mozzarella shredded cheese......if the bite slows down we will put only a few pieces down each hole...when it falls it looks like dead waxies.....while using our camera we can see them fall on the bottom and they literally look like dead waxies on the bottom....we have seen perch come in and eat the cheese off the bottom!


that sounds like it would be worth a try, I cant wait for you to teach me how to use my camera...lol


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## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

I would think that a frozen chum block made of ground up fish would work great. It would break up really slowly but certainly would draw perch and bluegills.


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## quackpot (May 17, 2009)

Do you think the weight of the minnows would make it sink? Ice usually floats.


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

Castaway Kulis makes a freeze dried bait block for icefishing. It brings the gills in really good.


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## Steelhead Fever (Dec 31, 2009)

chaunc said:


> Castaway Kulis makes a freeze dried bait block for icefishing. It brings the gills in really good.


I MIGHT try this, is there a link?


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

http://www.kastaway.com/store/store_product_detail.cfm?Product_ID=7&Category_ID=2&Sub_Category_ID=0

Hope this works.


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## westbranchbob (Jan 1, 2011)

there are guys up on the great lakes and in canada that take like 2 dozen or more minnows clip the tails put them in this contraption like an upsidedown funnel with a lid,lower it to the bottom and open it up to release all the minnows that can barely swim.I think they do this for lake trout.Kinda like fishing over a buffet of easy meals!


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## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

quackpot said:


> Do you think the weight of the minnows would make it sink? Ice usually floats.


You can mix sand with it and it will sink just fine. Or you could put a weight through the middle and pull it up after the block melts.


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## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

Steelhead Fever said:


> **urgent**
> Just fired up the vex, want to use it off of some docks tomorrow, it said 30 then went to 00, what to do??????? thanks!!!!!!


I think that Dampness effects the Battery Gauge sometimes.


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## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

You could put the frozen ground up shad or minnows in an onion sack with rocks in it to hold it down. Basically this is what they do in saltwater.


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## ying6 (Apr 21, 2004)

By accident one day I was fishing in Canada on a pretty good bite for perch. I had to run in but didn't want to forget the exact spot I was fishing so I dropped my buoy but didnt have anything to tie it down to. So I found my minnow trap with minnows and dropped it down. When I came back I was in the mother load of perch, I caught fish until I got tired, big fish.. all the while not even remembering I had tied the minnow trap to the bottom of my marker. I have always thought about that for ice fishing but have heard reports that this might not be legal.


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