A forgotten sporty fish with a small but strong following — especially among ice anglers in Minnesota. A fast fighter, finicky but aggressive, fun to catch and an awesome table fare fish — mainly smoked, but awesome in a fry pan as well. And don’t forget snack dips and hearty soups! Found in many of Minnesota’s deep clear cold lakes, the tullibee (aka Cisco, Herring, Lake Herring) is a sign that a lake is a healthy body of water. They are mainly found in lakes scattered throughout North Central/Northern Minnesota. There are over 600 lakes in Minnesota that house tullibees. Some prime examples are Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, Big Sand/Kabekona (Hubbard County), Cass, and Ten Mile (Cass County). Catching these silver bullets can be done throughout the open water season, but the late ice period (which is approaching fast) is prime time! And the beauty is, the techniques to catch tullibee are fairly simple.
Late ice tullibees can be found roaming deep holes implanted throughout a lake’s main basin. These types of holes are the easiest to spot on a good lake map or chart. I like to look for main lake basins in the 25-30 foot range with a “donut hole” stuck inside the basin. I hope that makes sense. These “donut holes” can range from 30-70+ ft. deep – making them easy to spot to the untrained eye. tullibee are roaming fish, like salmon. Since I have a Garmin Livescope, I simply drill one hole and scan the hole from a couple of different locations. If there are any number of tullibee using the area, they will show up on the screen – and spill the beans on what depth your bait should be placed. Another way to find the fish can be done by simply walking around with your flasher (Vexilar) and shooting through the ice until a basic area with fish is found. At that point, drill a bunch of holes covering a fairly large area so that the “hole hopping” can begin. Even though these fish move around quickly, they will roam “certain areas” of a given deep hole or basin. They feast on insect larva in areas made up of primarily a mud bottom. That’s important – mud and insects. Do they eat some minnows? I have found them in the stomachs, so yes, but primarily insects and larva. These fish are typically suspended, but can also be found along the bottom – so good electronics can be a huge time saver when trying to determine what depths to actually put your presentation. They can also be found roaming deep wide open mud basins. Without natural road blocks/barriers (like the walls of the donut hole”), they are much more difficult to pin down, so I personally try to concentrate on the deep mud filled “donut holes.” Getting hungry yet?
If it helps, it’s similar to fishing mid-winter crappies in the deep holes found in the center of many lakes. Another give away to where the concentrations of tullibees are found is where the masses of anglers are found. It’s typically a good clue if there are 75 anglers standing on the ice in a large group in the middle of the lake – especially on a warm March day! I hardly ever promote following people, but this is an exception to that rule.
Now what? Get out the tackle box! Flutter spoons, ice flies, wax worms, and slip bobbers are all you need to catch a tullibee. Simple and cheap—just the way I like it. I use a two rod approach (since two lines are allowed while ice fishing in Minnesota). One presentation is used as the attractor and trigger. The fishing rod that is in my hand 90% of the time is the flutter spoon / fly rig. The reel is spooled with 6-8 lb. monofilament due to the stress caused by the flutter spoon. First, you will need to get your hand on a flutter spoon or two. I simply dive into my great lakes trout/salmon trolling spoon box and pic out a couple hammered silver trolling spoons (around three inches long), take the treble hook off, and then attach a 18”-30” monofilament (4-6 lb.) leader. The length of the leader that works best seems to vary from day to day, but I’d say 24” is a consistent length – but do not be afraid to experiment especially if fish are rushing the bait and not committing. At the end of the leader is some kind of ice jig/fly with rubber or hairy “legs” that you probably use for catching crappies and bluegills. I lean towards insect colors like grey, black, or brown to start with. There are times when a little brightness helps too. Tip the ice fly with a wax worm. Done. Work the bait with steady upward 2-4 ft. pulls, letting the spoon flutter back down and settle for about 10-15 seconds. Repeat. The fish will come out of nowhere and smack the ice fly. Fish on!
The other presentation is the classic dead stick approach sitting on the ice in the hole next to you—approx. 3-4 ft. away-but easily within reach. The dead stick rod is rigged with six lb. monofilament line (I’m a Berkley Trilene XL fan), a small split shot, a small ice ant, slip bobber, and again tipped with a wax worm. It’s nothing but a slip bobber panfish rig with a little heavier line to help with the fight. Simply set the bait at the depth the fish are roaming at and let it sit – dead. Once in a while, jig the bait – and keep a close eye on that bobber! The simple two punch works in tandem as the flutter spoon will attract the fish from a great distance to the two options – the dead stick or the spoon fly rig. It varies from day to day on which bait the fish will actually hit – the spoon or the dead
