Living in the midwest, we have some different season changes that bring up different enjoyments for the sportsman. Typically in the summer there is good old fishing ,but limited game hunting due to hunting season dates. In the fall the seasons for hunting open up and the fishing poles go back to storage. In the middle over winter everything starts to freeze over,and hunters have harvested their game. This is for some a time of delay until the spring comes and they can get back out in the boat or visit their favorite spot on the river. A man of means will know there is another chance to get out and enjoy the sportsman side of the outdoors. This is ice fishing.When the lakes and ponds in the midwest freeze over a few inches of ice, this allows the sportsman to go wonder on top of the waters and scout for a place to drill a hole. This is one of my favorite activities. Here I will give an overview of what all you will need to do such a task, and some helpful tips that can help produce some success on the ice.
First off you will need to know of a good location to fish. This may be a no brainer for some, but smart sportsman will know that just because one lake or pond is frozen over this doesnt mean that all waters in that area will be frozen over the same to allow for a safe place to fish. Of course smaller volume ponds and lakes will freeze quicker typically. It is important to know that waters that have some current to them from any means will not freeze as quickly. This should be a place of caution. Alot of ponds and lakes have waterways or drains that allow for some local water flow. Ice will not freeze over as well there and should always take caution to how close you approach those areas. Also look for areas with vegetation, ice will not form well as easily in vegetated areas where it is above water level. A good time to start scouting for a good safe ice fishing spot is after a very cold calm weather pattern. Precipitation in the form of both snow or rain will not allow for a good solid ice formation. Wind can also hinder its development. After a good solid weather pattern of cold windless, no precipitation days will form a great solid ice formation. An ice fishermans rule is new ice is stronger then old ice.
First time scouting out, you need to have a buddy with you. Using the buddy system will be your best defense to a bad situation happening. First starting off walking onto the ice, you will want to have your buddy on shore with a cell phone. It is also good practice to have some good dry warm clothes in the truck just in case. Take small steps onto the ice. I know of some people that bring a pole or stout stick to poke at the ice in front of them to test the integrity. I typically carry my hand auger. It is long enough if i fall through I can use it to anchor to other ice to keep above water. Also every 5 feet out I will drill a hole and notice the thickness of the ice. Once you determined the ice is thick enough for saftey, Lets Go Fishing!!!The local state natural resources will sometimes post ice levels in regions. Their reccomendations for ice fishing are usually as follows.
- 4 inches ice safe for persons and light equipment
- 6 inches ice safe for small off highway veichles such as ATV's or snowmobiles
- 8-12 inches ice safe for smaller road vehicles
- 15+ inches safe for light trucks
To start ice fishing you are going to want to have some basic equipment. I know the guy on tv that survives the wild can ice fish with some paracord and sticks. The modern sportsman has tools for this that allow for an easier fishing experience. Much of it is not too expensive either. I would like to first look at some things that you should be wearing. Of course very warm clothes. If you have spent anytime outdoors in the winter, you will find that you are much warmer moving around then you are sitting still. When you fish you will not be moving around as much. So having some very warm clothes are key to not harming yourself with the elements. Also available for cheap are self heating pads. These little pads give some artificial heat and can be put in places like your boots or pockets. If you are fishing unsheltered I would reccomend these. Ice is slick (really?). On the market are several styles of boot accessories that are designed to attach to your boots and grip ice. Most work very well. Even if you feel you are firm footed, in my experience that will not compensate for strong gusts of wind that are common on frozen waters. Be very concious of how cold you are getting. Pay attention to the tell tale signs that say you are getting cold. Things like numbness, pain, time out on ice. Hypothermia can creep up on you very easily and without alot of warning. Lets talk about some fishing equipment.
- Ice auger
- Ice fishing pole
- Bait
- Bucket
Ice auger
An ice auger is a tool used to drill a hole in the ice for you to fish out of. These come in many different shapes, sizes, and types. The plain basic auger is a hand operated type. They do come in different sizes. The larger the hole typically will take longer to drill the hole. These average around 5-8 inch diameter hole sizes. There are advantages of having a larger drilled hole though. On cold days a larger hole will not freeze over as quickly. A larger hole will allow for an easier reel in for the fish. There are also gas or engine powered augers. These are a bit more expensive, but these are nice to have. In Ice fishing being able to go to and fish different locations is a great practice. An engine powered auger will allow for multiple holes to be drilled fairly effortlessly. Also the engine powered auger hole sizes can be much larger. Sometimes up to 12 inches.Ice Fishing Pole
If you have ever been fishing during warmer temps you have a decent idea of the basic construction of the a fishing pole. An ice fishing pole is a bit different. The first thing you would notice is it size. These are very small in comparison, as well as simple. Ice fishing poles are brought down to very basic levels. Some dont even have an kind of mechanical reel of any sort, sometimes simply a couple posts to hand wrap string around. Of course like any other hobby these poles can be as simple as a stick with a string on it all the way to a state of the art ball bearing reel. These poles can be light in duty for the most part unless you are after some larger fish like pike or muskies. Since the water is so cold alot of smaller fresh water fish do not attempt too much of a fight but good enough to have some great fun. There are other alternatives out there, such as unmaned poles or "tip ups" that can catch fish simply while you watch, but I am mostly touching on basic common essentials.Bait
Bucket
Its a bucket. It has a thousand plus uses. In this case if you are carrying bare essentials then most if not all of you fishing equipment can be hauled in your bucket, along with your catch for the day. Also these work as a great chair to keep your body from direct contact with the ice. Some like to just kneel down in front of the drilled hole and fish from there. This obviously is purely an optional item. If you have some bare essentials I would reccomend it. Then again there are many other ways to sit on the ice, such as an ice shack, or ice house, or many other means of keeping a little more warm on the ice. Basic Fishing strategy
A very basic key is to find where the fish are. I know, "DUH". In ice fishing the fish typically do not move as much so there will be spots and depths that they will like to school up at. To find those spots and depths are key. There are many modern mechanical devices like flashers, or cameras, but there is some simple things you can do to try your luck. Finding the depth of where the fish are in the particular area you have drilled a hole can be found without all the modern gadgets, it may be a little more hit or miss, but it can be done. Allow your bait to settle till you see your fishing line slack, this will indicate you have hit bottom. Next reel in a small amount of line, say approx 6 inches of line. Jig the bait around a tiny bit, if you do not get any bites after some tried patience, reel in 6 inches more. Once or if you start getting bites keep in mind how much line from bottom you were getting hits. This allows for some good consistency if you have ran across a good school of fish. If you have tried up and down the drilled spot and got nothing from some patience. Drill a hole somewhere else, just be careful not to drill too many holes in one particular area. Keep in mind this is just a sheet of ice. Ice integrity can start to fail if your fishing area looks like swiss cheese.Either way this is a very fun sport. Since you are attempting to venture out on frozen water, safety must always be in the equation, but most importantly, HAVE FUN!
No comments:
Post a Comment