Ice Out: Reflections On The Ice Season
With the ice going out and open water around the corner it seems a good time to reflect on my first full season of ice fishing. Here are some lessons I learned this ice season.
Lessons learned: Take a fishing buddy, take plenty of gear, and bring an auger with sharp blades.
Check the forecast – Take the time to check the weather forecast because it will make the experience more enjoyable. You want forewarning if you’re going to be facing a wind chill of -25 C, especially if you have no shelter to block the wind. Likewise, if it’s raining you want to take even more spare clothes than normal.
Dress in Lots of Layers – No matter what the forecast is calling for it is always colder out on the ice. Wear lots of layers and dress warmer than you think you need to. The first few times I went ice fishing I wore long underwear under my jeans and a single sweater under my regular winter jacket. I froze and was back in the car in under an hour. This season, after some reluctance because of my penguin-like appearance, I wore a survival suit. Those suits are worth every penny, they keep you warm and keep the water out. It also gave me some peace-of-mind knowing that I might stand a chance if I went through the ice.
Always Fish With A Buddy – I have seen people ice fishing by themselves and I always wonder why they take the risk. There is so much that can go wrong and at that time of the year there quite often is no one else near you to help if a problem arises. I am fortunate enough to have a live-in fishing partner so I never have to go out alone. Plus, buddies are really good for hauling gear and drilling holes.
Take a fishing partner when you head out on the ice. It's important to take another human with you but there are other buddies that can make the outing more enjoyable.
Test the Ice Thickness – I’m a fearful sort and I cannot walk out on the ice until a few holes have been drilled to assure me the ice is thick enough and of good quality. If it’s my first time on the lake since ice-in I also like to drill test holes along the way because ice is not uniform throughout a body of water. Many people say 4-inches of ice is necessary for a person to walk on safely. I prefer 6-inches just to be on the safe side.
Keep Sharp Blades on Your Auger – This lesson really hit home one day when it took me 15 minutes to drill a single hole. I thought I was just extremely weak but it turned out the blades were dull. A quick visit to Canadian Tire to purchase new blades rectified that problem. On the next outing I was able to drill through the ice with no problems.
Cover Water (or Ice, in this case) – If you aren’t getting any bites in your holes you may not be using the right bait, the right technique or fishing the right depth. However, more often than not it means the fish are not there. Without electronics it is hard to know for sure if the fish are there but drilling lots of holes will increase your chances for hook ups. If I’m fishing a hole and get a couple of bites but think the action is a little too slow I will drill another hole a few feet away, trying to find the exact location for active fish.
Use Electronics (if you can afford them) – Only once have I had the chance to use electronics when ice fishing. It was a revelation. We had been trying to locate fish on a local lake and had no luck until a fellow angler invited us to use his flasher. After a quick lesson on how to read the unit I was able to see the fish in the water column and see when my technique was drawing them in. Between two of us we went from no fish to a dozen crappies in less than 30 minutes. The flasher showed me there were fish in under the hole, how deep, and whether my technique was working. It took the guess work out of the day and allowed me the joy of bringing up some fish. I would have bought my own flasher the very next day if I had the money but it will have to go on the wish list for next ice season.
The first flasher I had the pleasure of using.
Always Watch Where You Are Walking – It may seem self-explanatory but after fishing in the same area four weekends in a row I had quite the surprise when I almost walked right into some open water. The ice was still about 15-inches thick but a foot-wide hole had opened up in the ice, presumably indicating a spring. This hole was right on a snowmobile path and only a few feet from our fishing area. There can also be logs and branches sticking out of the ice that have been covered by snow, obstructing their view. Keep your eyes open.
Gear Matters – When fishing for perch I find it doesn’t matter how sensitive the rod is, I can still get them in. However, getting crappie through the ice requires a sensitive rod capable of feeling the slightest movement around your lure. I went out and bought a St. Croix Ice Rod for this reason and found it dramatically increased my number of hook ups. Also, since I’m not a fan of using live bait I keep a good selection of lures in different colours so I can adjust for what the fish are biting.
Having options with gear is necessary. This is my standard perch rig but when the bites slow down I change it up.
All these lessons were learned during a truly enjoyable hard water season. Since there is nothing I enjoy doing more than catching fish it was pretty obvious to me that I would have to make the transition from open water to hard water. I admit I was not thrilled about walking out on the ice originally but there is nothing like pulling a few fish through the hole to increase the enthusiasm. Almost every weekend this winter involved a trip out on the ice.
I can’t say I’m sorry to see the ice starting to melt. Melting ice means getting back in the boat and doing what I love most, casting for crappie, pike and eventually bass. It also means that can start getting acquainted with the basics of fly fishing using my new fly rod. However, once the lakes ice up next winter I will be among the first to get out there and drill some holes.
argosgirl
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Excellent tips. This post pairs nicely with my Ice Fishing Equipment post I wrote last year. With your permission, I’d like to add it to my post for reference for my readers.
Yes, you may definitely add it to your post! Thanks!
I added a blurb about your post at the end of mine:
http://www.journalofamnangler.com/2010/02/17/ice-fishing-equipment/
Great work!