Beginner's Guide To Ice Fishing

I think by now most of us realize winter is here to stay, and here in Alberta, Canada alot of our lakes have been frozen over for a month or more which means its time to get fishing! Alot of people have been discouraged by ice fishing over the years and its true it can be disapointing when you sit on a frozen lake all day staring into a tiny hole in the ice and nothing happens. However ice fishing can also be action packed and actually some of the best fishing of the year can come through the ice. As with anything the key to success is in the preparation. Iam going to help you get started for a successful ice fishing experience. If you have never tried ice fishing there is no better time than now. First and foremost you need to be prepared for an emergency, it can get very cold out on a frozen lake very quickly, even if the day starts out warmish you never know what can happen. You always need to be prepared for extreme cold, what if your vehicle won't start? What if a winter storm blows in? Or worst case scenario what if you go through the ice and get soaked? When you head out ice fishing you MUST be prepared to survive the cold. Dress with warm layers that you can take off/put on as you get too warm or too cold. Also here are some good items to include in your vehicle: a Shovel, Tire chains, Fire starters/Windproof Lighter, Blankets, Candles, a Flashlight/Lantern, and some food. Be sure to tell someone where you are going and when your planning to come back and make sure to bring a cell phone and charger. Now that we are prepared to head into the great outdoors in the middle of winter what do we need to catch fish through the ice? Ice fishing can be as basic or as technical as you want it to be. Head out to any popular lake on a saturday and you will see old timers in skidoo suits sitting on 5 gallon buckets jigging with an old peice of baseboard they got when they renovated their house, however you will also see guys with 6 man portable shacks, underwater cameras, sonar, and the latest and greatest ice fishing rods, ice augars, and tip ups. Most of us will be somewhere in the middle and where ever you choose to be, however far you want to take ice fishing is totally up to you. The main thing is that everyone has fun. While the guys with $1500.00 worth of gear may catch a few more fish I can guarantee the guys sitting on the pails are more relaxed, not a care in the world, just enjoying a day on the ice and at the end of the day they probably wont even remember how many fish they caught. So how much gear you want to buy is up to you but here is the basics of what you will need. An ice auger you will need something to cut a hole in the ice before you can do anything else, there is a couple options here on the low budget end you can get an ice spud or a hand auger for $50.00 or less but make no mistake these tools require some manual labour if you decide to go this route make sure to take a few layers off before going at it so you dont get all sweated up and catch a chill because that could make for a very long miserable day. From there the sky is the limit but an average gas powered 8 inch auger will cost you $400.00-$900.00 remember bigger is not always better if you ever will be walking on to a lake you want something light enough to carry or pull behind you in a sled. If on the other hand you will be fishing for large lake trout or northern pike then you will want a 10 or 12inch auger. My suggestion is to look at as many augers as you can and do your homework go with a reputable company with a good warranty program and you should be fine, of course if your uncle Joe happens to have a nice one that he hardly ever uses........even better!!! Next on the list is an ice strainer when you drill a hole in the ice it will be full of ice chunks and shavings and you cant get your lure down into the water so you need a hand held strainer to scoop the hole clear. Next you need some kind of ice fishing rod and line, at any outdoors store you can get an ice fishing specific rod and reel or you can build your own, ice fishing usually doesnt require fishing at great depth so 30-50 feet of winter fishing line (4-6 lb) will usually work just fine. Next you need lures, this is of course species specific and for the most part you can use your normal summer time lures, however in the winter time most fish become less aggresive so a good rule of thumb is to go smaller, slower and use bait where legal. For example if you use a 3/4 ounce jig at your favorite walleye lake in the summer but it doesnt seem to be working in the winter try the same jig in a 1/4 ounce tipped with a leech for better results. The only summer lures that wont work are those that are meant to be trolled through the water. For example crankbaits will not work for ice fishing however any lure that can be vertically jigged is fine. Of course the best thing to do is talk to the locals, go out to your lake of choice on a weekend and ask the other ice fisherman what they are catching, what they are using, what time of day is the most productive etc. The next best resource is your local tackle shop they are usually in touch with many of the hardcore locals and should be able to suggest local hotspots and good bait/lures. Those are the basics that you need to catch fish through the ice, of course I could expand and go into underwater cameras, ice fishing shacks, and what to use for specific species of fish but I am going to save those subjects for another day, so remember to check back often to see my latest blog posts. So Good Luck and Good Fishing!!
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