Ice Fishing Folks??

[bluelacedredhead]

I've never been ice fishing, but the gov't is holding a Family Ice Fishing Weekend in February to promote the sport by allowing them to fish without a licence for two days (all other rules & regulations still in effect...). Then once they have you interested hook, line and sinker, you are expected to purchase a fishing licence from then on in....

So tell me about ice fishing.

I have insulated coveralls, thinsulate leather gloves and big green insulated to Minus 45F boots for working on the farm. I hope the fish won't be scared away by Eau de Equine
Of course I will take a hat and scarf.
Anything else I should wear??

What about equipment?
Do we use spinners like I would for walleye in the summer?

And live bait?? I heard someone mention silver minnows.

What about worms?? It was the Vermiculture Forum that made me think of asking all this. Can I use worms or are they not shiny enough? I could buy some of those disgusting coloured rubber worms and use them, couldn't I? I'm not sure where I would get live worms this time of year...I don't have a vermiculture setup at my house.

We have some kind of a large ladle for scooping ice out of the hole.

What else?

[downinmyback]

Blue we use what we call Rosy minnows when we are having trouble with crappie. Rosy minnows are nothing but goldfish that pets stores sell as food for live food eating tropicals. Most of these are not colored good enough to sale as pets so they are cheap. By being gold they attract the fish attention better than regular minnows.
Blue i have never been ice fishing so i cannot help you out. It doesnot get cold enough in TN for the ice to get that thick. I wish you luck and i think it will be fun. I wish i was going too.

[bcday]

Ice fishing mostly amounts to sitting out in the cold waiting for something to happen. You'll be out in the elements and not doing much moving around, unlike working around the farm where the exercise would keep you somewhat warmer. Wear lots of layers, including thermal long-johns if you have them, and make sure that whatever you wear doesn't fit too tightly so there will be warm air trapped between the layers. Battery-warmed socks will keep your feet from going numb inside your insulated boots. Two sets of gloves or mittens, one inside the other, and hand-warmers to keep in your pockets. You can always remove a layer or two if the weather turns warm and sunny. How do your insulated coveralls compare to a snowmobile suit, as far as which one is warmer? I wear jackets and sweatshirts that have hoods, because a lot of cold gets in the gap between hat and collar. Of course you can always go home if you get too cold, but that's not much fun.

Take a thermos or two of a hot beverage or soup.

Can you buy, borrow or rent an ice auger to drill holes in the ice? Chopping through a foot or more of ice by hand will warm you up but it takes forever.

What to use for bait depends a lot on what kind of fish are in the waters you will be fishing. A lot of the artificial lures such as spoons and jigs that are used in summer fishing are good in winter too. Just take the ones that will have some action when jigging them straight up and down, no surface lures. I never heard of anyone using ordinary garden worms for ice fishing, but a local bait/tackle shop would be the best advisor. If you take live minnows, don't forget to scoop frozen slush out of their bucket and replace it with water as needed. Frozen minnows = dead ones.

[bluelacedredhead]

I have no idea how my insulated coveralls (similar to Carhartt but Tough Duck made in Canada) would compare to a snowmobile suit cuz I've never owned a snowmobile suit? The only times I've been sledding, I've worn my Tough Ducks. Suppose that would mean they are very comparable??

My thinsulate gloves have pockets built right in them for hot pads.

Battery operated socks? How much do those suckers cost? I'm not planning on camping in an ice hut, I'm just thinking about going out for an hour or two to see what it is that attracts all these crazy people to a little hole in the ice?
I hate winter, but I figure if I have to continue to live in this wretched climate for the time being that I should maybe make an effort to 'enjoy' winter activities?

Down, I imagine that the cold wouldn't be a good thing for your back anyway. Consider yourself fortunate that it doesn't get cold enough for ice fishing in your neck of the woods. Wish that it didn't here either.

[Jim]

I've had great experiences ice fishing with grubs and small ice spoons. The simpler the better. I've only targeted panfish though.

[bluelacedredhead]

That would be okay too! A whole mess of panfish would suit me just fine.

[bcday]

bluelacedredhead said:

Battery operated socks? How much do those suckers cost? I'm not planning on camping in an ice hut, I'm just thinking about going out for an hour or two to see what it is that attracts all these crazy people to a little hole in the ice?

LOL, for an hour or two you'll probably be OK without the socks. I was thinking that you would be out for most of the day.

As far as the cost, I haven't checked recently but I have a pair and for sure the socks don't cost as much as emergency treatment for frostbite. But I was out from sunrise until almost dark with very little in the way of shelter available, no ice hut.

I do recommend layers of socks, whether battery-powered or not, again not too tight.

Ice fishing is lots of fun if you can stay warm.

[bluelacedredhead]

Thanks, I Got it!! Lotsa Layers (clothing, not chickens ) , and warm beverages (remember, alcohol increases the risk of hypothermia).
And maybe a Hoop House to block the wind too.

[Jim]

For crappie and perch you can also use a piece of minnow or even an eyeball from another fish...they aren't as picky if they are in a feeding mode.

[bcday]

I almost hate to mention it, but ice isn't the same thickness everywhere...take a long piece of rope or something in case somebody finds a thin spot the splashy way.

I see people ice fishing on the ice shelf out from the shore of the river here every winter, too close to flowing water...very risky.

[bluelacedredhead]

Oh I know! I see them still on the ice in March after they've been told to remove huts.Sometimes with vehicles, Duh! And since there thousands of lakes and waterways in this region, the Search & Rescue Chopper is a regular site over the farm as it makes passes looking for missing persons (usually snowmobilers gone through the ice in winter or boaters without life jackets in summer).

[bluelacedredhead]

Look what I found, a new toy

www.tumbledrumm.com/

[doccat5]

Having gone ice fishing many, many moons ago in MN, I suggest you take an old piece of carpet with ya, big enough to put under your seat and your feet. It will help to keep you warmer. We were using minnow and caught some nice northerns. My roommate's Dad took us out. It was a total hoot and I have great memories of those times.

[bluelacedredhead]

Wonder if the mutt would share her carpet lined doggie box with me? Good tip, TY

[Jim]

bluelacedredhead said:

Look what I found, a new toy

www.tumbledrumm.com/

there is one that you can pull behind a boat too and I think I remember one that you can run with a powerdrill as the motor. I just skin them.