When the temperatures drop to below zero, and the ice across the lake reaches the thickness of a cinder block, it’s time to go fishing. Huh? That’s right. Ice fishing is among the most popular forms of sport fishing available.
Ice fishing requires drilling a 3-foot hole through the ice and braving temperatures that could leave the unprepared with hypothermia or frostbite. However, the payoff is catching a variety of fresh fish during the winter.
The first thing you’ll have to decide is whether you want to fish with or without protection, which means with a shelter or not. Up North, ice fishing shelters go by the name of shanties. Some anglers call them ice huts, bob houses, ice shacks, or fish houses.
Some ice anglers will deck out a shanty with a fire pit, a TV, a gaming system, bathrooms, and even beds. Usually, they do this when they plan to use the shelter on multiple occasions or for multiple days. Anglers often use a trailer to transport the shanty to and from the ice at the beginning and end of the ice fishing season—the ice is typically thick enough to drive on.
Depending on the area where you fish, you may see true icers fishing with nothing but their winter jackets, hats, and gloves. These fellows will often mock anglers who need the comfort of an enclosed shelter to enjoy ice fishing.
The gear for ice fishing varies from other kinds of sport fishing. You need one to three-foot rods, which are shorter than most people are used to. Most anglers use tip-up gear, which is a bell or flag attached to the line. When a fish takes the bait, the tip-up gear signals the anglers to put down the remote and take up the line.
If you can handle the cold, ice fishing may become your favorite type of fishing.