Ice Fishing Tips & Articles
Ice fishing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ice fishing is the sport of catching fish with lines and hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Fisherman may sit on a stool on the open expanse of a frozen lake or sit in a heated cabin on the ice, some with bunks and amenities.
Shelters
Many fisherman fish with no protective structure, merely heavy coats and gloves and other winter wear. Longer fishing expeditions can be mounted with simple structures. Larger, heated structures can make multi-day fishing trips possible.
A structure with various local names, but often called an ice shanty , ice shack, fish house, bobhouse, or ice hut, is sometimes used. These are dragged or trailered from shore using a vehicle such as a snowmobile or truck, to a suitable location on the lake. Some fish houses are elaborate, and can be equipped with lights, heat, bunks, cooking facilities, and the like. At the opposite extreme are portable, tent-like structures designed to be easily moved.
In North America, ice fishing is often a social activity. Not infrequently, the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol is involved. Some resorts have fish houses that are rented out by the day (called ice huts); often, shuttle service via snowmobile is provided, eliminating any need for sobriety on the part of the participants.
In Finland, solitary and contemplative isolation is often the object of the pastime. In Finland, fishhouses are a rare occurrence, but wearing a sealed and insulated drysuit designed out of space-age fabric technology for emergency rescue teams is not.
In North America, lines of fishhouses often develop over underwater ridges or other areas where fish are particularly plentiful.
Fishing equipment
Icefishing gear is highly specialized. First, an ice spade, saw or auger is required to cut a circular hole or larger rectangular hole in the ice. Power augers are sometimes used. A strainer is sometimes required to remove new ice as it forms.
Three main types of fishing occurs. Small, light fishing rods with small, brightly colored lures may be used in jigging for fish. Tip-ups, which carry a line attached to a flag that "tips up" when a strike occurs, allow unattended or less-intensive fishing. The line is dragged in by hand with no reel. In spear fishing a large hole is cut in the ice and fish decoys may be deployed. The fisherman stands over the hole while holding a large spear attached to a line. This method is used for lake sturgeon fishing on Black Lake in Michigan .
Spearing through ice is one of the oldest and most ingenious fishing methods of the Native Americans of Wisconsin . On some Western Great Lakes reservations, including that of the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe in northern Wisconsin, people have continued winter spearing to the present day and have retained many traditional methods. The preparation of a fishing hole has involves the transportation of tools and supplies out onto the frozen lake usually by sled, clearing of deep snow from the fishing site with a shovel, cutting the hole itself, and the removal of chunks of cut ice with a skimmer. For centuries, Natives have relied on chisels to cut holes in ice for winter fishing. From the fur trade era to the mid-twentieth century, ice chisels came in a variety of shapes and sizes, including those with wide and narrow blades. Early blades were made of native copper and later blades were made of iron.
Natives used two types of spearing tents before the early 1900s. One type was seven-feet tall and allowed the fisherman to sit down with a long-handled spear extending outside the framework of the tent. The second type, still used today, is a crawl-in type which covers about two-thirds of the fisherman's prone body. It is designed for use with a short-handled spear.
The manufacture of handmade, wooden fish decoys is a time-honored craft in those Native communities where traditional winter spearing prevails, and each community has developed its own unique style of decoy carving and decoration. Fish decoys usually are made from local woods, with basswood being most popular at Lac du Flambeau. They are made to simulate most anything that might make a meal for a game fish, including frogs, birds, muskrats, local bait fish, and the young of local game fish.
The making of a fish decoy requires a great amount of care and precision. The curve of the tail must allow the decoy to swim accurately and its weight must ensure proper flotation. In conventional practice, fishermen lower fish-shaped decoys into holes cut through the surface of a frozen lake. The fisherman lies flat on the ice, covered by a dark tipi, and readies his spear to stab the approaching prey.
Becoming increasingly popular is the use of a flasher. This is a sonar system that tells you the depth of the fish, which can be useful when trying to catch them. There are also underwater cameras available now. These allow you to view the fish and watch how they react to your lure presentation.
Dangers
Ice needs to freeze to at least four inches in depth to support walking humans, and a foot to support vehicles. However, care must be taken, because sometimes ice will break and move with currents, leaving open areas which refreeze with much thinner ice. On the Great Lakes, off-shore winds can break off miles-wide pans of ice stranding large numbers of fisherman. Late-winter warm spells can destroy the texture of the ice, which, while still of the required thickness, will not adequately support weight. It is called "rotten ice" and is exceedingly dangerous. Some ice-fishermen will continue to fish, but will carry a pole horizontally to hold them, if they fall through. Fisherman may carry a self-rescue device made of two screwdrivers connected by a string to help pull themselves back onto the ice out of the water.
A certain number of cars, trucks, SUVs, snowmobiles, and fish houses fall through the ice each year and people die. Current environmental regulations require the speedy recovery of the vehicle or structure in this situation. Divers must be hired, and when the trouble occurs far from shore, helicopters are employed for hoisting.
Another risk associated with ice fishing is carbon monoxide poisoning from fishhouse heaters. On cold nights the ice is very noisy and booming sounds like cannon fire can be heard from within it.
Ice fishing is a major plot element in the film Grumpy Old Men and its sequel.
Social implications
Ice fishing has long been considered a "quasi-sport", in that some people claim that very little skill is really involved and that success is dependent upon just good fortune. This has led many other sportspersons to consider ice fishing to be merely a pastime for people who have few constructive or edifying activities in their lives. However, research by the AIFA (American Ice Fishing Association) has shown that ice fishing can have very calming and relaxing effects for the fishermen/fisherwomen. The AIFA also concluded that icefishing not only helps manage the fish species population, but also contributes to both community economic growth and to the emotional well-being of the participants.
References
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_fishing
Ice Fishing Tips & Articles
- Ice Fishing
You've heard about the fellow who decided, after some heavy drinking, to go ice fishing. So he packed up all his equipment, his auger, catch covers, catch cover sleeves, scoop, rods, reels, lines, bait, bobbers, split shot, ice pick and propane heater, and off he staggered, down to the ice. He picked up his auger and was about to start cutting the hole, when a voice boomed down from above: “There are no fish under the ice.”
- Ice fishing tips for Beginners
Did you hear the one about the guy who went ice fishing and came back with 50 lbs. of ice? Well, if you found yourself here your at least one step ahead of this fella, that is unless you intended to bring home some ice. Ice fishing is actually a very simple sport but must be practiced with some caution. WHAT you say? Seriously before you set out to catch any fish on "hard" water there a couple of things you should be concerned about.
- Ice Fishing Anyone?
Careful planning and preparation is all it takes to make ice fishing the greatest time of your life or the worst. Easy? Take a look at the following tips and see how prepared you are to catch those fish!
- Ice fishing: winter safety
Picture this: A misty white view of frozen Canandaigua Lake accompanied by the cold chill of a winter morning. The snow-covered ice makes an eerie crunch noise beneath each step. A seasoned ice fisherman leads a novice out on the ice to experience this winter activity firsthand. For those looking for the peaceful solace of this incredible sport, there are some safety precautions to think about before walking out on the ice. Regardless of the amount of experience someone has, safety is always a priority on the ice.
- Ice Fishing in the Wisconsin Winter
This is the time of the year when the die-hards come out to take on the bitter cold to do what they love... fish! But ice fishing doesn't have to be just for those fishing fanatics. If you usually put fishing into the back of your mind during the cold winter, you might want to think about reaching back and pulling it to the front a few months early. Ice fishing is definitely different than fishing in the middle of a muggy Wisconsin summer, but it may be more fun than you might be thinking it is.
- Making The Most of Your Time - Fishing Safety Rules Everyone Should Know
When you are going fishing, whether nearby your home or on a long distance trip, there are many fishing safety rules that you need to keep in mind. These rules can help prevent injury to yourself and others while shore and boat fishing.
- The Risks of Ice Fishing
Ice fishing is perhaps the most dangerous type of fishing. It contains many risks for the fisherman due to the weather conditions. If you are heading for this eskimo sport anyway, you'd better read carefully through the following tips.
- Fishing in Canada... A True Northern Adventure
If you are looking for a fishing trip to remember, then one of the locations you should consider is Canada. Canada offers some of the best Saltwater and Freshwater fishing around as there are a wide area of rivers and ponds, freshwater lakes, and saltwater streams to choose from. Fish and wildlife are also very abundant which helps make the trip that much more memorable.
- Ice Fishing Can be a Very Exciting Experience
One of the most popular recreational forms of fishing in Scandinavia, Russia and Germany is Ice Fishing, a sport also practiced in Canada and the United States, not only during winter, but also all year round in Alaska. However the most popular place to enjoy this activity is in the Great Lakes. Considered originally from Scandinavia, it was brought to America by Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish settlers arriving to Minnesota, a state where people from Nordic families is totally engaged in this sport. Ice fishing was exported to Canada from Minnesota and from here, it also arrived in Alaska.
- Early Ice Walleyes: Jigging for Success in Lake Shallows
Walleye is my favorite fish to catch. It's true that landing a bass I've been hunting has its thrill as I bust the lunker and bring it in. But the finesse involved in landing a walleye, the pure fishing skill required is something I truly enjoy. And as a chef, I love the walleye for its pristine, clearwater flavor. This article will talk about the ice fishing gear you might think about for early walleye ice fishing, and lake structures to look for when setting your walleye ice fishing rig.
- Catch and Release Practices for Ice Fishing
Why practice Catch and Release fishing? The fish population, and the size of the fish caught, have been on a steady decline for a number of years. This is due to the advancement of ice fishing technologies. Gadgets and advancements to other ice fishing equipment are making it much easier to catch fish in everyday ice fishing spots. However, we are seeing more and more anglers returning the majority of their catch to the water. While no one can deny the fact that a nice hot fish dinner after an ice fishing trip is very rewarding, most fishers are enjoying fishing for the sport, not for the food.
- Big Northerns Through The Ice
Walleye is my favorite fish to catch. It's true that landing a bass I've been hunting has its thrill as I bust the lunker and bring it in. But the finesse involved in landing a walleye, the pure fishing skill required is something I truly enjoy. And as a chef, I love the walleye for its pristine, clearwater flavor. This article will talk about the ice fishing gear you might think about for early walleye ice fishing, and lake structures to look for when setting your walleye ice fishing rig.
- Fishing In Northwest Montana
Fishing in Montana is much like fishing anywhere in North America, other than the fact that the scenery is probably as good as it gets. Oh, I'm sure you could find various areas throughout North America that would offer beauty that would rival Northwest Montana, but I seriously doubt it would be better. And the trout fishing is as good as I've seen anywhere. There are some very large trout in the state of Montana.
- Walleye Fishing Tips to Overflow Your Freezer with Fish
Like any great basketball player taking part in a shooting drill, there are some walleye fishing tips that are basic fundamentals that we should put into practice when we're walleye fishing. These walleye fishing tips that can make or break your performance on the water - every time out.
- Effortless Walleye Jigging Method Scores Nets Full of Fish
When you're jigging for walleyes, how big of a role does psychology play? More than a lot of people think at first glance. A large part of walleye fishing success is being in tune with both your mindset and the mindset of the walleye. You see, it isn't enough to have a well thought out plan of action without taking into consideration the psychology of the walleye itself.
- Walleye Fishing at Night Rakes in the Fish
Have you ever tried walleye fishing at night? One of the great things about walleye fishing at night is you are almost always alone on the water, giving you a huge advantage over the other anglers while they sleep. Here are some insider tactics to use next time you decide to give it a go after the sun goes down.
