Catching fish through the ice doesn't require a lot of fancy equipment. A short fishing rod and reel, a few hooks and a package of worms are about all you need.
Ice fishing gear
Jigs and jigging spoons are great lures to use when fishing through the ice. Tipping the hook of the lure with a piece of meal worm or another bait will make the lure even more attractive to fish.
In fact, if you just want to give ice fishing a try, you don't even need an ice auger.
Drew Cushing, warm water sport fisheries coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says you'll usually find plenty of predrilled holes on the ice fishing waters you visit. "If anglers drilled the holes just a day or two before," he says, "they'll have only an inch or two of ice in them. Just break that thin ice, and you're in business."
An ice fishing house is a simple structure that can be created by just about anyone with basic tools and a willingness to actually do it. Generally an ice fishing house is just a simple six by ten structure with holes in the floor but it can also be as complex and as luxurious as you want it to be. With a little bit of planning, the right materials and tools for the job you can make and plan your own custom design for and ice fishing hut.
Catching crappies through the ice can a be tough venture at times. Here's ten crappie ice fishing tips that will help put the odds in your favor.
1. Wintertime crappies most often relate to sharp drop offs, suspend in deep water flats, and submerged wood in deep water. It is not uncommon to find crappies suspended in 35′ of water if available. Because these fish can be anywhere from five feet all the way to the bottom a fish finder such as a Vexilar is a must.
2. When catching a crappie remember that crappies are a schooling fish so once you catch one, more fish are likely in the area. So take your time and try a few different jigs or bait and vary the depth of your presentation if you don't have a flasher.
3. Crappies rarely approach bait in a downward approach, meaning your better off presenting your bait above the fish versus below. I have witnessed this countless times when watching crappies approach my jig on my Vexilar FL-8.
Pike are popular quarry of ice fishermen. Though they are primarily pursued with tip ups, baited with live minnows or suckers, they can be taken with rod and reel, either jigging or fishing with bait.
Most fishermen use a fairly large hook, such as a No. 1 or No. 2 short shanked single hook or a No. 1 or No. 1/0 treble attached to a steel leader one to three feet long. The steel leader keeps the northern's formidable teeth from cutting the line.
Tip-ups are the nearly unanimous choice among pike fishermen. Tip-ups rigged so the fish can run with the bait work well during the ice fishing season. They usually fill their spools with heavy braided line in the 20 to 50 pound test range just in case they tie into one of the lunkers they dream about.
A very popular winter time activity is ice fishing for trout rainbow trout and in this article I will outline a few tips so that you can experience more success on your next excursion out onto a frozen lake in search of these beautiful and tasty fish. Rainbow trout are active during all seasons, so fishing for them through the ice can be very productive. The biggest key to ice fishing for rainbow trout is the type of bait that is used.
In addition to warm clothes and waterproof boots the following gear is all you need to catch fish through the ice in the winter:
A short fishing rod and a small reel.
Fishing line.
A package of wax worms or meal worms, and some small hooks.
Tackle
Jigging rod - Light and flexible rods used mostly for panfish (bluegills) and walleye. A short, firmer rod is better for perch.
Tip-up - A clever device that signals when a fish hits on your line. A flag "tips up" when the fish strikes and gives you the freedom to leave the fishing hole for a moment.
Hooks - Small number 10 or 12 hooks are recommended for panfish. Short shank number 3 hooks are good for walleye. Northern pike go for large number 2/0 to 6/0 hooks. Swedish hooks, also called pike hooks, are used for northern pike.
Lures - Ice flies and teardrop lures with live bait are recommended for panfish.
Ice fishing is one of the most popular forms of fishing in society today. There are many individuals who go for the ocean fishing, just for fun fishing, and then there are those fish anglers who have the determination of ice fishing. Ice fishing isn't exactly as easy as it looks and there's a lot of preparation that goes into ice fishing too. Not to mention that as the weather changes, adjustments have to be made by the individual as well.
This also goes with the territory of ice fishing tip ups. Some people have no idea what ice fishing tip ups are or understand what they are used for. Ice fishing tip ups are a special type of fishing line. Most of the tip ups that can essentially be purchased today are exceptionally durable and long lasting.
Because it is a land-locked variety, Kokanee salmon are more easy to find than other types that are hard to find, especially during the spawning season. Large isolate natural areas are the best places to go Kokanee salmon ice fishing, so you're likely to do better in the Northwestern U.S., Alaska, and Canada. Montana brags about the great Kokanee salmon ice fishing it offers.
