How To Start Ice Fishing
If you’re interested in angling in the northern part of the USA, chances are you’ve heard about ice fishing. Since getting boats out on the ice isn’t a viable option for us up here because, you know, no water, we have to trek out onto the frozen lakes and catch our fish through the ice.
If you’ve never gone you may be asking yourself, “How do I start ice fishing?”
If that sounds like you, here are the four main areas to learn about before you head out on the ice:
(By the way, there are links throughout this post, I don’t make money off of any of these companies for posting about them, these are just what I would recommend looking at)
Ice Fishing Safety
Safety is the number one thing to keep in mind when thinking about going ice fishing. Every year people push their limits and end up falling through. When you go out, make sure the ice is thick enough to support the weight of you and your gear. One common tip to test this is to walk out with an ice chisel in front of you, testing the ice before you make your next step.
In addition to an ice chisel, bring ice picks along. These are usually two plastic handles with metal picks on the ends tied together. They are designed to help you pull yourself out of the water and back onto the ice if you do fall in.
Ice has to be at least 4 inches thick before walking out on it, 6 inches before using a snowmobile, and over 12 inches before thinking about driving on it. When in doubt, don’t risk falling through. Either wait or find a different spot to try.
Scouting
Once you’ve got your safety equipment figured out, it’s time to figure out where to actually go fishing. If you have lakes that you commonly fish out of a boat, then you will likely already know the spots to target fish through the ice. However, if you’re trying a new lake, you’ll need to do some research to figure out where to go.
One great way to do this research is with the Navionics app. This app that you put on your phone is great for telling you the different depths in most lakes, as well as where you are. Pair that with its ability to save places that you’ve been before with information, and you’ve got a pretty powerful tool in your pocket. Check it out here: (https://www.navionics.com/usa/apps/navionics-boating)
Another option is to see what your local conservation office has online. For example, in Minnesota we have the Lakefinder website (https://maps1.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefinder/mobile/#home). This website is great for letting you know what fish to expect in a lake, what regulations to follow, and also some basic depth information on the lake. Try searching for something similar in your area to see what is available.
The last place I like to look for information is Facebook groups. I look for groups related to a specific lake or area that I’m researching and join them. Once they accept my request, I’ll see what the conversations look like, what information people are sharing, and ask questions when needed.
Clothing
When learning how to start ice fishing, finding the proper clothing is a must. Sometimes the weather is on your side and you can get away with jeans and a sweatshirt. Other times, you’re fishing in -50 Fahrenheit with the wind-chill and you need full winter gear to stay warm (relatively, you’ll probably still be cold but it won’t be dangerous).
Make sure to have your typical winter gear (gloves, boots, warm socks, hat) no matter what. In addition, floating jackets and bibs are popular right now for good reason. These provide extra flotation in case you do fall through the ice and are also extremely warm. My favorite brand for these is Eskimo, you can check them out here: (https://geteskimo.com/pages/landing-apparel)
Gear
Okay, so you’ve got your safety equipment, you know where you’re going, and you have the right clothes. But now what do you actually need to go fishing? Some of the gear is pretty standard, but some of it will depend on the type of fish you’re going after.
Let’s start with a fishing rod. Ice fishing rods are a lot shorter than your typical open-water fishing rod. You’ll usually want to use a shorter, lighter action rod for smaller fish and a longer, heavier action rod for bigger fish. The average range of size is anywhere from 28-36 inches and goes from ultra-light (really bendy) to heavy (not really bendy).
Next are fishing reels. These vary in design and size as well. Ice fishing usually sees spinning reels and inline/freefall reels. Both are great options and will come down to personal preference with what you choose. If you’ve never tried either, head to your local sporting goods store and they will likely have lots of options on display.
For an example of spinning reels, check out this one from Shimano: (https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/shimano-sedona-fi-spinning-reel)
For an example of inline/freefall reels, check out the options from 13 Fishing: (https://13fishing.com/hardwater)
Ice fishing lures come in all different types, colors, shapes, and sizes. You’ll want to use different varieties depending on what you’re going after. I won’t go into too much detail here since this could be a blog all of its own someday (hint hint) but the basic thing to know is that you have a couple of main styles: small jigs and spoons. Small jigs are great for panfish and perch and can be jigged or set on a bobber, while spoons are meant to be jigged to create a lot of attraction in the water. To see a whole lineup of options, check out Clam, they’ve been doing a really nice job with their lures: (https://shop.clamoutdoors.com/cpt/ice-tackle.html)
Some sort of ice shelter is also pretty nice to have especially on cold days. There are lots of styles, but for beginners, it’s best to start with either a pop-up tent or a flip-over tent. Pop-ups are stored in a bag and have walls that pop out. Flip-over tents have seats inside of a sled and the walls of the tent flip over the top of you. Both are great, and examples can be found from Eskimo here: (https://geteskimo.com/pages/landing-shelters)
If you don’t want to get super cold on the ice, a propane heater is a good thing to bring along as well. Options from companies like Mr. Heater (https://www.mrheater.com/) and Heat Hog (https://heathog.com/) are the most popular.
The last thing you’ll need for sure for ice fishing is a way to make a hole in the ice. That’s where ice augers come in. There are four main types of these. Hand augers, gas augers, electric augers, and drill attachment augers.
Gas augers are the traditional standard, but are seeing more competition from the other options these days. I don’t have a preference for these, but a Google search will give you lots of options.
Hand augers are great for early and late ice when you don’t have much to drill through, but become a real pain when you get 2+ feet of ice.
Electric augers are a very popular option nowadays. Companies like Ion (https://ioniceaugers.com/) have different options for hole size, battery size, and more. These are very easy to just grab and start drilling with, but can get a bit heavy.
Drill attachment augers are my personal favorite. These are lightweight augers that attach to a power drill. They cut through the ice extremely easily, and are fairly affordable if you already have the drill laying around. If you go this route, make sure you have the recommended drill size or else you run the risk of burning out your drill. There are great options to choose from, some being:
K-Drill (https://kdrillauger.com/)
Razr Augers (https://www.razrpowr.com/)
Whew. That was a lot. I promise it’s a lot simpler than it sounds. In summary, do this:
Make sure the ice is safe and you have the right safety equipment
Scout the lake for the best spot
Bring the right clothing
Get the right gear for the way you’re fishing
Now it doesn’t look so bad.
I hope this helps you learn how to start ice fishing. This type of fishing is one of my personal favorites and everyone who wants to try it out should get a chance to. If you have any questions or have something you want to learn about, make sure to let me know.
For more content like this, make sure you’re subscribed to the email list! Each week I’ll send over a new blog with tons of information on an outdoor activity.
-Calvin
PS: Have you ever gone fishing and wished you had a way to keep track of where you went, what the weather was like, what you caught, what lures you caught fish on, etc… but didn’t want to bring a notebook with you or keep track of it on your notes app?
Well, I made a solution for people just like you. Right from your phone you can keep track of all of that information and more with my digital fishing journal. If that sounds interesting, check it out here: https://www.ruggedwriter.com/store/p/fishing-journal
If it doesn’t sound interesting, check it out anyways: https://www.ruggedwriter.com/store/p/fishing-journal
