Ice Fishing

If you live in area near lakes and have frigid cold winters like I do here in Colorado, you might want to try ice fishing.

You have to dress warm for ice fishing. Think layers. If you get too warm you can always take layers off. Your outer layer should be wind and water proof. You should wear boots that are also water proof. Wool caps and gloves are also recommended since wool retains insulating properties even when wet. You should bring along a pair of sun glasses or goggles to protect your eyes from the glare off the ice.

The most important tool you need for ice fishing is an ice auger. You can go with a hand auger or one powered by gas or a 12-volt battery. Hand augers run from about $30-80 and power augers from $300-500.

Before digging a hole, it's recommended to check with authorities about ice conditions before venturing out onto the lake. You need at least four inches of ice to safely hold up a person, eight inches for a snowmobile, and twelve inches for a normal sized vehicle. Ice can vary along a lake and can be shallower around beaver damns and river or stream inlets.

Once you have your hole, you can use any type of rod and reel for fishing, the smaller the better. There are ice rods out there for ice fishing and they are usually inexpensive compared to normal rods because they are about a third of the size of normal rods. Depending on the lake, you could use different test lines. I normally use a four or five pound test line for most of the lakes here in Colorado. If your fish are bigger and are breaking your lines, you may want to increase your test line. I use leaders so I can switch out different sized hooks or lures. To find out what the fish are biting, check in with a bait shop that it close to where you are fishing. Also, make sure you know the regulations on bait restrictions and size and limits on the fish you are fishing for.

At first, I try sinkering my line down to the bottom of the lake. After awhile, if I'm not getting any bites, I'll try to raise the bait up. I'll keep exploring depths to figure out where they are biting at for that day. You can also try jigging or other techniques to see what works for you. There's no hard rule to fishing.

The ice will keep trying to freeze up while you are out there fishing. You should bring something along that acts as a dipper or skimmer to keep the ice from closing up. You should also have a fish bonker, which is some kind of club to knock your fish out when you get it out of the water. You should throw the fish back in and not bonk it if you are not going to keep it. Bring along a basket to keep your caught fish in. Of course you should have your fishing license with you at all times too.

There are tents and shelters out there for ice fishing to protect you from the wind. You can bring along portable heaters to keep you warm also. Just make sure the heater is not melting the ice.

When you are out there ice fishing, here are some things you should not do. Don't build a fire on top of the ice. Never leave garbage, dead fish, or entrails on top of the ice. Don't make too many ice holes; if you make more than one, space them out. Don't leave holes unmarked when you are no longer using the hole. Firmly plant a stick to mark the holes.

I hope this gives you some insight on ice fishing. If one of you reading this is a dedicated fisherman and have some good recipes, feel free to leave one in the comments.