need to learn

[crappiedoc]

The fish are generally in the same places as before freeze up. More people
ice fish now than ever, so you can join a group thats already there or mark
your spot pre-freeze. Being a newbie I highly recommend the group till you
learn ice safety. Cuttin' in or drilling a hole, and this is for crappie because
spacing can vary with species, there isn't any boat control so 6' between
you and your neighbor is a good minimum, I've had guys cut in my back poc-
ket before even ask me to move my bucket (now thats kahuana's). This is
probably what I think is important, 6"auger is great, while drilling let the
auger do the work, you don't need to push down, just keep it centered, this
will save your blades big time. Because come middle to end of season they're
hard to find new blades. Shave the ice, it's an auger not a drill. Using your
electronics, what a can of worms, LCR vs. flasher, I'm not going there. I use
my LCR off my tm, I've got the puck style, and before I drill I use a water
bottle to wet the ice and place the puck in the silver dollar sized wet spot.
This allows me to pre-scan before cuttin' in, I'm lazy and this will help limit
the number of holes I cut, because some days you'll cut plenty. Once I've
cut my hole(s) then I can put my transducer in, the rest is fishing and fine
tuning. One thing about the ice, your graph operation, since your not moving
you can really get to know all the functions of your electronics and how they
look on side-by-side comparisions. Now a little safety, if "NOTHING" else,
keep your auger in your hand while moving to and fro. Ice spikes for your
hands are "ok" I guess, but that auger will bridge the hole, and keep you from
going in to deep and you can use it to climb out. Trust me on that, I'm a BIG
boy, who's been through more than once and fished a few guys out. Do you
still want to go, just don't pour a lot of money into it till it's your thing. If you
don't like it thats OK, but if you do, you can spend a lot of money on things
you'll tell your wife are necessities. The fish really do taste better. Well, now
you've read the chronicles of CD go get em.

[ready2fish]

thanks guys. Now for the big questions, how do I decide where to cut a hole?? Use a depth finder on open water to find structure, how do I do it on ice?? What depths will the fish be? Suspended or near bottom? Will they be on the same structure as in hot weather? And please answer any other question that I didn't ask or know to ask. Thanks again.

There is always a crowed of people in a certain spot, i would try that first then move around

[GCD]

Be polite, use your southern accent, say sir and ma'am alot, and ask they people near where your going to be drilling your holes if they mind if you drill close by. You'll find that the folks up north really like that kind of stuff and will be more than willing to help you.

[ready2fish]

Do you
still want to go, just don't pour a lot of money into it till it's your thing. If you
don't like it thats OK, but if you do, you can spend a lot of money on things
you'll tell your wife are necessities. The fish really do taste better. Well, now
you've read the chronicles of CD go get em.

i think thats a very smart approach, to many people spend way to much and loose interest, also don't loose interest if your not catching any, it takes time !

[kb2112]

If you have a boat on the water you will be fishing, cruise around and mark the dropoffs, structure, ect. of the lake. Mark the weed line too. I usually set my tipups just outside the weed line on one lake and do pretty good there. Find the thermocline and fish just above it. What type of fishfinder do you have? You can use a regular ff that you use in the summer, just rig it to be portable. Chemical handwarmers for the hands and feet ( put them in your boots if need be).

[kb2112]

Btw will you be jigging or using traps? I'll put an icefly with a maggot or three on the leaders for my traps. The minnows add the action as they swim around. This has caught many fish for me.

[beenfishin?]

Btw will you be jigging or using traps? I'll put an icefly with a maggot or three on the leaders for my traps. The minnows add the action as they swim around. This has caught many fish for me.

Uh, what are traps?

[kb2112]

Sorry. Traps are tipups.