Moving to Lovell WY. Will need to learn how to ice fish. I have been looking at the posts here and will undoubtedly have lots of questions later on. Any info on beginner equipment would be appreciated.
Printable View
Moving to Lovell WY. Will need to learn how to ice fish. I have been looking at the posts here and will undoubtedly have lots of questions later on. Any info on beginner equipment would be appreciated.
You prolly wouldn't think a redneck from Alabama goes ice fishin', but my wife is from Canada and we go to visit her folks over the Christmas holidays sometimes and I always hit the ice if it's safe.
A 6" manual auger will get you started to see if you like ice fishing. A 6" will bore faster and take less effort than an 8". You can pull a pretty good sized fish through a 6" hole, it may surprise you.
The tackle shops up there will have all the equipment you need, but you can look at some stuff on Cabelas and BassPros web sites too.
The most important thing will be warm boots, clothes, and gloves for your comfort on the ice. If you're freezing to death out there on the ice, ice fishin' isn't that much fun. Stay away from cotton under layers, wool and polypropolene are much warmer because they wick the moisture away from your skin.
It's a different world up north in the winter than it is here in the south and the have a different kind of cold... it's a freezinass cold!;)
If nothing else, spend the money on a good pair of boots. They're in contact
with the cold direct. I've taken many guys with this same info and you'de be
surprised, end up putting them on the floormats outta the ride.
For most the sound of ice fishing is crazy and you have to be nuts, lolQuote:
Originally Posted by beenfishin?
Will i be hitting hard water since i was a kid , its one of those things you love it or you sit and wait for spring fishing, i don't think i missed a single weekend last year.
Ice fishing can be cheap but as all ready mentioned get some good boots and they will keep your feet warm for many years i even use mine in the spring on cool days while out in the boat. I would look for some local ice fishing sites in the state your going to that way they can also give you tips on what lakes to try. Another thing i would highly recommend is a fish finder. :)
Ice Shanty.com has a Wy. state board that looks like it gets a fair amount of traffic. You have to register to see pics and stuff.
Ice Fishing Wyoming - Ice Fishing IceShanty.com
iceshanty.com is the way to go. I live in northern Missouri where we get ice. I took up ice fishing a few years back and knew nothing about it. I now catch alot of fish and it was all learned on iceshanty. Good bunch of people and they are always willing to help.Quote:
Originally Posted by GCD
I absolutely concur. Iceshanty.com
I get a kick out of the guys on there. Like all the discussions about keeping a hole open in cold weather. My "solution" was to pour a quart of 10W40 in and light it. I will burn for hours - problem solved.
Then I got all the comments about fishing line burning, etc.....
I WAS KIDDING! IT WAS A JOKE! LIGHTEN UP!!!
I love it!! :)
a few additional thoughts -
My best tools include:
Gotta' have:
* a board / styrofoam to put your feet on, keeping them off the ice.
* good boots, coveralls, a facemask, and a hat for my hairless head.
* ice picks (I fell through once, in 4ft fortunately, but it's tought getting out).
* a spud (heavy rod for hitting ice to make sure it's solid).
* a throw-rope.
* spring-thingies to put on your feet so you can walk on the ice & pull the sled.
* UUUL rod - some have a spring at the end to show bites - you'll never feel them. My favorits is about $10 at Gander Mtn, plus a decent reel.
* As CGD said, a 6in auger.
* spikes (maggots) for bait - tip every jig. Literally 10X as good as wax-worms.
You'll want soon:
* a good flasher - I have three color Vexilar, but used a $5 garage-sale humminbird one-color for a couple years. I caught fish.
* a small sled / tent.
* a lantern will keep you warm enough in a small tent.
* a little bigger heater that you can lay back & boil water on.
* a gallon of fresh water.
* hot chocolate for the kids.
* GPS to mark good spots.
* a backup UUUL rod, as I break 'em quite often...
Dress in layers. I'm normally down to a t-shirt in my tent.
once you get hooked you'll end up spending just as much money on ice fishing equipment as you have on open water if not more. It's an addiction that can't be broken. It's hard to explain but your closer to the fish. You are on a bucket looking down a hole at your feet and a fish looking up at you through the same hole. Plus the fish taste better through the ice.
For about a $100 you can get every thing to start than if you like it you'll keep add more stuff and more stuff. Than you get to drag all your stuff across the ice. In a couple of years you'll find that some stuff you need and some you don't. Plus every Christmas you can place an order with Santa.
Go to Lowe's and get a sled that is used for mixing cement for $12. don't take your kids sled!
A bucket, to sit on.
Some jigging poles with 2 or 4lb line.
Some ice fishing jigs, Jammin jigs .com.
An auger ,6 inch.
An ice scoop.
And some maggots.
warm clothing.
And a thermos. That's everything you'll need to start.
Than comes the shanty, depth finder, and heaters, tip ups, speciality poles and lures.
I think fishing through the ice makes you a better open water fisherman.
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.
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.:cool:
There is always a crowed of people in a certain spot, i would try that first then move aroundQuote:
Originally Posted by beenfishin?
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.
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 !Quote:
Originally Posted by crappiedoc
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).
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?:confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by kb2112
Sorry. Traps are tipups.