Ice Fishing/Fishing Tips


*Camo_Girl*

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Hey everyone.

I know I haven't been on here in a long time, but I have some questions. Do you guys have any tips and tricks on ice fishing AND fishing for a novice?

I want to maybe try ice fishing next year and fishing in the summer. I would really appreciate it! Also, do you have any recommendations on poles and etc.?

Thanks!

-CG:cool:

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This is sort of a broad question, and there's a lot of ways to go with it, but I'll try to help.

As far as ice fishing goes, this is one aspect of fishing that requires a lot of gear. If you don't have the right equipment, you're not going to have fun (and you won't catch many fish). So, expect to invest a decent amount of cash right off the bat. Things you'll need are:

-a shanty- it gets windy on the big flat frozen surface of a lake, sometimes you can get by without one, but if it's windy you'll be in bad shape and your hole will freeze over very quick.

-a good auger- spend the extra $$ and buy a good ice auger. The smaller diameter augers cut a lot more smoothly and won't bind. I'd recommend the Strikemater Lazer in a 6" diameter.

-a scooper- to remove slush from inside your hole.

-ice creepers- spikes that fasten to your boots and grip the ice.

-there's a lot more, and really, the skies the limit, but if you only get the essentials you can get what you need for a fairly good price.

-When you're ice fishing, you need to know where and when you should be going out. Follow the reports, and I never go out on anything under 5" thick. Some guys go on less ice, but they're also the ones you hear about falling through.;) Really, you should go with someone with experience or really educate yourself on safety beforehand. Ice fishing can be dangerous at times, but if you're smart and cautious it is actually fairly safe.

As far as all other kinds of fishing go, you should probably tell us what kind of fish you want to go after, where you'll be fishing (lakes or rivers etc...) and that will help us to give you some advice.

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A lot of gear! LOL! When I was younger, all I had was a small rod, handful of ice jigs, auger, scooper, and some waxies! Thats it! I caught all kinds of panfish! Yes now that I am older, I have quite a bit more gear! LOL! Too much according to the wife!

You can get a good little small ice rod for about $20-$30. Find a friend that owns an auger, grab a few ice jigs in a couple of colors and head out to see if its what you really like! Thats how a lot of us started. I will say this, it can be a lot of fun! As long as your into some fish, which is why I now use a LCD Depth finder.

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You can get a good little small ice rod for about $20-$30. Find a friend that owns an auger, grab a few ice jigs in a couple of colors and head out to see if its what you really like!

better pick a sunny, calm day if you do.;) If there's 10 mph gusts, they'll be 25 mph gust on a big flat frozen lake.

where do you live? If you have access to small farm ponds or small lakes, bass and panfish are always easy to catch and fun.

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Gear depends on what you are fishing for. For ice in the 4"-8" range, a hand auger will be fine. When it gets thicker, you won't be able to punch alot of holes. Also, you will want some type of depth finder-the clip on sinker types work fine, but then you get into some money with flashers (vexilars, etc). The best advise is to start 24" above bottom and slowly jig your way down to 2-4" above bottom for pannies. Crappies usually suspend off of bottom, and that is where a good flasher will show you suspended fish. Basically you are looking at some decent coin, but it is worth it, the fish that come from frozen lakes taste much better than those caught in summer imo.

Shanty-$150-400

Auger-$50-400

Rod/Reel/Line-$25-50ea

Lures/Box-$10-100

Depth FInder-$2-400

Scoop-$5

You get the idea, basically find a friend who has the gear, go with, see if you like it, then invest in the gear as time goes by...Sale on all the gear come at the end of winter or early spring, and is a great time to buy!!!! Have fun!

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