also watched some On The Water TV episodes. More specifically:
- Ice fishing for trout and salmon. On The Water TV. Season 1, show 8.
- Ice fishing for perch, bass, pickerel, walleye and pike. On The Water TV. Season 3, show 7.
- Ice fishing East Grand Lake in Maine: lake trout and salmon. On The Water TV. Season 4, show 2.
After reading these articles and watching these DVDs, I learned that ice fishing is pursued by anglers of various persuasions and is not unlike other types of fishing. Like each type of fishing, the gear is specialized; but the techniques are similar. For example, fishing around structure and knowing where your presentation is in the water column are critical parameters of success.
After learning how to ice fish safely, my next step was to build my ice fishing tackle box. Like other methods of fishing, there are an overwhelming number of products and electronics devices. But, the basic ice fishing gear is just a sled, tip ups, rigs, bait, and something to make a hole through the ice.
There are several sled options from open ice fishing sleds that can transport all your gear to specialized sleds with integrated shelters and seats that expand and collapse. Some anglers build “Hummer” and “Cadillac” style sleds using old skies. For my first time out, I used a simple down-hill snow sled.
I personally do not use low cost/low quality rods when targeting trophy fish. So, when I was in the Scarborough, Maine Cabela’s, I inspected all the tip-ups and consulted with one of Cabela’s finest, who is a local ice angler, to find a “built to last” tip-up that would performe well under pressure and was easy to use. I purchased a set of Jack Traps tip-ups because of their simple design and quality of construction. And I am so glad I did!!!
There are several ice fishing rigs. The rig that I pre-tied for my trip consists of a 24 inches of 10 lb flurocarbon leader with a double surgeon’s loop knot on one end, a size 4 Gamakatsu octopus hook (stock# 02308-25) on the other end, and a slit shot sinker at midpoint. I also tied a double surgeon’s loop knot on the main line to connect my rigs via loop-to-loop knot. After building my ice fishing tackle box, I was ready for my first ice fishing trip. I called and emailed my friends to coordinate the final “details”.
The day of the trip, I got up at 4:00 AM; dressed in layers (Under ArmorColdGear top and bottom!); packed my sled; and pickup my friend on the way to the lake. We arrive at the lake before sunrise, along with our other friends. Using a pair of work gloves, I used my friend’s power auger and made all our holes at once. We lowered our baits and set them at different heights to determine where in the water column the fish were feeding. Fish move and are not always where we think their suppose to be! Some of our tip-ups had live night crawlers and some had live shiners.
I am not sure if the fish in the lake were snobs, but they did not touch my fresh wiggling night crawlers. I started to second guess my method, and then, my friend screamed: “FLAG!”, with his distinct Canadian accent. I think I set a world record for sprinting on ice without falling. I retreived my line until an aggressive and slippery pickerel came up through ice. This specimen was not the Loc ness monster, but it was a respectable fish.
This was my first ice fishing trip, but now I am hooked and in the market for my very own power auger. If you are new to ice fishing and would like to try it, then join a club like the Plum Island Surfcasters or an online community like striped-bass.com, who have annual ice fishing trips.
