Modern Ice Fishing Gear » Ice Fishing Tips and Tricks

First Ice Is The Best Ice – But Be Careful!

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:23:48 +0000

The old adage always goes that first ice is the best ice. In general it turns out to be true as fish are feeding with abandon to store up for the long winter. Unfortunately with this period comes a lot of risk on the ice anglers part. Ice will obviously be thin and can be patchy and unpredictable. Here are my rules for venturing out early in the season.

1) If I think that it is questionable to be on the ice, don't be on the ice. This is supposed to be fun, and taking my life in my hands is not my idea of a good time. If in doubt, error on the side of caution.

2) The ice better be 4-6" thick near shore. I want all ice to be at least 4" thick if I'm going on the ice, so I cut a hole in shallow water (2' or so) and check the thickness of the ice. If it isn't 4" there, I'm off the ice. End of story, if it is, I will consider venturing out.

3) Bring some specialized ice fishing gear. Bring a ice chisel or similar to test the ice on every step. If the chisel breaks through at any point, go back EXACTLY as you came. The ice obviously was strong enough to support you on the way out, it should hold you as your retreat.

4) Bring some ice spikes just in case. These simple safety tools can literally be the difference between life and death if the worst case happens. Either buy some or make some to have at the ready in case of disaster.

Like all of you, I'm all in for catching a lot of fish. As soon as I can get an ice fishing rod in my hand I am all for being game on. But in order to continue to do this year after year we need to keep in mind how truly dangerous early and thin ice can be. Please be extremely careful while on the ice, especially early in the season.

How To Wake A Dead Battery For Your Ice Fishing Flasher or Underwater Camera

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:02:04 +0000

We have all run into dead batteries over time for our ice fishing electronics. Whether it is for that ice fishing flasher or underwater ice fishing camera, batteries that sit for prolonged periods tend to have troubles with holding a charge after a while. While it is good practice to have a back up battery available, a "dead" battery can often be restored into perfect working condition.

Here is the process, which can take up to a week, but usually only takes 3-4 days. Every morning set up your charger and attach it to the battery. Every night remove the charger from the battery and allow to sit over night. Repeat this every day until you get the battery to take a charge. If it won't take a charge after a week of trying this, then your battery is more than likely truly shot. More often than not this process will yield a battery that will take a charge and run your ice fishing electronics. There really isn't anything more important in your ice fishing gear than your flasher, so don't mess around with a bad battery!

Modify your tactics for finicky fish on the ice

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:37:47 +0000

While ice fishing and if you see fish rising to the bait on your ice fishing flasher, but refuse to take it you more than likely have a fish willing to bite. However, if you are persistent these fish can be coaxed into eating, but are looking for a slightly different presentation. If you find yourself in this situation it is time to start switching things up. If you have at least one other ice fisher with your the process is easier to manage, but even if alone you can absolutely make it work.

So grab your wide array of ice fishing gear and take note. The initial thing to is to downsize your lure / bait / both. If you are using a 1/4 ounce lure, go with the same color bait but one that is an eighth or 1/16 ounce. Or keep the same sized lure, but go with a different color. Or maybe the fish want chartreusse instead of silver or red glow instead of white glow. Or maybe it is simply the bait attached to your lure. Change to a wax worm instead of a crappie minnow or just the head of the minnow. Or maybe switch to another minnow entirely.