Ice Fishing 101
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- Published on Friday, 06 January 2012 14:31
- Written by Indiana Ice Fishing
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Indiana Ice Fishing
Ice Fishing 101!
By Rob B.
We love ice fishing! You want to know why we love ice fishing? OK, I'll tell you why we love ice fishing. Ice fishing is one of those sports that almost anyone can do! You don't need a boat or motor or a truck to haul them both. You don't need a bunch of fancy fishing rods, fishing reels or fishing lines. You don't need an elaborate anchoring system. Hell you don't even need a large supply of flies or lures. It is simplicity at it's best AND it's something you can do with the whole family!
Now of course you could spend all the money you want on fancy gear as they make as many gadgets and gizmotrons for ice fishing as they do for any other sport. But this article isn't about that. This article is about the ice fishing basics. Ice fishing 101 - how to have a blast pursuing big BC bows through the ice on a shoe string budget!
OK so lets get started with a list of the minimum gear that you will need:
1) Something to make a hole in the ice. Most people use a 6 or 8 inch ice auger but you can get away with an axe. If you go with an auger we recommend the 8 inch cause it makes it easier to land the lunkers! The auger will be your most expensive piece of equipment but if you take care of it it will last you forever.
2) Fishing line: A small spool of 6 - 12 pound mono is all you will need.
3) Hooks: Size 6 - 10 if using bait or a half dozen ice flies if not.
4) Weights:? Just big enough to sink everything (not required if using weighted ice flies).
5) Floats: Your standard old school red and white bobber will do the trick quite nicely!
6) Bait: If you're fishing a lake that allows it, a ring of shrimp, a container of worms or a package of maggots will do the job.
7) An old 5 gallon bucket. Recommended but not required but makes a great way to carry your gear and doubles for a nice seat once your there!
OK so now you're all geared up.:) The next step is to use our "BC Lakes on Google Earth" tool and pick a lake with some good potential. Or, you can just contact us and we'll let you know what's hot and what's not!
Either way once you've arrived at your lake of choice and made a hole it's time to rig up and fish. It's as easy as
1) tying a baited hook or ice fly onto your 6 - 12 mono line,
2) dropping it all down to the bottom and
3) bringing everything up about 1 foot and attaching your bobber.
That's it! Your ice fishing! When the bobber twitches you've got a bite - pull up to set the hook and continue pulling your catch straight up and out through the hole!
Additional Tips:
If you go a while with no bites you may want to try "jigging" your lure up and down a few times - the movement could attract near by fish. The amount of jigging depends... some days the fish want it sitting still and other days you can't hook a fish unless you're constantly moving the lure.
Depth is also something that can vary your success. Although most times very near the bottom seems to work best, at other times you may need to be closer to the top to be successful!
In both cases experimenting until you find what works is the key! Once you figure it out you could be in for a real treat as the action can be fast and furious! And who knows, if you pick the right lake you might even get a chance at true BC trophy bow!
That folks is the ice fishing basics and all you really need to know to have some fun during the BC interior hard water season! Now get out there and catch some fish!
*For a more detailed version of this article (AKA with pictures) please visit http://flyguys.net/blog/fishing-information/ice-fishing-101
About the flyguys:
Located in the interior of BC, the fly guys are hard core guys & gals who's goal is to keep you in the loop of what is happening at the many lakes & rivers of beautiful British Columbia & beyond! The fly guys offer information, strategies & techniques on fishing & hunting, aquatic entomology, fly tying & fly patterns, cleaning, filleting, gear reviews, recipes & much much more! For all your hunting, fishing & outdoor information needs check out http://flyguys.net now!
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