# Winter-time fishing



## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Winter is fully upon us here in Canada, fly-fishing or shore-fishing isn't all that good anymore, the hooks bounce off of the ice and never get close enough for the fish to bite.

In a survival situation, what would the ice-fishermen recommend doin' to get their catch? Let it be known that I have never gone ice-fishing before in my life, so, my question is serious ... I need to learn!


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Well buy your self one of these ice augers
http://www.basspro.com/StrikeMaster...uct/10201832/?hvarAID=shopping_shoppingdotcom
They work really well. When dull they are almost impossible to re-sharpen. So extra blades. 
They have gas and 12 volt ice augers also. Consider something to use as a shelter when fishing. With no shelter your hole will often freeze shut fairly quickly(or your line freezes to the side of the hole). You can use an ice chisel, like this---
http://www.basspro.com/Eskimo-*******-OnePiece-Ice-Chisel/product/10220137/
When the ice gets 3 or 4 feet thick it sucks making a hole in it. 
You can cut a large hole in the ice and spear fish (great fun if you are in a good spot). Spears and ice saw-----
http://doublediamondspears.com/


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

In a survival situation you want multiple lines. Live bait on the hook and something we call tip-ups can catch a lot of fish in a short amount of time when things are going well. 
Jigging in a hut or with a thick tarp over you is an incredible thing, went fishing with some experienced American fisherpeople in clear water for whitefish and they were amazed, you can see everything. Also if you have a big hut with multiple people, some variation of hot drink dosed with alcohol is mandatory, and something inevitably gets dropped down the hole.
I prefer a good hand auger like mentioned but a chainsaw works great too.


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## AuroraHawk (Sep 12, 2012)

You will find a lot of information on youtube and these guys can get you started.

Michigan Ice Fishing with Michigan Outdoor Sports Show hosts Al Ward and John Heider


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

cowboyhermit said:


> In a survival situation you want multiple lines. Live bait on the hook and something we call tip-ups can catch a lot of fish in a short amount of time when things are going well.
> Jigging in a hut or with a thick tarp over you is an incredible thing, went fishing with some experienced American fisherpeople in clear water for whitefish and they were amazed, you can see everything. Also if you have a big hut with multiple people, some variation of hot drink dosed with alcohol is mandatory, and something inevitably gets dropped down the hole.
> I prefer a good hand auger like mentioned but a chainsaw works great too.


I found a picture showing TipUps on Field-n-Stream's website (http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/more-freshwater/how-fish/2010/02/how-ice-fish-sounder) and it sounds like things are not quite simple when it comes to setting them up. How critical is it to set up the area and make sure that you will catch something?

When I am at the stream down the way during the summer, I know that fish are there when they jump for a bug or anything else ... how would I know a good spot under the ice ... or ... just keep drilling till either I fall in or a fish jumps out?


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Try lots of different holes until you begin catching fish. You can get one of those portable fish finders and stick them down through the hole and take a "look" that way. Sometimes you can get close to the water and see if there's any fish.

I use jigs with a pices of worm, maggot, corn, or some other kind of bait on the hook. Try it about a foot above the bottom at first then try raising or lowering it to find the most effective place. 

Tip-ups are good. Check regulations regarding how many you can use. 

I wrote an article on ice fishing one time. I'll see if I can find it.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Lol. It does sound complicated but no more so than any other fishing. In a lake with good fish if you have some maggots or other live bait it is easy enough to feel the bottom, lift it up a bit and wait. This can be very productive but boring if they aren't biting so usually we would jig at least one line. In general we never used a reel when jigging by hand, just a flat stick with the line wound end to end and you can pull out a 10+ pound fish nice and easy, totally different than normal fishing.
The best part of ice fishing in clear, not too deep water is you can see what is down there


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## AuroraHawk (Sep 12, 2012)

Don't forget to keep your live bait warm so it will stay alive.

When I was a little girl my father took me ice fishing on many occasions. One Saturday afternoon we were on Half Moon Lake and not catching much of anything. Father looked around and noticed that a grizzled old man, not far from us, had a lot of fish on the ice and appeared to be staying busy pulling them in. He sent me to ask the old man what he was using for bait.

"Hey, mister. My daddy wants to know what you are using for bait."

"Mmmmmph, ummm, phummp." he mumbled.

"Sir, will you please tell me what you are using for bait?"

In a slightly louder mumble, "Ummmph! Mmmmmph, eththth!"

"Mister, I haven't caught a fish all day, please tell me what you are using for bait."

He bent forward, spit something into his hand, looked me in the eye and said, "Mousies, girl! I'm using mousies!" Then he tipped his hand and showed me what appeared to be extra large maggots.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

on a company arranged fishing trip north of Toronto. City boy went to take a leak, and we put on his hook a FROZEN gutted red snapper. It took everybody about 10 minutes to stop laughing to point out he had "caught" a frozen gutted salt water fish


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

I have ice fishing equipment, but haven't had the time to go, maybe this winter. The one thing I don't have is a shanty. Last winter I googled them and there aren't several ones that can be easily built. There were interesting plans for them on ebay.

Lately the locals have been fishing off the piers and walls in the bay. They have been quite successful catching crapie, blue gill & sun fish. This is an excellent source of protein in my area and would be hard to leave in a bug out situation. Hopefully I will be able to use some of my gear this winter.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Sailaway ... 

I recently posted an "ice-fishing-shack" in the vehicle section that is made by SnoBear ... a two-track unit with skiis on the front and seating for upto 10 people. The unit has holes in the floor so that you can sit comfortably and fish straight through.

Another one I found is an amphibious ice-fishing shack ... even if you break through, you stay warm-n-dry ...


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Ice fishing. There is nothing more entertaining than staring at a hole in the ice for hours while your body slowly freezes solid.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

That motorized shack is awesome. The thing about a shack is it keeps the light out so you can see down the hole, that is the most fun, especially in clear, shallow water. You can also throw a tarp over you, which is how at least some natives did it, of course hides though. Also it is really easy to keep the shack warm, they are black and any sun shining gets reflected off the snow and ice and absorbed by the canvas. But if you put in even a tiny heater you will be too warm in a hurry, a little propane heater is standard but have seen tiny wood stoves that worked great. The most fun we had is with the "4 man" variety, but if it is just you, you can use all the holes yourself and stay toasty warm all day. Sometimes people will light a fire out on the ice to make it more comfortable outside, usually in a barrel on a couple rocks (no it wont melt through). Never really remember being cold out there, even as a little kid.
If you have your fishing license you should definitely give it a try now If you don't know anyone who does it then just head out to a lake with good fishing and on the weekend there should be people out there fishing away. Most of them I'm sure would be glad to give you a few tips. Heck you might even like it, I have fished on the ocean a lot and obviously on boats, from the shore etc. but ice fishing is my favorite, though fly fishing is close. 
I would also put ice fishing second only to nets in terms of productivity. My relatives used to catch a truckload (literally) of fish every winter and still have the pictures, but never really bothered the other three seasons, mainly because it was too hard to keep them fresh. In the winter that is not an issue, just drop them on the ice.


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## oif_ghost_tod (Sep 25, 2012)

hiwall said:


> Ice fishing. There is nothing more entertaining than staring at a hole in the ice for hours while your body slowly freezes solid.


Lol true.

Never have you seen more grown men freak out about their less than average fish than in an ice fishing contest.
Great excuse for supporting the local brewery though.
:beercheer:


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