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From the February 2000 Conservationist

Fish On Ice

By Doug and Kelly Stang

Tired of sitting inside all winter? Kids complaining that they are bored? Need to get a little exercise? Try ice fishing. Not only is ice fishing fun, easy, inexpensive and enjoyed by all ages, but it can also provide you with a great, healthy meal at the end of the day.

Ice fishing equipment is not fancy. The necessities are warm clothes and waterproof boots, an auger or some other way to make a hole in the ice, a scoop or skimmer to get slush and ice out of the hole, something to fish with (tip-up, jigging rod, or hand line), and a lure or some bait.

If ice fishing with children, a change of clothes and extra gloves or mittens are strongly recommended since they will inevitably end up getting at least a little wet. Sunglasses are another necessity for use on all but the cloudiest of days.

Before heading out, you need to know that the most important rule of ice fishing is always make sure the ice is safe. In general, smaller ponds and lakes freeze before larger waters, and shallow waters freeze sooner than deeper waters. Avoid areas where streams enter the lake and areas around spillways and dams since the ice is thin in these areas because of the constantly moving water beneath the ice. The American Pulpwood Association has a guide (see table) that lists the relative safety of various ice thicknesses. This is just a guide, use your own good judgement before going out on any ice.

Where to Fish

Ice fishing is generally permitted in all non-trout waters, as well as a few trout waters. To find out if ice fishing is allowed on a nearby water, check the New York State Fishing Regulations Guide before going fishing. The guide is given out when you purchase you license or is available through a DEC office.

If you are familiar with the lake you decide to fish, start ice fishing in the same areas you fished during open water last summer. The best places to ice fish are usually over the edges of weedbeds and areas that go from shallow to deep water fairly quickly. If you are on an unfamiliar lake, first try fishing the shallow bays. These shallow areas are generally the first to freeze to safe ice thickness and are homes to many of the most sought after species.

Getting Through the Ice

You've selected a site, now you must "dig" a hole in the ice. The hole only needs to be about six to eight inches in diameter. You can pull a fairly large fish through a hole this size and larger holes may pose a bit of a hazard if someone steps in one.

Holes are usually made with an auger or a spud bar. An ice auger looks like a giant hand drill with very sharp blades on one end that literally drills a hole through the ice. A spud bar is a long metal bar with a wide, flattened, and sharpened edge on one end that chips a hole through the ice. When using a spud bar, you should wear glasses to protect your eyes from flying chips of ice. Whether you use an ice auger or a spud bar, you will supply the power to these decides to make you holes in the ice. There are gas-powered ice augers available, but while they do make the job of drilling holes easier, they are much more expensive, noisy, and heavier to transport than hand augers.

Catching Fish

Once your holes are "dug," it's time to fish. The two basic methods for ice fishing are: using tip-ups or jigging. Tip-ups are basically tow sticks of wood or plastic that form an X over the hole, with a third upright stick that is perpendicular to the X. The upright stick has a reel or spool of line and a trigger device on the end of the stick that is suspended into the hole, and a flag attached to a spring on the top end of the stick. When the tip-up is "set," the flag is down. Once a fish bites, the trigger is released and the flag springs into the air to signal a strike.

When setting tip-ups, you can work as a team by having someone drill holes, another scooping the ice out of the hole, and another setting up and baiting the tip-ups. This way you will have some tip-ups actively fishing while you continue to drill more holes. Tip-ups are usually baited with minnows and, for most fish, are set so the bait is within a foot of the bottom of the lake or suspended over the top of the weeds. If you are fishing for trout or landlocked salmon, set the bait four to eight feet below the ice surface over deeper water.

For jigging, ice anglers use jigging rods; appropriately named, since the lures or bait are raised and lowered with a short stroke or "jigging" action. These rods are short, about two feet long, to allow you to stand close to a hole, and are nimble and lightweight to enable you to feel delicate bites of panfish (bluegills, crappie, yellow perch, sunfish). In winter fish are generally less active and do not strike a lure or bait with the same gusto as during spring or summer. Small flashy lures, ice flies, dots, and jigs are fished with these rods and are usually baited with a grub, mousie or spike (larvae of flies that you can buy at a bait store).

The most popular species to ice fish for are panfish (bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, sunfish), pickerel, northern pike, walleye, and lake trout. Panfish are usually caught by jigging, while tip-ups are often more productive for pike, pickerel, walleye, and lake trout. Remember, ice fishing season runs from November 15 to April 30, and there are seasonal and creel limits for most of our fish species, so be sure to check the Regulation Guide for particulars. On most waters, you are limited to five tip-ups and two lines per person (15 tip-ups on Lake Champlain). For a few waters, tip-ups are not permitted.

Whatever your method of fishing, try to fish a variety of depths in an area to see if the active fish are located at a particular depth. Often as little as a three to five foot change in depth can make a difference in catching fish or just waiting and hoping for "some luck." During winter, fish are often concentrated together and it is not unusual for most of the fish caught to come from one or two "hot" holes. If you catch a fish or two from a particular hole, try drilling and fishing more holes around the productive hole.

Natural Refrigeration

One of the benefits of ice fishing is that you don't have to worry about your catch spoiling. You can just place the fish on the ice and they will stay cold and fresh. Place you catch away from any open holes-more than one flopping fish has found its way back down to the hole it came up. Also, be aware of crows, gulls, and the occasional thieving dog that might try to make-off with you catch.

If the fishing is slow, you can always drill another hole, then try out your ice skates. If it remains slow, you can drill another hole, then toss a frisbee or football, make a snowman, cook up a pot of soup or stew, and then drill another hole. You can also talk with other folks who are enjoying this winter activity (just don't stray too far- it is unlawful to leave you lines unattended). You can see what others have caught, compare fishing techniques, or share a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. You will often find the same folks gathering at their same favorite spots week after week-sort of like a fraternity. In fact, folk engaged in ice fishing are often collectively referred to as the "frostbite fraternity." Fortunately, you do not need to get frostbite to be a member.

Remember, ice fishing is supposed to be fun-if it's too cold, don't go. However if you are out on a frozen lake on a beautiful winter day and you find yourself getting cold, you can always dig another hole.

Photo: DEC