After the summer fishing season there is a period where you can’t fish because the ice is dangerous. That said, some brave anglers will push the limits to get out onto the ice. There is a way to be 100% safe if you take a few precautions. The first thing you should do before you even place foot onto the ice is to look on the snow to see for boot tracks from other anglers testing the ice. After you check for tracks you should look up and scan the horizon to see if you spot any punched holes that other anglers made. If, you don’t see any tracks and even if you do spot holes you always should be holding a chisel to swing at the ice for every step you take to guild your way on the ice. When you chisel a hole, the ice should be a minimum about of two and a half inches. Even that thin of ice can be sketchy but should be safe enough if you don’t run and put too much weight in a small area.
This year has been the earliest that I have been on the ice because of the drastic temperature change and the lack of wind. This makes the ice freeze evenly across the lake making it much safer to navigate the ice. Sometimes when temp slowly changes, and we have high winds it will cause the ice to become every uneven and not safe.
Now some things you need to know for early ice fishing because it truly can be the best time of the whole ice fishing season to catch yourself a lot of quality fish. Once you have picked a spot that is at a good depth you have to drill some holes in shallower water and deeper water and do something which is called “hole hopping.” Hole hopping is something that you do in search of fish. Once you get some marks on your locator you can start thinking about setting up your shack and try to finesse the fish to bite your lure. Some breeds of fish are more aggressive than others such as the crappie can be one of the most aggressive fish in the lake to one of the hardest fish to convince to even look at your jig.

When you are targeting a basic “pan fish” such as blue gills, crappies, perch, sunfish, pumpkinseed, the most common bait an angler will use is going to be the lead jig tipped off with a waxy. After a while the fish notice not to bite the jig, so you must make a bold move to attempt to trigger strikes. One trick I have started to use that seems to cause hits is instead of using the waxy is to put a soft plastic on a tungsten jig. The reason for this is because after a fish gets used to seeing one common bait, they won’t get as flared up compared to when they see something new and unique. When the fish turn on and get competitive it’s important that you after every fish you catch you hurry up and drop your bait down to keep the fishes’ attention before they swim away.
Fishing bigger fish is much different than from pan fish. While fishing for larger game such as walleye’s, pike, and bass things become slower but turns into a harder and longer of a fight making it more thrilling to some anglers. Northern pike other known as a toothy are a predator fish that hundreds of razor teeth used to help grab onto other fish. Norther’s are most commonly fished used a tip-ups which is a spool of line connected to a hook and a minnow that will spin when a fish bites that will set off a flag indicating having a bite. This technique is not only used for pike but also walleye’s one of the hardest fresh water fish to convince to bite. When you jig for walleye’s which you will usually be using live bait since it is going to be all natural. Another quality bait to uses for walleye’s is as Rapala jigging rap which is basically a fake minnow that has a rattle noise and a unique swimming action in the water.

Ice fishing has sadly turned into an expensive hobby since if you will be taking it seriously you are going to want a locator which can get up to $2000 but you can find them to as low. Also, you are going to need an ice auger that is extremely expensive and takes some time to keep maintained for the season. More gear that you need is a shack to stay warm and out of the wind. If, you are planning to be warm you are going to have to buy a heater plus propane and a lot of it, so you don’t run out.

Fishing has become way more than a hobby to me over the last year. I have got my grandpa loving the sport so much that he has constructed an ice shack for me and him to spend time out on the water. Since we have been fishing together it seems more and more every year it has become more important to me. For us being on the ice is a way for us to get away from the stress of everyday life and just relax. Also, my grandpa isn’t one for small talk, but I have talked more with him while out on the lake than I have my whole life. So, fishing has been a lot more than just going out on the lake to catch a fish. One thing that I have realized over the years is that I have gotten so much closer with my grandpa than I have ever been in my whole life. It’s like while we are on the ice, he is having the time of his life, even if the fishing is bad. I think one thing I love about ice fishing is spending the time to find a spot to place the permanent shack. This job it a very important because it takes a lot of time and effort to set the shack up. If you put the shack in a spot at which the fish aren’t biting it could end up, you having to move the shack. Some people wonder why I enjoy sitting out on a bucket in the cold for hours on end; I didn’t even know myself I notice it gives me a feeling like I’m with my grandpa and we are just making memories together. Fishing has become so much more than a hobby to me it has turned into a family tradition. I know I’m going to pass this to my kids and my grandkids some day because it is very important to my grandpa and I have a good feeling it will make him proud.