Ice Fishing Questions

[MattK]

So I haven't been ice fishing before, but looking for some tips. I got a jigging rod for Christmas, but i see most of the guys on here using the tip ups. What should I be using? What type of line should I get for the jigging pole? What other gear do I need? Lures/Bait?

[Delawareriver]

What are you looking to catch and where do you plan on fishing?

[Delawareriver]

Ill start with the bare basics before you even worry about tackle. Get yourself a jet sled so you can haul all your gear out on the ice. A pair of ice picks should be around your neck anytime while on the ice, they are basically a handle with nails in them, if you go through the ice don't panic, try to get horizontal to spread out your weight then you stab the ice picks into the ice and pull yourself out once you are out belly craw away keeping your weight spread out, remember the best way to try to get out is the behind you as that Ice supported you before you went in, you have no idea what the ice in front of you will support. Number two is a life jacket or a pair of icefishing bibs/coat that float. Life jacket is cheap if on a tight budget. a good pair of bibs and coat will cost you but will keep you warm and comfortable. Most have plenty of pockets to keep small tackle boxes, hot hands, and also most have padded knees that are water proof which is nice as you find yourself kneeling next to holes while fishing quite a bit. 3rd piece of equipment you must have Is a spud bar, always spud your way around the ice especially the first time you walk a certain way, ice does not form uniformly, underwater current, weeds, rocks, springs, geese, snow on the ice etc can make ice go from 12" to 1" and sometimes impossible to see the difference. Good rule of thumb is 3 or more good whacks to go through is safe, 2 whacks don't go any farther, 1 whack slowly get low and spread out your weight. Remember just because you see other guys out there does not mean the ice is safe and in reality no ice is completely safe. Never take any one else's word on thickness, check yourself. 3" of clear black ice most guys consider fishable, 5-6" of white ice if it's below freezing, and 8-12" of white ice is needed on those late winter days with the ice gets soft. To recap 3 must have pieces of equipment is ice picks, floatation device, and spud bar. A rope isn't a bad idea either in case you see someone else is in trouble you can throw the rope to them without becoming a victim yourself. When you respond to what you are looking to catch I can help you with tackle

[Chrisper4694]

don't go out a lone right now, the guys you see out from here really know what they're doing. there is a lot of sketchy ice right now. get a partner.

also if you don't want to buy a jet sled you can strap your stuff to a kids sled from walmart haha, i did that for a few years. now they make a small jet sled though that's only about 30-40 bucks.

[MattK]

What are you looking to catch and where do you plan on fishing?

I'd like to catch some Pike/Pickerel, but I'm more than happy with crappie and perch.

[MattK]

Ill start with the bare basics before you even worry about tackle. Get yourself a jet sled so you can haul all your gear out on the ice. A pair of ice picks should be around your neck anytime while on the ice, they are basically a handle with nails in them, if you go through the ice don't panic, try to get horizontal to spread out your weight then you stab the ice picks into the ice and pull yourself out once you are out belly craw away keeping your weight spread out, remember the best way to try to get out is the behind you as that Ice supported you before you went in, you have no idea what the ice in front of you will support. Number two is a life jacket or a pair of icefishing bibs/coat that float. Life jacket is cheap if on a tight budget. a good pair of bibs and coat will cost you but will keep you warm and comfortable. Most have plenty of pockets to keep small tackle boxes, hot hands, and also most have padded knees that are water proof which is nice as you find yourself kneeling next to holes while fishing quite a bit. 3rd piece of equipment you must have Is a spud bar, always spud your way around the ice especially the first time you walk a certain way, ice does not form uniformly, underwater current, weeds, rocks, springs, geese, snow on the ice etc can make ice go from 12" to 1" and sometimes impossible to see the difference. Good rule of thumb is 3 or more good whacks to go through is safe, 2 whacks don't go any farther, 1 whack slowly get low and spread out your weight. Remember just because you see other guys out there does not mean the ice is safe and in reality no ice is completely safe. Never take any one else's word on thickness, check yourself. 3" of clear black ice most guys consider fishable, 5-6" of white ice if it's below freezing, and 8-12" of white ice is needed on those late winter days with the ice gets soft. To recap 3 must have pieces of equipment is ice picks, floatation device, and spud bar. A rope isn't a bad idea either in case you see someone else is in trouble you can throw the rope to them without becoming a victim yourself. When you respond to what you are looking to catch I can help you with tackle

Thanks for the advice, i have life jackets so I'm good there, and I'm pretty good with ice safety from playing hours and hours of pond hockey. I'd never go out without a buddy. Hadnt thought about the ice picks so ill pick them up.

[Mikey topaz]

Delaware- said it all great advice! As mentioned above do not go out alone right now first time we get to a spot we literally have a guniea pig most of the time its me life jacket pick rope tied to me spud bar checking the whole area out probly spend a good thirty mins doing that before we venture out.just like del said figure out what you wanna target my self i have five tip ups with fifty fluro for pike and muskie and five other tipups with 20lb fluro rigged for walleye bass trout etc.Then I carry two jiggin rods just in case im going to fish four tip ups and jig, try to set up on the deeper water u can it may be ten ft maybe 30.... set the baits as close to the bottom as u can, for trout pickerl about a foot under the ice works great.for rigging the actuall tip up up i use 20lb dacron on my five smaller ones barrell swivel to three feet of leader to a snelled size 2gam. Octopus hook. On the bigger ones the same way withheavier leader and size 4/0 hooks...get some gear and get out there and goodluck, keep a eye out for m n g coming up lot good guys go u could learn bunch there to or ask any questions! Btw anyone that needs to borrow a jet sled chrrisper will let you borrow his tin can!

[MattK]

Thanks Mikey, couple specific questions.

For the jigging rod. Mono, Flouro, Braided?
Tip ups- I see eveyrthing from a piece of wood with a flag attached to some fancier things. Any specifics?
I see some tip ups that you can attach a jigging rod to, are these worth it?


I'm just getting into ice fishing, so I'd rather not break the bank before knowing if I like it or not. If anyone wouldnt mind showing a noobie the ropes on a weekend I'd appreciate it.

[baetis]

I don't ice fish nearly as much as a lot of guys on this board, but here's my take.

Since you are just starting out and aren't sure if you will stick with it, I would buy your basic tip-up. The plain wooden x works just fine. You need to spool it with dacron backing and then a top shot of mono or flouro. Tie on your basic baitholder size 4 hook and place a split shot about a foot above and you are good to go for pickerel. As someone else said, the easiest thing to do is set it 1-2 feet above bottom.

I never catch anything jigging, so to me jigging is something I do to kill time until the flags start flying. Swedish pimples tipped with a grub/mousie or a rapala jig seem to be the favorites. A flouro leader never hurts.

You may want to invest in a scoop to keep the hole clean of slush.

If you have an oversized backback you can easily carry 4 tip ups, a jigging rod, your scooper, some rope and a small plano for your hooks, jigs, weights.

[shrimpman steve]

If you have an oversized backback you can easily carry 4 tip ups, a jigging rod, your scooper, some rope and a small plano for your hooks, jigs, weights.

Where do you put the beer:D

[Delawareriver]

Where do you put the beer:D

Back pack has tackle tip ups rods etc right hand has an auger the left hand carries the case of beer, of course only no state owned lakes:cool:

[Chrisper4694]

Btw anyone that needs to borrow a jet sled chrrisper will let you borrow his tin can!

you can do a half day trolling and a half day ice fishing...hell, you can set your tip ups and then slide it into the lake and troll while you watch the flags!

[ScowardNJ]

PM'd you MattK

[briansnat]

An article I wrote about this topic a few years ago. This may be helpful.

http://www.examiner.com/article/getting-started-with-ice-fishing