[saxmatt]

Good posts buzzbaiter. Even though it's the middle of the summer I'll add that I've seen many pike being mishandled on the ice. If it's below freezing the gills and eyes of any fish can freeze very quickly. Also if there isn't any snow the bare ice can scrape up the fish pretty bad. If you are planning on releasing fish through the ice do what you can to prevent the fish from flopping around and keep the eyes and gills wet by continuously dunking the fish during the unhooking process and photo shoot. I use a boga to help control the fish while unhooking and photographing, just make sure you have a hand under the belly to help support the weight of the fish.