Ice Fishing Tips for Beginners
Winter is here and it’s not going away any time soon! For many anglers they are counting the days until spring. It’s time to stop counting and start fishing! Whether you are brand new to fishing or a seasoned angler heading out ice fishing for the first time. I have compiled several ice fishing tips for beginners to get you started in this awesome winter activity!
Basic Ice Safety
When you are just starting out your ice fishing adventure I would strongly suggest taking along a knowledgeable friend or family member to show you the ropes. Having a partner to fish with increases the safety especially during early winter. The ice can be very thin and unpredictable at this point.
Below is a quick bulleted list of what activities certain thicknesses of ice can support. This list is by no means definitive always use caution.
- 4 inches of thickness walking skating ice fishing.
- 6 inches of thickness snowmobiles and ATVs.
- 8 to 12 inches small cars .
- 12 to 15 inches trucks .
The consistency of the ice is also important in its strength white or opaque ice has less strength than clear ice. Clear ice usually takes a few weeks of sub-zero weather to form. When first heading out on the ice it is always a good idea to drill a hole to check your ice thickness near shore.
You must also be aware that ice thickness will change where there’s an inlet or an outlet to the lake. The water current can drastically affect the thickness of the ice. Where you have a transition from shallow to deep water the ice will often be thinner as the water is warmer. To help you determine this most lakes have a depth chart (bathymetric chart) available on the internet just Google it and check images.
Dress in Layers
Staying warm while ice fishing is half the battle you want to be prepared to be on the ice for several hours. Multiple layers are always a good idea. I would err on the side of caution and wear more than you think you need to. For example longjohns a pair of jeans and then coveralls or snow pants. Thermal fleece shirt long sleeve shirts hooded sweatshirt and then a jacket for your chest. You can always peel off extra layers if you get too hot. Two layers of socks is always a good idea including a heavy outer layer of wool socks or hunting socks. Last but not least do not forget a good pair of sunglasses, the sun glare off the ice can be very strong.
What Depth Should I Icefish?
Knowing where to fish is arguably as important if not more so than knowing what bait or lure to use. The last time I went ice fishing you know what I saw? Almost EVERY angler on the lake was over 20-25 fow (feet of water) . After looking about for a few minutes, I noticed no one was getting any bites.
Make Holes at Multiple Depths to Find the Fish
I started about 15 feet (new water and I wasn’t sure of the depth) I worked my holes back to shore and sure enough in 12 fow suspended around 8 feet were the rainbow trout. You’ll notice how they were several feet off the bottom. I have read so much about how you need to set your bait just off the bottom. In shallower water this is simply NOT where the fish may be.
Arguably I use a fairly inexpensive flasher (Ice fishing sonar) . But it does help locate fish. I Find doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing when they obviously aren’t landing anything helps. If you are are fishing 300 meters from the nearest fish you greatly reduce your chances of landing anything.
Best Depth Early Winter, Mid and Late.
When I first took up ice fishing the best advice I got was look for fish in the same area you left them in the fall. This advice was certainly a good starting point. The oxygen levels in the lake are still similar, not affected by rotting vegetation or, too many fishing consuming it. There is no migration immediately for food or spawning. This of course will change as we progress through winter and the chemistry of the water body changes.
Some species of fish will spawn under the ice in late winter. They will migrate into the shallows of bays and covers to do this. Knowing this the mouths of such bays can be a great spot to set up in late winter/ early spring.
Locating Feeding Grounds
Think of where the forage is that feeds the smaller fish that the large predators rely on. You have to keep in mind a lake’s ecology and natural food cycle. Big cisco and suckers don’t just grow on trees, they have their own forage requirements. In turn your large predators like pike, walleye and lake trout will gravitate towards these feeding points. Other game fish species also relate to these feeding areas for their favorite feeder fish. Big trout can often be found cruising the drop offs adjacent to flats where prey fish congregate and hunt. They are looking to ambush smaller perch, cisco and such.
One way to find these spots where fish are likely to feed is by pulling up a bathymetric map (depth map) for the lake you are looking to fish. Many more popular lakes will have these available on the internet. If you cant find a depth map I like to go to google earth and zoom right in. Using this tool you should be able to locate macro structure in the lake. Look for shallows with drop offs, bays, long shallow fingers jutting out into the lake etc.
Selecting the Right Gear, Preparation is Key !
Ice Auger and Ice scoop
When selecting an ice auger you have several options I personally use a manual. Manual ice augers seem to do just fine. Although if drilling multiple holes later on in the season with thicker ice a gas-powered may be a better option. Alternatively you can get auger heads that fit on to a standard sized chuck for a cordless drill.
Don’t forget an ice scoop or spoon. It’s basically a large spoon with holes to get all the broken up ice out of your hole. Much more practical than bailing it out by hand!
Ice Fishing Rod
I’m only going to briefly touch on rod, reel and, line for ice fishing. This could easily be an entire article by itself so I’m just going to keep it simple. It’s always important to remember that rods and reels are rated for a certain pound test of line. Going too heavy can cause the real to jam up. Suffice to say if you’re going for smaller pan fish such as perch you want a light action rod and reel and a lighter line. Whether to use fluorocarbon, monofilament or braid that in itself is another long article. I have used all of these fluorocarbon is slightly smaller diameter and refracts less light. This makes it a prefered line for finicky fish as there is less chance they will notice the line ( ie. trout).
Tip Ups, Set and Forget!
In addition to your ice fishing rod and reel setup you have the option of using tip-ups. A tip up is basically a reel of line with a strike indicator built-in in the form of a flag. I personally also add a LED/bell for extra visibility. With a tip up I use a heavy monofilament or braid right now I have 40 lb on it, I’m always waiting for that trophy pike! I will set my tip up with a large anchovy on a quick strike rig and just let it be. Preferring to to tinker with various other lure and bait combos on my rod.
Apart from this type of tip up there is also a windlass tip up. These work great if you are targeting species that are more receptive to jigged baits. They have a surface that harnesses the power of the wind. As the wind blows it moves your line up and down. This works great when ice fishing for Perch or walleye to strike.
A Few Other Don’t Forget Items
A decent headlamp is always good many times you are setting up or fishing before or after dark.
A pair of pliers or long forceps should always be in your tackle box for extracting hooks. Don’t forget to bring along some folding chairs also .
I think ice fishing tents are optional to a point but, once the mercury starts to dip to the -15 C range you will be thankful to have one. The 2 or 4 person ice fishing shelters will fit most people’s needs. These are easy to heat with commercially available propane heaters such as the Mr Heater buddy heater. These heaters usually have multiple settings and come with shut off sensors if the oxygen level gets low.
Lastly if the ice is still too thin to drive on a decent sled to pull all your gear on is a must. A must have for the beginning and end of season.
Bait, Lures and Basic Techniques
Bait Thawing to Improve Scent
One of the best ice fishing tips when using frozen minnows for bait is to make sure that you thaw them out the night before. When ice fishing there are lower light conditions so you want to increase the possibility of the fish finding your bait, scent is one of these ways. Believe me nothing smells stinkier than anchovy that’s been defrosting overnight! You can check out my article on the best baits to use for tip ups.
Rigging Methods for Bait
For rigging bait fish there are a number of popular options. The standard pickerel rig with two hooks works just fine with a weight at the bottom. An advantage of the pickerel rig is the ability to present two different types of bait at the same time. For example a smaller minnow or Shiner and a larger anchovy.
Another option is to use a quick-strike rig which is a combination of two or three treble hooks tied to heavy monofilament. The advantage of the quick strike if your using two hooks you can suspend the Bait head down which is how most fish take the bait. Putting one hook through the dorsal and one hook through the tail usually the fish will clamp down somewhere around the dorsal so you will end up lip hooking them which makes it easier to get the hooks out.
Another very popular method with bait fish is to use a jig head. Effective Jigs will be brighter colors for example fluorescent yellow or orange another popular choice is white. These can either be jigged or Dead stick. I’ve landed lots of fish just deadsticking a jig with a smelt on it.
Artificial Fishing Lures
There are tons of options when it comes to artificial bait for ice fishing. Jigs work fairly well with the soft bodied baits ( tubes, grubs, etc) . If you are going for lake trout, check out my review of top lake trout lures .
You can also tip the hook of a jig with a small piece of minnow. This goes for spoons also, the scent in addition to the flash from a spoon can entice picky fish to bite. Five of diamonds, red devils, or slender silver spoons are good choices to have in your tackle box for ice fishing.
Jigging raps are a minnow imitation with fins on the back that add extra action when the lure is dropped. They are available in glow in the dark format for low light fishing . As a general rule I like to make sure to always carry multiple sizes, colours and actions of lures. Sometimes you just never know what will work when the fish are being picky, change it up and experiment when all else fails.
Jigging Vs. Deadsticking
A lot of the time when ice fishing the ideal depth to present your bait, natural or artificial is just off the bottom ( approx 1 foot). To attract attention when jigging a process known as bottom pounding is used. Dropping your lure to the bottom then lifting it up a foot or so. This hitting the bottom sends vibrations through the water that fish will pick up. Then just revert to a few jerking motions with 5 or 10 second pause in between to see if you get a strike.
Deadsticking is basically just leaving your rod in a holder once the bait is at the right depth. After you drop your bait it will still have movement for several minutes more so if you have current. I like to give the line a little pull every once in a while. I have had walleye and pike hit a bait that has been in the water for ages just by pulling up on it when reeling in to check my bait.
Ice Fishing Regulations
Regardless of where you are fishing it is always important to know your local fishing regulations, in Alberta they can be found here. These can vary drastically across the country and from country to country. Updated catch limits, closed seasons, bait restrictions etc are usually available online with your local fish and wildlife division. Also make sure to have a valid fishing license, they are inexpensive and the fines can be high for not having one. Not to mention licenses help support our wildlife projects, education and management.
While this article Is by no means exhaustive I hope it gets you started in the right direction with your ice fishing adventures!