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Beginner Ice Fisherman needs help - Printable Version

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Beginner Ice Fisherman needs help - Hank_P - 01-02-2013

[font "Calibri"]Tips for beginner ice fisherman? I almost exclusively fly fish and have gone ice fishing a few times but never had much luck and this why I don’t ice fish much. My son is getting old enough that he wants to go fishing with me but I’m not comfortable taking him on the rivers with me, he is only 5. I would like to take him ice fishing, with good ice, it would be much safer and then we could spend time together. The only problem is I want him to enjoy it and catch at least a few fish. Could anybody give me a few pointers on ice fishing? How do I even know where on the ice to go? How deep do I fish? I live close to Manuta and even Pineview, I just have no idea how to catch fish when ice fishing. Thanks All![/font]
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Re: [Hank_P] Beginner Ice Fisherman needs help - fish_fear_me2 - 01-02-2013

Pineview shpould be a good trip for your son. Usually a small jig or ice fly 8" below an attaracter like a kastmaster or sweedish pimple tipped with a wax worm will get you fish.
Off cemetary point is a good place to start. Try fishing in fairly deep water.38-40 feet at first and stay close to the bottom. The perch are not always big but should keep a 5yr old busy. The bite can be light at times so I suggest a spring bobber. Just drop your offering to the bottom and raise it so the bait is 3" to a foot off the bottom then watch the spring bobber. If you go good luck and let us know how you do.
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Re: [Hank_P] Beginner Ice Fisherman needs help - k2muskie - 01-02-2013

I'd strongly recommend waiting a week or so for PV ice. It took a while to cap and the ice formation in the deepest areas say over 30 FOW are iffy per intel I've received from folks venturing out. I wouldn't recommend PV with a small child just yet...again thats me...

So FWIW maybe try Mantua if you want to get out with your son and enjoy hard deck fishing.

Key as indicated is fishing the bottom and a few inches up off the bottom. Having a spring bobber is key as the pan fish bite will be very soft. Recommend tipping say a #8 ice fly with a wax worm or two even snippet of crawler. Now once you get one perch on the deck use its eye can also use sliver of perch meat with skin attached...skin makes it harder to pull off...Perch eye you can catch multiple Perch using just one eye as its hard for the brush mouths to pull them off.

Good luck!! [Smile][Smile]
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Re: [k2muskie] Beginner Ice Fisherman needs help - fish_fear_me2 - 01-02-2013

Thanks for the info on the ice K2. In general I believe he can do well at pineview but as you said thin ice is no place for 5 year olds or 60 year olds for that matter.
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Re: [Hank_P] Beginner Ice Fisherman needs help - UintaIce - 01-02-2013

[url "http://www.standard.net/xplore"]www.standard.net/xplore[/url]
Open the January 2 issue, and scroll down to the ice fishing article.
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Re: [fish_fear_me2] Beginner Ice Fisherman needs help - Hank_P - 01-02-2013

Thanks for the info guys! At Mantua, do you need to be in deep water? I went there last year I tried two spots. The first was about 1/2 out from the west side of the lake, we caught nothing there so we moved to about 100 yds out from the west boat ramp and caught one fish. In general is it better to go to coves or out in the middle of any given lake? Sorry for all the dumb questions, I just don't get the ice fishing lake fishing thing yet.
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Re: [Hank_P] Beginner Ice Fisherman needs help - icerman - 01-02-2013

Hank,

You would likely learn the most by just coming out with someone. I'd be glad to take you and your son out sometime and show you what I know. A fish finder is a great help to see what depth to fish; a finder can spoil you though!

Mantua can be a lot of fun once you learn how to fish it! I learned some tricks from locals there and have done quite well when others have gotten very few.

If you're interested in hooking up sometime, send me a PM and we can arrange something.
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Re: [Hank_P] Beginner Ice Fisherman needs help - Bayouboi - 01-02-2013

My son is 6 and we tear it up at Echo. White jig heads, white artificial bug of some kind, tipped with wax worm. Get about 10 to 20 ft deep about 9 AM. I also would recommend hand warmers and maybe a propane heater of some kind out on the ice for the little guy. I have to drag my boy off the ice to go home!
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Re: [Hank_P] Beginner Ice Fisherman needs help - GottaBite - 01-03-2013

Go to Pineview at Cemetary Point, about 20' out off the South sand beach side in 15' of water. Drill a hole. Put a small piece of worm or wax worm on some SMALL jig. Let anything small below a bigger flashy type lure. Wiggle twice... if nothing happens wiggle a couple more times. By now I woulda had 4 fish... it was so fast I'm taking the grandkids soon. Ice was about 4" thick then, now more like 5 I would guess or more!! Supposedly the bite was better earlier in the day, but ya wouldn't know by asking me!!
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Re: [Hank_P] Beginner Ice Fisherman needs help - CoyoteSpinner - 01-03-2013

I gotta get up the view sometime this season! Love to find some crappie.
Never done much good from the west side of Mantua, beyond early early ice. The inlet is in the SE corner, and with all the weeds starting to decay as the season goes on, but fresh water, fresh oxygen.

Plus - take note - where are the most people hanging? Could be a reason. If you can find a transition - where it drops from 8ft to 15ft - you're on a hot spot!

I think the Gills like the horizontal style jigs more, though I've had em nab tear-drops plenty too.

You folks are being great to help out a guy and a young ice-fisher with some good advice. Dig it.

Colors? Pink, green, white-glow. They loved my orange Marmooska to pieces (literally!). You might find trout running higher in the water column, even right under the ice sometimes.