11-28-2016, 07:16 PM
[quote bulldogslc]Thanks for the advice...
none of us has done a lick of ice fishing before. Any other expectations? What is a respectable distance from other fishers.
Is there just one hole allowed per team or do each angler use their own? And more importantly.....I need advice on how to catch fish! [/quote]
This is a fantastic opportunity to introduce ice fishing to people who have never done it! You'll get a ton of advice from others, so compile it all and use what you want. Throw the rest away! here's my advice:
A. Look for all the other anglers, then go join them! There are multiple reasons why they will be in the areas they are in, including: good fishing, ice safety, access, advice, football, socializing...
B. You may have multiple holes per person. You can legally fish with two rods. I'd make sure to have 5 - 6 holes that I can rotate depending on where the fish are biting.
C. perch at Fish Lake are easy. As mentioned previously, fish in or very near the weeds. At Fish Lake, the weeds grow out to about 20 - 25 feet of water, then end. If there is snow on the ice, then watch to see where all the other anglers are punching holes, and drill some of your own at around the same distance from the shore. If there is no snow on the ice, you'll be able to see exactly where the weedline ends, or where there are holes in the weeds. Tackle: use anything small and tip it with meal or wax worms. You can also use perch as bait at Fish Lake -- so that is an option as well. Cut up a perch into small pieces and tip your jig / lure with some of that. Again, anything small will work.
D. Augers. You do not need to spend a ton of money on an auger. You can pick up hand-drill augers for reasonable prices. They work great as long as the blades are sharp. NEVER bang the blades on the ice -- as tempting as it might be for beginners to do so, never, ever, ever, try to bang those blades to start a hole. Just place the blades on the ice and start to turn. With sharp blades, they will cut easily through the ice. The fastest way to dull your blades is to bang them on the ice -- this will turn a fun day of fishing into a painful day of drilling.
Also, in years past, there have been plenty of other people, as well as the DWR, that are more than willing to punch holes for people. There should also be plenty of abandoned holes that you could fish if you have no other way to punch a hole.
E. If someone gets too close to you, offer them a cup of hot chocolate, or maybe offer some advice on what the fish are biting -- maybe offer for them to use some of the holes you are not fishing in. Don't be a scrooge!
Finally -- make a sacrifice to the wind gods so that the wind does not blow. With no wind and a sunny day, you can sit on the ice in shirt-sleeves and have a wonderful day. If the wind blows, make sure to secure your gear! Don't leave kids sitting in a tent or sled that isn't anchored properly, or you just might end up losing them!
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none of us has done a lick of ice fishing before. Any other expectations? What is a respectable distance from other fishers.
Is there just one hole allowed per team or do each angler use their own? And more importantly.....I need advice on how to catch fish! [/quote]
This is a fantastic opportunity to introduce ice fishing to people who have never done it! You'll get a ton of advice from others, so compile it all and use what you want. Throw the rest away! here's my advice:
A. Look for all the other anglers, then go join them! There are multiple reasons why they will be in the areas they are in, including: good fishing, ice safety, access, advice, football, socializing...
B. You may have multiple holes per person. You can legally fish with two rods. I'd make sure to have 5 - 6 holes that I can rotate depending on where the fish are biting.
C. perch at Fish Lake are easy. As mentioned previously, fish in or very near the weeds. At Fish Lake, the weeds grow out to about 20 - 25 feet of water, then end. If there is snow on the ice, then watch to see where all the other anglers are punching holes, and drill some of your own at around the same distance from the shore. If there is no snow on the ice, you'll be able to see exactly where the weedline ends, or where there are holes in the weeds. Tackle: use anything small and tip it with meal or wax worms. You can also use perch as bait at Fish Lake -- so that is an option as well. Cut up a perch into small pieces and tip your jig / lure with some of that. Again, anything small will work.
D. Augers. You do not need to spend a ton of money on an auger. You can pick up hand-drill augers for reasonable prices. They work great as long as the blades are sharp. NEVER bang the blades on the ice -- as tempting as it might be for beginners to do so, never, ever, ever, try to bang those blades to start a hole. Just place the blades on the ice and start to turn. With sharp blades, they will cut easily through the ice. The fastest way to dull your blades is to bang them on the ice -- this will turn a fun day of fishing into a painful day of drilling.
Also, in years past, there have been plenty of other people, as well as the DWR, that are more than willing to punch holes for people. There should also be plenty of abandoned holes that you could fish if you have no other way to punch a hole.
E. If someone gets too close to you, offer them a cup of hot chocolate, or maybe offer some advice on what the fish are biting -- maybe offer for them to use some of the holes you are not fishing in. Don't be a scrooge!
Finally -- make a sacrifice to the wind gods so that the wind does not blow. With no wind and a sunny day, you can sit on the ice in shirt-sleeves and have a wonderful day. If the wind blows, make sure to secure your gear! Don't leave kids sitting in a tent or sled that isn't anchored properly, or you just might end up losing them!
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