Ice Fishing Help

[robvanderstelt]

Hello,
I'm new to posting, although i've trolled this forum for about a year. I'm hoping that I could get some help from those here.

I've never gone ice fishing, but have always wanted to go. For Christmas I received some Cabela's gift cards, and have decided to finally get into ice fishing. Only one problem....I know very, very little about it. I've searched the internet for information, but didn't get much help on ice fishing in Idaho. I live in the Boise area, so the places I would go would be in the general vicinity, Cascade, Magic, etc.... I know this is extremely vague, but any advice on starting would be awesome. I'm willing to learn and have slow days while learning, but any help flattening out the learning curve would be great. The prospects of sitting at a hole for 5 hours staring at ice and not catching anything for a few days doesn't sound that appealing.

Sorry about being so long....and thanks in advance.
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[jetsled]

Well I'm no pro by any means but I do pretty well hard water fishing. I'm from Kuna and I mostly fish at Magic. Well for starters you don't have to spend alot of money on fancy poles and gear to do well thru the ice. I started out with a few old rod tips and a hand full of very small foam bobbers. Here's a basic setup that has worked for me small foam ice bobber, Ice pole or rod tip no reel needed You will probably be fishing in water less that 15ft I do anyway so hand lining works great. I use a size 6 snelled hook tipped with a mealworm or a piece of night crawler. I use 6 pound test mono. The most important item is a sharp and I emphasize sharp ice drill and an ice scoop to clear your hole. There is nothing worse than trying to drill holes with a dull drill. That's about it as you go more often and decide if hard water fishing is for you than you will adjust your gear but no need to go crazy until then. I will be going to Magic on Saturday.
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[robvanderstelt]

Thanks for the help. So do you mainly catch perch or trout? both?
Do you use an ice shelter? I went to Cabela's today just to have a look at what they had for ice fishing, and was overwhelmed. That's why I had to ask some questions. I do some duck hunting, so am not totally averse to cold, but at the same time, i'm not sure how resilient I am.
And hand augers work ok? As long as they're sharp?

Anyways, thanks for the good info. I need a new winter hobby.
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[jetsled]

I catch a good number of both trout and perch it just depends on the day. I do have a shelter it's a fishtrap yukon it works great. I have a small propane heater and in about 15 minutes of turning it on I can be down to a light sweatshirt nice and toasty. I used a hand auger for years and they work great as long as you keep them sharp. I became lazy and purchased a gas auger about 10 years ago it's worth its weight in gold when your cutting 20 holes a day in 20 inches of ice. Sitting on a bucket on a huge cube of ice with wind blowing gets cold real fast so bundle up good if you aren't gonna use a shelter. You can always take off layers if need be but if you aren't bundled up enough you could be in for a miserable day.
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[Belasko]

A good auger is a major key. I bought a fairly cheap one on clearance a couple years ago and it takes about 45 seconds to drill in 4-5 inches of ice. I'd hate to consider using it at Ririe when it gets up to 2 feet. However my buddy has a 4.5 inch Nils master Ice auger and my word! We have easily drilled through up to 2 feet of ice in under a minute. It costs a bit more but worth it. Cabelas sells them. This is one area I wouldn't skimp. As for the shelter if you aren't sure but want a cheap way to try it I use one of those pop up blinds in the cabelas catalog. Can't remember the name but it's the model T-200. They sell for about $60 and are extremely light weight and easy to set up and take down. Only downside is they are easy to blow away if you don't stake it down. Rods you can pick up cheap.
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[idahopanfish]

Jetsled I was wondering aout Lowel is it not a good ice fishing lake?
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[idahopanfish]

Welcome to hard wqater fishing[] It's a blast.

I don't believe anyone suggested a bucket to carry stuff, I suggest a 7gal bucket taller to sit on and they make some nice padded seats for them. The next step will be a sled (as the gear increases) if money isn't an issue those with the flip up shelters and seats in them are the way to go, I think, but I'll show you what I have.

Also a rod holder is nice when the fish are taking a nap[] ther's all kinds but I'll post a couple pictures of things you can make with PVC.

Lures are for catchin customers, us, so many to chose from, but it's a color thing just like soft water fihing and what your after. Smaller sometimes is the best choice and I like anything with a painted eye on it and a shinny side.

The auger is what makes this all possible[cool] it must be sharp and there are some fantastic hand augers out there that will do a great job with little effort probably a 6" will work unless your seeking out large fish then maybe an 8" (10" is the largest hole you can have in Idhao).

A fish finder is a good thing (saves drilling a hole for depth and will shoe structure) again many was to go and if you have one already there's ways to make them portable, I'll include that picture as well.

One of the many pleasure while your out is when the ice starts to sing to you which is the best on a bright sunny day.[cool]
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[Kodiak1]

Rob,
In regards to where to fish on our side of the state, it is somewhat more limited than the eastern side, or the north. Cascade can be hit or miss, but with the slower fishing for trout of late, you'd be better off targeting the perch. You really have to hit the right spot, however. Wildhorse Res., in Nevada, is a popular destination for Western Idahoans. The ice fishing can be terrific, and I understand that is the case right now. Horsethief is usually good, but you need a snowmobile to get in. Little Camas used to be great, but not with it being emptied in the fall. Magic might be the go to place, but check out my warning on the "Magic" subject, towards the top of current posts. Mike
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[jetsled]

idahopanfish wrote:[/quote]
Jetsled I was wondering aout Lowel is it not a good ice fishing lake?[/quote]


Lowell doesn't seem to make enough good ice for me to venture to far out from shore. I have only tried it twice and have never did any good.
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[idahopanfish]

Thanks for the reply, I ahd heard it was good for panfish and basss so I was just wondering.
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