Ice Fishing Questions...

[filletnrelease]

Looking for some information on ice fishing. I live in south florida fishing is my life. My girl is from utah and i will be there in late december. I am planning on doing some ice fishing while there but know nothing about this type of fishing. if someone could please get back to me i would appreciate it.. Thank You.. -Team Take it Deep Fishing-
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[tooelekid]

hi welcome filletnrelease there is some great ice fishing in utah what part of utah dose your girl live in? and what are you looking to catch?
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[filletnrelease]

She is from salt lake.. but her brother in law has a cabin out near strawberry and red creek im not to sure where exactly. He just said we would probably be fishing out that way somewhere. I know they go out and catch trout im not sure what else is out there.. I live in south florida and fish 4-5 times a week we run charters etc. i would like to catch something bigger if thats possible.. what kind of tackle will i need whatever it is just some suggestions will help thank you so much for the help and if anyone is ever in south florida we can definetly hook you up on some monster fish down here
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[EvilTyeDyeTwin]

Guess it depends on what type of fish you are looking for.

TyeDye and I use a brownish crawdad jig (called pumpkin spice) and JB special (both made by Liveline Baits) on just about every water that was iced over last year. Those 2 colors seemed to work all winter for trout, perch and salmon. Oh ya tip it with a wax worm always helps.

For Rainbows go to Rockport and East Canyon

For Cutts you just can't go wrong with Strawberry..too bad they are usually in the slot limit.

For Salmon go to Causey and if the fish are not biting up there you can always hit Pineview for perch on the way back home.

For White Bass go to Utah Lake.

For Bluegills the best is Pelican...but Mantua is good too.

Good luck out there and see you out on the hard deck.
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[REPETER]

Welcome!

1st- dress warm with multiple layers. You may be burning up on the ice from all the sun, or you may be freezing in the bitter cold. Wool socks with good boots, thermal underwear, possibly some snow pants and a good coat are all recommended. You'll be able to have a lot of fun on the ice if you aren't worried about the cold.

2nd- if they have a cabin I'm pretty sure they'll have all the gear, but if you want to throw down some $$$ here's some things you'll want to spend it on. If you're going first class: a snowmobile pulling an ice shelter with a sled to hold all of your gear is nice. A tent heater for once you get set up. A fish flasher like a vexilar or marcum is going to really increase your hook up rates. And a gas powered auger to drill the holes with (I like 10"). But you can drop a pretty penny for all of those things and I still don't have most of them.

Must have's~ some kind of auger. Manpowered ones are fine, or gas makes it a lot nicer but they're noisy and heavy if you don't have a snowmobile or sled. I prefer a Nils hand auger. Some 5 gallon buckets to hold your gear and chairs to hold you. Some ice rods if you are in a tent, or plenty of people catch them on standard fishing rods. I don't use special ice fishing line. I mainly use some fresh 6 or so pound flourocarbon line. You'll want an ice scoop to keep the ice out of the hole. A simple hook placed below a sinker with a worm on it will catch fish.

Methods~ my go-to starting method is a small 1.5" tube jig in pearly white or pink with silver sparkle. Greens and chartreuse work well too. I tie the tube jig on the line about 15" below a swivel with a bullet weight just above that. I tip the jig with worm, minnow bits, waxies, or meal worms. Carp spit doesn't hurt either . Drop it to the bottom (many hits are on the way down), reel it in a couple cranks and wait. I use a very small twitching jigging action most of the time and feel for those sensitive bites. If I get ANY small taps I do a quick hook set straight up. If I miss, I drop it back down and get ready for the fish to circle back.

Try not to walk around much as the fish can spook from the noises on the ice, get away from crowds, be patient...and Have Fun! Good luck.
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[EvilTyeDyeTwin]

+1 to all of that. If you really want to enjoy ice fishing a cheap pop up shelter is definitely a must. Eskimo makes some good ones. Amazing how much warmer those things are out on the ice. Especially at night.

P.S. Once you find the depth that the fish are feeding at it usually is consistent for the whole winter.....well at least at Rockport and Strawberry that is.
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[brookieguy1]

Too early to talk about.[]
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[TyeDyeTwins]

Excellent question. Everyone has added some good stuff here. Although I must say a snowmobile is not really needed. I made it out there on crutches 2 separate years (2002 and 2011) and still got out and nailed fish. A pair of snowshoes can be useful and WAY cheaper. Be ready for slush in the spring! Water proof shoes and waterproof gear like flashlights, etc. is a great idea too.

Typically most fish (but not all species) are not found as deep as they are in mid summer so usually you don't have to go to the middle of the lake to find fish.

GET A 2ND POLE PERMIT! That is very useful in the ice season and costs $15. Also a scooper/strainer for your ice hole is extremely useful too!

Since nobody has mentioned Lake Trout yet you can get them under the ice at Fish Lake and if you don't mind thinner ice you can find them at Flaming Gorge and Bear Lake. I prefer 5 to 6 inches of ice before I venture out. Others will tell you 1 to 2 inches is perfectly fine, as a friend once told me about fishing the thin ice "some people skydive and others ice fish!".

Clear ice is safer than cloudy ice and the shoreline is usually thinner ice as well as inlets, especially in the spring.

Flashers (like a blade or Kastmaster with the hooks removed above your jig on the line) can help too. I will be trying that this year for the 1st time so maybe some other guys can comment on that.

There are some books at the Library that can be very useful to get you ready for the ice season if all else fails.

See you on the hard deck brother!!!![fishin]
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[Old_Coot]

My best advice would be for you to buddy up with someone who knows the ropes and learn all you can from them. I'm sure someone here on BFT would be glad to work with you on your first rodeo.
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[chickendude1234]

How long will you be here? Late December is usually the early season for ice fishing and you may not have very many SAFE lakes to chose from.
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[weinerz4chopz]

Hit me up when you get here.I have everything including shack and a heater.I normally have time off then also. All you will need is a license and a good pair of boots. Once the shack is set and the heater is on you will only need a t-shirt and right hand glove to drink beer o unless you are left handed. But seriously I will take you and I always do well ice fishing.
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[REPETER]

You can take me I'll buy the beer!
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[steve_o]

we better be hittin the hard deck CHOP! i got the snowmobiles and 6man underwater camera and anything we need!
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[filletnrelease]

thanks for all the advice... what i would like to catch is a muskee.. i build rods down here in south fl so i will be making some ice rods. what should i be using as far as line.. does it have to be flouro.. can i use a braided line and put a shot of flouro on.. the guy im going with knows a little bit about ice fishing but he only catches trout and said many of them arent very big. Im trying to catch a lunker.. whatever i need as far as tackle i will get but all the other stuff im hoping he will have.. i do appreciate all the help everyone out there is very friendly unlike south florida..
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[SkunkedAgain]

What part of South FL? I spent some time down there in the early 80's on a mission for my church and loved the area. As far as ice fishing goes that time of year can be limited for safe locations depending on the year. Don't trust ice thinner than 3 inches and with under water currents and such I personally won't go out far on less than 6 inches. But then I've watched my Dad fall through in front of me too so we learned the hard way to be more careful. If you want to catch big fish you need some of the BFT Flamming Gorge regulars to show you the ropes of jigging Mac's. They will know the spot and jigs to use. It is a 3 or 4 hour drive depending on where you start and how fast you drive but it can be worth it. Strawberry can also be an incredible lake to fish and it is more likely to have safe ice that time of year. Like Old Coot says hook up with some locals and don't spend a ton on gear you may not use again. If you want to go north of SLC to the Cache Valley you're welcome to come with me but I probably won't show you any trophies. Good luck and hope the weather treats you right.
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[Old_Coot]

It is pretty tough to catch musky under the ice. Musky prefer their prey to be moving forward. I would highly recomend you visit Strawberry Reservoir for your first go around. Generally good success with lots of big beautiful trout. I remember my first day ice fishing the Berry. Sitting in our tent, my brother and I each caught 30+ fish. And they were all so healthy. I was WAY impressed and hooked for life!
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