Preparation for Ice Fishing

[young_one]

I'm just gonna display a list of everything and couple questions regarding my up coming ice fishing trip. I’m planning to fish for perch or possibly whitefish. I’ve been told to go shallow for perch, but what range of water should I try? As for whitefish, I’ve been told to find 40+ FOW.(Am I heading the right direction?) Of course, look for structure such as small flats or drop offs.

I’ll be walking, so I try to pack light.

 

- Survival suit, hat, mittens and facial coverage. Ice fishing boots + ice cleats.

- Hummingbird Fish Finder Portable 535 (will this model work on ice? In terms of LCD display with extreme temperature)

- gonna pickup a hand auger Sat from fishing show or a store. (Any recommendation?)

- rod& reel plus a tip-up (I am allowed to have two rods, correct?)

- main line, Fire Line ice. 8lb Leader, fluorocarbon 6lb. (Should I downsize?)

- Swedish Pimple, micro jigs, and grubs. (Any suggestions for effective lures? I don’t mind adding a few more to my collection)

- minnows from local stores in Lake Simcoe

- handheld GPS

- cell phone, camera

- sled to hold everything

- ice skimmer

- ID and fishing license.

- food and drink.

 

Thanks

- Will

[keram]

It looks that you are covered 99.9%. one more thing you will need is little bit of LUCK

[urbanangler1990]

the swedish bore by nordique at candian tire or walmart, for 50 bux or soo its great price for a hand aguer...

[Bernie]

A compass would be on my list as well It wont take up much space or weight and are just about the most dependable thing on earth.

[irishfield]

My old HumminBird 200sx portable worked just fine in -28C last week.

[Uncle Buck]

bring a couple of those heat packs, if your fishfinder starts to slow down/freeze, tape the heat pack to the back...

 

i like northland tackle forage minnows and buckshot jigs....

[tinbanger]

you will want to be able to move alot ( to find the fish) so watch the auger size ,our 6" has worked well so far ,no problem getting those 6" perch !

 

Go light on line and downsize presentations as the bite has been tough this year.

 

From what I hear mid season ( now) perch have dispersed from the early large schools and moved to deeper water ( up to 60'!?)

 

Depending on were you are you may encounter the odd pike , so having a few rods set up for differnet species and presentations would be good.

 

Good luck and look fwd to the report

 

Tinbanger

[camillj]

I always throw all my 'gear' into a small coleman cooler (the one with a single handle) ... then I toss in :

 

... an extra pair of mitts and an extra pair of woolen socks .. and an extra toque.... life savers if you happen to get them wet reaching for a biggun .... youd be surprised how fast and often it happens ...even just scooping out the hole every 5 minutes ... and if yours dont get wet you might save the day for your companion ... and get to stay out longer than if they were freezin

 

 

... also consider packing a small flash light and a 100' of 1/4" rope and a whistle... ya just never know (even if its not for yourself ... it could be very handy to have ... the flash light will be VERY important you get stuck out after dark to be sure you dont get hit by speeding skidooers ...

 

My gear is layin all out on the living room floor as we speak ...

 

I also have a small plastic sled (to drag all my gear)

 

A thermos ... which will be full of hot coffee (and maybe just a little nip of something to warm the innards)

 

A Coleman CAT heater (and extra bottle of gas)

 

A small Coleman Lantern (which uses same type of gas bottle) .... extra light and extra heat if needed

 

At least two spools of 250yds (6lb or 8lb) silverthread .... if one rod goes down the hole you want to be still able to fish ... I actually never use a rod on the ice ... prefer the old free-hand method ... toss the spool away on the ice and handle the line by hand... gets exciting with big fish .... but it works

 

A Rapala filleting knife (I'm not allowed to clean my fish at home

 

Extra batteries for the camera ... which I keep inside my jacket breast pocket... cold does bad things to batteries ...

 

 

If you're not gonna be in someones hut bring a folding chair (they now come with easy to handle shoulder straps for about $12 at CT... even if only to rest your stuff on out of the snow ... can also be VERY effective as a wind break if you sit with your back to the wind.

 

 

 

If you're gonna be walking bring a ski pole ... serves a lot of purposes ... and is handy as a walking stick in heavy snow/slush

 

 

 

....heh ... I just figured out how come my car is always JAMMED

[Headhunter]

Here's what I would add for Perchin;

If your walking out from Gilford or Keswick, I'd head out to the very middle of Cook's and search for water in the 30 -40ft depths. I'd drill a number of scatered holes, as many as I can before I get too tired and just keep moving around from hole to hole until I found fish.

I'd be runnin 4lb test and using Jiggin Raps (blue is by far the best colour) and Berkley Power Maggots on the bottom treble of the Rap. If the Perch are there, they'll bite it. I've never needed minnows for perch.

If my first series of holes failed to produce, I'd be inclined to move north, toward deeper water, perhaps 100 yds at a time. Keep returning to your earlier holes, perch move alot.

HH

Edited February 14, 2007 by Headhunter

[camillj]

Almost forgot .... VERY important ... pack 3 or 4 LARGE Ziplock freezer bags ... I put my phone, camera ... minitackle kit ... GPS ... all into these and toss em into the cooler ... then if I forget to put the lid on and its snowing I dont find out everything is dead ... saved my Camera and phone MANY times ... sometimes its almost impossible to keep things dry without em...even in your pockets

 

And one last thing ... you may want to consider getting up at least 45 minutes before you leave ... and have that first cup of coffee (or tea) while your are in a nice warm place ... mother nature can be a pain in the donkey (literally) out on the ice

 

Have fun !

Edited February 14, 2007 by camillj

[huntervasili]

As for an auger I would go with The Fin-Bore III... I use it and it cuts through the ice like butter...

[davew3]

Knife, first aid kit, pliers. boot cleats

[pooch]

I'd also recomend the Normark Fin Bore III. It has the offset handle.

Sounds like 6" model is all you'll need.

 

[camillj]

... yes its definitiely the best cooler I ever owned ... it goes everywhere with me... its about 18"l X 14"w X 14"h with a fold up handle that doubles as a lid lock (underside of lid is 4 coffee cup holders .... I think it cost about $25 ... has lasted at least 15 years ... becomes a minnow bucket (and even a live well in the summer) when needed ... and holds everything mentioned above as well as two or three of the plastic bait trays (forget the name) ... and on the way home can carry out a couple of fish for the table if need be