Ice Fishing 101

[wademaster]

Just got back from Ohio Tuesday and done some fishing there. I'm going back in January most likely to do some ice fishing but don't know the first thing about it. I know most of us are probably clueless about this topic but i was hoping maybe some of you have ventured into the ice fishing world at some point in your lives. I know i need to get a rod designed for ice fishing (shorter) but thats about the extent of my knowledge. I need help on bait and or jigs, what types of line to use so the sharp ice won't damage it and also about drilling a hole through the ice to fish out of. Any and all help will be appreciated here. Thanks alot and good fishing to all of you

[eriksat1]

I do lots of ice fishing, love those slab crappies out of ice cold water. I like 2 lb Berkley micro ice fishing line, stays limp in the cold. And use fiskars tungsten jigs. I also like to use tip downs for crappie with a minnow. Micro plastics also work very good with jigs, or jig and waxie. Ice fishing is a whole different ball game. Hope they have ice in ohio this winter, last year was warm and very short ice season for most mid states. We had a good ice year up north here in NW WI. I had ice fishing from about mid Dec. through mid March.

[wademaster]

yeah they were telling me how much of a mild winter they had up there; thanks for the help; i'll probably be calling on ya for more advice and info; i appreciate it; thanks

[eriksat1]

Your set up also depends greatly on what type of fish you are fishing for? I was assuming crappie, bluegill, perch? Walleye and northern pike are a totally different set up.

[wademaster]

well to be honest this is my first go around with ice fishing, and i dont care as long as i catch something i'll be satisfied haha the more fish of course the better but i just wanna get a decent feel for how to do this type of fishing; thanks

[eriksat1]

Probably the most important thing is to stay warm, good warm waterproof boots are a must.

[eriksat1]

Here is a picture of my setup. Those 2 small rods on the wood brackets are what is called tip downs, the rod tips down when you have a strike.

[blueultra2]

I love to icefish and can never seem to get enought of it. One of the places that we crappie fish through the ice is in channels. I usually use 2lb PLine Floroice on an 18" light action rod with a spinning reel. Most of the time I'm only fishing from just below the bottom of the ice to 5' down in 10-12' of water. The crappie usually school up and down the channel just below the ice. Most of the fish are caught by sight fishing using hand tied flies. You can actually see the crappie move in and inhale your fly.

[feelay]

Come to Mississippi in January. No ice and the crappie are big enough to eat the ones you will catch in Ohio!

[RealDeal]

If you need a nice ice rod, Thorne Brothers in Blaine, MN, is a place to check out. Google them, you'll get the link to their website. I have several TB ice rods. Closest thing to a decent open water rod, only for the ice. Many options are available for line, and lures. It depends on what you are fishing for, and the body of water you are going to fish. This forum has an ice fishing forum, I'd read a bit over there. There is much to learn about ice fishing.