It’s been a minute since we had an extended ‘old school’ winter. Sure, we’ve had the occasional deep freeze, that lasts a week or two, but the 2024/2025 winter reminds me of the winters of my youth. Since about Christmas, we’ve had more days at or below freezing than above, and that has given us a true-to-life ice fishing season for the first time in a decade or more (depending on where you live).
This cold winter and widespread safe ice, has brought a ton of new ice fishers into the scene. Social media has been exploding with pictures of anglers of all ages enjoying this sport, with many of them posting about ice fishing for the first time in their lives or, for the first time in many years. The overarching theme of all of this, seems to be pure enjoyment and even some measure of surprise that ‘fishing through a hole in the ice’ could be so much fun.
Something I have observed over many years is that ice fishing seems to have a special grip on those that find joy in fishing. Taking it a step further, and I mean this with love and affection, hardcore ice fishermen are not quite right in the head. I would compare them to surfcasters, they take a special level of pride in their sport and accept the cold, the danger and the occasional long days of no action, as something that helps to fortify the caliber of the anglers they are. Like swollen and painful bass thumb or waders that smell so bad no one can stand be near you… these things become twisted badges of honor that prove to all that see you (or wander into the halo of your special fragrance) that you fish hard.
Knowing this, and knowing the power of influence as it pertains to social media and the gas-fueled burning desire to ‘keep up with one’s digital Jonses’ I felt like it might be wise to cover some of the essentials of ice fishing, that will help ensure that you catch fish and help ensure that you get on and off the ice safely, each time. Falling through the ice is… just not an option but it can be avoided by following some simple safety measures.
Safety Essentials
The best way to be safe on the ice is not to walk on ice that isn’t safe… sounds simple and obvious. But if it were that simple, no one would even fall through. There are two pieces of equipment that are – in my opinion – of equal importance; a spud bar and a set of safety picks. You’ve seen the safety picks in many photos, those little orange things that look like ‘handlebar grips’ around the necks of ice fishermen. Each of these handles has a spike protruding from one end, when a person falls through, they can separate the handles and use the spikes to stab into the ice, giving enough grip to pull themselves out. Your fingernails aren’t going to cut it! A spud bar is a large, steel chisel that can be used to chop holes in the ice for fishing and also used to test the strength of the ice and determine its thickness. It’s usually getting on and off the ice that presents the most danger, unless you find yourself over moving water or a spring, but you’ll see many anglers striking the ice with powerful blows with their spud bar every few steps to ascertain the quality of the ice they are about to walk over. How thick is thick enough? I know guys that will fish on 2 inches, I won’t even entertain walking in the ice until there’s at least 4. Another piece of safety equipment that I feel is essential is a pair of spikes or YakTrax to give your feet some extra traction.
Fishing essentials
First, you’ll have to decide how you want to fish, meaning do you want to jig with a mini rod and reel setup or do you want to set out a spread of tip-ups and wait for a flag? You may also want to try both, I know several anglers who bring a jigging rod and one tip-up, cut two holes and fish both methods – the single tip-up allows them remain mobile while fishing bait and artificials at the same time; it’s a good compromise. Additionally, you’ll need a way to cut a hole in the ice. If the ice isn’t too thick, under 6 inches, you can “brute-force” your way through with the spud bar, any thicker and you’ll want an auger. There are many options, hand-crank, battery drill and gas auger. The thickness of the ice and your species of choice will dictate the size of the hole—generally a 6-inch hole is good for panfish, trout, pickerel and bass and an 8-inch hole is suggested for trophy bass and pike.
If you plan to fish with live bait, you’ll need an insulated bucket to keep the water from freezing and the same can be said for worms and meal worms, you don’t want them to freeze solid either. If you’re going to fish with a rod and reel, and assortment of jigheads with small soft plastics and marabou jigs will cover most of the bases. I suggest not breaking the bank on your first jigging setup, we don’t know how soon we’ll have another extended ice fishing season, I have been very happy with my Fenwick HMG/Trion Combo that cost me about $60.
Other essentials include a ladle for spooning the slush out of your hole, a sounder for checking depth and lots of layers! Some anglers will carry portable electronics around with them to see what’s going on below the ice. If you want to really ‘up’ the video game aspect, you can spring for a live scope and watch the fish reacting to your bait in real time. Beyond all these essentials and extras, you’ll need a way to get all you ‘stuff’ out there. A sled is a great option, but if you want to be mobile stuff a backpack with gear, carry a bucket in one hand and your spud bar in the other.
A former colleague of mine, who didn’t fish, once said to me, “Ice fishermen seem like the kind of people who will do just about anything to NOT be at home!” On the other hand, I was talking to Andrew Nichols last week, owner a central Connecticut tackle shop called Fishin’ Factory 3 and he had a customer compare a day of ice fishing to a beach day with friends and family. Saying, “You bring the kids, you bring a cooler, you bring a grill and you bring some good food. You spend the day having a great time with friends and family and you catch a few fish too.”
I guess it’s up to you to decide what your day on the ice will be like, but the winter of 2025 sure seems like it wants to give all of us the opportunity to find that out for ourselves. Good luck out there and be safe.
