Bass Fishing Books

Ice fishing questions?

A few posts have sparked my interest. I would like to give it a shot one day, but living in south florida may make things tough. Anyway. How do you know where to place your ice shanty? Do you scout the lake before it freezes over? Depending on where you are. What is the normal “window” for fishing on the ice, 3 months or so? Finally i imagine there are good days and bad days when you cant get em to bite. On the bad days you cant just toss a lure here and there. What do you do to make your chances of landing a fish greater? just make a bigger hole? Move the ice shanty (i doubt it but hey) or just deal with it and hope for the best?
I know you cant use lures. And I know they don’t just leave them there. I wasn’t sure how difficult they were to move. Remember in Florida the only ice I see is what i put in my drinks.

Hey Adam.

Ice fishing is actually very interesting!

Moving an ice-house?- depends on how heavy it is and how much ice you’ve got. There are houses on Mille Lacs Lake, MN that have toilets, full-blown kitchens, couches & bunk-beds! Obviously, this type of house is not easily moved because of weight, and it takes a skid-sled, large truck, or tractor to move it ANYWHERE. Usually, guys that own these types of ice-houses will sit on a “well-known” reef and NEVER move. These houses can cost up to $12-$15000 + paying a monthly fee to keep your house with a nice built-up “ice-road”. You CAN have a bonanza of fun in one of these “fancy” Ice-houses but it usually has NOTHING to do with fishing! (lol) Most of the time it’s drinking, playing poker, and BSing that happens in one of these type houses. (Factoid-When I first moved to MN, in the news was a story about Mille Lacs Lake and how they had busted a “hooker-ring” that was going ice-shanty to ice-shanty gettin’ “busy” with the fishermen! Apparently, they were makin’ VERY, VERY good money offering their “wares”! lol)

Most Ice-houses sit on “skids” made out of wood. When you get to your spot you jack up your house and set it up a bit OFF the ice on logs or boards so when the ice starts to melt
your house won’t be STUCK permanently to the frozen lake! Thats why it’s dangerous to your lower unit in the Spring to fish the lake early because there is tons of floating boards/Misc wood from ice-shantys!

You do your “Scouting” in the summer/Fall and take a chance where to unload the house. I like (on a warmer day; say above 20 degrees) to walk around and “punch some holes” and find out if anything is hitting in various prts of the lake. I would place my house near “bottle-neck’s”, dropoff’s or a shelf that has some weedy growth. But, YEAH-You take your “best guess” and hope your smarter than the fish!
Most houses bigger than 8 x 8 will take at least 3 hours to load/unload, SO, you want to “guess” right THE 1st TIME! (lol)

If you get a slow day, Thats when you break out the “Tip-ups” and punch some holes within view of your house. Although, making that “mad-dash” to your tip-up can be hillarious on a icy lake!

Generally, shallow water (4-8 FT) is for Northerns, Bass, Bluegill, Walleye. Deeper water is for Crappie, Lake Trout, Trout, Etc.

Perch are everywhere and you can almost always catch them.

To be honest, the best part of Ice-fishing FOR ME is watching fish hit your lure. Even if you don’t have an Aqua-Vu camera you can look down the hole and watch “the action”. It’s very cool! And fishing CAN be fast & furious! I’ve caught 25-30 slab Perch in 2 hours!

Most of the times you DO use bait, (minnows), but when a school of Crappie or Perch move in you can use ice-jigs and catch’m.

I will admit it’s not as comforting as a nice WARM flats, but it has merit!

If you get a chance, try fishing up near Canada. Ice-Fishing can be fantastic near the MN/Canadian border.

Ice Fishing Shelters : Basic Ice Fishing Shelter Construction

Portable Military Camping Tent Steel Wood Stove Heater Army Cook Hunting Fishing Cot $69.89 This is a great stove you can use to cook your dinner, dry your gear, heat your shelter, or just warm your hands and feet on a cold winter’s night. Safer than an open fire. Small enough to transport in your car and hand carry to your campsite. The ample cook top space gives you room to cook up lots of tasty dishes. When you’re not cooking, you can rotate the cook top outward to dry wet socks and g…

Clam® Chair $79.97 Clam Chair. The Great Outdoors ice fishing station! Depending on conditions, fishing outside… moving easily from hole to hole, breathing crisp air… can be an awesome experience. Maybe you knew that already. But did you know it gets even better with the Clam Chair? A convenient, comfortable ice fishing Chair that doubles as a rod case and gear bag. Lightweight, and you carry it as a shoulder-sl…

The Fish House Book: Life on Ice in the Northland $19.95 If you’re a fan of ice fishing or have ever wondered about those little houses on the lakes, The Fish House Book will entertain and enlighten you. Photos of fish houses, fishing contests, a fish house parade and even a wedding on ice make this a must-have! With an insightful essay by Arnold Alanen, this book has it all. The Fish House Book is a great conversation-starter and makes a wonderful gift…

I’ve recently discovered a terrific resource for bass fishing techniques. It’s a bass fishing book called “Bass Fishing Exposed”. This is a well-written, thoroughly enjoyable, E-book of bass fishing tips that will help YOU improve all facets of your bass fishing experience. Of all the fishing books I’ve read in my 30 plus years of life (and in particular the books on bass fishing), I’ve never come across a more valuable resource! You will truly have more fun out on the lake! Click here to read the rest of the article:Bass Fishing Exposed