Posts filed under 'Ice Fishing'
Tip Up Tip
The following are 3 pictures of one of the types of tip-ups that I use. For a really sensitive tip-up action, take a regular spring type door stop (picture #4), remove the white cap and insert a length of 1/4 inch doweling into the end. Assemble as shown in the first three pictures.
Continue Reading Add comment March 23, 2003
On-Ice Bungalows–An effortless ice fishing vacation
Although this site is not a destination site, I thought that I would share with you some information about a pretty cozy ice fishing vacation that you can take and believe me, it doesn’t get any easier than this. Also, the price is usually very affordable.
The picture above shows a number of “on-the-ice bungalows” on Lake Nipissing in Ontario. These can be rented for a few days or a week the way you would rent a summer cottage and the idea is that you live in your bungalow out on the ice for the duration of your stay.
When you arrive at your destination, you will be transported out to your bungalow with a vehicle like a 4X4 or enclosed bombadier. Some patrons take out their own vehicles and their snowmachines. The only things that you have to bring are your bedroll or sleeping bag, food and your fishing gear. Where we were, they provided pillows and pillow cases and even had ice fishing rigs available for those people that didn’t have any ice fishing equipment.
The bungalows are about 8’x16’ in size and are completely insulated and heated. I have been in these ice fishing houses at –27C and very comfortable in my shirt sleeves. They have very good propane heaters. There are usually 4 ice fishing holes inside the building and the proprietor will drill the holes for you. He will also check on you daily and fresh water is provided and waste water from washing (personal and dishes) is removed as required.
There are 2 or 4 bunk beds with foam mattresses, a table with 2 or 3 chairs and all cooking and eating utensils provided. There is a 2 or 3 burner propane stove for cooking and often an outdoor BBQ is also available. And guess what? In many cases a battery operated T.V. is also provided. So there you are.
After a hearty supper you can lie down on your bunk, watch your favourite show and jig your fishing line all at the same time. Now you tell me if it can get any more comfortable than this!
Last but certainly not the least in importance is the bathroom. Yes, there is a heated outhouse out there on the ice. In the first picture, the small light tan coloured building in the centre of the group of bungalows is the “can”.
If you are interested in an experience like this, you can get destination information from a magazine such as “Ontario Out Of Doors” or search out “Ice Fishing Ontario” on the internet. Most of the operators also have on-shore cottage or lodge facilities available and day trips out to smaller heated ice shanties. Either way, it can be a lot of fun and a very pleasant experience.
Add comment February 10, 2003
The Ice Shack- A Few More Ideas
Hi there! Well here we are again at the ice shack and in this article I will tell you about a few more things that make the ice fishing experience an interesting and rewarding event.
Once you have the hut all set up and you are ready to start fishing, you might want to consider to consider reducing the light level inside of the shack. If you darken the interior and the water is not too deep or dirty, you will be amazed at how well you can see the bottom. I tack up green garbage bags over the windows in the hut and if you don’t tack the bottoms, you can still peak under the bags and see what is going on outside. A further idea is to drop some crushed egg shells into the hole and because they reflect any light (from outside the shack) that permeates the snow, ice and water. This further helps identify the bottom. Use the snow around and adjacent to you shack to bank it and by removing the snow cover, the exposed ice will maximize the amount of light from outside the shack that enters the water. It is really handy to be able to see exactly where you bait is in relation to the bottom and even more exciting to see a fish down there whack your bait.
The egg shells can also be used for chumming. They make an excellent attractant as they glitter and flitter on the way to the bottom. Uncooked rice or cooked barley are also very good for chumming. Both reflect light well. It also helps if you jig your bait. A small spoon with the hooks removed can be attached to the line about 8- 12 in. from the hook and this, when jigged, will often trigger a strike.
If you are fishing in deeper water and you can’t see the bottom, a sonar (fish finder) might come in handy. This will help to identify the depth of the water and can also spot bait fish or any game fish that might be cruising by. There are all kinds of different units on the market but you need one that is reasonably portable. You can purchase a compact model with the battery enclosed. I use a flasher model that I use on my boat in the summer but in the winter it works well with a snowmachine battery as the source of power. This way the one unit does both tasks.
Now, here is a hint but you have to promise to pay close attention to the CAUTION. If you want to determine the water depth before you drill your holes, the transducer of the fish finder will read through the ice. Chop a hollow in the ice with your axe, put a liquid into the hollow and set the transducer into the liquid. Water can be used if the weather is mild enough. However, you can also use biodegradable windshield washer (-40 to -50) or biodegradable plumbing anti-freeze (-40 to-50). CAUTION: NEVER, NEVER USE AUTOMOTIVE ANTI-FREEZE! This is highly toxic and poisonous and should never be put onto the ice and into the water.
I usually like to drill extra holes in a variety of locations outside of the ice hut where I set up one line. I can move the line around to the various holes and this allows me to explore a larger area for that elusive prey.
The tip-up shown in the picture is a neat idea that I inherited from a friend. The rod part is a piece of dowel stuck into the end of a spring doorstop. This rig is very sensitive and will signal even the lightest of bites.
The final thing that I am going to add to this ice fishing segment is to ask you to be careful out there. I am not going to try to suggest to you how much ice makes conditions safe but please use common sense. More is definitely better than less. Too many serious accidents occur because over anxious people go out onto the ice before it is really safe. Be safe and not sorry and have a good day.
Add comment January 10, 2003
Setting Up For Winter – Dusting off the Shack
This picture shows us taking our ice fishing shack out onto the ice early in January, 2001. We use the tractor because this shack is 10 ft. long and 5 ft. wide and it’s weight puts too much strain on the snow machine.
We use this shanty as a home base and if the fishing is slow, we then use a more portable model hauled behind the snow machines to fish other locations. I know that this sounds like duplication, but I enjoy the comforts of the larger hut and secondly, I have portability that allows me to easily go to those other locations on the lake or to go to other lakes. The larger hut can also be a good place to return to if the weather on the lake gets nasty.
There are 4 round ice fishing holes in our ice shack into which we have inserted ice cream pails with the bottoms cut out. There are a couple of good reasons for this. It has been my experience that the space between the floor and the ice is the area where the fish will often kick up a real fuss. The fish can jerk itself right off the hook or it can hit the floor and come off ending up either back in the hole or somewhere under the shack. What a nuisance ! However, the pail becomes an extension of the ice fishing hole and the nuisance is eliminated. Also, because the pail fits snuggly into the floor and because it reaches and fits nicely into an 8 in. ice hole, a lot of cold air is prevented from coming up into the shack. If you normally cut a 10 in. hole, then you will have to get a little larger pail.
If you place some kind of solid cover on top of the pails when you leave for the day, this will help to reduce the amount of ice that builds up in the holes between visits. Better still is to cut a piece of styrofoam to fit the ice hole at the bottom of the pail.
It is a really good idea to bank snow all around the outside of the shack to further prevent cold air from blowing underneath. This will further reduce the amount of ice build-up in your holes and combined with the use of the pails will require less energy to heat your shack.
I would also recommend that you put your hut up on blocks. I use 4 in.x 4 in. pieces about a ft. long to get the skis up off the ice so that when the weather gets mild and cold again the skis don’t melt into the ice and then freeze solidly. Some water will also accumulate under your shack from drilling and cleaning out your holes plus a limited amount of thawing caused by the heat of the shack. If the skis freeze into the ice, it can be a big job to free your hut if and when you have to or want to move it. If you notice a lot of water starting to form and freeze around and under your shack, it might be a good idea to move it onto fresh ice. It should come off the blocks without too much effort.
There are a number of different ways to heat an ice shack but I like to use a 2-burner propane stove attached to a 20 lb. propane tank. This provides me with a good heat source and also allows me to heat up soup, chili etc. to go along with the sandwiches. I also set up a small plastic tub with warm water heated on the stove to be used as a washing station for my hands or rinsing dishes etc. Although there is some degree of risk of theft involved even though there are a lot of huts on the lake, we leave our heating unit and a number of basics (couple of small pots, a few cheap plastic dishes, soap towel etc.) in the hut so that we don’t have to haul this stuff out each time that we go fishing. Where there are a number of huts on a lake, other fishermen get to know you and tend to keep an eye on other people’s stuff. Usually a good lock on the door will keep unwanted snoopers away.
For the portable hut, a 1 lb. propane tank attached to a tent heater will keep things warmed up nicely. Also, you can use a small one burner camp stove and this can also be used to heat soup etc.
You can make any fishing trip as creative and homey as you like and the important thing to me is that the experience be a lot of fun and not a lot of work. Then, if you catch some fish, that is a bonus.
Next time I will talk a little more about the ice fishing experience and remember, if you have a comment or idea that you want to share send it along.
Click here for tip #3 on enhancing the taste of your fish.
Add comment December 26, 2002
