01-09-2018, 04:48 PM
Brand new into it and already this equipped?
Dude, you're set! Don't let being solo and knowing very little about ice fishing keep you from going out alone. If you learn on your own, you have an opportunity to discover tactics that others may not think about.
Fishing with others is a great learning tool as well, but be open to gaining some of that knowledge organically as well.
I'm no pro on ice, that's for sure (come on, spring), but some basics are to have and try a variety of types of plastic jigs (cut'r bugs, gizzilla, paddlebugs, tube jigs) in different colors (popular on ice: pink, white, neon green, glow, pearl, sand) and sizes.
Make sure to have some bait to tip with: meal worms, wax worms, other grubs, minnows, cut bait from chubs or suckers, night crawlers, shrimp, bacon, etc.
A lake with predatory fish may allow you to use bigger offerings (4" white tube w/ 1/8oz head, tipped with a small shiner or a chub tail), but may be over fished and a smaller offering may grab their interest as well.
If you want to go really small, you can use ice flies, rat finkies, shimpos and ratsos. Even normal nymph flies will work sometimes.
Some people like to use a flasher a couple of feet up the line to attract fish. Some people will put two or three jigs/lures on the same line at different depths, using different offerings to hone in on what works.
Tip: Pet stores have really big meal worms that might get noticed before the usual sizes. They also have crickets...
Go have fun and come up with some neat ideas.
(And welcome to BFT.)
[signature]
Dude, you're set! Don't let being solo and knowing very little about ice fishing keep you from going out alone. If you learn on your own, you have an opportunity to discover tactics that others may not think about.
Fishing with others is a great learning tool as well, but be open to gaining some of that knowledge organically as well.
I'm no pro on ice, that's for sure (come on, spring), but some basics are to have and try a variety of types of plastic jigs (cut'r bugs, gizzilla, paddlebugs, tube jigs) in different colors (popular on ice: pink, white, neon green, glow, pearl, sand) and sizes.
Make sure to have some bait to tip with: meal worms, wax worms, other grubs, minnows, cut bait from chubs or suckers, night crawlers, shrimp, bacon, etc.
A lake with predatory fish may allow you to use bigger offerings (4" white tube w/ 1/8oz head, tipped with a small shiner or a chub tail), but may be over fished and a smaller offering may grab their interest as well.
If you want to go really small, you can use ice flies, rat finkies, shimpos and ratsos. Even normal nymph flies will work sometimes.
Some people like to use a flasher a couple of feet up the line to attract fish. Some people will put two or three jigs/lures on the same line at different depths, using different offerings to hone in on what works.
Tip: Pet stores have really big meal worms that might get noticed before the usual sizes. They also have crickets...
Go have fun and come up with some neat ideas.
(And welcome to BFT.)
[signature]