Thanks for all them sweet words or should I say Salty words [;)]
Here’s one to get your heart pumping.
Well played, Pat!
Hey Glen it’s almost time to get out there!
My tip is the one I offer each time the ice season gets underway. Be very careful during the early ice season. Lakes can get ice capped and the ice thickness can vary greatly over the entire surface. Underwater springs and gas bubbling up can create weaker areas that may be far less safe than an area just a short distance away.
I have always advocated having a throw rope available on short notice in the event someone goes through the ice and into the water. In some of the unfortunate fatal ice fishing accidents, many could have been avoided if someone in the party had a rope long enough to reach the “dunkie”. I always carry a 100 foot long rope made of poly braid because it floats. My rope is 1/2" diameter that provides plenty of strength to pull someone from the water. I have a floatation cushion attached to the end and there is a snap hook about 4 feet up from the cushion. The snap allows the person in the water to secure the rope around his/her chest and if they lose the ability the assist in their own rescue, the others can still pull the person out. Remember that once in the water a person will lose motor skills as hypothermia sets in. They may not be able to hold on to the rope with just the use of their hands. Make sure everyone in your group knows about the throw rope and how to access it quickly.
If the ice surface is slick you may have trouble getting enough traction to pull another person out of the water. I carry two of my ice shelter screws with the throw rope and if the ice surface is slick you can sink a screw into the ice and use it to provide leverage.
It’s a good idea to never go out on the ice alone, especially in the early season when the ice thickness is unknown and potentially not safe. On questionable ice, space yourselves while walking so that if one person goes through, someone with them doesn’t suffer the same fate.
Always carry ice picks where they can be accessed quickly. I tuck mine into the cuff of my jacket and the two picks are connected with a long cord so I never leave home without them.
Always think safety and be prepared if an accident happens. Ice fishing is a great winter activity, let’s all work to keep it as safe as possible. Now go fish.
Sounds like Scofield is capped and fishable. Might be time next week to give it a try. My duck hunting area is frozen and the birds have headed to Mexico and Texas. Now go fish!
Mike
when fishing gets slow move your line around the hole without jigging it, give a new motion of your bait and can trigger bites when the fishing is slow. another trick is to take you line and roll it between your fingers so that the bait spins instead of an up and down jigging motion. give your lure a different look than whats goin on around you. and have fun!
I got busy today and added a few things to my sled and thought I would share. I did pictures this time to maybe make it easier to understand. I first took the pole holders that are 1/4 inch wire and cut the base off. Then put a 1 inch bend in the bottom then I drilled in my sled on the top rail 1/4 inch hole and then went down about 3 inches on the side of the sled and drilled another 1/4 inch hole. It is set up as the pics show it. See first 3 pics
Then I mounted my new RadRod Holder that I just got from RadRod.com They were excellent on customer service and real reasonable on price. They come with the hardware to mount several different ways. I mounted it just inside of my tent to hold my rod’s while I’m on the move. See next 2 pics
Last but not least my hitches. These are hitches to help pull my buddies sled’s and I believe the more the merrier. So I did 3 of them on this sled. I put one in the center and 2 on each side. Just drilled 2 1/4 inch holes the width of the u bolts. And used the nuts that came with it on the outside of the sled. I put lock nuts with the flange on the inside as pics show. I also bought a universal hitch from Cabelas that was heavy duty to hitch it to the wheeler. I towed with a rope behind a 4-wheeler for a long time but a hitch is more controllable down hill up hill you just have to make sure you have your sled covered good. Because of the slush from the wheeler. see last 3 pics
Glen , I haven’t seen you since Echo Derby , 2006?
Best tip I could give is watch your pole , I lost several nice outfits to the fish gods @ Flaming Gorge . 
Or tether your pole to something bigger than the hole…
(See my tip above.)
Unless if your skinny as me [;)]
Yea I haven’t seen ya around. I quit going to that Echo derby. After that cheater
pulled them big browns off the river and take that first place. They eighty sixed him off the derby and I’ll be dam if his kin folk didn’t take off where he left. Yea I hate it when you lose a nice pole to the fish god’s. We will have to meet up on the hard deck and do a little fishing.
Hey I beat him that year but he had a big snake that year too
Here’s a link to the Rad Rod Holders website. FishTech had a few in there today.
Sunscreen.
Drill a lot of holes.
Waterproof boots.
I’m sure the list goes on.
Thanks for the credit, it is a worthy video. Gave me comfort and confidence in getting out. Easy to think (cartoons) of falling in and becoming an instant block of ice.
Ain’t gonna happen. Just chill, and be cool about it.
Plus I really enjoyed some of the stories shared, especially the naked guy locked out of his running truck.
So HERE HEAR!
Jawjackers are a SNAP!
Mr Jigger will rock you.
These boots were made for mucking…wet is worse than frozen.
UV Flashlights will give you a serious charge
Don’t be afraid to bounce your bottom, whistle Bob Marley’s “stir it up”
Check out under water footage.
A little jiggle goes a long way, sometimes less is more
Be ready on the drop. Hottest moment on ice.
I am surprised none of you have mentioned replacing that old line you used last season. We here it all the time how the fish broke me off. It’s either the line, the knot, or improper drag setting. Take care of those three things and your loss will be much less. Oh Yea! don’t try to horse them in. TD has said it many times, fish don’t break off, people break off. He said it something like that. RJ
I use small jigs when ice fishing, size 8 hook or smaller.
The small jigs have finer hook points that are easily bent, especially if you hook the bottom edge of the ice hole when reeling up.
Suggest checking the hook points often. It may prevent missing that larger Crappie of the day, or Perch, or Trout.
One outing on the ice I missed several hook sets in a row, and was chalking it up to smaller fish that weren’t taking the jig in far enough. A fellow fisherman happened to stop by and ask how I was doing. I related that I was getting some action, but hadn’t hooked any yet. He said “did you check your hook point?”.
Was surprised to find the small hook had slightly bent over at the very tip. Since you normally hook fish in the hard upper part of the mouth when ice fishing, the hook apparently wasn’t driving in far enough. After straightening the point and checking it was sharp on my finger (ouch), I started catching the biters. They were some decent size Perch.
An addendum to this. I am an old guy and my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. I don’t wear glasses out fishing, unless I need to work with terminal tackle and line, or read something. In other words, I wasn’t seeing the condition of the hook tip.
Hi Glen…here’s a few of our tips:
We are all anxious to walk on the frozen water…SAFETY is NUMBER ONE. Don’t go out alone and be prepared…yes some will venture out to be first to ice fish…fine by us as being old we have no desire to tempt the fate fairy…additionally ice here in Utah that most folks fish is nowhere near the ice quality the Midwest gets places like ND, SD, MN, WI. So here’s a little info from MN. Mind you this is newly formed clear ice.
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Now our go to lures are Atomic Ants, Sonic Bait Fish, Jig’n Rapalas, Swedish pimples, flutter fish…bait used will depend on bite but can be waxies, colored spikes (aka maggots), crawler, perch eyes/meat, crappie nibbles.
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Fly boxes are great for storing those tiny ice flies and ice flies are easily visible.
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Now to help us that don’t have nibble fingers and eyesight that isn’t the greatest again fly fishing kwik klips to the rescue along with halis
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Halis with lures attached.
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Got to have an ice fly glo charger also…rapala makes a great one and charges multiple ice flies and other lures all at once.
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No ice fishing rod IMO is complete without a quality strike indicator. The ones we use are by far the best we’ve ever used…some say otherwise but for us no problems at all…and have been using the same ones for several years without any issues.
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Now in preps for the hard deck we reapply water repellent to the ice tent and to our outer wear. We like to use this but use in a well ventilated area and apply well before a trip so it can adequately dry and air out:
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Next if mama nature calls which it does when you spend the entire day on the ice and for us ladies we’ve solved that issue with simple times coffee can, funnel to transfer liquid into the storage vessel 2 liter soda bottle all placed in a storage bag. Additionally being more than prepared we have packed neatly into a quart bag a few other items…disposable toliet waste bag (Ozark trail), plastic 13 tal trash bag and yep small roll of TP. Totally disgusting seeing human waste on the ice and ripped up clothes used as TP…
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Also take the necessary other items rope, shovel, ice spikes and have ice cleats on the boots…off all the equipment quality boots are a must and the biggest tip I can tell anyone.
Finally a rod holder and collapsible foot stand for the ice flasher…
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How about some small tools…we take a small knife, needle nose pliers, Lure eye cleaner to get that paint out of new lures eyes…and a Perch eye extractor. Again all items are small and easy to pack.
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So looking forward and hopefully we’ll find some of these again this year…
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Be safe and everyone have a wonderful time on the hard deck with memories to be had by all involved.
Attached is some reading material on Crappie and Perch.
WOW thanks k2 that was g:sunglasses:
d reads
Best advice I can give is to drill holes over fish and to keep your line in the water.
Here’s a sort of reverse tip:
Lots of people use a heavy jig or spoon with a tiny lure on a dropper below. The problem (as I see it) with that approach is that you will never feel or see a bite where a fish moves upwards with the tiny dropper. All you feel is the heavy lure above it.
Reverse the rigging. Tie the heavy jig/spoon in below and have the tiny offering above. You’ll fee lthe bite no matter what direction the fish moves. I tie all my terminal rigs drop-shot fashion, with the tearddrop jig or ice fly directly on the line a few inches above my heavier lure.
Plus 1. I started this for the WB at Utah Lake. I use a sonar below and a big ice jig tipped with WB or chub meat above. They hit both.
You can easily waterproof the knees of cheap ski bibs or the like with a coating of 'shoe - goo or similar glue. Put on a big dab and spread it out with a popsicle stick.