Ice Fishing?

In some countries with colder climates, many people, along with a group of their friends and family, will put on their warmest clothes and walk out onto a frozen lake with a sled full of fishing gear to go ice fishing. Believe it or not, this is actually a very popular pastime in the northern part of the US. Once a group of ice fishermen/women finds a nice spot on the ice, they will drill a large hole through the ice until they get to the unfrozen water below the ice sheet. The hole they drill is generally between 6 - 8in (15 - 20 cm) in diameter - large enough for a fish, but small enough that a person could NOT accidentally fall through! You need a special type of bait for ice fishing as the cold water slows the metabolism of the fish and causes them to eat less.

While it may seem odd (even crazy) to those who do not hail from colder climates, this activity originated with the native people who inhabited the areas where it is still commonly practiced, northern Europe, Northern US, and parts of Canada. When the practice first started it consisted of actually making a home on the ice and sitting on a stool next to the hole waiting for a fish to bite. Now, however, people will actually drive out onto the ice in trucks and set up a small tent, a larger ice shanty or even an ice fishing house. Ice shanties are small structures generally made of wood or plastic that an ice fisherperson can rent. They generally have a bench and some simple luxuries that can help protect from the elements. The fishing houses can house 4 or more people and come with many comforts a house may have. They generally offer heating, beds, TVs, toilets, showers, and even a kitchen… The Ice filing houses can cost as much as $30,000 U.S.

While these modern conveniences make this sport much more comfortable than it used to be, it can still be very dangerous. If you set out on the ice prematurely or too late in the season, the ice may be unstable and you can fall through. The ice can also break apart causing you to be stuck on a drifting piece of ice making it impossible to drive or walk off the ice back onto land. The ice can float out into open water and even start to melt away under you. Overall, 4 or 5 ice fishers die each year in North America. Most of the deaths occur due to a mixture of thin and unstable ice, too much alcohol and not “enough brains”.

Here are some tips that you might want to keep in mind if you decide to try this sport… river ice tends to be 15% weaker than most pond or lake ice, so stay off rivers early and late in the season and after warm spells. It is actually better to ice fish on new ice because when the ice starts to age the crystal bonds break, making the ice less stable. Lastly, ice is generally stable to walk on if it is 4in thick (10cm), it is safe for snowmobiles if it is 6in (15cm)thick, and safe to drive a car on if it is 8in (20cm) thick.

Happy Fishing!