Where I come from ice is something that goes nicely in a cocktail. Winter is a time when most people put their fishing gear away and the few that do are seen as more than a little crazy. I mean seriously who goes fishing when it’s colder than 10 degrees Celsius? Well I did and my friends and family thought I was loony then. Then I moved to Saskatchewan and now they think I am completely certifiable.
In South Africa, where I grew up, our winter was a bit like Saskatchewan’s fall, but not quite as cold, and, after a couple months it would start warming up instead of plunging into the deep freeze. So when I moved to Saskatchewan the thought of a 6 month long winter period was more than a little daunting. There was no way I could pack my fishing gear away for 6 months and wait it out, you may as well have taken me round back and put me out of my misery. So little by little I ventured into the world of ice fishing and reclaimed my sanity, although my friends back home would disagree with that.
If you have lived in this beautiful country your whole life you cannot begin to comprehend how foreign this environment was to me. I will never forget that first time that I ventured out onto a larger body of water, err, ice and the sense of helplessness I felt. I mean it was white, flat and there were absolutely no clues as to where I should go or what I should do. Give me a lake and a boat and no problem, the strategy develops quickly, but this? This was a different ball game. I remember thinking things like “deserted wasteland”, “abyss” and a few other choice words that maybe should be left out of print.
Not one to give up I pushed on, I kept going out and I kept learning. I understand now some of the challenges for somebody who is interested in trying ice fishing for the first time but just doesn’t know where to begin. For those of you have grown up in this climate and have grown up going out with family and friends taking you out, this is a time to count your blessings. For anyone who is just learning and looking to try ice fishing for the first time here is some advice that I have gleaned over the last 7 winters:
Follow the crowds.
I love breaking away from it all and finding a lake or an area all to myself, but when you are new to ice fishing and if you don’t know where the fish might be it is best to pick a lake that is a little more popular. If you have no idea where the fish might be then look at where the shacks are. You can be sure that everyone else knows the lake a little better than you and that they are fishing in a spot for a reason. Other anglers are your best clues as to where the fish might be, what depth to focus on and what presentation will be productive.
You have two lines, use them.
In Saskatchewan you are allowed to fish two lines as long as they are within 25 meters of you. Set up a tip up or fixed line and let it sit and fish the second line as you see fit for the species you are targeting. More hooks in the water give you a better chance of success, they also allow you to cover a variety of depths and water in a more efficient manner. If you are fishing with some friends or family you can really spread out a lot more and figure things out quickly.
Work an area thoroughly.
It’s important to give your spot a chance. We can make a lot of noise on the ice, drilling holes, moving around and so on, but if you have picked a spot that should have fish, based on all the clues and information that you have, give them a chance to move back into the area. I certainly found that I would lose confidence in a spot quite quickly because at first I was just guessing at where I should fish. The “Run and Gun” method of moving fast and often is only really effective when you know exactly where you are planning on going next. If you don’t have a catalogue of productive spots then pick an area and work it, get to know it.
It’s still just fishing.
Some days the fish bite and some days they just don’t. If you are new to ice fishing then your confidence will not be as high as it one day will be so it is quite easy to become despondent with a lack of action. This again is where it is important to talk to other anglers to see if you can get some info on what’s working or to hear that it doesn’t matter because nothing seems to be working. It’s also important to remember that the same cycles exist in the winter with low-light conditions often being more productive and sometimes the bite can be sporadic. The most important piece of advice I can give you though is to remember to have fun even if you don’t catch a thing. Fishing is often more about our opportunity to interact with nature and the elements and spend some time together with friends and family in the great outdoors. Plan a fun day with a fish or two just being a bonus and you will find more reasons to get out and more fish coming to hand as you start figuring things out. n