Have you gone ice fishing?

[BigSur]

I've never been ice fishing before so I wanted to get everyone's take on it. If you've gone ice fishing before, post your experience, I'd love to hear it!

 

[ppine]

In cold country ice fishing gets you out of the house and into the outdoors. It can be cold, but also productive. Some people have lots of equipment which helps. having a shelter with some heat makes a big difference, because it is a very passive sport and hard to stay warm.

 

[briansnat]

I've been ice fishing since I was a kid. Back then we had a lakeside cabin and we'd set out the tip ups, turn on a football game, pop open a beer and sit in front of the wood stove and every 10 minutes or so one of us would get up and look out the window to see if there were any flags.

Fast forward 40 some years I'm still ice fishing. I'm a fair weather ice fisherman though. I don't bother on bitter cold days. But if it's nice outside I'm out on the ice. In NJ we're lucky to get some fairly warm winter days with plenty of safe ice. I've been ice fishing when it was warm enough to wear shorts and a light sweatshirt.

Though I sometimes ice fish alone, it's more of a social thing these days. Me and a few of my fishing buddies will go out, bring a grill and even invite our non-ice fishing friends along and sometimes we get a pretty big party going on the ice. Cigars, beer and maybe a little sip of Cognac and some music. The fishing itself becomes secondary. If a flag goes up it's like "oh crap, whose turn is it now?". Good times!

Here's a video I made a few years ago of one of my solo outings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vac0G1TOovE

 

[TakeAHike]

I have not been ice fishing since I was much younger. My uncle and my dad go out though. They have a nice shanty with some protection from the wind and cold. You have to make sure you wear a lot of clothes and dress in layers.

 

[Cappy]

Down here in Cajun country when some one says ice fishin they usually mean, fishing out a beer from the bottom of a 'soupy' ice chest. :-D

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


I went ice fishing once...caught lots of ice.

 

[Stargazer]

I went ice fishing once and that was enough for me. I was visiting a friend who had a ice shack on a lake in Minnesota. It was much too cold for me.

 

[Shirley4ever]

Even I have never been ice fishing.. But I heard that people would love that.. One of my friends said that Lake Tahoe is the best one..