the first time icefishing

[grumpymoe]

i can barely remember the first time i went icefishing but i was hooked. no bugs, no soaking rains,you can keep as warm as you like on most days  8) 8)  when did you go icefishing for the first time and how did you do???

[the Wizard]

33 years ago my father took me to Silver lake he fished and I ice skated ,until he started pulling up perch and gills , then Out went the skates.

[Muskie Matt]

I went a bunch of times when I was too young to remember with my old man. He turned me on to fishing before I could talk. In Junior High a bunch of us went out in jeans and a sweatshirt. It was like 2 degrees! We froze our butts off. When we got picked up, after catching NOTHING, a hot pizza awaited us. Still have the 4" hand auger we used. It really wasn't all that long ago.....maybe 12 years ago?

Man......there isn't many things I enjoy doing more than ice fishing. You get to meet great people out on the ice, shares stories, tips etc. Ice fisherman are a true breed.

[TGF]

Age 7, dad and uncle chopped a hole in ice with an axe. Started 4ft wide and ended up with a small hole. Caught nothing but had the lake to ourselves and enjoyed the solitute of it all. 32 yrs later it is an addiction.

[missfishylicious]

I was 19 not going to say how long ago that was.my then boyfriend now hubby took me to oneida lake I was scared to go out and I said I'm afraid I'll fall threw he said theres 5" of ice it will hold us.I said what if theres a place with a crack all the way around it ? he started getting mad and said YOUR NOT GONNA FALL THREW.so I started following him out and you guessed it I steped over a crack and the ice I stepped on started rockin well I did a quick impression of a first time roller skater took a big leep and I was back on shore when I landed   needless to say we didn't go ice fishin that day I didn't go again untill about 4 years ago.I now know that was just bad shore ice but I wasn't taking his word for it then and I still use my own judgement  

[Rat-Man]

I started back in about 1957. My uncle used to take a bunch of us kids we where about the same age. Sometimes we would fish but most of the time we played on the ice or in the snow. We had to play away from the shanty, uncle said it would scare the fish if we played to close. He shure was a great uncle to take us kids fishing, we could count on going every weekend if we wanted. As I got older and got down to fishing more I found out why my uncle always took us kids, he could put out 2 tipups for each kid! In Michigan you can only have two lines. We had a lot of fun and learned a lot about the ice and fishing.Now its my turn to teach the younger kids the art of fishing!

[water_wolf]

I don't really know how old I was...will have to ask my dad.  I have been icefishing since I can remember.  We used to fish with family friends up on the St. Lawrence River where I grew up.  Every weekend sun up - sun down.  Us kids use to bomb around on the snowmobiles, play football, learn how to "properly" fillet a pike and even get some fishing in.  Ahhhh memories...I can smell the perch eggs cookin' right now.

[BuckShotJon]

I remember it like it was yesterday which was actually 23 years ago when I was 4 years old. Dad and I fished Sodus Bay out by the channel at the pier. We caught one perch that day and no pike. But the addiction was born.

Jon

[alpinehigh]

.I can smell the perch eggs cookin' right now.

Hey waterwolf -how do you cook perch eggs?-would love to try.
thnx

[IceBalls]

Can't remember EXACTLY how many years ago, but must be about 40-42.  My buddy John tried to get me out there, but I told him he was NUTS if he thought I was going out on a frozen lake!  Eventually he talked me into it and we went to a small lake on the NY/CT border.
Cut holes with an axe (WHEW!!!), and caught Perch, Pickerel, Bass.  
By the time the day was over, I WAS HOOKED BETTER THAN THE FISH!!!
We've been fishing the hardwater ever since, and finally gave up that old axe!
Life ain't easy down here on Long Island....we're the last to get ice and the first to lose it.  DAMN I'M FRUSTRATED reading all the posts from you guys in upstate NY.  Send some of that frigid temps down here, will Ya?

[eyedoktr]

I remember the first time very clearly, I just have no idea how old I was. I'm guessing it was between 45 and 50 years ago that my Dad and uncle took me to Canadice Lake in NY. I remember that we caught some perch and pickerel that day. Thanks Dad and Uncle John, I sure do miss you guys.

[INDY AUGER]

IT WAS JUST LAST YEAR AND WE HAD A BLAST. I WENT WITH SOME FRIENDS FROM CHURCH. NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD EVER LIKE ICE FISHING BUT NOW IAM HOOKED.
 NO BUGS ,NO CROWDS, NO SWEAT , FISH ANY WHERE ON THE LAKE THAT YOU LIKE , AND WE CAUGHT ALOT OF FISH.  WHAT A BLAST. COME ON ICE.

[firsticerules]

i belive it was 98' or 99' 11 years old and my dad heard from guys at work that he should take me out so he did we went out with our 6-7'  soft water rods and started fishin it was great fun cause i still do it but we got some weird stares that day so we bought ice fishin rods. great times.

[fishboy899]

I was 8 I think and caught some of the biggest perch that I have ever caught through the ice...  that is what got me hooked

[shiner]

My mom would carry me out to my dads shanty when I was a baby! Grew up on the ice ! Lake Iroquois is about 250 yards behind my house.I live in the house I grew up in! Dad would trade perch for food gas what ever . The lake would give up some nice perch back then ! Cleaned and ate a lot of perch in those days. Not my  most favorite fish now a days. Still love the eggs and whites from the males tastes like clams.Roll them in flower fry them up, 8)

SHINER 8)

[Mr.Seaguar]

I was about 5 years old so it was like 25 years ago. My dad made me wear every piece of clothing that fit inside my snow suit. He says I was a pain in the butt. I never got cold or hungry, didnt care if I caught fish and never wanted to go home. Every guy in the group would want to go eat but I wanted them to leave me and bring me something to eat. Yeah right, I was 5 years old. Then once we got to the diner I ate everything that was left on every plate. Funny thing is, I didnt icefish from the time I was 8 until I was about 19. We just didnt go for some reason. But I always knew that someday I would icefish again. I just bought a bunch of gear one year and started ice fishing. Now I ice fish as often as I can and still keep the wife from leaving me.

[Shaggy]

My grandfather took me 27 years ago and I haven't missed a year yet. Back then he used to cut his and our holes, it was always 20, through 30+ inches by hand auger. He finaly bought a gas one, and I am still using it today

[JerryofWNY]

Unfortunalely my dad didn't introduce me to ice fishing. He had had a bad experience on Lake Erie, off Sturgeon Point near Buffalo back in the 20's. The ice shifted leaving a huge gap between him and shore. Had to walk across to Canada. Took them almost the whole night to cross. Heard that story numerous times but needless to say cured him of the sport. Got a lot of great memories of open water fishing with him though. Only about 5 years ago my son talked me in to going with him while he set tip ups for pike. That led to perch fishing on Simcoe with him and now I go as often as I can which isn't enough.

[pot-belly-perch]

I realy didnt get into it   only 3 years ago when me &pbb went ice fishing & then I was hooked my wife said you guys are not going ice fishing  any more without a shanty  so now we go allmost every weekend  now i got another buddy who hasnt never ice fished so I will be @ lake morraine  with him  on jan 10th  hope to see ya all there    tight lines all
  8)  not jet skies

[Pop]

I was lucky and lived just down the street from the fellow that owned the bait shop.  I started fishing with him in 1959 and have only missed one season since.  There have been times I have had to go north to get my fill of walking on hard water.  There are two young fellows that fish with me and I am more than happy to pass along what little I know.  Please take a kid and let them see how much fun it can be to be "a bit silly" as my grandmother called ice fishing.  I don't think I caught much my first time out, but it didn't matter.

Pop

[FullTmeDad]

My first time out was in 1965 on Hampton Ponds Westfield, Mass. I was visiting an uncle and saw people out on the ice. He gave me a couple of tip-ups, an old spud and a jigging rod with a pimple. I caught a couple of chain pickerel that day...Thanks Unc!

[howey1176]

Last year when I was 27 was my first time out. Went out with my dad on a local bay. I thought the ice was spooky, but there was 4-5 inches, I was no judge of ice then. It was so cold that day. The bay was making ice like crazy. Constanly popping and cracking. My dad explained to me what was going on and why the ice was cracking. He got a chuckle out of it, but I was still nervous as all hell. We had 10 tipups out and hammered the pike that day. Lot of fun. I was out pretty much every day after that .

[water_wolf]

.I can smell the perch eggs cookin' right now.

Hey waterwolf -how do you cook perch eggs?-would love to try.
thnx

We used to just fry them up in a pan of butter or bacon grease.
They are real hard to crack because they are so tiny  

[walleye1]

Water Wolf - What do they taste like? I never tried them myself but my Lab and Golden Retriever love them! By the way, nice looking pooch you have there!

[DIRTBALL2]

I don't really know how old I was...will have to ask my dad.  I have been icefishing since I can remember.  We used to fish with family friends up on the St. Lawrence River where I grew up.  Every weekend sun up - sun down.  Us kids use to bomb around on the snowmobiles, play football, learn how to "properly" fillet a pike and even get some fishing in.  Ahhhh memories...I can smell the perch eggs cookin' right now.

What do you do with all the little shells when you clean up afterwards?

[DIRTBALL2]

I must have been about 7 or 8 when my Dad and another old Swede, Franz Hjelm, took me along to Franz's darkhouse. From the time they shut the door, and started watching Norweigan TV(spearing) I was totally fascinated. Even when a muskrat swam into the hole and jumped into my lap! Scared the living (&*^%$@# out of me! That was almost 60 years ago. Now that I'm retired and lucky enough to live near a world-class fishery(Lake of the Woods-Warroad,MN)I'm still just as fascinated.

[afishingfool]

Dirtball2  I had a muskrat popping in and out of a hole in my hut when I was fishing outside and couldn't figure out what was making noise in the hut. Finally another fisher walked by and saw him pop back down the hole, asked if he was my pet. Been ice fishing as long as I can remember. Sure do like the augers, even got a gas one know. Hatchets, axes and spudbars were a lot of work. I've left more than a few spudbar at the bottom of the lake, with only a one inch hole to fish through. STAYWARM  afishingfool

[mooseslayer]

MY GRANDFATHER+FATHER WERE THE FIRST ONES TO BRING ME OUT.I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME, I WAS ABOUT 4.IT WAS WARM OUTSIDE AND THERE WAS SLUSH ON THE LAKE SO THE OLD MAN PUT GARBAGE BAGS OVER MY LINERS OF MY BOOTS SO MY FEET WOULDNT GET WET.WE WENT OUT NEAR A BROOK ON THE LAKE AND SET UP.MY FATHER CAUGHT A BUNCH OF BROOKIES.HE HAD SET ME UP A JIGGER THAT PIVOTED ON A STICK PROPPEDUP WITH SLUSH.WHILE I WAS EATING A SANDWICH THE JIGGER WENT DOWN AND I GRABBED THE LINE AND YELLED FOR THE OLD MAN. I COULDNT PULL IT UP MYSELF,SO HE PULLED IT UP.IT WAS A BROOKIE ABOUT 3LBS.I WAS SO PROUD OF THAT FISH .I WAS HOOKED FOR LIFE!

[ice fishing fool]

First time was on Lake Erie off Catabwa Island about 15 yrs ago.  My friend took me out who was never prepared ( and still isn't). It must have been blowing 30 mph that day and we didn't have any ice cleats and only place you get any traction was were there was some snow.  I froze my butt off but was fasinated by the ice, haven't ice fish alot (not too much ice in NW Ohio) but plan on fishing more.

[water_wolf]

What do you do with all the little shells when you clean up afterwards?

Haven't you heard that tossing eggshells down your hole attracts fish?  

Your "icehole" that is!