let's hear about your first time ice fishing

[ActiveTrapChecker]

Pickerel tournament. Had no gear, was told to just bring hotdogs buns and beer. Showed up pulling my daughter’ tie dye sledding sled, which tipped over 24 times to the shanty. Improperly dressed, boots were soaked before I shook hands with the rest of the fellas.

Didn’t cash, but was instantly hooked (pun intended)

Now I’m the guy introducing people to the sport, and getting a kick out of how they cut their teeth!

[trapper2000]

if you  still bring hot dogs and  beer  you can fish with me

[badbrad2186]

My first time I was young don't remember it. First time I went I remember 18-19 years old was out maybe 10 minutes huge crack came between my legs I turned around and  high tailed it

[bigal409]

My first time I was young don't remember it. First time I went I remember 18-19 years old was out maybe 10 minutes huge crack came between my legs I turned around and  high tailed it

[badbrad2186]

Been hooked ever since and love to watch newbies crap there pants when ice is making it's noises

[62&done]

Don't exactly recall when the "first time" was, but I do remember what times were like then. I managed to gather up a bucket full of worn out stuff from other folks who had had enough of those winters back then.  Clothing was not like today's .  Boots where terrible and contributed to a lot of frost bitten toes.  I had a couple of hand made jig sticks outfitted with 90 lb test line and a sweedish pimple that just killed the 6" perch. A good spud could put a hole thru 2 ft of ice in about 15 minutes. After a couple of seasons battling the wind I built a shanty (out house size) that I could lay down in the back of my El camino  and I was livin large    WOW   look at us today !

[Otto]

I had a Nieghbor and good friend take me to Lake of the Isles.  The ay before he told me to bring the shortest rod I had, which was 4’ long.  When he picked me up he said “Just leave that behind”.  I used his Schooley rod instead.  I don’t remember what else we caught, but last fish of the day was a nice fat 36” pike.  Doesn’t take much after that to get hooked on it!   

[shawner]

     Like a lot of old timers have said, I don't remember a lot of the very first trip out. I was 8 yrs old and we went to Conesus for perch and pike. That was 46 yrs ago...lol I do remember I was a little to short to use my BIL's new spoon auger to cut my own hole with but, I was determined. After about probably a 1/2 an hr of struggling with it, he came over and finished my first hole for me and I remember the "plug" coming out and water coming into the hole and very quickly I was in. All he said was, "that's how ya do it Shawner". Handed me a jiggin stick with line and a bobber on it wrapped around two metal posts on the handle and I was now ice fishing.

[Icehole88]

My first time was pretty uneventful but the first time I took the wife it was real cold,I got her all bundled up she looked like the kid from a Christmas story,got all set up and this old timer next to us just turns towards us and starts peeing,in his defense you couldn't tell she was a girl the way she was dressed,she looks at me and says "I really don't get why you love this so much"...we still laugh about that to this day

[buz23]

I got a ticket for not having a license the first time I went ice fishing, and I wasn't even fishing.  I got an ice auger for Christmas back when I was still in college.  It was sort of a spoon type, green not blue and instead of a smooth curve it had short straight segments.  8", it was a real SOB to cut a hole with. 

Anyhow, shortly after Christmas my brother and I took it down to a backwater of the Mohawk river that was down the hill from our house and drilled a couple holes to see how it worked.  The local game warden stopped by and issued me a ticket.  Turns out he was a friend of my father (they both collected double barrel shotguns) and later said if he knew who I was (or who my father was) he wouldn't have ticketed me.

[zcm_82]

I got a ticket for not having a license the first time I went ice fishing, and I wasn't even fishing.  I got an ice auger for Christmas back when I was still in college.  It was sort of a spoon type, green not blue and instead of a smooth curve it had short straight segments.  8", it was a real SOB to cut a hole with. 

Anyhow, shortly after Christmas my brother and I took it down to a backwater of the Mohawk river that was down the hill from our house and drilled a couple holes to see how it worked.  The local game warden stopped by and issued me a ticket.  Turns out he was a friend of my father (they both collected double barrel shotguns) and later said if he knew who I was (or who my father was) he wouldn't have ticketed me.

How did he justify a ticket if you didn't have any fishing gear with you? 

[NOT ME]

Conesus Lake, around 1974.  Spoon auger, spinning reel taped to small ice rod, Conesus jig tipped with oak leaf grub or "Michigan Wiggler" from Bob's Bait and tackle. Used a poor man's slip bobber. A little red/white round bobber with the spring clip set to slide and a little piece of rubber band for a bobber stop. Back then it was easy for a newbie to catch nice perch off of Long Point or Stella Maris.  The following year I got me one of those high tech Rapala "Thrumming Rods".  Sadly the Conesus glory days did not last too many years after that.

[nykonsdream]

I have no memories of my first time but my father used to tell stories of me on my belly staring down a hole, then falling asleep. We were to poor for a shanty then so we used to put the sleds on its side to block the wind. After my father passed I made it my mission to go out as much as possible. Thank you father for this

[bigal409]

Been hooked ever since and love to watch newbies crap there pants when ice is making it's noises

I was sitting in a chair on the ice one time and a crack started and went between my feet. Talk about crapping your pants.