Frozen Ice Holes

[goms67]

Does anybody have any tips on how to keep your hole from freezing shut?

[mod_auger]

I've heard of people using stove pipe. i guess you just put it down the hole when you are done fishing. i think grease the outer ring of the pipe and slip it into the hole. next time you come, just pull up the pipe, and the ice should be frozen inside of the stove pipe.

remember, this is just something i heard, i'm not positive it works though.

[twodoggs]

A peice of pvc will work.  I also saw a product at a bait shop that you put in the hole and inflated.  

[Smelt1]

goms67, I use some 1/2" thick grey foam covers.You can go to wally world in the sporting dept.and buy the foam mat that goes under a sleeping bag for about $3.I made 12 covers for my 10" holes.cut a hole in the middle of the cover just big enough to fit your trap through.Make a slit from the middle to the out side so you can slip it around your trap.I can keep my holes from freezing up all day long on the coldest of days.And there alot cheaper than the solar covers they sell at the stores for 4.50 ea!!

[PeRcHsLaYeR]

Styrafoam cut into circle cut out hole in center insert pvc pipe put it in securley, then put vegitable oil in the pipe, it wont freeze and u jig your bait thru the pvc pipe, works good for windless tip-ups as well.

[Exudedude]

For those of you who use tip ups or just fishing on the ice not in a house.. I saw an older gentleman once who had taken a ping-pong ball and colored it black with a sharpie marker.  The sun was more than enough to warm up the ping-pong ball and keep the hole open...IT wouldn't work in a fish house.. but with tip ups its  great!

[dogfish]

That is a cool idea but how do you keep the wind from blowing the ball away?  I mean those PPballs are light.

[FISHswMich]

When fishing in super cold weather
to help keep the hole open try a little veggie oil bout a half a shot this will help !

[Exudedude]

Dogfish,

Most of the time the water is below the level of the ice, the waters surface tension usually holds the PP balls down!  If it s a problem, leave a little more snow around the edge when you drill.

[buckduster]

I found that if you take your portable air pump for your minnow bucket and use it in the hole the water doesn't freeze up at all. I have done this in 15 degree weather and it still stays open. I make a kit that i sell that you can use it in two holes at the same time and it keeps both holes open

[insane4eyes]

I agree with smelt1 i have something simaliar made out of black rubber matting so it absorbs the sun and even if the sun isn't out it still does insulate even on the coldest day and if it is snowing it helps keep the whole clean of snow there great I always take them with me

[Islander]

I've been using about 1-2 ounces of cheap rubbing alcohol per hole. It got down to 5 below last night, and the holes were slushy enough to just pull a tip-up out without having to chip at it.

[nagel_1]

This is what I do to keep holes open.  After you drill your main hole in the ice, drill a second hole about 2" deep right next to main hole, so water will flow into the second hole.  Add a empty coffee can with charcoal, and light.  Keeps holes open in the coldest of temps.  Usually lasts about 6-7 hrs depending on amount of charcoal.

[grumpymoe]

nagel 1 has a pretty good system that works very well when fishing. if you plan on returning the next day or 2, a thick piece of styrofoam covered with snow will keep the hole pretty well open. you may have to chisel the edges abit, but it works for me, even when it gets down to 30-35 below.

[Dihardfisher]

That charcoal in the nxt hole sounds like a good idea.   I'll have to try that sometime.

[bullheadbasher]

Frabill Insulated tip ups work.  Just make sure that you pack a lot of snow or ice around them.  But I have another idea for keeping your holes open.  Its called take your skimmer out every once in a while and skimming the ice out.  I mean, you cant be lazy if your holes are freezing up.

[CHRIS*]

That is a cool idea but how do you keep the wind from blowing the ball away?  I mean those PPballs are light.

I use cork balls that are used on Outriggers for off-shore fishing painted black.. They still float and they are heavier so they dont blow away

Chris

[redneck]

I made a wood box out 1x6 16x16 put a peice of plywood on top, with a hole and slot just big enough for tipup to slip into and lined it with tin. I than put a small oil lamp inside keeps the hole open in the coldest of weather. It also throws off light for night fishing.
Redneck

[redkona]

Smelt1
I am going to have to go to wally world and get me one of them mats and try that idea out. If that doesn't work I might try the rubbing alcohol trick.

[RyGuy]

Thanks for the tips.  I am going to try the black cork trick tomorrow.  It has been colder than a Witch's you know what here.  Dipped to -6 last night and has not reached the positive yet today (-3 at 9:15am).  Was out on the ice yesterday for about 7 hours and we were running from hole to hole trying to keep them from freezing up.  They were frozen solid after 15 minutes.

How much cooking oil you throwing in a hole?

I wonder, if you paint a cork black and soak it in cooking oil if that would work better?  Any oil better than other, corn, canola, olive, peanut? LOL.

[canadarocks]

I go fishing all the time in -25 -30 'C  and I dont have that much of a problem with the holes just have to go give them a cleaning and youre good to go for another houre  

[RyGuy]

Oh Canada, that nice that Celcius temp sounds warm.  What is -25C in Fareinheit?  

[Cook078]

How about attaching a few of those big bass-casting sinkers or something like it...to the black ping-pong balls...say with a little fishing line or something...may have to use some duck tape??...I think I will try this myself...now only if those ping-pong balls could warm ME up...ahhhh the next new idea....

Mike

[Melbs7]

-25 degrees Celcius is what... like -40 degrees farenheit? brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr


Melbs            

[BASSandICE65]

Ok these are some great ideas but some you have to check with your local regulations. especially pouring any type of oil or alcohol into the water the environmental police can whack you with a fine for this in some states. The EPA may also whack you as well with a fine as they consider this polluting the waters. Older friends have told me of actually pouring anti-freeze into thier holes when they were kids to stop it from freezing which is now highly ilegall and kills the fish population. Anyway the foam and the coffee can methods work very well and you don't get fined.
Good luck fishing all!!

             BassandIce65

[swampbuckster]

Ok, This is getting a little out of hand. All this dumping oil, alchohol, ping pong balls and styrofoam into the water? Just so you don't have to chop another hole? It sounds a little carried away to me. How about drink about 5 beers really quick before you get out to your hole, By the time you get there, you should be able to plasma cut your hole right back out! And then some!

[TGF]

-40 Celcius = -40 degrees Fareinheit
-25 Celcius =  -13  degrees Fareinheit
-10  C       =   14  F
0 C           =    32 F

[Ice Gido]

Swampbuckster is on to something - the First Nations and Inuit icefishers used to urinate in their holes to keep them ice free.  It worked for them, so it should work for us. On the negative side, your fish may have a little salty taste to it.  On the positive side, your hole will be ice free and sterilized (urine is sterile) .

[ice725]

they make polar tip ups that fit over the hole, or you can buy or probably even make your own covers.

[IceJeSTeR]

Thanks for the clarification on the urine issue cider.