Visit the Team Iceshanty Proshop
This is a great site with lots of great people. I enjoy ice fishing because of the solitude and peace of being on the ice.
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Things I enjoy about ice fishing, How unforgiving winter and the ice is. No flys or mosquitoes or allergy's. Frigid cold temps and snow storms= a worthy challenge. No new fad paddle boarders going into my line! No aholes with big boats flying by me in my canoe in wakeless areas. No snowmobiles flying by on reservoirs that don't allow motor vehicles on the ice. Listening to someone try and start their gas auger for a half hour while I drill 10 holes with an electric auger. When the ice cracks real loud and moves, still spooks me sometimes even after 5 years of ice fishing. When the wind blows I just go in my ice hut. Custom building and modifying things for ice fishing is incomparable to any other type of fishing. Watching smart asses that don't wear cleats fall on their face. Learning new things from old timer ice fisherman for example one day fishing somewhat early ice in shallow 10ft I forgot my vex that day and old guy ask how I was doing, told him I was struggling without my vex he showed me that with ice 5 to 8 inches thick you can drill a hole roughly a foot or two in between the hole you're fishing and you'll see your jig easily. Worked flawlessly to my amazement blew my mind, I could not only see my jig I could see fish about to hit! Helping older guys lift there sleds into their trucks at the end of the day. Fighting big fish and hearing my line twang across the ice hoping it wont break. How the scared stay home and only the strong survive ice fishing
Because its not available 24/7 and there is never a guarantee that we will have "safe" ice. So, we talk about it to keep the positive vibe alive in hopes that the winter will let us all walk on water.