The next best thing...

[High Tide]

Good prep topic for the season... I was pondering in the deer stand, how far ice fishing has come since I started in 1987. Clip on a depth finder, put a tooth pic in the bobber, and jig the plastic spool schooly. It's almost comical. If my Grandfather came back for a day, he'd be like "is this what Mars looks like on ice"?! I still can't believe how far it's come. When I read the topic of the panfish limit, I thought, well if they want to regulate fish, ban my electronics for my boat and ice and they'd decrease my bag considerably... However, how far fetched is that?! If it continues at this pace, there will be an app that tells you exactly where to start for each species, give a set of questions on a particular lake that will narrow down the 10% of most lakes on a giving day. What will the limit be then... 10 fish a day!? Anybody care to chime in... Ponder this thought?

[Hoosier]

HMMMM.. First thought..
 
 Can you imagin how many fewer people we would have on the lakes. When it comes to shallow cove fishin for gills, maybe not when the bite is hot. When the bite is stupid tuff and people leave, most will stop and watch from there cars and keep goin. When it comes to deeper water fishing forget about it. There are very few of the "old schoolers" left. Read the posts, " If I forgot it, I would go home". I can only imagin the pure numbers of people that started fishing because they could see the fish were swimming under them. Or having a buddy that had the box and could tell if they were on fish or not. With the level of impatience that we as a world suffer with. I would see the decline of anglers on the ice. 
 I see one of two things happening, you are either going to have fewer fisherman or I am going to invest in ADHD med stock.(The only way you`ll get most to sit still.)    One of the two is gonna go up.

[High Tide]

Excellent response... Now I have another all day sit to ponder your comment. People often ask "how can you fish that much" and my response is "it calms me down, because all I have to do is think about the rod tip, and everything else goes away. I guess you and I can partner up with a bunch of family physicians and say we have the organic cure for today's youth! Maybe we can fish for a living after all, and who would have known that all you had to do "is take a kid fishing"!

[Stinkybaits]

Hmmmm ADHD could be my problem! I enjoy the hunt for fish first finding new spots. I fished as much as a kid as I do now. Be sitting in one area waiting for the fish to come back and feed or peeking down through a hole watching the bait.  Thank goodness for cameras I don't have to lay on the ice anymore. As I got older and was allowed to venture out of the bay with my best friends Spud and my buddy from Sweden Spoon. I drilled the lake up checking depths with my depth finder set tip ups on break lines what a blast. I saw more people then fishing than today on the James chain. Today there's more pleasure cruising sand bar partying and the only idiot sitting out in the center of the lake getting blasted with waves is me. Alot has changed on those lakes the once Lilly pad infested Jimmerson lake shorelines have been replaced with sand beaches and shore stations. I've noticed a huge decrease in size and a huge decrease in weed beds from weed killer.  Lake association on James chain isn't too fish friendly lol. There's still plenty of great lakes to fish in the area though so I'm pretty grateful and fishing is my reset button plus a break for my wife when I'm gone all day. Electronics sure make it easier for hunting. It's like adding a scope to a rifle.

[High Tide]

SB, another great point... They want to limit the catch, but why wouldn't they want to limit habitat destruction like weed killer and really make an impact?

[bgriffis17]

AMEN Brother Tide ! to look back and see where we came from, ice fishing has come a long way, now look back at the body of water you fish, access, water clarity, habitat, invasive species, and they ask us to pay for it or should say we get penalized for it, yep granddad would be sick?

[TeacherPreacher]

Very insightful and interesting thoughts.

 I'm one of those "Old Guys", will be 76 day before Christmas. Have an old green box set up for ice fishing but don't use it. "Oh, I forgot my locator, so I have to either go home and get it or not fish!" How sad!

I'm sure I don't catch as many fish as a lot of others do, but how much is enough?
I've fished many times and watched guys with all the latest electronics and they caught as few as I did.
It's like a lot of young "beginners" that subscribe to Bass Masters Mag, buy a $35,000 rig, all the latest baits and electronics and are now a Bass Master. I've had them charge across the lake, cut the 125 hp engine and begin pounding the bank right in front of me, going down the bank in front of where I'm headed. But I guess many didn't have a father to teach them the love of the outdoors or the edicate of the water. If a guy is fishing a shore, go the other direction, etc.

On the other hand I'm glad to see people still fishing. I've had a lifetime of enjoyment on the water, both hard and soft. I always take the time to look at the bank, the sky, the water and all that is around that makes it more than just catching and piling them up.

Be sure to take your kid along and show him the way. Enjoy every minute you have to spend with them. Whether you catch 25 or not.
Tight lines and remember to have fun!!!!!!
Teach

[rico]

My first thoughts on this post is that I have ice fished all my life.  Cant remember when I started because it is what Grandpa, Dad, and Uncles did.  I am 47.  I remember the days of fishing off a box and there were no reels on your poles.  It was a way of life for my family.  I changed with the way the times changed concerning the sport.  Things just change................ .but to be honest, I loved 1970 something!!!!!!!!

[matfalk]

I fish with Gillsonly up in Michigan a couple times each year.  I use a flasher, and he doesn't, and he still limits out almost every time we're out way before I even get half way.  Some guys are just in tune with everything and don't need it.  I'm not that guy lol.

[IceGills]

I taught my son to fish using my dads old gear and was just as amazed as he was when we saw a flasher on the ice for the first time.  We were lucky enough to win a Vex at the first ice tournament we ever entered.  We both placed in the tournament not using any electronics.  I now have an underwater camera to go along with my vex.  Definitely makes our fishing trips more fun.  We also stay on the ice much longer now trying to get those fish on top of the ice since we can see them down there.  I hope the next big thing is light because I carry a lot of stuff already!

[Jigmup]

You aint seen nothin' yet!

The technological ramp is exponential!

[fishermantim]

I started in the early to mid 90's and I had picked up a half dozen tip-ups and put together a jigging rod with an old trout reel and a kiddy fishing rod and hit the ice. I did catch fish both on shiners and jigging and I learned a lot about reading the water.
Things like checking out a pond/lake during the spring/summer to see how deep it was in different areas and what forage was around.
After a year or so I knew what I was doing (at my own level) and had enjoyable days as well as unproductive ones.

Now I know where I want to fish, mainly by using the before mentioned method, or checking the state's F&G website for pond maps.

It still requires a bit of "old school" wisdom, but you can do without all the bells and whistles if you want to. The problem is people are looking for some sort of guarantee that every time they hit the ice they will catch a monster, or their limit.

Me, I say the same thing today that I have said for the past 20+ years of fishing which is "I don't care what I catch, I would like to catch "A" fish, no matter what kind or what size." That means that if my skills are not worth a tinker's damn I should just call it quits and stay home.

I don't call it quits, and I am patient and persistant when I fish.
I also practice C & R unless I plan on eating the fish, so that I don't take my limit if I don't need to.
(This is not a dig on those that do take their limit, as I know many of them do eat what they catch!)

Let's bring on the ICE!!!!

[rivereddy]

The nice thing about ice fishing is that it follows waterfowl season.  Duck hunting in its simpler form is
still "stuff intensive"....firearms, dog, decoys, blinds, boats. And then comes ice time.  I love the sheer simplicity
of it all. All my stuff goes in a bucket.  one tip up, 4 poles (2 ultra light, 2 a bit heavier (old UL's w/ broken tips))Schooley
reels, extra spool of line, all tackle in a plastic box that fits in the back pocket of my jeans. chip scoop,
5" hand lazer auger. lead clip depth finder Oh yea, and a second bucket for the fish......The whole set up
doesn't cost $100. I did make a classic fishin box with a place for a lantern but  it doesn't do too well in deep snow.

Call me old school (schooley!?), but I have a ball on the ice and eat a bunch of panfish all winter long.

Yep, one of them dreaded bucket fishermen for life

rivereddy

[Gills-only]

I am sure I'm in the vast minority without a flasher, but I do just fine as almost everyone I fish with has one, I'm sure there is a time and place for everything, I choose not to use one.  Just one more thing to drag on and off the ice for me!!

[Greg2ha]

GPS and electronics? I am a believer! Warm snow suits, heaters, pop up and fold over shanties! I love it all and as we get more high tech so do the numbers of ice anglers grow.




Greg

[Stinkybaits]

All I need this year is plenty of packs of Gillers smoked salmon and steelhead.   Don't care about fishing as much as going grizzly on that godly smoked meat. I also have pounds of jerky I'm exchange for hole rental fee. I don't plan on drilling any this year too old!

[wlatrout]

 I guess you could call me old or old school either will work. I started fishing in the early 50's with my dad and brothers. Not much fancy stuff back then. We would put on 2 pair of jeans couple pair of socks, all the coats we had and then fish till we were froze. At 70 I still fish soft and hard water. I still have the same box I bought when in high school [redone a few times] and I still carry a lantern.  But that's where the old times stop. I have a 18 vex newer rods and reels all the new jigs available . Love fishing with the vex, if there is nothing down there i move on. I think it just adds to the enjoyment, and challenge  when they don't want to bite to try to solve the riddle.  I'm still deer hunting and may have to lower my standards so i'll be ready for the coming ice. Good fishing to you all this winter.  You gotta love it.  { And my wife wants to move south} 

[wax_worm]

I think the line about the reason for the limit being advancements in technology is just a way for them to get support and justification for the limit.  I also think the limit is in place more for softwater than hard water.  My dad and grandfather never used a flasher thru the ice and they caught as many or more fish than we do today.  Softwater is a different story because of side imaging you can cover so much water quickly and locate structure and fish it makes a huge difference in efficiency.  No Vex, Marcum, Hummingbird or any other brand will make you catch more fish if aren't around them.  If you are not able to read a map to narrow your search for the fish, the flasher will not help much.  Before flashers I was taught to start jigging the bottom and work your way up 6 inches at a time until you got a bite or got to the bottom of the ice.  If fish were around they would let you know what depth they were running at.  We did not give a hole more than 3-5 jigging passes before moving on, until we found fish.  It was amazing to watch how many guys back then just kept their jig within 1 ft of the bottom.  You could be tearing them up 5 ft off the bottom and they would not get a bite.  A vex just makes it easier to see where they are running without having to experiment with depths.  I think flashers have made us lazier too.  If we see fish we will often sit and retie 20 times to get them to bite because we know they are down there.  In the past with no flasher we would move to find more aggressive fish, because without a bite we didn't know they were down there.  I would also argue GPS is as big of an advancement as ice flashers due to the ability to mark areas in a boat and return to them on the ice.  That was not easy with triangulation especially if the spot was fairly small. 

[kasilofchrisn]

I started in the 80's myself. No electronics or power auger.
I think that without my power auger I would fish a lot less. Mainly because I live where the ice gets really thick and I wouldn't put out the effort to drill that much by hand.
I would fish just as much without a flasher though. As much as I like it It is one thing I do not depend on. I wouldn't turn around if I forgot it or anything
Think about your deer hunting though. How many guys plant food plots and use game cameras to time the deer?
Use high powered scoped rifles that can hit a center X at 500yds with custom reloads.
Lease the best ground and spend weeks prepping. They have all the latest  gear.
Yeah some shoot bigger bucks. But I'm guessing on average your freezer is still just as full of venison as theirs is.

[bigr]

What you talking Willis, have i missed something? No wonder i don'y catch fish.

[h2.0shaver]

Been doing this a while and have seen alot of changes.  The biggest change that I've seen is the amount of people that ice fish now compared to then.  Used to be that we were the only ones out there.  Maybe you would see 5, 6 other people out but never to the tune it is now.  Technology has been 100 percent the cause of this. The biggest being a website such as this has gotten alot of people started. Add flashers, cold apparel, low vis line, GPS, power augers, killer portables and yes the next best greatest thing. Not saying that its a bad thing that more people are ice fishing,  just that it amplifies other negative things brought to attention.  Ive seen piles of fish on here with hundeds of fish in them and quite a few times at that.  Ive never seen so much garbage and lazy people in recent years. Dinks on the ice, loss of parking mainly due to idiots who really dont ice fish as much as some of us, and definitely dont respect it as some of us do.  Ive arrived at some huge parking lots that were full only to be forced to leave and fish elsewhere. 
Theres great things about technology and theres terrible things as well. Cause and effect.  Ice fishing is a blast to me. The imposed limits now and surely future ones to come will be welcomed by me as I see good and bad results over the last 20 years especially.  I do use a vex as well. Surely if I left my vex at home by accident by no means am I heading back home and retrieving  it. Done this a few times.  If you have gps, a good map(most built into our heads), and some common sense, fish can be caught in any bow that holds them. We will definitely see more changes in the future.  Some for better maybe some for the worse. 
I say bring it on the true ice anglers will adapt and move on.

[rico]

I think the line about the reason for the limit being advancements in technology is just a way for them to get support and justification for the limit.  I also think the limit is in place more for softwater than hard water.  My dad and grandfather never used a flasher thru the ice and they caught as many or more fish than we do today.  Softwater is a different story because of side imaging you can cover so much water quickly and locate structure and fish it makes a huge difference in efficiency.  No Vex, Marcum, Hummingbird or any other brand will make you catch more fish if aren't around them.  If you are not able to read a map to narrow your search for the fish, the flasher will not help much.  Before flashers I was taught to start jigging the bottom and work your way up 6 inches at a time until you got a bite or got to the bottom of the ice.  If fish were around they would let you know what depth they were running at.  We did not give a hole more than 3-5 jigging passes before moving on, until we found fish.  It was amazing to watch how many guys back then just kept their jig within 1 ft of the bottom.  You could be tearing them up 5 ft off the bottom and they would not get a bite.  A vex just makes it easier to see where they are running without having to experiment with depths.  I think flashers have made us lazier too.  If we see fish we will often sit and retie 20 times to get them to bite because we know they are down there.  In the past with no flasher we would move to find more aggressive fish, because without a bite we didn't know they were down there.  I would also argue GPS is as big of an advancement as ice flashers due to the ability to mark areas in a boat and return to them on the ice.  That was not easy with triangulation especially if the spot was fairly small.

I agree with everything said!

[Stinkybaits]

I don't see the increase in fisherman in Indiana at all. Just the opposite actually. Licenses across the board are down substantially. From 2003 to last year 2013 when I checked license sales were down over 60k. Now I don't know in the tune to how many are hunting and how many are fishing but I can vouch that on the lakes I fish it's not nearly as crowded as it used to be but with that said places to park have decreased too. North Snow Bay, Blue Lake, Docksiders just to name a few so people in those areas are forced to goto lakes where the public access puts them close to walking distance of the fish. I think what most of you are seeing is the fisherman that still ice fish are fishing these areas. It's not that the numbers have increased its the places to park are decreasing at a fast pace due to development and lost places like Docksiders to trash.
 

[Fishslayer81]

I don't see the increase in fisherman in Indiana at all. Just the opposite actually. Licenses across the board are down substantially. From 2003 to last year 2013 when I checked license sales were down over 60k. Now I don't know in the tune to how many are hunting and how many are fishing but I can vouch that on the lakes I fish it's not nearly as crowded as it used to be but with that said places to park have decreased too. North Snow Bay, Blue Lake, Docksiders just to name a few so people in those areas are forced to goto lakes where the public access puts them close to walking distance of the fish. I think what most of you are seeing is the fisherman that still ice fish are fishing these areas. It's not that the numbers have increased its the places to park are decreasing at a fast pace due to development and lost places like Docksiders to trash.

Agreed! It might seem like more anglers during the ice season only because were are loosing places to fish due to inconsiderate  p*****  that can not clean up after themselves. So now we have more anglers fishing the spots that have public access or allow parking. Overall outdoor sports are on the decline...hunting, fishing, clay target shooting...etc.

[h2.0shaver]

The truth is that more people are ice fishing in the area that I live in. License sales or license sales declining doesnt tell the picture. While I will agree that fewer people are fishing  open water maybe and utilizing their local lakes more for recreational boating , jet skiing, etc....  There was never near the amount of peeps out on the ice  as now. Years ago the only parking issues were private property or some snow route parking.  I cant speak for areas outside of where I regularly ice fish. The more comfortable that ice fishing becomes, the more people are gonna do it. The better toys, gidgets and gadgets get the more people will join in. This is technology advancing and im sure more then a few millionares have been born this way. If you have a great idea for ice fishing, people will buy it regardless of cost if it makes their trip more enjoyable.  I can give examples but we all know where Im going with this I could name a few really expensive items.
It used to be too cold for most people to go. If someone didnt ice fish, they thought we were crazy. And we did freeze our nips off. More and more women and children are joining in also thanks to better equipment,  apparel,  heaters.
License sales tell nothing to me except that the people who buy one now a days,  get much more value out of it today opposed to when they would hang up their rods from October thru March.   

[bigr]

I think another reason it might seem more are fishing is because of the internet, phones, other comunication that tends to put fishermen in tighter quarters.

[High Tide]

Interesting stuff. Did anybody happen to catch the Wall Street Journal artical on $50,000 plus ice shacks in the upper parts of the country (think it was in January). Also, if you wanted a 10 person clam hub last year in Indiana, there was a waiting list... (So I'm leaning towards more people being on the ice, just not as hard core about the catching). I can admit, by the end of last season, cookouts and beer drinking on ice was as fun as a limit of crappie, and it reminded me of the old days of being dailed in to the conversation and not the vex.

[bigr]

My kids and grand kids play these video games and i make fun of them telling them they need to get outside and do something. With the use of a vexlar i think I'm as guilty as the are. It's fun to play and i can't leave it at home. 

[rico]

Interesting stuff. Did anybody happen to catch the Wall Street Journal artical on $50,000 plus ice shacks in the upper parts of the country (think it was in January). Also, if you wanted a 10 person clam hub last year in Indiana, there was a waiting list... (So I'm leaning towards more people being on the ice, just not as hard core about the catching). I can admit, by the end of last season, cookouts and beer drinking on ice was as fun as a limit of crappie, and it reminded me of the old days of being dailed in to the conversation and not the vex.

To be honest Doug, by the end of last year after cutting through 24" of ice and constantly walking through snow that was to my crotch, I enjoyed the beer drinking and cookouts myself...........Heck, who am I kidding?  I do that all the time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stinkybaits]

Interesting stuff. Did anybody happen to catch the Wall Street Journal artical on $50,000 plus ice shacks in the upper parts of the country (think it was in January). Also, if you wanted a 10 person clam hub last year in Indiana, there was a waiting list... (So I'm leaning towards more people being on the ice, just not as hard core about the catching). I can admit, by the end of last season, cookouts and beer drinking on ice was as fun as a limit of crappie, and it reminded me of the old days of being dailed in to the conversation and not the vex.

Next shanties will be on time shares like condos in Florida. Crazy kids. I suppose when there's 6 months of the season may as well splurge and for most it's probably a cottage at that point with weekends full of fun. Dad can fish kids can play video games and sight fish on the big screen oh ya sounds like fun! Probably can rent one of these palaces. Fridge stocked bait stocked just show up. Companies probably already have fishing camps setup on the ice with deluxe rentals I'm sure.