Looking for my first ice fish, and some advice.

[Cpg39]

Hello everyone,

This is my first time on this forum, and this weekend will be my first time trying to fish through the ice. I fish open water almost year round, and I've spent a decent amount of time on the ice, but I'm excited to combine the two.

First and foremost, I would greatly appreciate any advice on safety before I head out there. I'm not looking for this to be my last ice fishing trip!

I will be in eastern New York, near Rensselaer and willing to drive a couple hours if anyone knows of a great spot for me to fish. As much as I would love to pull up a laker in the adirondacks, I would be more than happy to pull up a couple of small perch on my first expedition into ice fishing. I think my main goals will be to not fall in and to catch something, so no fish, junk or trophy, is off limits.

Any tips on locations and techniques would be wonderful. Thanks very much in advance. Good luck out there everyone.

-Colin

[adkRoy]

Welcome to Iceshanty. A couple more posts and you'll have access to our reports and conditions board where all Lake and ice information is posted. You should try graft on state park. Good starter lakes. Will you be using tip-ups, jigging, or doing both.?

[fullThrottle]

Many of the lakes in the the adaks are frozen pretty good. 12 inches +Except lake George . Just use common sense. If you see open water keep clear of it. Any cat tails or weeds coming through the ice will make it very weak in that area. Look for spots that have moving water streams flowing into lakes and bottleneck spots can have open water and thin ice. I normally check for 4 inches plus for walking on. Use a spud or drill a hole every so often to check ice thickness. Good luck !

[Cpg39]

adkroy,

I have both ice fishing rods and tip-ups, I was thinking maybe jig some spoons while keeping a shiner on the tip ups.

Any insight on what sorts of depth I could find fish feeding in?

Thanks.

[adkRoy]

Put a shiner on your tip ups and set some about a foot off the bottom, some about half way up, and some a foot or two below the ice. As for jigging, I recommend a halo jig tipped with at least two spikes. Try jigging a foot or two off the bottom. Fish are usually found deeper this time of year. Good luck where ever you choose to go.

[reeltime]

Colin,

welcome to the shanty.

being that you are new to ice fishing, my first advice is that you go with someone with ice experience. DO NOT go alone.

take reports with a grain of salt. especially in regards to ice thickness, some folks really need to carry a tape measure! 

reading ice quality is something that takes experience. not all ice has the same strength, getting a little skiff of snow on the ice makes it even harder to read.

some of the safety gear to invest in,  ice spud, ice picks to carry around your neck,  throw rope, ice creepers, compass, gps, throwable cushion/swim ring, drybag for a change of clothes.

fish the conditions, be aware of whats happening around you, be observant when entering the ice ( look back at shore on the way out to get landmarks) also look
back at shore to see if you see any little boats  in yards or leaning against house/garage/shed  this is so if something happens to a fellow fisher person you know right where to run and grab a boat to take out on the ice to get them out. 

understand that while the ice may be ok when you venture out in the morning in the right conditions ice can deteriorate quickly making the return trip dangerous, try to have a alternate exit route planned.

enjoy the ice, have fun, catch fish but most of all be safe.

[perch chacer]

Colin,

welcome to the shanty, being that you are new to ice fishing, my first advice is that you go with someone with ice experience. DO NOT go alone, take reports with a grain of salt especially in regards to ice thickness, some folks really need to carry a tape measure!  reading ice quality is something that takes experience. not all ice has the same strength, getting a little skiff of snow on the ice makes it even harder to read.
some of the safety gear to invest in,  ice spud, ice picks to carry around your neck,  throw rope, ice creepers, compass, gps, throwable cushion/swim ring, dry bag for a change of clothes.
fish the conditions, be aware of whats happening around you, be observant when entering the ice ( look back at shore on the way out to get landmarks)
understand that while the ice may be ok when you venture out in the morning in the right conditions ice can deteriorate quickly making the return trip dangerous.
enjoy the ice, have fun, catch fish but most of all be safe.

Good info from reeltime.

[beachwoods 16]

Welcome to Shanty and Ice fishing.

[ice master 19]

Colin,

welcome to the shanty.

being that you are new to ice fishing, my first advice is that you go with someone with ice experience. DO NOT go alone.

take reports with a grain of salt. especially in regards to ice thickness, some folks really need to carry a tape measure! 

reading ice quality is something that takes experience. not all ice has the same strength, getting a little skiff of snow on the ice makes it even harder to read.

some of the safety gear to invest in,  ice spud, ice picks to carry around your neck,  throw rope, ice creepers, compass, gps, throwable cushion/swim ring, drybag for a change of clothes.

fish the conditions, be aware of whats happening around you, be observant when entering the ice ( look back at shore on the way out to get landmarks) also look
back at shore to see if you see any little boats  in yards or leaning against house/garage/shed  this is so if something happens to a fellow fisher person you know right where to run and grab a boat to take out on the ice to get them out. 

understand that while the ice may be ok when you venture out in the morning in the right conditions ice can deteriorate quickly making the return trip dangerous, try to have a alternate exit route planned.

enjoy the ice, have fun, catch fish but most of all be safe.

I second everything said here! Don't be afraid to even take a life jacket along with you, I have 10+ years on the ice and I wear a float coat the entire season!   What area are you from? That way we might be able to steer you in a good direction to get that first fish on the ice!

[perchking4ever]

good ice pretty much everywhere in the county right now. If your looking for trout try the Grafton ponds. Pickerel and perch try Rechards lake, Glass lake, or Burden lake. Walleye and pike in Snyders Lake, Burden lake.