IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Wyoming => Ice Fishing Wyoming => Topic started by: appleye on Dec 04, 2020, 09:40 AM
-
We had this topic a while back and of course I can't find it so I will start a new one with the equipment added.
My tip is to save the eyeballs of the fish you clean, salt them down with non-iodized salt (sea salt or kosher salt) put them in a zip lock bag with a piece of paper towel and use for bait (were legal to use bait). Stays on a hook very well, lots of smell, easy for fish to eat.
equipment: A couple years ago I got a big northern and all I had with to use was my hands to land. My fingers were shredded. My wife thought I needed stitches. LOL. So I went and got a cheap bog grip and have used it a lot on nice fish since, hand changer for sure!
So lets hear it while we start to get ready to play the rest of the winter.
-
I'll bite!
Tip: Move! You don't necessarily have to swiss cheese a lake, but if the fish aren't biting in one hole, they might just not be there.
Equipment: Spud bar. With the springs and pressure ridges and wind out here, it pays to spud the ice ahead of you. Safety first and all that jazz!
-
Couple tips...scale down the poundage of your quality fishing line ...add a Ballbearing swivel all cheap enough but the rewards are numerous.
-
My best tip to be a good fisherman or doing anything in life is be patient and persistent with a bit of learning along the way.
-
We had this topic a while back and of course I can't find it so I will start a new one with the equipment added.
My tip is to save the eyeballs of the fish you clean, salt them down with non-iodized salt (sea salt or kosher salt) put them in a zip lock bag with a piece of paper towel and use for bait (were legal to use bait). Stays on a hook very well, lots of smell, easy for fish to eat.
equipment: A couple years ago I got a big northern and all I had with to use was my hands to land. My fingers were shredded. My wife thought I needed stitches. LOL. So I went and got a cheap bog grip and have used it a lot on nice fish since, hand changer for sure!
So lets hear it while we start to get ready to play the rest of the winter.
hot tip, at flaming gourge we can't use a gaff hook but we can wrap a nylon on a stick to make a tooth catching device to bring a fish through the hole. I just called the game and fish and they confirmed that it is ok. the metal gaff is to protect the big lakers from getting holes in their mouths. Nylon wrapped on a wooden handle works pretty slick and costs next to nothing, just wrap tightly.
-
hot tip, at flaming gourge we can't use a gaff hook but we can wrap a nylon on a stick to make a tooth catching device to bring a fish through the hole. I just called the game and fish and they confirmed that it is ok. the metal gaff is to protect the big lakers from getting holes in their mouths. Nylon wrapped on a wooden handle works pretty slick and costs next to nothing, just wrap tightly.
Well that's pretty cool!
-
hot tip, at flaming gourge we can't use a gaff hook but we can wrap a nylon on a stick to make a tooth catching device to bring a fish through the hole. I just called the game and fish and they confirmed that it is ok. the metal gaff is to protect the big lakers from getting holes in their mouths. Nylon wrapped on a wooden handle works pretty slick and costs next to nothing, just wrap tightly.
More detail please ..so a stick wrapped in a nylon stocking ...that seems amazingly simple
-
2 things that have made me a more successful angler are a sonar/gps unit and lake contour maps. Even more so on new body’s of water. I won’t leave home without them, least not on purpose anyway ;D
-
More detail please ..so a stick wrapped in a nylon stocking ...that seems amazingly simple
I made one a few years ago and it worked well on fish less than 10 pounds or so. 1) best option is a 18 inch wooden shovel handle, and a pair of cheap pantyhose. tightly wrap the pantyhose on the end of the wooden handle. drill a hole carefully in the handle and tie off the stocking/hose real tightly. For a better tool, put a cord or small rope at the hand end. if you catch a ling, you could use it a coup stick to whack them in the head. Laugh if you want but it does work quite well. Just have to catch fish with teeth in the front of their mouth.............espe cially pike and walleye, and lake trout.
Another tool that works really well is a livewell. Use one inch pvc and make a 12 inch aquare. Use the net that socker balls are put in and fasten it around the frame. Attach with zip ties. Place the net device (think of a regular fishing net with out a handle) or just use your fish net instead of building one. Place the net in the ice hole. Place the fish in the net. works surprizing well, weights little cost next to nothing to make. We all know that ice fishermen love to make gadgets. The fish stay fresh in the water instead of drying out and freezing on the ice. It will surprize you how better they are to fillet when they aren't froze stiff as a board.
And that's what I know to share.
-
I made one a few years ago and it worked well on fish less than 10 pounds or so. 1) best option is a 18 inch wooden shovel handle, and a pair of cheap pantyhose. tightly wrap the pantyhose on the end of the wooden handle. drill a hole carefully in the handle and tie off the stocking/hose real tightly. For a better tool, put a cord or small rope at the hand end. if you catch a ling, you could use it a coup stick to whack them in the head. Laugh if you want but it does work quite well.
Another tool that works really well is a livewell. Use one inch pvc and make a 12 inch aquare. Use the net that socker balls are put in and fasten it around the frame. Attach with zip ties. Place the net device (think of a regular fishing net with out a handle) or just use your fish net instead of building one. We all know that ice fishermen love to make gadgets. The fish stay fresh in the water instead of drying out and freezing on the ice. It will surprize you how better they are to fillet when they aren't froze stiff as a board.
And that's what I know to share.
Thanks ..I learned something new today
-
Having contour maps are the way to go. It saves lots of time , because you already have a rough idea of your depth, if you are on on flat or on the edge of a drop off. Also after drilling, if I do not see any good activity after about 10 mins I will move.
-
Often we find that the most productive technique is the first drop. Fish appear on the sonar waiting for the bait to reach bottom. If that seems to be the case, when we find a spot, I take the auger and drill a circle of holes, maybe 12 of them, in a circle 20 yards radius from the first hole. I take only my flasher and jigging rod ( and maybe a skimmer), and move from one to the next, spending no more than 2 minutes per hole. I go around the circle as long as I can get fish coming to look every 3 holes or so.
This also works in a line if you are trying to fish a drop-off or locate other structure.
-
Muck boots and my Garmin striker
-
Never thought Id say this but those stupid Jaw jackers certainly up the hook ratio! ;)
-
:o :o :o Its really going to snow good now, Thanks Slayerfish
-
Anything to block the wind!
-
good boots. I have good luck with Baffins. I dont care if im not catching fish, as long as my feet are warm the rest of me is just happy with a beverage in hand. Just love fishing
-
:o :o :o Its really going to snow good now, Thanks Slayerfish
I get it! HECK is gonna freeze over now! ;D
-
TTT
My tip for this year is to learn to gain confidence in fishing at prime time without bait. You miss a fish with a rap or a spoon and you still fish on. Every time you re-bait you loose time out of the water. There are days when it helps (? maybe).
-
My must have equipment- my Pnuma heated vest! Makes the coldest of mornings tolerable.
Tip- Be willing to adjust. Just because the spot, bait, or technique worked last week or yesterday, does not mean it will today.
-
Thinking I may add my heated socks and electric hand warmers after this year. I have not tried them ice fishing yet, but in the deer stand it was sure nice to be able to add heat whenever I needed it. They use rechargeables, so it is just a matter of plugging them in when I get home. When my fingers or toes get cold, push a button, and they warm back up. Turn off when I get out of the stand to walk. I got them cheap from Amazon warehouse in the middle of summer.
-
Tip....
Digital scout a lake by looking at DNR survey data tand lake maps to understand what size, type, and number of fish are in it.
-
Less is more
-
Always have at least 1 gold Kastmaster w/chartreuse prism tape.
-
Buying a new Strikemaster 24v electric 14# liteweight auger. My old Mag 2000 was the lightest auger when I bought it 20 yrs. ago at at 25# but the new one weighs just 14#. Plus you don't have to carry and mix gas and throw out your shoulder trying to start it in cold weather. Win-Win-Win!
-
Eskimo Pistol Bit and Hammer drill. Combo weighs less than 8 lbs (dedicated electric augers feel heavy compared to this setup)! Super sharp, Easy to drill holes, can drill a ton of holes other one battery. but I already had a bunch of spares, so I never run out of power. No gas smells getting on all my gear and clothes and no fickle starting issues!!!
-
Invest in a 36”-42” custom ice rod. It will change your life.
Even better, build your own rods from start to finish including turning cork rounds on the lathe. It’s incredibly satisfying to build something with your own hands that isn’t mass-manufactured and catch fish on your work of art.
Pair that custom rod with a shimano stradic spinning reel and don’t ever look back.
-
Puzzle Floor Mats.
They are so incredibility nice, it is stupid.
Just piece them together on the floor and remove a piece where you drill your fishing hole.
-
Puzzle Floor Mats.
They are so incredibility nice, it is stupid.
Just piece them together on the floor and remove a piece where you drill your fishing hole.
If you are camping on the ice, put a blue tarp down first. Then the interlocking mats. Any ice that melts has a barrier between the ice and the mats.
A word of caution, the ice under the tarp becomes extremely slick when you break down your camp... :tipup:
Wyo Ice
-
My best advice is talk to people...ive learned so much from other fisherman.... I tend to make this an at the launch in or out kind of thing... I try not to bother anyone while they are fishing... But when i get there or in leaving i ask most everyone how they did... You can gauge their level of interaction interest and potentially further the conversation....
My best piece of equipment is my flasher.... Even an entry kevel flasher can help you catch more fish.... Example- on a particular lake i fish there is a smaller side to it.... I always thought it was basically barren of fish as i never caught fish there.... Once ingot a flasher years ago i went to see what that spot was all about come to find out gills and crappie are plentiful but they seen to suspend 10 feet of the bottom in about 30 fow and were very slow to bite only wanting a still jig or barely moving.... Weird but its been that way 4 years in a row now so it just seems thats hownthey like things to be
-
So I post this almost every year for a long time. so your best tip and or equipment.
This years tip is keep it simple. Every year I buy tons of new stuff and most sit until I'm in the boat and go oh crap! Know what your confidence lures are and have those rigged and ready and play with stuff when nothing is going on. If it looks good try it on prime time with the tried and true. Next, buy good equipment the first time. Cold is hard on stuff and cheap stuff breaks.
Good luck and looking forward to the tips!
-
K I S S works almost every time it's tried.
-
I really like the new Ice Braid by suffix. They have a multi colored glacier blue that seems to almost dissapear under water. Plus I used it in 20 degree weather outside of my hut all day and never froze up.
-
I gave up using braid in the cold, especially when the sun goes down for prime time it starts icing up and becomes a major hassle. I've switched to straight Florocarbon. Almost as sensitive as braid and never freezes! ;D
-
A case for your rods and reels. I carry 4-6, rigged and ready to go with my most popular and trusted jigs/spoons etc. Bait pucks, one for waxies, and one for mealworms.
-
Always have at least 1 gold Kastmaster w/chartreuse prism tape.
Kastmasters are really making a strong comeback in past couple of years
-
I have been using Honey Worms PowerBait instead of live wax worms. I tried them because I had a hard time finding decent live wax works. These Honey Worms come 55 to a jar and are about 5 bucks on Amazon. The trout and perch really seem to like them and they are tough enough to catch a lot of fish on one worm.
-
This might be more for those newer to ice fishing, but don't use the cheap reels that come with combo sets. Best thing i ever did for my setup is upgrade to nicer reels. Dont have to be crazy...even $22 dollar shimanos at walmart are 10x better than those that come with combos. During holiday time, youll find deals on good reels. I bought some pflueger trions, and okuma baitfeeders on sale for around $30 the past two years. makes dealing with good fighting fish so less stressful.
-
Kastmasters are really making a strong comeback in past couple of years
I carry 20-30 Kastys every time on the ice! ;D
-
Boots! You can have a fancy shack, new auger, nice suit, fancy poles etc… none of that stuff matters if you don’t have a good pair of boots. Once your feet get cold, it’s game over.
-
Boots! You can have a fancy shack, new auger, nice suit, fancy poles etc… none of that stuff matters if you don’t have a good pair of boots. Once your feet get cold, it’s game over.
Agree!!!
-
Good boots and warm clothes. Especially important for those of us that don't bother with shelters.
Powerful and lightweight auger. Essential for those of us that keep drilling to find fish and stay warm at same time. Keep a spare set of blades and small hex key in my box just in case.
-
Definitely hammer drill auger combo. I have both the Eskimo and Strikemaster. Combined with my Dewalt drill they are a game changer. Very light and fast cutting. :tipup:
-
K Drill
-
glow in dark jigs, and UV Flashlight
-
Lake Trout angling a Fishfinder is a must for me you can see the the fishes reaction to your jigging and have the hammer cocked. Also I use a Tailer for landing and unhooking those Big Daddies. Just let fish swim by hole and slip loop around tail then tighten up. I have homemade and commercial Tailers. Lip grippers work great and can be used solo.