New guy

[holehopper23]

Hey everyone! Just starting out this year and have been able to get out several times to the following locations.

Fords Lake - We caught a few largemouths and some pickerel all on tip-ups

Gouldsboro Lake- All pickerel all on tip-ups

Prompton Dam- This was a sobering experience that you will have long and hard days on the ice. We fished for about 5 hours and came up with one perch that was 4"lg. It was also extremely windy and cold that day on the dam. Luckily the friends I was with had a shelter which made the difference.

I do a lot of fishing in the summer and finally was asked by some friends to try ice fishing with them and it's something I see myself doing for years to come.
I've been checking out this forum for a bit and decided to jump in and chat with everyone.

Appreciate any tips or suggstions1

[Catchnmore1]

HH23, welcome to the site. you need to make 2 more posts before you can search the lake information section. Sounds like you have been on the ice pretty often this season. Good luck and stay safe.

[paulfishes]

I'm new here, too. I've been icefishing in south central PA for over 30 years and enjoy it (as well as open water fishing).

[CL_Outdoors]

Hey everyone! Just starting out this year and have been able to get out several times to the following locations.

Fords Lake - We caught a few largemouths and some pickerel all on tip-ups

Gouldsboro Lake- All pickerel all on tip-ups

Prompton Dam- This was a sobering experience that you will have long and hard days on the ice. We fished for about 5 hours and came up with one perch that was 4"lg. It was also extremely windy and cold that day on the dam. Luckily the friends I was with had a shelter which made the difference.

I do a lot of fishing in the summer and finally was asked by some friends to try ice fishing with them and it's something I see myself doing for years to come.
I've been checking out this forum for a bit and decided to jump in and chat with everyone.

Appreciate any tips or suggstions1

Welcome to the site and welcome to the sport! Biggest tip I have for you is to just be safe and buy a spud bar when you're scouting new hard water. I've read way too many reports on here of guys falling through ice they should have never been on and being hospitalized or worse... no fish is worth your life.

Also, if you see yourself doing this for years to come, I would invest in some good gear. Here's some gear tips I've learned over the years:
- Shanty (whichever kind you get, pay the extra money and get the insulated ones. The non insulated ones are good, but I regret being cheap and not getting the insulated)
- Flasher/underwater camera. Depending on water clarity, it can be a ton of fun to have a camera and see the fish behavior. For flashers/sonar, I've got a garmi striker 4 that are only $100 and I use it for both my boat and ice fishing.
- Couple good ice rods with a few tungsten jigs and small spoons (depending on the fish you're after)
- Rod case (I've got a plan gun case with the pre cut foam in it and it works wonders)
- tip-ups to put some extra lines out depending on how many your state allows one person to have out at a time.
- Propane buddy heater.

Good luck out there man!!

[Mr. Ned rig]

Hi everyone,

I am new as well. I'm open water fishermen that travels around most of the northeast fishing mostly bass and muskies. This is my first year diving into the ice fishing game.

Hoping to learn as much as I can through the help of this forum.

Thanks,
Justin

[holehopper23]

Welcome to the site and welcome to the sport! Biggest tip I have for you is to just be safe and buy a spud bar when you're scouting new hard water. I've read way too many reports on here of guys falling through ice they should have never been on and being hospitalized or worse... no fish is worth your life.

Also, if you see yourself doing this for years to come, I would invest in some good gear. Here's some gear tips I've learned over the years:
- Shanty (whichever kind you get, pay the extra money and get the insulated ones. The non insulated ones are good, but I regret being cheap and not getting the insulated)
- Flasher/underwater camera. Depending on water clarity, it can be a ton of fun to have a camera and see the fish behavior. For flashers/sonar, I've got a garmi striker 4 that are only $100 and I use it for both my boat and ice fishing.
- Couple good ice rods with a few tungsten jigs and small spoons (depending on the fish you're after)
- Rod case (I've got a plan gun case with the pre cut foam in it and it works wonders)
- tip-ups to put some extra lines out depending on how many your state allows one person to have out at a time.
- Propane buddy heater.

Good luck out there man!!

Thanks for the tip CL. I've invested in a few tip-ups and have an ice rod that's ok for now but will deff look into getting something of more quality along with a rod holder. I'm looking at shelters now and have been trying to bring myself to spend the extra to get an insulated one but I am ahead of the game and have the Buddy heater. I plan on investing in a flasher but I am going to take a back seat to that and look into a float suit. Safety first in my eyes. I've been able to put together a set up that gets me fishing. I'm also lucky enough to have some good friends that are already into the sport. Appreciate the feedback and will use your advice accordingly!

[holehopper23]

HH23, welcome to the site. you need to make 2 more posts before you can search the lake information section. Sounds like you have been on the ice pretty often this season. Good luck and stay safe.

Hey Catchmore, thanks for heads up on the lake information, and good luck to you on your fishing adventures.

[gofish]

Welcome, be safe, stay on top, don't 4get ice picks

[jaeger80]

Don't wait for years to buy a spud bar like I did.  Just buy one out the get go...totally worth the money.

[rlusk3030]

Welcome to the addiction. My advice is safety first fishing second. Take care of yourself and then focus on the fish nobody wants to go for a swim

[SPLASHMASTER]

Hi all,
I'm Another newer guy to the site, anyone have any recommendations on float jackets? I have a Frabill I3 series jacket, was considering upgrading to a float jacket though. Any input would be great.
Thank You

[butcher]

Welcome Splashmaster! I hope your name is not indicative of your prior ice fishing experiences...

I have zero knowledge of float jackets but you may want to check the "Ice Fishing Safety" thread at the bottom of the main forum for some advice: https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?board=199.0

[prez56]

#1 safety
#2 invest in vexilar if you think you’ll go often enough, big difference for panfish/walleye

[Maligator]

New here too. If you do decide on a vexilar, make sure you get a fl12 and up. They have a zoom function that sees the lower water column. That usually helps with bringing fish up thru the hole

[NEZ]

Welcome to the site.  Lots of great information.

[Mingo]

Welcome to the site. I am new to the site as of last week. A suggestion I have would be a jacket and bibs. Purchased a Striker Ice outfit and it is worth every penny. Extremely warm on cold, windy days and will keep you floating if the unthinkable happens. A good suit will keep you on the ice longer when the conditions get extreme. Good fishing to you.

[Gambler]

Don't wait for years to buy a spud bar like I did.  Just buy one out the get go...totally worth the money.

I second the spud bar. Really like my jiffy mille lacs.

[basdjs]

Welcome to IceShanty

[gofish]

welcome, ice picks also