Front Range Newby - Advice?

[Fish4Lifer]

Hi All.

Been fishing my whole life but never ice fished.  Tired of waiting until spring!!  I've got a few questions about getting into it, hopefully you can take a few minutes to get me started:

1. Front range practice spots:  I live in Longmont, anyplace close I can go to get the hang of things without completely wasting my time on the fish catching end of things?
2. Ice Shanty :  I know I want one but not sure what to look for.  I'll be fishing almost exclusively in Colorado ... so if that helps.  I'm not really into buying cheap to see if I like it first.  I love to fish and would rather buy once and not buy another one later.
3. Ice Auger: I have an old manual one, which I've been told needs sharpening.  Is there a trick to this?  I've been told if you don't do it right you can ruin the blade or the angle, or some kind of thing.
4. Shoes: Are there special shoes for walking on ice ... or are just expected to be coordinated enough to fall /?? just wondering ...

I think I have a handle on the actual fishing equipment end ... but any advice on that would be much appreciated as well.

Thanks ... hope to be putting a few fishing reports out here myself soon!! 

[neveruminda]

Sent you a PM with my contact info

[thebig1]

1.The closest place to you is going to be st. vrain state park, they stock it pretty heavy.
2.You don't really need a shanty, I have one but rarely use it.
3.If you need a auger I have a strikemaster 8" lazer hand auger I'll sell you for $20, only been used on two days.
4. Shoes really depend on you, how much walking you plan on doing, how cold is it? You will however need to invest in some cleats, these can be found at walmart for cheap.


If you fish anywhere locally be careful with all the warm weather the ice down here is all but gone.

For a newby I would recommend going up to Dowdy for the day, tons of fish and very safe ice, I also live in Longmont and it's only a 1 1/2 hr drive.

[appleye]

I saw on the Fish and Game sight that they are having an instruction class in the metro area this weekend. Don't remember where but easy to find. They had all the tackle you need a license.

[thebig1]

That was supposed to be @ St. vrain St. park, but I saw open water there y-day 

[lefty2053]

If you have a hand auger it most likely will be only $20 for a replacement set of blades. Just make sure you put them on the correct way. Never push down on the auger let it cut on it's own. Cover the end when not in use as it will cut through your boots or arm,leg hand. As mentioned I have a Shelter also and never use it. Cleats are used on ice and are around $10-60 depending on what you want. I buy the $10 ones and they last several years. Boots that are rated for -20 are good to go with. I have Sorels. There are also these types: Mickey Mouse,Baffin,Sorel,Mucks and Lacrosse. All are a Pac Boot.

[arkansas angler]

I agree with Lefty and thebig1 that you don't need a shack, but in clear, shallow water they can be a lot of fun. When you are sight fishing in a shack, you can see exactly how fish are reacting to you bait. Whether or not they want it moving or still.  There are two main types. A flip style and a hub style. Both set up easily. Hubs are cheaper and lighter, but take a while to properly stake down. The sled mounted flip style are great to use, but they can be a little pricey and are heavy to pull. I have both. When I know I am not going too far and there is not much snow on the ice I use my Yukon (flip). When I want to walk a ways to fish (like Antero) I use my Quick Fish 3. If you want to go to 11 mile or Antero sometime, I can bring both and let you try them out.