How did you get started ice fishing?

[Dan Thiem]

What's everybodys oldest memory of ice fishing?

Who introduced you to the this great sport of ice fishing?

Mine was when I was about 9 or 10. We used to sneak down to the gravel pits and fish for crappies.I say sneak because our parents would have had our hides if they found out! We would bust open old holes with a hammer. Then grab the poles that were "stashed" in the weeds. For bait we would either smuggle some chicken from supper the nite before.Or we would sometimes pick the grubs out of the Golden Rods. If the birds didn't already get them. Sometimes we would find a dead old frozen crappie minnow that some body discarded and just about fight over it!

But thats all it took. That was back in '68 or '69. Addicted ever since!

[Matt Johnson]

I remember going out on the ice with my dad and brother when I was a little guy. We had a hand auger and some plain wood jig poles. I remember catching a bunch of little bluegills but I had the time of my life!! I also remember going ice fishing for school when I was little, and my group caught a pike and we won the big fish award. Always a fun time out on the ice!

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[Deitz Dittrich]

My parents got me started... My dad iis one of them who would rather sit on a frozen lake than fish open water, we used to go every weekend. I can remember and have pictures of me on the ice almost before I could walk. Ice fishing even more than open water fishing can be a family event.. Kids I think can enjoy ice fishin gmore because you are less couped up. When on a boat you are refined to just the boat. But on ice you can release engergy if the cold weather allows.

[Granny]

Not sure how old I was but my first memory of ice fishing was when we spent Christmas in the fish house. I got a nice yellow truck and sure enough, drove it right down the hole. I could see it sitting on the bottom in about 10 feet of water but we couldn't catch it.

Granny

[cluelessfisherman]

Oh boy - I was living in Nebraska at the time and heard about some crazy people standing out on one of the state lakes fishing for trout.

So a group of us headed out (some of us used our cat fishing baitcasters - others went to Wal-Mart to buy a $2 ice combo - hee hee I was one of the smart ones that didn't want to be seen with a 6 foot pole ice fishing) We used hatchets and axes to chop through the ice and actually limited out on trout. I don't remember what we used for bait - probably marshmallows and gum.

Man... I've come a long way since then... lol

[Corey Bechtold]

Lets see, How did I get started ice fishing... Yea, the boat didn't go in the water

Seriously, There are a lot of people who were instrumental in developing me as an avid angler. My Dad, Uncles, Cousins and old Neighbors. I never forget that these people helped me get started. That is why it is just as important for me to try and help get other kids (family and friends) involved in fishing. A truely pure sport that is fun, challenging, and very rewarding. One very beneficial aspect of fishing is that you get to see how catching a fish makes a kids face light up.

Remember to take the kids fishing,

Corey Bechtold

[Tonka Boy]

Ever since I can remember (with the exception of the past few warm years), my family always went out on Thanksgiving day. It was tradition to watch the football game, then head out for a couple of hours.

I can still remember the first fish I caught! My dad and uncle were out talking with a few people on the ice...about 50 yards away. All of the sudden my bobber sunk and I thought I caught the world. It was only a 3-4# nort., but yet half my size!!! None of us were really big fans of eating fish, but I made my dad keep it any how!!! I also caught a nice crappie that day. I've been hooked ever since.

[Dano_the_jigasaurus]

When I was about 8 I couldn't last through the winter not catching fish, and I wasn't too convinced ice fishing would be fun. My parents took me out and holy cows I loved it. Now I can catch fish the WHOLE year. yay.

[irvingdog]

I grew up on the south side of Chicago. One of my uncles had a place in Dowagiac Michigan. The lake has pretty lame fishing during the year as it becomes a parking lot of booze-cruises and PWC. We went up one time during the winter. I must have been 10 at most. I saw guys out on the ice, fishing.

When they left, I took an axe, some lunch meat for bait, a little line and tackle. I opened up one of the holes by chopping, wound line around my hand and got to fishing.

Amazingly, I caught the only bass I've ever taken through the ice, or out of that lake, for that matter. Slotted spoon for an ice scoop. Egg style sinkers.

I did everything wrong.

[iffwalleyes]

One of my earliest memories was going out to my dad's house with my mom and dad and sister. We fished a 4 hole house so we each had a hole. I must have been 4 or 5 at that time. I have been hooked ever since. Once my dad and I got his house on wheels done I quit hockey (it took to much time away from ice fishing) and I have been starring into that little hole ever since. I remember once when I was about 5 I suppose I was dipping out the holes dad had opened up and knocked his channel lock pliers into the lake that he used to hook up the heater. All I know is that he wasn't very happy and the rest on the night on the lake was pretty quite because he didn't say much to me. Luckey the neighbors house had a plier so we were able to unhook the propane tank. Oh the stories I could tell about fishing with him. Now he is older I know what it must have been like to fish with a little kid. He is always knocking things over and we have had to have a few diving saves to save things from going down the hole. But I wouldn't have it any other way I still love to hit the ice with him.

[The Grebe]

We were city kids, but I always had an envy for anyone that lived in the country, we had to learn our outdoor stuff on our own...for them it was on their doorstep!

Our outdoor mentors were few and far between, we would go summer fishing with an adult once in awhile, but mostly we were to be seen and not heard...never fished through the ice

until I was about 13 years old.

My younger brother and I had read about ice fishing in an Outdoor Life, or Field and Stream and decided to try it.

We walked about 2 miles one really cold winter day, out to Theodore Wirth lake in Golden Valley...high top tennis shoes, one pair of cotton socks, Jersey gloves, old jackets and stocking hats.

We had come into ownership of a couple of them dangerous old ice sticks with the needle points on them...we were going to empty the lake!

I do remember that we had a hatchet to open up holes someone else had cut and I believe that is about it? I can't for the life of me remember what we used for bait?

We did'nt catch anything of course and we [commercial-or-naughty-word] near froze to death...my brother who was about 9 at the time, kept wanting to stop and sleep for a little while, I had to just about drag him home! Not a good first experience!

My next ice trip was to Long Lake, west on #12, I went with a friend of mine and his dad. I seen a guy catch a Crappie that looked like it weighed 5 pounds! I was hooked!

The trip that really did it for me, was to Mille Lacs with a different boyhood pal and his dad...the smell of that old fuel oil stove, and catching and hand over handing my first Walleye through the ice, then catching another and a couple of big Perch and an Eel, put me over the edge, I have been an ice fisherman ever since, I love it!

[lucky7]

I was 21 when a friend took me out. I had horrible boots and we used a spud bar to open the holes. That was 16 years ago. Even though I froze the first time, I gave it another try and was hooked. Now I know how to stay warm and the power auger sure makes it a lot more fun!

[the olde man]

my dad took my brother and i to white bear lake,sunny fishing we caught several that day ...when the fishing slowed we played football with one of em..

[BDR]

When I think back it's amazing I still ice fish at all. My Dad took me out only a couple times a season for local tournies. We always did the Forest lake contest. I remember freezing half to death every time we went. Thank God for technology!

[rod bender]

I started when I was in junior high. Parents dropped my brother and I off at the lake. Had an ax to chop a hole. Started with hole 2'x 2' and wound up with a 4" hole at the bottom. Upgraded to a spoon auger after a couple of years. I remember building a 2x4 frame of an stapling cardboard on the sides for our first shack. Never caught much but always had a memorable time. I guess that's why I'm still doing it today.

[psegriz]

Good topic. I probably can't remember the actual first time but I'm surprised I wasn't born in one. Been around water all my life but when it gets hard then it's got this mistique or mysterious nature about it. Kinda draws me to it like a nail to a magnet. If I'm not fishin it I'm trappin it.

The first time I remember icin I am guessing I was about 3. Me, pa and gramps catchin what semmed at the time were monster gills. Gramps caught a decent pike and I was mesmorized (sp) by it as pa told me to watch my bobber. Well less than 2 minutes later the stick I laid on the floor of the fish house dissapered as I stared at the pike gramps had got. They figured it was more than likely another pike.

[loebs93]

My dad would always bring me out ice fishing when I was little. You know back in the day when if you would step over an open hole and your entire leg would fall through. That would have been the end of fishing for the day.

I also remember walking out late in the season when there was a lot of water on the surface of the ice and how I would cry because I thought I was going to fall through.

As far as catching fish, on days we would catch them, I remember easily catching my limit of crappies when I was just a little tike. Sadly the results of a day of fishing in the past have not been the same in most recent years.

[hanson]

If I can remember back to my youth, ice fishing was a very tough proposition for the Hanson family.

The first lake I can remember ice fishing was Union Lake in far NW Minnesota. We were after crappies and sunnies. If we would have been after bobbers NOT going down the hole, we would have been very succesful!

To get to the area where the 'good' fishing was, our 78 Ford LTD station wagon would have to make it back up the public access 2 miles away from the fishin' hole. Let me tell you that the LTD was NOT coming off the lake without a tow truck once it was on the lake.

So we didn't drive onto the lake and my dad was going door to door with residents on the lake to see if we could walk across their property to get out onto the lake. Majority of the time this didn't work, EVEN 15 years ago!

If we did gain access to the better fishing areas, we encountered 2+ feet of ice with a 6" Mora hand auger and a bucket full of rods. We had no house, heater, or power auger. My dad would set the depth of my lure based on his arm lengths and we were fishing!

The good old days? I'm not so sure. We'll be looking back at the last few years thinking about the good old days I think.

[Tahoe2349]

My introduction was by complete accident back in 1990 with my Dad.

My parents were getting divorced and my Dad rented a house on a lake and witnessed all these little cities outside his window. (lol)

After a few token trips to a neighbors fish house my Dad found this activity called "Ice Fishing" to be the therapy he needed at that point in my parents divorce struggles.

He was a completely transformed man from that point on.

He would sit out there every chance under any weather and tell me it was his outlet to cleanse his mind and relieve the stress.

I have since picked up on it myself, and my Dad lets just say lives for hard water and to this day finds it more therapy than anything. You cannot pry him out of his fancy house he has now days and he's out in it somewhere every day & nite!! He lives in it basicaly and loves it (lol)

We have to go out on the lake to see him and alot of the time he's just in there doing house hold things. For him just being out there is enough for him, and we think "Ice Fishing" may have saved the old man alot of misery in the past fourteen years now.

[huskiesplayer15]

My dad got me started, glad he did too, technically i was in a fishhouse at conception, my parent honey moon was early ice walleyes on Big pine, betcha anyone cant beat that! I am very greatfull my dad has time to take me out when I was younger, Very few trip was I not allowed to go with , even the ones with the guys. I had a great education and have seen many flags go up through a window in the fish house. I think I am forever indebt to my dad for getting me started.

Best Fishes

Chris

[Jeremy airjer W]

Can you believe I grew up on the Iron Range and never went ice fishing (fished plenty of open water in the summer). My dad or his did never went ice fishing (always hunted and fished otherwise)and so niether did I. I moved down here for school and didn't fish at all (shame on me, I know). I would say about 4 or 5 years ago I decided to give ice fishing a try. I parchased a bucket a couple of ice rods, some tackle, and an auger. I headed off to Island lake Right off from 694 in Shoreview. I cought a few perch and some sunfish and considered it a success and of course I was hooked.

Next thing you know I need a portable house (first one is a 2 person clam) then I need a gas Auger, Then a four wheel drive pickup, then a vexilar, Then the lakemaster software and on on on. (wife still thinks I'm nuts, And my dad still doesn't ice fish?).

My boys are two now and I plan to take them out in the spring. They probable won't remember the first time but the memories of everthing I own going down the hole will be priceless.

P.s. Does anyone else here that wierd nose when you come home with new ice fishing stuff. It kinda sounds like "what do you need that for?" or "how come you never buy me anything?"

[LiLBro]

My earliest memory was flying through the air away from a car going through the ice. it was my dad's friends car and i was about 3. i don't actually remember but i'm always told the story. besides that my brother got me into it huge.

[packattack]

I thought that those were just voices in my head. But now that I know I am not alone, I think that I might be normal again. I guess I will find out tonight when I bring the new Auqa view home.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I knew I wasn't the only one suffering from this problem!!

[mnboy26]

My first trip was in the mid 80's. at the time we lived in eastern Iowa and had a cabin on a small lake down there....Dad grew up near fertile up north and would always tell stories about spear fishing with his buddies when he was a kid. he has a pretty good story about hanging a northern from the frame of his car and driving home with it because they were one over thier limit. but thats another story. somehow we came to own a canvas ice shack and we built a nice plywood frame under it. I was pretty excited to try it out and at the first good ice we did.we pulled it out into the middle of the cove that our cabin was on....( first mistake, we never took a fish out of that part of the lake in the summer, didnt know well enough that it didnt hold fish in the winter either) Since dad was an old spearing buff an auger was out of the question....thats right we chipped a hole in the ice. if memory serves me right it was the size of a small pinto in about 12 inches of ice.. after chipping for about an hour we sat down in the house and tried our luck....no bites saw one small sunny dart under the expansive hole and dissapear. it was fun to fish with him though... years later after we all moved back to mn we went out and got all the nessasary fishing stuff and started again...although my idea of nessasary and dads idea of nessasary are completely different....lol still have his 2 man shack and hand auger...and that darn chipper...but now had a permanent house, a clam 6800, and a power auger....he calls from arizona in the winter time to ask how the fishing is.....lol .... and no matter how the bite is i tell him its great....

craig