Is ice fishing as productive asopen water fishing?

[Slyster]

I have noticed how popular ice fishing is.. and I have to ask (since I have never been ice fishing before)... is ice fishing just a fill in until open water season returns?... or is it actually productive?

Maybe, I think, ice fishing is BETTER than open water since food is scarce? Or... the fish are less active so you really don't catch as much as in the summer.

I don't know. I'd love to try it but am hesitant since I don't have an auger and have no experience (although I know I have all the info I need from this site.)

btw... is White Bear Lake iced up enough? Can you ever drive on a lake that big in this part of the state?

[HoleHopper]

(Contact US Regarding This Word),

I would think that you would get many diferent responces from peaple about if it is a fill till summer or not.

For me it is not a fill For me it has its own magic for lack of a better word. Summer or winter it is the outdoor thing, the fix, the sanity in the insanity! To some degree, the worship, or the admiration of nature.

Productive you ask?..............

There again, I think it would depend on who you would be asking! But from me , my answer would be, YOU BET IT IS! Fish or no fish!

If you try it good luck! But be carful, I know certain peaple that have and have never been the same sence

[berke99]

I wish ice fishing was 11 mo. long and open water fishing was 1 mo. long. Fishing is great any time, catching fish is just a bonus for me. Thinking back it seems that I catch just as many fish in the winter (if not more) than in the summer. Maybe this is just wishful thinking. If you are spending your time reading this forum, I think you are already on track to join the crowd and get ice fishing. It is a great sport and great fun!

[psegriz]

(Contact US Regarding This Word)

Ya kinda put it backwards open water is just fill in for icin. I'd say from my own experience it's just as productive. It takes just a little longer to be mobile and find fish. Once your on a bite it's just as good if not better.

[CrappieJohn]

Good one Sly....I see bloodshed coming here.lol

There will be no simple answer to this question. Yes it is a fill-in until the water opens up and yes it is a productive way to fish. Sometimes.

I prefer open water and will switch preferences from panfish to sauger in a heartbeat if I can be in the boat. I go to the dams right thru the winter on the open water. I also enjoy the panfish thru the ice. For me it is more a question of physical limitations. I can back the boat into the water and fish from it for several hours whereas I may not be able to pull a sled with a portable attached to it thru a foot of snow for five hundred yards and then have to dig the snow out to set the unit up....and all that before I can cut holes. Lungs, ticker issues. Makes decision making very easy. I do , though, enjoy the ice and can say that I am moderately successful at fishing it. Many are better at it than I.

Personally I fare far better in open water. Face it, when you are on open water you can cover more area from one spot. Your quarry is cold blooded and the water is warmer so they are likely to be more active. And looking down that hole sort of makes me feel like a skin diver for Roto-Rooter getting ready for work....you have a very limited window in which to work.

But in all seriousness, ice fishing is a tremendusly successful enterprise and tons(literally)of fish are taken this way each year. With the technological advancements of today influencing this sport the way they do, it will only get better too. And the beauty of it is that you can get into it quite painlessly and even make it a family venture. Face it, fishing period is the fastest growing family sport in this country. And a sport well worth the investment if you enjoy fishing...it just sort of rounds out the whole experience.

I would rather be fishing than in the house and if I have to make some concessions and adjustments to how I get this task done, so be it. Therefore I too ice fish. And when I here questions like yours being asked, I do not look at them as coming from someone on the threshold of uncertainty, but rather someone who is in the doorway to a new and fun experience. Go for it!

[hanson]

Ice Fishing for me is a way to unlock larger bodies of water that I can't fish during the summer due to equipment limitations and weather factors.

Plus I just darn right enjoy it.

No waves, no jet skis, no bugs... just annoying snowmobilers and a lot of popping, cracking, and booming of the ice.

Maybe I'm not fishing right in open water but my largest walleye, sauger, perch, bluegill, crappie, and northern have all come through the ice.

[Maximum12]

Hey Sly, how goes it?

I too prefer open water fishing, & it's more productive for me in almost every respect but one ~ I catch a lot more walleyes in the winter than in the summer. By a lot more, I mean I actually catch zero or one in the summer & am able to catch them with some regularity in the winter.

For what it's worth, I too was a summer-only fisherman two years ago. Then I found a one-man portable clearanced for $45 and it's been all downhill since then. I fish as much or more in the winter already as I do in the summer. As noted, it has its own charms & benefits, one of which is the peace & quiet you can find on some of the smaller lakes.

[blkfrg]

For me, it is the hardwater season I look forward to. Softwater has its advantages, mobility, not freezing to death, relativly more active fish. But hey, when else can you catch an eel pout? They drive out on lakes of all size down in the metro. Just check the metro post first, and don't be the first one out with an Yukon Denali fully loaded. The fish still gotta' eat and the ones I target eat mostly other fish so just put on a nice presentation and bona petit, Fish, maybe. Give the hardwater a chance and there will be no room left in the garage after that, new house, auger, heater......... It is the best of times.

[Slyster]

Tx for the replies. My son and I will certainly give it a try.. just need to get an auger. Are hand augers not too hard to use? I am a bit hesitant to walk on ice.. I will start on that LONG ice reports thread..

Does a warm day (45 degrees) like today make much of an impact? Or do you stay off the ice period when it's above freezing?

[M.T. Bucket]

Maybe since I didn't grow up in Minnesota, I've always had a preference for open water fishing. Hour for hour, open water fishing is more productive for me. While I know you can catch most species through the ice if the stars align just right, I think more species are available during the open water season. During the open water season, it's easier to be mobile, so more of the lake is available to you. You have more of an option to fish rivers--which I prefer to lakes. You have more of the day available to you during the open water season, in winter the bite window is smaller most days on most waters.

For me, ice fishing is fun for a few weeks, but since I'm not too polished at it, I find myself longing for open water by mid to late January.

For me and probably many others, it's much easier to get out during the winter. My wife just wants to stay inside the house and I don't have any garage/yard projects going.

I think a lot of people are drawn to the convenience of ice fishing. Just drive out to the permanent, bait your hook, and crack a beer. Of course, you can make either type of fishing as complicated as you want, but ice fishing can definitely be boiled down to very little work if one wants.

I'm sure there are some ice specialists that will disagree with my comparisons, but if I had to I could find some southern boys that would back me up.

[hanson]

Sly (I can't spell out your entire name or the forum edits it. Weird???)-

I'll answer a couple of those questions for you.

Are hand augers hard to use?? No. But the thicker the ice gets, the bigger job it becomes to cut a hole. The newer hand augers are very efficienct. The Strikemaster Lazer hand auger would be a good choice as well as the Nilsmaster hand auger. The smaller diameter holes (6 or 7") also drill easier than say an 8" hole.

Your question about air temperature might be a little more difficult to answer and depends alot on the time of year and exactly how much ice there is on the lake and the quality of that ice.

If there is say 8" of good hard ice and it warms up to 45 degrees, I have no problem going onto the lake. You'll start to see the snowcover melting and becoming slushy and possibly covering the entire top of the ice with water. That doesn't concern me too much. Now if it is really early ice with 2-4", that 45 degrees might do more damage.

Late ice is a different story. I'm going to use Upper Red Lake for example. At the end of March, you have 3' of ice on the lake and the temperatures are up in the 50s and 60s. I pay close attention to reports on the forums here as well as what the resort operators are allowing. Usually, it is fine to drive out but the shoreline is where the most deterioration will occur. When it gets to sloppy & muddy, thats usually the end of vehicle traffic.

[gonefishin11]

Any day on the water is productive no matter if you catch fish or not, in my personal opinion. Unless I am hunting, there is nothing I would rather be doing. As far as actually catching fish, there are good days and bad days for each so I think its all relative.

[Sportland_Bait]

I think it depends on where and how you like to fish. In a boat you can more easily cover more water. I believe mobility is the key to success on both soft and hard water. I've had more successful days in a boat, but I've also spent way more time in a boat. When I am on the ice and I move around a lot to find fish I'm usually productive.

Jason Erlandson

[Dennis Steele]

Ice fishing used to be just a way to get my "fix" until open water. It used to be less productive also. It used to be go out to the shak and wait for fish to bite.

I can't honsestly say that anymore. With the gear I am using now, I believe its just as productive and fun as open water. Staying mobile using my Otter and a snomobile and using a good sonar like the LX3 you can hunt down schools of fish. Then when you finally find some fish I think its easier to find out what they are responding to, using cameras like my Quad 360. I look at ice fishing as an exercise in locating fish and finesse tactics for the most part. When you get on a school you spend more time getting them to bite because getting to the water is a tad more difficult. Thats when good quality tackle comes into play. A sensitive rod like my Midwest Rod custom rods and lots of lures to try can make a day productive.

All in all I think ice fishing is just as productive if you have the right gear to do it effectively. Of course I have always been a tackle and gear junky!

But then again I also love sitting in a shak playing cards too! Theres something about spending time with buddies shooting the breeze and catching a fish or two.

[arbuck]

I would have to say that ice fishing is more productive for me. Not because I'm good at it (cuz I'm not) but I don't own a boat (yet) so it gives me a chance to get out on the water and try spots that I can't in the summer. I also think I enjoy ice fishing a little more than open water fishing but I really can't put my finger on why. This summer I bought a new 4 wheeler for ice fishing with money that could have been spent on a boat. Humm, I guess I know where my priorities are. As stated in an earlier post I usually have a lot more things to do in the summer also, honey do list, cutting lawn ect..... so it is harder to get out.

But I can say if you and your son get the chance to try it I think you will enjoy it, it is a great experiance. Try too make one of the Ice Leader events. This year will be my first one and I can't wait to meet the people from this forum and enjoy the time out on the ice. As far as a great experiance goes it don't get much better than a gathering like that, a great group of like minded people doing what they love - fishing.

This will be the first year for my 4 year old boy on the ice. One more thing I can't wait for!!! Hopefully tommorow.

Have fun and see ya on the ice.

arbuck

[Bob Horn]

It could be with a little luck and fishing skills. My two favotite ways to fish is saltwater(only a couple of week in the fall )and icefishing. Go figure. How opposite can one get but I love both. During open water I love wading in the river for smallies. Best day was last fall when I lost count after 75 and yes there was alot of 10-14inch fish. I have had many good ice days and not so good days also. Just looking forwrd to meeting the gang again at winnie and getting the ice season rock and rolling!!!