Hole Insulation - Keep 'em from freezing.

[Cottco]

I know keeping the heat on will help keep the holes open, but are there any other techniques? I have a 4' x 8' wood frame house, with 2" x 6" runners. I usually pack snow around and put a 1x6 pine board on the front and back of house to help insulate near the holes - but they freeze a lot anyway.

Any helpful insight would be welcomed!

Hope you're all having a great season - we are despite having to chisel a square hole each day.

[hoggs222]

How high off the ice does your house sit? Do you have square cut outs in the floor? You could try the circular cardboard forms for pouring foundations. I think they come in 10 & 12" diameters.

[Gadgetman]

Hey John, saw your "whale" message today. Nice norten...got a 30" walleye on New Years day eve! Pretty cool. Try using a hole saver to keep your holes open, have been using them in my perm for a number of years. They are made in Walker and Reeds will probably have them on hand. Will be gone on the road for the rest of the week in northern MN so wont be able to respond back to you. Why dont you leave me another message on my local forum withn your email address. Later

[Cottco]

Hey Squint - glad to see my post worked! Forgot that you are the gadgetman, but I am a close second especially now with a palm treo that has phone, camera, database and travelling fish maps all in one - gotta love those gadgets.

Hey - nice NEW YEARS Fish - 30" - that's (Contact US Regarding This Word) near a wall hanger. I have since caught 2 snakes - one at 30" and another at 35" - my son caught his first walleye - 14" - so we felt obligated to keep it and eat it - very tasty. He also landed a 27" snake using the rattle trap for the first time - KIDS ARE SO COOL.

I followed your lead on the hole saver by talking with Reeds. Guy there tells me they are sold out, and the company that made them went out of business - sounds like a business opportunity if I heard of one. Perhaps you could send me a picture via private mail.

Following your request, I've sent you a private mail with my email. I, too, am travelling quite a bit through Mid-April - want to be sure to get back in time for taxes. While at home this week, am spending as much time as possible in the wood-burning resort - have logged almost 500 hours since first ice. Not a lot of fish - but some real dandies.

Let's hook up when you get back and have time - maybe meet for breakfast somewhere. My email has all of my contact information.

Good to hear from squint - will catch you later

[catchnmall]

Any ideas how a person can keep a tip-up hole open at -5?

[LocalGuide]

For a tip-up hole it will help to keep some slush in it when its cold out. That will really slow down how fast it freezes.

Just keep on checking your hole about every 1-3 hours to make sure you can still get that tip-up back out. I already wrecked one tip-up this year b/c 2" of ice froze under it one day.

[HAWKICE70]

I have seen people use 5 gallon buckets.Cut the bottom off the bucket,cut your floor the same size of the bucket then slide the bucket down the hole until it meets the ice.

[Farley]

Put water in a pop can with the top cut off and place it on your heater, once the water heats up dump it in your hole. This keeps the ice from forming and saves your back and knees from scooping so often.

If you are looking for a way to keep them open for as long as your house sits there, good luck with that.

[ChuckN]

I've used the Stone Legacy Freezebees on tip-ups and jig fishing. My holes stay ice free for a long time!! Especially if you have sun..

Check them out here, they are a sponsor.

http://www.stonelegacy.com/icefish.html#Freezebee

[Cottco]

Thanks for the posts - will try the 5 gallon bucket suggestion, the freezebee, and the pop can water trick.

May also try a solar heater thingy I rigged up - works great on the test bench - but what do you do on a cloudy day?

By the sound of it, may have a week of fine weather ahead - good time to try out these suggestions - please keep them coming.

Will keep you posted.

Look for another thread I will post concerning portable wind generators that I build - good for topping off the battery.

Had a great day - 32" pike - 19' of water - medium shiner. Are there any posts that give step by step instruction for skinning those critters? I get 'er done, but still pick bones out of my teeth come April

Cottco

[Cottco]

Excellent tip - I heated some lake water in a pop can (i have a wood burning stove) - worked like a champ - excellent idea - THANK YOU.

As for keeping them open in 20 below weather for 8-10 hours un-occupied, well we're still working on that one.

[minndonn]

I am feeling lucky. I bought the last 3 hole savers saturday from Reeds north of Brainerd.

[Cottco]

so that was you - I talked with Reeds a week ago - guy told me someone had bought the last ones they had and there no others available.

If you'd ever care to sell one - or better yet - send me a picture of one - I have the means to make them - let me know.

Enjoy.

[Ryan Berger]

If you can get your hands on some traffic cones they work slick as well ya know,, my friends all use them in there perminants,, helps that one guy works for a company that uses them and his boss fishes,, but if you can get them they are great just cut to fit and go from there

[GoodToGo]

I stumbled across a technique that worked this weekend, see my post in the ice fishing section if interested.

[Wables]

I have been using 1" blue foam insulation cut into 12" circles for a couple of years. (Left-overs from building the shanty) Just cut a 1/2" slot from the edge to center and slide your tip-up shaft through. I also drop them over the holes inside the shack when I am packing up and it seems to help. Last weekend I bought a foam sleeping pad from Wallyworld and cut it up into 12" circles with a slot going to the center. They work almost as well as the ones made from the insulation, and they are less than a buck a piece!