Tips and Secret Sharing/Informational

[BigJohnnyIce]

Now that ice fishing is approaching quickly, I thought it would be nice to start a thread to share with others some of your best ice fishing tips and secrets. This will be an informational topic, and I will start.

I received my new Rocky ice fishing boots yesterday in the mail, and the first thing I did was put screws in them. No, I am not nuts---I just don’t want to slip and fall on the ice.

Get yourself some 3/8” stainless steel hex head self taping sheet metal screws, and put them on the bottom soles of your boots. These replace the strap-on type of ice creepers, and walking on the ice is a breeze. Make sure you get the hex head type, because this head type grips better on the ice.

Don’t worry about them screwing threw the inside of the boot----the soles of winter boots are much thicker then the length of the screw. Just make sure you don’t get screws longer than 3/8”

Pretty simple to do, and cheaper than a pair of ice creepers.

[insurance guy]

I tried the 3/8" last year in my Cabela's Predator Extreme boots and they kept backing out and I was leaving a trail of screws so I had to go with 1/2" instead and that fixed the problem. Maybe with different boots like yours the 3/8" would work better but they didn't for me That's the best pair of ice cleats EVER. The heck with crappy strap on cleats that never stay put, the screws are the way to go and you can never forget your cleats at home as long as you have your boots Good thread and post!

[ozzie]

good idea but how are they when you decide to wear them in the woods (I use my boots for hunting also). Is there an uncomfortable feeling when walking with them in the soles when not on the ice????

[DEADhead]

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The heck with crappy strap on cleats that never stay put

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I would suggest trying a pair of STABILicers ice cleats. They have long-lasting flexible soles providing comfort and traction, with 34 replaceable cleats. The straps fit snugly with an easy on/off design. Thses stableicers are also great for wading slippery streams! These are truly the best strap on ice cleats I've ever seen or worn.

[insurance guy]

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good idea but how are they when you decide to wear them in the woods (I use my boots for hunting also). Is there an uncomfortable feeling when walking with them in the soles when not on the ice????

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I only use those boots for icefishing but when I've walked on grass or dirt with them they still feel fine. I don't recommend doing that to your boots unless you use them strictly for icefishing.

[insurance guy]

Quote:

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Quote:

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The heck with crappy strap on cleats that never stay put

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I would suggest trying a pair of STABILicers ice cleats. They have long-lasting flexible soles providing comfort and traction, with 34 replaceable cleats. The straps fit snugly with an easy on/off design. Thses stableicers are also great for wading slippery streams! These are truly the best strap on ice cleats I've ever seen or worn.

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I don't care for Stabilicers and have gone through 2 pairs before I finally put the screws in early last season I have a size 12 Cabela's Pac Boot which is huge and the Stabilicers DON'T stay on and keep twisting off of at least one boot while walking and the velcro straps have worn out and torn off from continued use and walking lots of miles. Been down the Yax Trax road way before that and those are useless when it's real slippery. The screws in the bottom truly are the best solution. The Stabilicers work good if you can get them to actually stay on your boots and I couldn't!

[Northlander]

I did the same exact thing to my older Ice Kings a few years back. Works great but just dont wear them in the house and put holes in your wifes new kitchen floor!

[BigJohnnyIce]

Insurance guy,

I agree that the screws are the best thing for cleats, too. I put them on my older ice boots late last season for one or two outings, and they worked awesome.

I put on the 3/8" on the new Rocky's I got, but I understand that a 1/2" might be better based on the boot. These boots have a bunch of solid elelvated sections where I attached the screws to, so I think that they will stay put.

Anyone else have some other tips and secret sharing out there?

[Down Deep]

I have the Rockey Icestalker Boots. The soles come with ice cleats that flip out. I've had the boots for 4 seasons and the cleats work great on ice and flip back in when I use the boots for other purposes. I lube the cleates with some graphite prior to the season.

[croixeyes]

Ive had stabilicers for four years and never had a problem with them.They stay put on my boots and have never slipped off.Ht enterprise makes a similar product for half the price.Its nice to be able to take the ice cleets off if going somewhere that you may mare up a floor.

[brian6715]

I have worn out every pair of strap on cleats I have owned. This seems like an awesome idea! Now you never have to worry about forgetting them there cleats at home!

Another small tip that I am sure most of you already know is to carry some water with you to read through the ice with your transducer.

brian-

[CNY Tim]

I'll just add shanty maintenance.. a coat of Camp Dry added to your Ice Armor ensures your unit stays dry. Between trips I'll shoot a coat of silicone on the bottom of tub to help it glide through sticky heavy snow.

[coldmark]

Any good ideas for preventing tip-ups from freezing? The best material I've seen was a flexible black foam that you can cut to fit your hole size. I can't find it at the hardware stores.

[nolte]

I don't have any for keeping holes open, but have a good one for line markers for tip-ups. I got sick of those little bobbers after losing a hundred or so of them.

I tried a small button and that worked good, but you had to put it on before tying a leader, and it is sometimes tough to get through the eye of the tip-up. I also tried putting on bobber stops, but they were tough to see and move when it got cold.

I now use a fly-fishing stike indicator. You can trim them down, take them on and off, or slide them up and down. Just make a loop, slide it through the eye of the indicator, and then pull the loop over the frizzy side of the indicator. You can then slide it up and down to adjust depth. Here is a pic of the indicator, most fly fishing sections carry them.

[Captain B.R.K]

Another tip that I can't emphasize enough for fishing any kind of species- drill plenty of holes. Don't think one or two holes will be enough, drill plenty in an area when you are first setting up shop. Why is this important?

As the fish move, you'll be more mobile in staying with them or be able to fish different structures in an area. By limiting your commotion on top of the ice- you'll help put fish on the ice.

[insurance guy]

I don't have pictures on hand but another great tip I've seen people do is to make a little shield for the pilot light on Buddy Heater's to prevent them from blowing out when you flip up your shack. I think it's basically a little piece of aluminum siding cut and bent and then screwed down just in front of the pilot light and it makes a little wind block so you don't have to keep relighting your buddy if you move around and it's windy.

[HarryG]

I have a pair of Georgia Boots with golf spikes in them. They work great. I also use creepers. They work very well. I have seen some of the newer slip on ice cleats and they seem to be better. If you are considering slip on cleats, they have a lot more options than there used to be.

[basssmasher*]

Johnny johnny Johnny!!! why are you ruining a good pair of rockys ?? lol.. we could let St Croix "GLUE" em on for ya!! seriously though I have never wonr a pair of cleats ..creepers or whatever you wanna call em.. then again I fish in my tennis shoes too so maybe thats not sayin much!! lol