Ice Fishing Etiquette

[johncolson]

I am a newcomer to the sport of Ice Fishing. I will be fishing on Mille Lacs. What are some of the Etiquette rules on Ice Fishing I should be aware of.

How far away from another shelter or fisherman should I set up?

Any other things I should know?

Thanks,

John Olson

[ghotierman]

Welcome John.

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules. But there are some 'rules of thumb' and I'm sure many on the boards here will chime in.

As for 'how close to set up'....that can vary depending on the character. For some, being on the same lake is 'too close'. For most, though 15-20 feet creates a reasonable personal space. Being considerate is the key. Barging up to someone already set up and making all kinds of noise while setting yourself up is what may annoy most. One suggestion is to be friendly, meet the others and ask how it's going, have they been there long etc. Talk fishing with them....you may be invited to set up near by...or you could politely ask if its okay to set up close by. If they say 'no'...then take that as a sign they're not the friendliest to begin with. Most would say they don't mind...and may even help out. It's basically the golden rule.

good luck and good fishing.

[Shack]

ghotierman had very good points.

To adlib on his post, I have found if you see someone close by catching fish, hand over fist, go over and talk nicely with them first. Ask them how they are doing and what they are using. After you have established good ground, ask if you can move by them. A lot of people do crash on over and set up right next to ya, with out even saying "Hi". It is everyone's lake, but respect is a key factor to a good outing.

Most times I will move in an other area and find fish holding up some where's else, before I will encroach on other fisherman.

Minnesota Nice, with out the Minnesota Price

[Shack]

Biggest rule and rule number 1, pick up your trash.

[Dances with Walleye]

The rule I go with is: Treat people like they're my in laws, as far as manners & attitude goes when you talk to them.

I always try to stay AT LEAST 20 feet away... (Heck I don't want to be fishing 20 feet from someone myself!

One thing that I also try to keep in mind... Leave someone a place to take a leak.

Sucks to be the middle house, of 5 and everyone sets up around you in the four points of the compass.

Also when going out on a wheeler or a sled... Try to stay away from other houses at a reasonable distance... Same goes for running the power auger at prime time.

If you think you're going to move shallower at Prime time... Make the holes earlier... Running the wheeler or the sled or the auger at prime time is one of the best ways to tick me or my fishing buddies off.

[upnorth]

Close depends on the lake and whether or not there is structure. Some lakes if they can see you, you are too close and others 20 to 30 feet is fine. I usually try to give people 50 feet or so if I can. Lake of the Woods 100 feet or URL 100 yds or so is pretty good.

If the lake is known for an evening bite don't get there and start setting up and drilling holes as the sun goes down, this will really PO the folks around you, especially in shallower water.

[BobT]

How far to stay away. For me, I'm not usually a crowd type fisherman so I tend to keep my distance to satisfy my own preference. When I do set up close to others, I try to stay far enough that I can be confident I won't interfere with their fishing. This usually translates into being far enough away that if we are both handling fish our lines won't tangle. I can't begin to imagine how I would feel if I had a huge fish on the line and it swung out wide enough to tangle with the neighbor's line and I lost the fish. I try to give plenty of room to allow for running fish.

Bob

[CNCMike]

1. Leave the area cleaner than it was when you arrived.

2. Space. Though it is a matter or preference, you can never have too much space between you and a stranger on the ice.

3. When in doubt, ask. 90% of all people I have ever met on the ice are more than willing to help you out, guide you in the right direction, give pointers, etc. But they don't know what you need if you don't ask.

4.Keep it down... We all like having fun, but if you and your buddies are whooping it up, crashing around, hot rodding the 4 wheelers, etc, most people will get quite upset.

5. Be nice...smile, wave, say hello.. make sure to do the same to others as well.

6. If you catch something you don't want because you don't care for that type of fish, be sure to ask anyone around you if they want it. It really sucks to see someone put a fish back down the hole that you later see floating belly up under the ice. Especially if it is of eatable size. Many guys and gals will be happy to take 1 or 2, in my experience.

7. Have fun. Keep your expectations reasonable so you prevent disappointment. As a newer fisherman, you may have a tendency to think you are going to limit every time, or at least land a trophy. Don't let that set you up to fail. Stay reasonable in your hopes, expect to get cold, and only land a couple tiny fish. Then, if you get into a good run, you will be even happier.

My motto: Hope for the best. Expect the worst.

[old_school]

ask at a resort or bait shop the depth the fish are at. there is alot of structure on lake mille lacs. look at the map and try to find your own spot. but if you have to move in on someone i would stay 50 to 100 feet away. remember it is a big lake. no need to sit on top of someone else.

[fishroger]

Nothing PO's more than someone coming out at 430pm just when the wallys are coming thru and they start up their dull auger and grind away for 15 minutes. Get set up at 3pm. Keep noise to a minimum. I like to stay away from the crowds and explore new spots.Be friendly, you can get some good info by just being nice. Actually the law says you can't set your house up closer than 10' to another house. I would keep it about 100' if possible. Be respectful. Good luck

[DARTER]

1. Pick up your trash

2. Enjoy yourself

3. Be the person your dog thinks you are

As far as drilling at prime time...Get over it. People have jobs, family and school wich might dictate what time they can get on the ice. We ALL have drilled at prime time. Can't be avoided. Just try not to be too close to the grinch. It reminds me of poker. You always remember the bad beats but never the ones in your favor.

[McGurk]

Everyone else has covered the basics pretty well; +/-50ft between anglers, pick up garbage, be friendly and respect others out there, and respect the lakes you are fishing. The only new thing I can think of is the Mille Lacs plowed roads fiasco and resort accesses. Won't be long before we see toll booths on the lake itself. If you don't know what I'm talking about go to the mille lacs forum and do a little searching "+resort +plowed +roads". I'm happy to pay the resort I'm using for access, but lay off the road bullying.

[slipperybob]

As I'm pulling my sled and case around, drilling holes checking depth in zig zag pattern; don't follow me around like I know where I'm going....

If you're willing to drill a few holes and tell me what depth's you get too, it's cool...share the work and share the info.

[stalkofta]

...... and don't be like the deuchebag that who ran over my BRIGHT ORANGE tip-up with his brand new Arctic Cat. - My girl and I were having a relaxing afternoon of fishing in my portable on the edge of a small group of people. We heard a sled moving at high speed coming toward us. Before we knew it we heard this awful wipeout noise and then silence.... I stuck my head out my shack and saw DUDE slowly getting to his feet... about 20 yards from his machine, which was on it's side. He must have seen my tip-up at the last second and turned HARD. He still hit it though, knocked it over and bent my flag. Then, before I could go see if he was ok, he was already upright on the sled and taking off. (Contact Us Please)?

[FishinChad]

Quote:

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Nothing PO's more than someone coming out at 430pm just when the wallys are coming thru and they start up their dull auger and grind away for 15 minutes. Get set up at 3pm.

---

I know a lot of you hate it when this happens, but my point is most of us work during the day, and the sun sets around 5, which doesnt leave much time to get out and get set up for those who dont get off work til 3 or 4. I am usually in this situation and I try not to fish close to people, and when I do, I try to be as quiet as I can, but I know some people still get ticked off at me. I am just saying some people dont have the option to get out and set up at 3, it shouldnt mean these people cant come out and fish, just try to be as quiet as you can, and if possible away from crowds of walleye fisherman.

[johncolson]

Thanks for the help everyone.

John

[fishinJohn]

I generally stay away from others because I am in my own world and don't want to yak it up with someone who wants to give me pointers when I haven't asked for them. However some times I do go to the areas where there is a crowd. If you are fishing a very popular place what is the rule regarding CURRENTLY unused holes? I would think it would PO pople more to run my power auger than to just use a hole that is there but I would not want someone coming over and saying "that's my hole".

[Chode2235]

I agree with the posts above, but wanted to highlight the common theme. Be respectful of each other, and of the lake. Being friendly is nice too, but be respectful and cognizant of how your actions are affecting other people's fishing.

[slipperybob]

Just because a person is hole hopping doesn't mean that they own all the holes, even if they drilled all of them...if someone set's up their portable on it, it's their fishing spot...but I'll be PO'd if I was drilling holes and people are setting up in each of the holes I drilled as I'm checking depths. Hey go drill your own hole's!

[polarsusd81]

Quote:

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Just because a person is hole hopping doesn't mean that they own all the holes, even if they drilled all of them...if someone set's up their portable on it, it's their fishing spot...but I'll be PO'd if I was drilling holes and people are setting up in each of the holes I drilled as I'm checking depths. Hey go drill your own hole's!

---

I personally think that would be kinda funny. If a group of guys I didn't know came by and set up a few one man portables on the holes as I was drilling them, and just played leap-frog the whole time I was drilling, I would probably laugh. I would laugh harder if it was someone else drilling the holes and watching a group of guys mess with him. Just as long as they are nice enough to scoop out the slush.

[mojocatt]

As above, nothing set in stone. I find mostly that groups of people that are already hanging out and throwing the bull don't mind some extra company.

Where as if I see someone off in the distance, away from the crowd I give them some space.

The worst is when I setup on someones "spot" and don't know it until they arrive later. I mean it's first come first serve, but I still make sure to make them welcome in that case. This "spot" thing has been getting worse with GPS, where before the spot was "about right there or so", now the "spot" is in a 5 foot circle.

My last "my spot" situation worked out well though, as the guy who claimed I was on his spot found he forgot his auger in his truck, and I invited him to use any one of the 12-15 holes I had drilled. We hung out and caught eyes together.

I think the best rule of thumb is "When in doubt do the freindliest thing".

[Only Eyes]

For me if it's crappies they tend to be scooled up so you kind of need to bunch up a little more. But for eyes if I can hear you cough while I'm sitting in my house it's way too close and I'll probably be moving.

[bassislife]

Well it depends. If there is a guy fishing all by himself and you pull w/in 30 ft you are probably too close. Just move on to another spot. If there is a pack of people judge how far they are all away from each other and that is how about the distance you should stay away from them.

[johnmn]

If you see me by myself on the lake. Come and talk to me I'm alway happy to meet people. Sometimes it gets real boring fishing alone. I stay away from people though because I don't want to bug anyone. I make sure to pick up my garbage and I try to talk to as many people I can that come by me.

[ilovehardwater]

A few more things, dont drive 50 miles per hour past someone's house in your vehicle drive very slowly on the lake, especially when driveing on and off the ice, I have seen a few lake accesses(sp?) ruined because of this..Another big no-no is going to the bathroom in the ice. BT