Line Freeze Up

[Mike Stark]

im new to ice fishing and was wondering about line freezing up. the temp was 3 this evening and was having a lot of trouble with my line freezing to the point that i could not reel in my spoon. im using 6lb gammon ice line. got any tips to keep line from not freezing or is this just something you have to deal with.

thanks for the help.

[Steve Foss]

If you're fishing out in the open, you'll just have to deal with it. I fish out of a portable shelter with a heater so it's not an issue. Mono ices up less than braided lines because it absorbs less water, but it'll all ice up sooner or later out in the elements.

When I'm fishing out in the open I just make it a point to keep chippping ice off my rod guides and the line.

[Mike Stark]

thanks. i guess ill just have to deal with it. no shelter for me.

[looneyducer]

Slide that little collection of ice down the mono a little bit and the water pressure will melt it off. You might consider opening up your reel and removing as much grease as you can as well. It's often the reel grease, more so than the line, that keeps a reel from working in the cold.

[Todd_J]

Quote:

---

You might consider opening up your reel and removing as much grease as you can as well. It's often the reel grease, more so than the line, that keeps a reel from working in the cold.

---

I totally agree. I bought a few decent 'cheap' reels from the Farm last season that were LOADED with thick grease. This caused the reeling action to be stiffer than a (*insert your own witty metaphor*). To remedy the problem I sprayed the crank gears and such with degreaser, rinsed with water, hosed the whole works with WD-40, allowed to dry, and lightly lubricated with Quantum Hot Sauce. Reel nice and smooth.

I too slide the ice build up below the water level every so often, but it is usually my luck that shortly after I do this I get a golly-wop of a fish and cant get the ice mass through the guides. On more than one occasion I have had to melt the mass in my hands or bite off ice chunks. Thankfully this has been less of a problem with the fireline crystal ice line if taken a shine to. I heard that spraying the guides with silicone or rubbing candle wax on them might alleviate guide ice build-up. I have yet to try this.

Anybody use that new-fangeled 'bobber' with the secret ice melting juice inside of it? The name escapes me but I'd like to hear some field reports...