Glare report: 11/11/04: Ice fishing

[pegkerr]

Little to report: I didn't read any more of Icy Pleasures today because I've been reading the copy of Moral Politics that minnehaha lent me, and I know others are also waiting to read it so I want to get it back to them.

I didn't start writing at my usual time because after reading to the girls (we've started A Scholar of Magics, 1crowdedhour!) I retired to the bath to nurse some soreness. (Not karate. Cramps. Ow.) But I did think of a scene that I can tack onto something I've written previously, and it felt real enough. The idea pleased me.

Alas, when I got to my computer, I got the "Hard Disk Full" error again. Cannot download my e-mail on the desk computer again (I can do so on the laptop, however, if anyone's trying to reach me). So I was doing computer maintenance, deleting e-mail, etc., instead of working on that scene. I'm not worried, though; it feels like a good solid scene; I mean I can see it and feel good about writing it, and I hope to get to it this weekend.

An actual query for information; please reply if you happen to know: what bait do people use when ice fishing, esp. in Twin Cities? Lures or worms or??? (Hard to dig for worms in the winter; do they sell them in bait shops in the winter? Are there bait shops open during the winter?) And this may seem like a stupid question, but how do people generally get the hole in the ice? Do they chop it with a hatchet, and then saw it with a saw? Do ice fishermen have special tools they use for breaking the ice?

Comments

[lonesomenumber1]

Anglers use an ice auger (they come in power- and hand- versions) to drill a hole 6" to 10" across. They use both live bait and lures, or a combination of both. Minnows are common bait. My experience is limited to upstate NY, so what they use in the Twin Cities might vary.

[akamarykate.livejournal.com]

My grandfather swore by colored miniature marshmallows for fishing any time of the year. But only the colored ones. It sounds kooky, but he was the best fisherman I've ever known.

Minnows and worms are used; the traditional mom and pop bait shops would be open if ice fishing were common in the area (I'm from Nebraska, so there's less opportunity to do it down here than there would be in Minnesota). I know that certain large sporting goods stores, like the Sheels store we have here, sell bait, and I assume it's available year-round.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Miniature colored marshmallows: I like it! It's also good because it would be something Solveig would be likely to have around the house (as the mother of a six year old child). I don't want for them to have to bother going out and buying bait.

[chamois-shimi.livejournal.com]

They're allowed to use bait, then? Last state I went fishing in, only people 12 & under were allowed to use bait.

[laurel]

I know holes for ice fishing are usually round, I think augers or possibly drills are usually used. Holes aren't very big, usually (4 or 5 inches across, maybe?), though I suspect that varies.

I suspect there are many different bait preferences.

[tiellan.livejournal.com]

Our friend in Wisconsin keeps threatening to take my husband ice fishing with him when we move there. I'll check with him and report back!

[tiellan.livejournal.com]

Here's what my ice-fishing friend says:

I don't think I have fished in St. Paul/Minneapolis, however when we fish in WI we usually use minnows or some sort of artificial bait. We used worms once I think. You can buy bait at bait shops, which are open year-round in the north. ;) The bait shop owner is a good person to ask about what bait is good atm and also you can buy maps of lakes there as well. They often have tips as to where good spots are for the day/week.

An auger is what you need in order to get a hole in the ice. There are manual and power augers. A manual auger is fine. We have a manual auger. It basically looks like a giant antique hand drill with blades where the bit would be.

You can fish using small poles or tip-ups, which come in a variety of shapes and materials (wood, plastic, etc). We use tip-ups around us and will occasionally use a pole after placing the tip-ups.

I can get more info from him if you'd like too. :)

Ice Fishin' Widow here....

[dreamcoat-mom.livejournal.com]

As the wife of a NW Wisconsin ice fisherman, I can tell you that they usually will drill the hole in the ice with a gasoline-powered or hand-turned auger. It makes a hole 6-8 inches across, and the small chunks of ice are scooped out using a ladle-like strainer. My husband, who likes to fish for pan-fish swears by waxworms - little larvae that are about an inch long - I have no idea what kind of bug they become. :) Minnows are the preferred bait for the bigger game fish. Many area gas station/convenience stores have a bait center that operates year round.

The ice shack is an important component too. Some fisherman just turn a 5 gallon bucket upside down, have a seat and fish out in the elements. Many more will build ice shacks that can range from the simple to the elaborate. The shacks have trap doors that open onto the holes they've drilled in the ice. The shack can be heated, but the fishermen's body heat will usually do the trick - especially when the...ahem...libations begin to flow. Some will even hook up generators so they can watch television, listen to the game, or whatever - I don't know - my husband is the 5 gallon bucket type. Like any other woods and waters sporting activity, it's usually a masculine retreat.

Tip-ups are used as well - this is a rig on which the line is strung that will spring a flag up when a fish takes the bait. Fishermen will often dig several holes, set the line on a tip-up and sit back to watch for a flag. My dad and uncles loved to sit on shore their lake cabin, play cards, tell lies and listen to the hockey game while they watched the tip-ups out on the ice.

Hope this helps, Peg - I can quiz the hubby if you need more details.

Re: Ice Fishin' Widow here....

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I used to hang out with ice fishermen in high school, and this all sounds like I remember it, except that my guy had an oil-burner stove in his ice house, which was handy for not having to keep your coat on all the time.

Peg, a field trip is probably in order, don't you think? I'll take you driving out on the lake this winter if you like; it's where I learned to drive back when I was 15.

K.

Re: Ice Fishin' Widow here....

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

That would be cool. I might take you up on that!

Re: Ice Fishin' Widow here....

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Be sure to remember the libations. They are vital to the whole ice-fishing ambience. (This represents both Maine and Michigan sub-cultures, so probably also applies to your locale....)

Re: Ice Fishin' Widow here....

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

This is exactly what I needed! Thank you so much!

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

You're going to love this, but I seem to recall Martha Stewart Living (!) once had an article on ice fishers' fishing houses. I'll see if I can dig it up from the archives (aka the pile in the guest room) and if it offers any interesting info I'll send it to you.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Actually, ice house info isn't needed. Jack and Solveig will be ice fishing out on the lake, but without an ice house. But thanks for the offer, anyway! (And if this changes, I'll come back to you.)

[whumpdotcom.livejournal.com]

I've got Moral Politics on my to-read stack, but I'm going to get through Going Postal, and A Civil Campaign first because I need some comedy.

[jbru.livejournal.com]

Angling is only one method used to catch fish in the winter. For some types of fish, spearing is a preferred method. Things are done pretty much the same as you've heard before, but the fishing shack is nearly required here, in order to prevent light from seeping down the hole and revealing your position to the fish. (Not so much an issue with angling as fish are taken from deeper.)

On the subject of fishing shacks, my favorite was the one used by a fellow in northern Minnesota: He drove an RV out on to the ice. It had been modified with a trap door in the floor that would lead to his fishing hole and had a channel for passing the fishing line up through to his tip-up apparatus. This fellow had my father and I run about 500 feet of coaxial cable out across the ice from his sattelite dish to the RV so he could watch football and such while he fished. He pratically lived out on the ice for most of the winter.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

This scene is going to take place at night, however, in moonlight. (Can you ice fish at night?)

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Yes. The drinking is better then, as the fish don't bother you as much.

Forgot to mention, but "ice chisels" used to be the tool of choice for opening the ice -- heavy chisels on long metal or wooden shafts. These were common before the fancy augers came into use. Can't remember whether you are writing contemporary or not.

[jbru.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. Most folks start in the early, pre-dawn hours, though. Some folks will came home for work and then "go fishing," which is to say, go out on the lake and socialize with the other fishers (mainly men), in that stoic Minnesotan way whereby men gain camaraderie by being in proximity with each other without actually saying anything. Of course, some radical element (probably a Presbyterian) will bring a case of beer and, after a few, there might be some talk, some ribald joked at the expense of Ole and Lena and, every once in a while, a fish might be caught.

[jbru.livejournal.com]

The good folks at amazon.com sell ice augers. I thought the photo on this one would give you a good idea of how they look and would be used.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Perfect! Thanks so much!

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

At our lake, they have little hand crank drills that they spin holes in the ice with, about 6 inches across. They use all different kinds of bait, but mostly little fish or larva/grubs/worms of some kind. I have seen one guy use cheese O.O ... he says it just has to be something the fish can smell.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

Well, shoot, you finally ask a question I could answer, and everyone beats me to it!

In another life, I lived in Excelsior and Deephaven and was married to someone who went ice fishing. I have ridden in a Toyota Land Cruiser (back when they were metal boxes on wheels, made for traveling off-road, tipping over, and sinking in quicksand) on the ice of Lake Minnetonka, which, frankly, scared the hell out of me.