Why ice fishing?

Serious question. I had always figured people ice fished because it was the only way to fish during the winter. In the last few years (since owning a boat) I have been surprised by the number of people who choose ice fishing as their primary/favorite way to fish. Seeing people buy shacks that would buy you a new aluminum boat.

If you are this person try to explain why to me. What am I missing? I absolutely love fishing to the point I will take my boat out in January. But I just can’t get that excited about ice fishing.

For me, I spent several years guiding in northern Manitoba. I was tired of the boat. The job I landed, the guys had may to October booked for holidays, no point in getting a boat. So I focused on ice fishing. I find it much more peaceful on the ice. It’s cheaper, I find I try more lakes that I would have in the summer. I guess it depends on how long your ice season is too. Ours is 5-6 months.

The Mystique of being on frozen water.
You can drink as much as you can and not worry about an alcohol violation.

Also was in your camp transam, didn’t find the appeal for years. I’d be on the shore of the river anywhere it was open. Climbing out on ice shelves, figuring how to get fish up and over. Staring at a flasher or the hole seemed soooo boring. Monticello got alot of foot traffic from my boots.

Not sure what changed me. Chasing panfish is really fun. Interacting with them on screen. Reminds me of dock fishing as a kid. I’m sure most of us here lived on docks when you were to little to boat by yourself. Trying to catch the same dinky perch you’ve probably already caught 3x, changing presentations, cadence, baits until they go for it. With the finesse rods and line a 10″ Gill or a 12″ crappie might as well be a 26″ eye in summer.

You can be both more social and more secluded. It’s your choice. You aren’t restricted to your 18ft boat.
-its less of a hassle. Don’t need to launch the boat and deal with traffic
-there is a challenge in it that can be exhilarating. Pulling out all your gear into a 20 mph headwind in subzero temperatures. Call me crazy but it can make you really feel alive. Like some activity of a past life. And the reward is that much sweeter.
– you can drink as much ad you want without fearing a dwi
– I really like having all the necessities I need to get through the day right with me in a little shack. Something about it reminds sort of like when you were a kid and you would build forts with your friends and hang out in there.
– some of the most beautiful solitude you can imagine is available right by your house in the cities. Stepping out of the shack and looking at the night sky on the ice with the silent winds and the stars….that will bring a man closer to God there.

Love watching the fish react to my lure-your presentation is precise and you can use 2 lines.

Doesn’t take any ice to keep my beer cold

I think for a lot of people it is cost and time.

Boat say a decent 16′ fishing boat $5000.

Ice setup pretty nice one $1000. Otter shelter, low end flasher rods and bait.

I can get out for an hour on some lakes and in the boat sometimes I am not even hooked up yet.

Ice I can go where I cannot get my boat. Lakes that have no access more remote areas. Fishing seems to be more boom or bust in the winter for me. I am either on fish or not.

I have had jobs on farms all my life and now I work at a local Co-op at the fertilizer plant so I really don’t have any time to fish during the spring summer or fall so winter is my vacation time to fish when fertilizer and seed sales are over. Plus I love the fact I can drive around on the lakes if it came between a weekend fishing trip in the summer or fall or a weekend trip ice fishing I would take the ice any day

crappie55369 wrote:

You can be both more social and more secluded. It’s your choice. You aren’t restricted to your 18ft boat.
-its less of a hassle. Don’t need to launch the boat and deal with traffic
-there is a challenge in it that can be exhilarating. Pulling out all your gear into a 20 mph headwind in subzero temperatures. Call me crazy but it can make you really feel alive. Like some activity of a past life. And the reward is that much sweeter.
– you can drink as much ad you want without fearing a dwi
– I really like having all the necessities I need to get through the day right with me in a little shack. Something about it reminds sort of like when you were a kid and you would build forts with your friends and hang out in there.
– some of the most beautiful solitude you can imagine is available right by your house in the cities. Stepping out of the shack and looking at the night sky on the ice with the silent winds and the stars….that will bring a man closer to God there.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I see what you are saying. Crappie I agree with a lot of what you are saying.

1. I wish I had an 18′ boat mine is 17 LOL

2. I see what you are saying about feeling alive. I get that feeling more launching my boat in November-February than any other time. Something about the challenge of it. Fighting the elements, having people think you’re crazy, etc.

3. I’m not a religious person but I understand this point also. Seems I get more of that feeling of being in nature the later in the season I do it.

“Where were going, we don’t need boats” – Doc Brown

Ice fishing is just so much more refined than any other type of fishing. With an iced over surface the wind and the wave factor almost gets eliminated, making the fishes environment that much more clear and easy for the them to analyze your presentation. In turn, this makes you have to pay that much more attention to detail of what you’re putting in front of the fish. Line twist, jig cadence, line diameter, color, plastic/live bait presentation. It all just adds layers to a fun challenging puzzle to figure out every time you go out which infinitely changes given the specific conditions. On top of everything, there is no greater thrill, in my opinion, fighting a BIG fish on a small ice rod… You feel every ounce of that fish’s power. It’s just awesome!

Why ice fishing?

Because the wife doesn’t let you drink at home.

Well rather than backing the boat in the water and turning a key, ice fishing rewards you with hauling hundreds of pounds of gear by foot, less sofisticated fish finding technology, holes to drill, and the ability for any person to encroach on you…. Ok, I’m not one of those Ice fishing people!!!!!!

The solitude, peacefulness, ease of access to otherwise uneasy lakes, the feeling of connection with the fish before you even set the hook.

Yes, in the summer you can mark a fish in your boat and possibly catch it, or the boat is drifting right and you can pick up your jig on the finder. But in the winter, you are personally working with each fish before you catch it, learning the mechanics, what the fish likes and what they don’t.

I love fishing year round… but ice fishing is great for so many reasons!

*My kids can fish in their pajamas.
*I don’t have a leather couch in my boat.
*It’s hard to make a pizza and watch a movie in my boat.
*Ice fishing is just like camping only you can catch fish the whole time!
*Your ability to spend day and night fishing allows you to catch a good number of fish.
*There’s truly no better way for my family to bond and spend time together.

I guess I just don’t understand people that live for just one season. Living in MN there isn’t one month that I’m not looking forward to. Everyday I’m able to wake up and do what I want is a great day!!

1. I can’t catch fish off a couch in my boat.

2. I can fish all day even while sleeping.

3. I can sit in total comfort in a tee shirt in january…try that in your boat.

4. Watching a flasher in real time is better than looking at a graph.

5. For those without a boat or who enjoy fishing by themselves on their own schedule, ice can’t be beat.

I could go on and on why it is my favorite season. I have a boat, I have enough friends, but I like going out by myself or with my kid on my schedule. When we go on our yearly ice trip with friends, we can intetact between houses, play cards, games, fish, drink, grill or go to a bar for nightlife if we so desire….. A little tougher to do in a boat. Some people will never understand it, but that’s their loss. I suggest a trip with some friends and you will see why we do this.

eyeguy507 wrote:

1. I can’t catch fish off a couch in my boat.

2. I can fish all day even while sleeping.

3. I can sit in total comfort in a tee shirt in january…try that in your boat.

4. Watching a flasher in real time is better than looking at a graph.

5. For those without a boat or who enjoy fishing by themselves on their own schedule, ice can’t be beat.

I could go on and on why it is my favorite season. I have a boat, I have enough friends, but I like going out by myself or with my kid on my schedule. When we go on our yearly ice trip with friends, we can intetact between houses, play cards, games, fish, drink, grill or go to a bar for nightlife if we so desire….. A little tougher to do in a boat. Some people will never understand it, but that’s their loss. I suggest a trip with some friends and you will see why we do this.

I love to ice fish at night. I can walk a couple hundred yard out to a familiar hole with my headlamp on, drill a couple holes, set up my shelter and sit in peace for hours on end. Night fishing on a boat is a totally different story. It’s much more dangerous than daylight, it’s usually very buggy, and water collects everywhere from the dew. With 3 little kids, it’s tough to get out before bedtime. But in the winter I can lay the kids down, kiss the wife and fish until midnight without issue. It’s perfect!

for me one reason only, something to do, long winters, used to get excited about it but call me old, no more, breaking thru the ice, getting on and off the ice, Give me open water anytime. That’s my thoughts

I certainly did not need any more reasons on why I love ice fishing but I like this thread in that it reminded me of the so many reasons why. And made me aware of the one’s I didn’t think about.
Some of my favorites;
From crappie55369
“I really like having all the necessities I need to get through the day right with me in a little shack. Something about it reminds sort of like when you were a kid and you would build forts with your friends and hang out in there.”
From Matt Brookman;
“On top of everything, there is no greater thrill, in my opinion, fighting a BIG fish on a small ice rod… You feel every ounce of that fish’s power. It’s just awesome!”
From eyeguy507;
“I can sit in total comfort in a tee shirt in january…try that in your boat.”
and..”When we go on our yearly ice trip with friends, we can intetact between houses, play cards, games, fish, drink, grill or go to a bar for nightlife if we so desire…..”
And perhaps my favorites from Joe Scegura;
“*I don’t have a leather couch in my boat.
*It’s hard to make a pizza and watch a movie in my boat.
*Ice fishing is just like camping only you can catch fish the whole time!
*Your ability to spend day and night fishing allows you to catch a good number of fish.
*There’s truly no better way for my family to bond and spend time together.”
And lastly this one too…from Joe. Could include grandkids as well!
“*My kids can fish in their pajamas.”

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For me it is easy — I LOVE to fish, so why give up 3-4 months when I can get out. I don’t have any access to “open” water in the winter. I am guessing I actually catch and keep more fish in the winter because in Iowa, my winter fishing is mostly pan fish, while in summer I fish mostly for bass which I prefer to CPR. I still release most of my winter fish, but it is easy to save 6-8 fish for supper if I want to.

I don’t do a lot of ice fishing but as others have pointed out:
– Experience is different
– Different fishing approach
– New toys and equipment for the gear head
– Opportunity for a winter activity
– Love of fishing
– Different trip ideas or adventures
– Can be low overhead

I generally fish either big water(Lotw) or hard-to-access water(portage lakes). Inclement summer weather can be a real pain and can really limit the fishing time on big water.

On the other hand, in winter, I can easily jump on my sled and cross over to the garden island or oak island area and fish for a day even if the wind is 15-20mph from the northwest. It is rare to have the weather prevent a day of fishing in the winter…..but relatively common in the summer….

Winter fishing is productive, comfortable, and relatively simple.

I think joe needs a pontoon, we grill steaks and taters while watching movies on slow fishing nights.night fishing open water on the river is exiting, you cannot play chicken with a barge at 2am on ice. I ice fish a few times a year because I simply need to get out of the house and work up a sweat getting all that crap from my garage into the car then the car onto the smitty sled and then half way across the frozen tundra the unload it and set it up. I most likely wont catch anything larger than a minnow and certainly wont keep anything. But what I do get is some quality time with a couple friends away from the yakity yack of women and children while doing absolutely nothing. its not that bad it just seems like it. But you can sure tell who the walleye guys are out there, they set up so close to you that you can smell there farts. So when that happens i play really obscene music very loud and do doughnuts with the car and drill holes till im outa gas. I cant tell who’s the bigger dick them or me hahahahaha!

Because it’s a blast to have a rattle reel take off, or watch a bobber dissappear down a hole, laughing at your buddy because he just burned a hole in his jacket against the heater, it’s fun to drive your vehicle on a lake you just boated on during the summer, you get to look down a hole and sight fish, it’s never too rough on the lake…

I love the first ice walk in’s. Ice fishing can be very social if you choose to lay a pile of tipups with family and or friends. Ice fishing can be very private and secret if your willing to work for that. Ice Jig names are fun: Flirty Girty. Marmooska. Pierced, Ratso, Demon, just to name a few. You can sleep on the ice and fish at the same time! Night fishing for game fish with tip ups and lights is fun. Winters are long, ice fishing makes it shorter.
It can be the coldest crummiest day outside but inside your shack it can be warm and the fish are biting.

catnip wrote:

its not that bad it just seems like it. But you can sure tell who the walleye guys are out there, they set up so close to you that you can smell there farts. So when that happens i play really obscene music very loud and do doughnuts with the car and drill holes till im outa gas. I cant tell who’s the bigger dick them or me hahahahaha!

blackbay wrote:

Because it’s a blast to have a rattle reel take off, or watch a bobber dissappear down a hole, laughing at your buddy because he just burned a hole in his jacket against the heater, it’s fun to drive your vehicle on a lake you just boated on during the summer, you get to look down a hole and sight fish, it’s never too rough on the lake…

bigpike wrote:

I love the first ice walk in’s. Ice fishing can be very social if you choose to lay a pile of tipups with family and or friends. Ice fishing can be very private and secret if your willing to work for that. Ice Jig names are fun: Flirty Girty. Marmooska. Pierced, Ratso, Demon, just to name a few. You can sleep on the ice and fish at the same time! Night fishing for game fish with tip ups and lights is fun. Winters are long, ice fishing makes it shorter.
It can be the coldest crummiest day outside but inside your shack it can be warm and the fish are biting.

Early ice can be interesting especially in the dark. Walking on the void.

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i can get into the story book magic of sitting in the middle of a lake, a light snow hitting your back as dusk approaches, blah blah blah, but really?

its the flasher. if i didn’t have a flasher i wouldn’t ice fish. its like a video game. a totally different way to fish thats a blast.