I know nothing about ice fishing except that it adds the risk of freezing to death to the risk of drowning.
What do I need to give it a try this winter without investing a large amount of money, and have a reasonable chance of success catching something in a southeast Nebraska pond?
I already have an auger.

Knowing the bottom contour is important to knowing where to drill the holes.

You can buy some very cheap ice fishing poles and then use one of your spinning reels.

There are things called pop-ups that folks use when fishing many holes at once.

Personally, I would want at least 6" of ice, but many ice fish with less than that.

I think there's a website called iceshanty.com or something like that where this sub-culture gathers.

BH, I just started fishing the hardwater last year. It's a "different kind of fun" than fishing open water. This super warm to start off. Just when you think you're set, you end up spending the day shivering in your wet boots. What I do is just use some of my UL reels and just attach them to some ice rods. You can get fancy with all sorts of attachments that increase sensibility, etc., but really, all you need is that and small jigs. I generally use small minnows and/or waxies. <4 pound test. When looking for a place to drill a hole if you're not privy to knowledge of structure it can be a crapshoot. But just remember if you don't feel a bite in the first 10 minutes, move. Explore the entire water column. Drop and slowly jig up and do again. When you find them, remember the depth, and repeat. They have weights that you can attach to your hook to gauge depth. Use this to determine how deep to drop your line and work from there.

You can spend a ton of money in a flasher, sled, hut, etc., but it's not necessary. You may catch more fish with a flasher, but not necessarily. I've been skunked using both methods.

I know nothing about ice fishing except that it adds the risk of freezing to death to the risk of drowning.

Now thats funny. I don't care who you are that funny.
I will no be doing any ice fishing this year.

To get started take out a local guide for a day or tag along with your brother in laws friend from work.

I would but none of my brother in laws have jobs. Or friends.

We must be related Sounds like my sons

You could get one of your PondBoss neighbors to tag along with you.

Maybe. I kind of wanted to try it last year, but my pond is about a quarter mile from the road. By the time we had enough cold weather to produce thick enough ice, I would have needed a dog sled to get to it.

Buy a mad bomber cap lined with rabbit fur.

Buy a six pack, maybe even a 12 pack of good beer. Think seriously about what you are about to do. While thinking about it, drink the beer while watching Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men. If it isn't yet dark by the time you watch the movies and finish drinking the beer, see if Saturday afternoon bowling or the Big Joe Polka Show might be on TV. By then it will definitely be too dark to go outside, and the feeling will pass.


Me in my mad bomber hat, testing the Green Hornet on the pond last winter. I should have just stayed in the house. I'd have caught just as many fish.

An older gentleman was showing me the ropes last year and because I was a "younger" guy, made me drag his sled full of everything you can imagine nearly a mile through deep snow to "his spot"...where we proceeded to catch one fish in 5 hours time.

I'm getting more and more enthused about this all the time.

Dang I know it won't get that cool down here to try it. So diappointed

NOT

In all honesty, I would rather ice fish than warm weather fish . As I've stated here before, I don't fish anywhere but my own ponds, and I only target Bluegill. (Winter or Summer). There's just something about it. I usually go alone, because everyone gives you the "look" when you mention it, and I feel better with just my weight on the ice. As far as what you need, start with safety. A pair of "picks", worn around your neck, and 50 or 100' of rope tied to your waist and secured on shore, or anchored through a hole augered just for that purpose, goes a long way toward peace of mind. I have several ice rods now, but caught a lot of fish in the early days with a $10 plastic Schooley rod and wind up reel combo. Use a weight to find bottom, insert the line stop peg in the reel and fish about a foot of the bottom to begin. A handfull of ice jigs, some spikes, (maggots)will get you started. Now, I pull my gear in a sled that folds up and over to make a shelter, it helps a lot on windy days. I also recommend some cleats, or ice grippers for your boots. That black ice is some slick stuff. Although I never used any electronics early on, I wouldn't leave the house now without my flasher. When you can watch your jig drift through the water column in real time, then watch a fish charge off the bottom and hammer it, that really gets your blood pumping. You've got the auger, spend 25-30 bucks more on equipment and give it a try. If it's not for you, at least you won't have a ton of money tied up in it. Just watch the ice and be safe.

Advice from experience.
1. If you have no shanty, Pic a calm day and sun is shining. IF fishing when it is windy and cold without a shanty, it gets miserable fast!. It helps a lot if air temp is above 25 or 30F. It allows you to fish without gloves when facing the sun. Plus that way your hole is not always freezing over which makes fishing harder and not as fun. If not calm wind some sort of wind break helps a lot, even if it is a refrigerator box, v angle, or shanty one made from styrofoam building board. There are plans available for cheap easy homemade small ice shanties; prob internet or creativity.
2. Get a cheap ice fishing rod, Cabelas, Gander Mountain WalMart or cut off a old limber fish pole (tip section 12"-24" long). Glue rod tip into handle or get a handle with threaded butt for reel and holding rod tip. I prefer old level wind bait casting reels or a fly fishing reel loaded with 30-50 ft of 1-2 lb test, the rest backing; 4 lb will work but you get a lot more bites with 1-2 lb. I had lots of trouble and agrivation with line tangles using small open faced spinning reels in the wind and freezing cold. One can buy real cheap plastic ice reels that tape onto a pole and work great with real light line.
3. For sunfishes, YP and sometimes bass use small ice jigs (hook #10-12, or 14) baited with wax worms, spikes or mouseies. Sometimes adding 2baits to the jig helps get bites. I've caught CC and HSB that would not fit through a 6" hole on these tiny jigs. The jig imitates large zooplankton and insect larvae. The live bait provides flavor and helps lengthen the bite time. Often it helps to make the jig have small bounces or jumps of 1"-2" and then let it sit still for 15 sec-1 min, then bounce again.
4. Always begin fishing at or just off the bottom. Many use a tiny float; fingernail or smaller size. I prefer spring bobbers which help a lot when detecting a bite, landing a fish (vs bobber) and when fishing in deeper water >8ft. Floating bobbers can be troublesome while ice fishing and ice freezing to the bobber and line. I make my own spring bobbers and can send you one or a picture if you contact me. I almost always catch the most fish near the bottom where they usually hang out during winter due to the slight geothermal affect and slightly warmer water (1-2 degF). I now use a depth finder (flasher) and would not icefish without one.
5. As mentioned, if you don't get a bite in the first 5-10 min begin moving the bait upward in 1-2 ft increments until lure is 4-6 ft deep. If no bites move to a new location, in a pond, move maybe only 20 ft away. Often fish will not bite until close to sunset or the time when they are used to being fed pellets.
6. IF GSH are present expect to get lots of bites from them. They can be bait stealers and pests.
7. the only time I seriously fish my pond is icefishing. My YP are too easy to catch in open water and are easy to catch icefishing due to them rarely getting fished in openwater; thus they are 'dumb' and definately not hook shy. It really makes icefishing fun when you always catch fish and don't get 'skunked'. I really like YP because they are active in winter and if abundant, they are usually willing to co-operate for anglers.

Excellent advice from Mr. Cody. Bill, I can tell I would enjoy hard water fishing with you. I thought about this thread last night and wanted to add one more thing. There are days when the fishing is slow.... real slow. However, there are days when you can't get the jig back down the hole fast enough. When the fish are on, they are really on! It would be very easy to hurt a small fishery by over harvesting. I catch a greater proportion of big BG to dinks in the winter, than any other time. If it's a public lake with a lot of winter fishing pressure, the damage can be done pretty quickly. Course' if it's your own water, and fishing is limited, then it's not as bad.

Note: This morning my thermometer read 19 degrees!!!! too bad it's gonna be in the sixties next week....


I'm ready to chill and drill....

Tony

You guys are nuts.

There I said it.

Everyone else was thinking it but I said it.

So you purposely go onto an ice covered pond, risk life and limb by walking out onto the ice covered pond and then what do you do? you drill a hole in the ice, build a shack or drag a shack over and cover the ice hole, cover yourself with 30 pounds of winter clothing, sit in said shack while holding a minuscule pole (no comments please Brettski) and fish?

That's just crazy talk.

Most fish in winter as in summer go through periods of activity (feeding) and inactivity ('closed mouth disease'). In winter the periods of inactivity are more frequent due to colder temperatures and slower metabolism and slower digestion rates, thus they (esp warm water species), spend more time inactive and not interested in feeding. This tends to be less of a problem with cool and cold water species since they are better adapted to cold water. Although there are times in winter when conditions are good (probably weather and barometer related) that warmwater fish feed well and the bite is good to very good. Even fish farm owners have told me that fish catching with a seine is better during certain weather conditions. This also is probably related to fish activity periods.

I take folks ice fishing all winter long, it is most definitely my absolute favorite freshwater fishing! I dont have any additional technical information to help get you started that isnt covered in this post already, but what I do have is some fun pics from last year that may just help push you over the edge and get you started. We not only catch lots of fish, but we catch big fish too!

I never get tired of your ice fishing pics Nate. Just wow.

I dunno' Jeff, there's just something about it. On my ponds, winter is the only time I can cover the entire body of water without a boat. There is no area that is inaccessible to me, just a matter of walking over top of it and drilling a hole. Drop in the transducer, look for fish, if I mark some I drop a jig, if not I move on. With a sharp auger you can cover a lot of water pretty quickly. Then there's the matter of watching that red line on the sonar rise off the bottom and head toward your jig. I don't even watch my spring bobber anymore until the lines representing my bait, and the fish, combine into one. Then it's game on. Kinda' like a video game for fishermen. When you're out there by yourself on a grey, overcast, bitterly cold day, it's just you against the fish and mother nature. When the holes I drill freeze back over in 3 minutes, I start asking myself why... then the fish turn on and I get that silly grin on my face knowing I'm catching fish while 99% of folks are waiting on Spring...