Get Ready for Ice Fishing

GET READY FOR ICE-FISHING
By Bob Jensen

Hard to believe isn't it, we're already thinking about ice-fishing. After seeing small snow flurries and temperatures in the twenties in the northern regions of the Midwest, we're reminded that it is indeed time to think about getting the ice-fishing equipment ready for use. We know that cold weather and ice are on the way, but so often that first trip of the year is delayed because our equipment isn't ready. Following are some things you should check for ice-fishing if you haven't already done so, and I'm betting you haven't.

Ice Perching

First of all, if you have a sonar unit that you use for ice-fishing, make sure the battery is charged.

Be sure to check the blades on your ice-auger. Make sure they're sharp. An auger with sharp blades is a pleasure to use, but an auger with dull blades is a pain. If you're in the market for a new auger, be sure to check out the Jiffy Stealth units. These augers have blades that don't require constant maintenance and cut really fast.

If you fish from a shelter, make sure all the parts are in working order. Check the heater so you don't have to mess with that when you would rather be fishing. If you will be getting a new shelter this year, get it early so you can have it assembled when it's time to go fishing. More than a few anglers every year buy a new shelter in October, but don't assemble it until they want to go fishing. Then it becomes a hurry-up job and often, hurry-up jobs don't get done the right way. I have been using Frabill Ranger portables for several years now, and every year they get easier to put together. It's a quick and easy job to put these units together, but I still like to get it done before it's time to fish.

Make sure the line on your reel is fresh. Don't start the season with last year's line. Just strip off thirty yards of line, maybe not even that much, and tie the new stuff to the old line. If you'll be fishing in shallow water, go with Trilene Cold Weather or Micro Ice. These lines are nearly invisible and easy to handle.

In deep water, FireLine Micro Ice is the way to go. It provides excellent hooksets in deep water and is also very easy to handle.

Last thing. Cold weather activities like ice-fishing are no fun if you're cold. Cabela's has a series of undergarments called Polartec that enables an outdoors-person to layer clothing effectively. You'll be warm, but you won't be bulky. Have some Polartec in your cold weather clothing drawer before ice-fishing season arrives.

If you get these tasks done before the water gets hard, you'll be able to get in on the early season ice-fishing action. Now is a good time to start on these tasks.

For more fish-catching information, visit fishingthemidwest.com