I'm seventeen years old and I went ice fishing for my first time with my friend.  It was also his first time so we went and talked to my uncle about what to do.  My uncle let us borrow two tip ups which were new to me and a little pole that had a jig tied onto it.  He told us to make sure the ice was thick enough and to follow foot prints and safety stuff.  He told us to bring a metal bar to break the ice since he didn't have an auger and he told us that he uses minnows.  He told us to bring a spoon but we didn't know why.  So we finally got to the lake and we did not dress warm enough or bring a spoon or even bring minnows.  So we used other peoples holes that they made and stayed for about ten minutes and then left.  So how do you actually ice fish?  If you use a jig what do you put on it?  If you use a tip up can you only use live minnows?  How deep do you have to fish?

first of all over dress, you can always take it off, Second if you don't have the equipment to find fish then look for others that do, if you're polite and tell them your new to ice fishing I think most ice fisherman would be more than glad to give you a hand, its hard to describe all the nuances of ice fishing without being there to show you. If you go to a group and you can find people pulling up fish you can go fairly close and fish and watch. I think the trick to ice fishing is keeping your bait active.

But just the essentials what do I actually need to do just hook a minnow onto a tip up and wait?

Always think safety 1st. Maybe even a life jacket under your coat, it'll help keep you warm also. Get your hole, and what I did before I had a showdown, was to lower jig all way to bottom and reel up maybe a turn. Start there and slowly work your way up water colum. Seems like bluegill hug bottom. Wax worms, or spikes on jigs usually real small stuff. I never used minnows but different ways for diff fish. Like he said ask others you see out, they will be glad to help.

Posted By traseley on 17 Jan 2011 08:27 PM
But just the essentials what do I actually need to do just hook a minnow onto a tip up and wait?

That's is the basics of it.  It's about the same thing with the jigging pole.  You just jig it up and down and wait to see if a fish will bite down on it.

Eventually getting a shelter to block out the wind is a huge difference.  Next come to some kind of heat source.  Even a fuel burning lantern will give off some heat, but you have to remember to ventilate your shack.  If you don't have a lantern, bring out some big candles.

what would you put on a jig thought?

what would you put on a jig though?

first off the bait you use depends on what kind of fish you are fishing for. One thing you are going to need is a hole skimmer to scoop the ice chips out of the hole and keep it open while your fishing. For bluegills you use tiny jigs and for bait you can use maggots, mousies, or any other type of grub for that matter. You can buy them at most bait stores in a small cup filled with sawdust. Or you can even try the gulp brand grubs. For perch or crappies you can use jigs, some small spoons for ice fishing, and bait them with small minnows. We use a spoon type lure called a Russian spoon. Some guys will file the barb off the hook so they can bring fish up on the ice and just drop them down to the ice and not have to unhook them. Using tip ups I tend to use a 18" or longer steel leader for pike. A treble hook and a large sized split shot about 6" up. For walleye I use a monofilament leader about 3 foot long. with the same hook setup. When not using the tip-ups I use a rubber band to keep it rolled up. then when fishing i use the rubber band to mark the depth I'm fishing at I loop it around the line at the water level. Use a clip on depth finder to find how deep the water is and start out about a foot or two above the bottom. remember that pike can only look forward and up and not down. so if you don't get a bite move your line up a foot or so. I use gold shiners or suckers for pike and emerald shiners for walleye. When jigging for walleye I use either a big enough jighead to get the bait to the bottom or jigging Rapala , a sweedish pimple or another spoon type jig. hold the bait about 2" over bottom jigging and lifting the bait about 6" each time. Like these other guys said if you see someone out on the ice ask them a few questions most guys won't care and will help you out. Most lakes and areas have different styles and lures that work for them. Some times you really have to work a jig and never let it rest and other times you may have to jig once every 5 minutes and let the rod rest. Some lures you can just kind of uf use a slow up and down circular motion in the hole. You don't need a vexilar I went for years without one. I just moved around a bunch looking of the fish usually trying to find the edge of a weedbed or dropoff.

first off the bait you use depends on what kind of fish you are fishing for. One thing you are going to need is a hole skimmer to scoop the ice chips out of the hole and keep it open while your fishing. For bluegills you use tiny jigs and for bait you can use maggots, mousies, or any other type of grub for that matter. You can buy them at most bait stores in a small cup filled with sawdust. Or you can even try the gulp brand grubs. For perch or crappies you can use jigs, some small spoons for ice fishing, and bait them with small minnows. We use a spoon type lure called a Russian spoon. Some guys will file the barb off the hook so they can bring fish up on the ice and just drop them down to the ice and not have to unhook them. Using tip ups I tend to use a 18" or longer steel leader for pike. A treble hook and a large sized split shot about 6" up. For walleye I use a monofilament leader about 3 foot long. with the same hook setup. When not using the tip-ups I use a rubber band to keep it rolled up. then when fishing i use the rubber band to mark the depth I'm fishing at I loop it around the line at the water level. Use a clip on depth finder to find how deep the water is and start out about a foot or two above the bottom. remember that pike can only look forward and up and not down. so if you don't get a bite move your line up a foot or so. I use gold shiners or suckers for pike and emerald shiners for walleye. When jigging for walleye I use either a big enough jighead to get the bait to the bottom or jigging Rapala , a sweedish pimple or another spoon type jig. hold the bait about 2" over bottom jigging and lifting the bait about 6" each time. Like these other guys said if you see someone out on the ice ask them a few questions most guys won't care and will help you out. Most lakes and areas have different styles and lures that work for them. Some times you really have to work a jig and never let it rest and other times you may have to jig once every 5 minutes and let the rod rest. Some lures you can just kind of uf use a slow up and down circular motion in the hole. You don't need a vexilar I went for years without one. I just moved around a bunch looking of the fish usually trying to find the edge of a weedbed or dropoff.

And to help you look for those drop offs and underwater humps that tend to hold fish. Go and get a lake map that shows depth and contour, either online print it and laminate it for waterproofing, or at baitshop. and take of with you, it'll get you close.

And to help you look for those drop offs and underwater humps that tend to hold fish. Go and get a lake map that shows depth and contour, either online print it and laminate it for waterproofing, or at baitshop. and take of with you, it'll get you close.

Well this weekend I'm gonna try again. I'm gonna try to save up some money to get a depthfinder. Can you just get one that you can hold and it works? I've never actually done any research on them? What are some good kinds for little money?

Hold on there young fella! First you're asking how to ice fish...and now you're off to buy a flasher. Yikes!!! Here's the basics:
1) You need a hole - buy a $70 hand auger or a spud (spud you can use to bust through previously used holes
2) You will need a skimmer to remove the gradual ice built up after hours of fishing - $5
3) You will need line and flagging tape - go to Walmart and buy 8lbs Stren - $7 (no need for specialty ice lines) & flagging tape $1
4) You need a rod or pole - stop on shore on your way onto the lake and break off a few branches (not to thick or large) where it can be propped into the slush pile you create when you drill or chip out your hole
5) You need a hook and weight - buy small jigs or three-prongs and split-shot sinkers
6) Presentation - tie on a jig and hook the a minnow through the top dorsal fin so that it can still swim. Or tie on a small three prong and again hook through the top dorsal fin and attach a small split-shot sinker 18" up from the hook - use only enough weigh to lower the bait to bottom
7) Leaving the line on the spool, drop your presentation down the hole to about 6" off bottom (starting point)
8) Prop your branch into the snow so a small portion extends over the hole
9) Slip your spool over one of the branches or lay it beside the hole so that line can be easily pulled from it if you get a hit
10) Loop your line over the thinnest branch you can so that when it's pulled, it will come off easily
11) Tie a piece of flagging tape to the line where you have it looped on the branch - when the line is pulled the flagging tape will disappear down the hole signifying a strike
12) The line will easily unwind from the spool without the spool being pulled down the hole
12) Every now and then skim the hole to keep it clear and jig the bait up and down several times

That's probably as simple and cheap as it gets - plus one of the most effective ways to ice fish.

GOOD LUCK!!!

BTW....the above prices may be inflated cause I live in Northern Ontario, eh! LOL!

thank you this was very helpful.

I have read the replays here and it is much help. will be ice fishing for the first time this jan.2013.I have bought to rods and a tip up and a frw jigs. Looking forward to fishing, it's beena while.

Good luck ice fishing

going to respool my old ice poles, any recommendations on line to use?

Hi all. The best thing I have found is Trilene Ice. Its strong, tough, low viz and very sensitive. Its the best Iv found and I use it for all my ice fishing. Tight lines and bent rods (fish on fish on) lifemember 91

Posted By pillman on 18 Feb 2013 12:02 PM
going to respool my old ice poles, any recommendations on line to use?

I say depends what your fishing for bluegills or crappies try using nylon sewing thread it has no memory and is nearly invisible and hard to break. If fishing for eye's I use 8-10# test trilene ice is good but any mono line is my preference. A lot of guys here use spider line and others similar but then you have to deal with a mono leader about 2-3' long.