Ice Fishing

Ice fishing is angling performed on frozen water. The fishermen may use either fishing lines or spears and they have to make a hole in the body of ice in order to gain access to the unfrozen water underneath the ice. The sitting position is preferred for ice fishing too, as the fishermen can stay either on special stools or directly on the ice. For some, ice fishing is all the more enjoyable as they have built real sheds or cabins around the ice openings, bringing the comfort of a bunk bed with them.

Ice fishing is very popular especially in the cold areas on our globe. Latvia, Norway, Finland, Germany, Russia, Estonia and other Northern countries have given ice fishing the rank of favorite pastime as it has long ceased to earn one’s living now. The Great popularity levels are reputed by ice fishing in the North of the United States, as well as in Canada and Alaska.

Getting into more details about the fishing equipment used, we may realize that it is pretty different from other types of fishing in that it has become rather specialized. A fishing line or a spear could turn out worthless for this type of activity if you do not have an ice saw or a chisel at hand to begin with. Keep in mind that an opening in the ice is required first and foremost. But water will keep freezing even after you have made the hole, therefore most fishermen also carry a skimmer to remove that newly formed layer of ice. Most people also bring heaters along, not just to prevent ice formation but also to preserve a level of personal comfort too. That is why wooden huts or cabins which retain the heat indoors are widely preferred by ice fishing fans.

Ice fishing is based on three different methods, each with its specifically designed tools. First, you can use small-sized rods with colorful little lures or baits. Secondly, you can tip-ups that are a great means of catching fish in large quantities within a certain period of time. And last, there’s spear ice fishing for which you need a larger hole and fish decoys.

No matter for which of the three you go, we can compare nowadays success of these fishermen’s activity with that of long ago ice fishing. It seems that today, sonars make fish detection piece of cake. Then, with the help of commercial fishing devices fishermen will drill about 100 holes per day if they wished to catch large amounts of fish, very much unlike our ancestors who had to wait by the hole for the fish to come to them.