About a fifteen years ago a couple of my neighbors invited me to go ice fishing with them to Cherry Creek Reservoir. I really wasn’t to keen on the idea, but after their difficult time convincing me that it was safe I joined them.

Arriving at the reservoir they quickly turned what had been apprehension into plane old “Ain’t no way!”, as they cast stones and rocks out on to the ice, I guess checking ice thickness?

Without another soul already out on the ice fishing, they made their way out about a hundred yards on the “clear” ice. I watched them as they hand drilled a couple fishing holes in the ice. They then turned to me on shore and waved ” Come on out its three inches “.

Sure I can swim I thought, but I’ve never tried it in the winter.

Each of my steps on the ice were into an already identify able foot print as I hesitantly made my way out on the ice to join them.

After baiting my hook with a salmon egg and realizing as I let my line down through the hole that I was now standing over ten feet of water, I sat down on my bucket. For some reason I knew I wouldn’t leave my bucket unless a fish threatened to pull my fishing rod into the hole and even then I would hope it would become lodged in the hole and the line would break.

I’ve come a long way since that first day on the ice. Sure the first day of every year on the ice which may be two or three inches thick results in apprehension… “I’ve not done this since last year “. After getting past those first few moments it seems like I had not left the ice from the previous winter.

Ice Fishing Safety

As most ice fisherman know the first two to four inches of ice on any reservoir are the strongest inches of ice we’ll get all winter.

As winter progresses and the ice appears to get thicker we realize that it actually grows in layers. These layers may be combinations of snow, melting snow, wind blown debris from the shore, therefore it’s quite possible that although we measure eight inches of ice thickness after drilling our hole, effectively it may be equivalent to only 4 to 5 inches of first ice.

The first ice of winter doesn’t completely cover the reservoir in one day. It may be progressive and take anywhere from a week to two weeks to complete its cover. Wind and thus moving water may remove ice that has formed during the cold night. Stresses built up in growing ice causing fractures, buckling, and cracks as the stresses are relived. These are some of the variables that anyone entering upon the ice sheet must consider with caution.

I’d rather stand on the shoreline and be afraid than try to swim or pull myself to safety on to the ice from the cold water. If I have any doubts and sometimes I do, there are a few things I can do to prepare for this possible eventuality.

Carry a fifty foot section of heavy nylon rope, never fish without a partner, carry a long 12 foot pole, carry a set of ice spikes tied with a string around my neck and maybe even a life preserver or cushion in my gear. This protection is for myself and other times it could be used to assist someone else in trouble on the ice.

Generally on my first fishing trip on the ice the most important thing I do for myself is gain confidence in the ice condition. If there is snow cover I may drill a hole every fifteen yards to check the ice layer and I’ll always skirt an area that shows a difference in ice color or snow buildup. I generally spend time watching the ice form on the reservoir a week before I attempt my first excursion. I generally know on my local reservoirs where the first ice is formed both from current observation and past years observations and experience.

Nothing is perfect, therefore proceed with caution. Although first ice can provide some of the winters best fishing if you don’t feel comfortable stay home it’s going to be a long winter with plenty more cold, ice, and fish to come.

Ice Fishing Equipment

Besides any of the safety devices mentioned above, consideration then must go to dressing accordingly to the weather conditions to remain comfortable on the ice. Basically dress warm in layers and wear insulated waterproof boots. You will be standing and/or sitting on ice exposed to wind and whatever for hours. I would rather be dressed too warmly and shed layers than not have enough insulation and protection to start the trip.

Over the years I have progressed to using a snow suit and layering underwear and other clothing underneath. I bring gloves, mittens, and a muff style hand warmer I hang around my neck in which I place a Jone hand warmer or other chemical heat device. It’s almost impossible to tie fishing line, hooks, jigs, and attach bait without exposing your bare hands to the environment. I wear leather upper – rubber lower, felt insulated waterproof boots on my feet.

I pull a sled called a “Fish Trap” which holds all my gear including rods, reels, tackle, bait, food, coffee, and gas powered ice auger and ice hole skimmer. It also has a pull over canvas cover to get out of the elements when necessary, which then limits my fishing to only using one fishing hole. My fishing rods, reels, line, and presentations are quite a bit more refined then the gear I use in the “soft water” periods.

I started my ice fishing with a seven-inch hand Mora Ice Auger, plastic ice hole dipper, five gallon bucket to carry gear and use also as a seat. As each ice fishing year went by I started not only accumulating more equipment but modifying, building, and constructing equipment and tackle to become more efficient.

There is seldom a day on the ice I have less than four fishing rods ready to fish, a electronic depth finder for both finding underwater spots through the ice and watching both active and inactive fish responding to my fishing presentations, gas powered auger to provide more mobility, increase fishing time as I move, and a variety of tackle items to effectively change fishing presentations quickly.

Ice Fishing Techniques

As with any form of sport fishing it becomes a study of fish species, their behavior, location, and seasonal pattern variables. Experience again is the best teacher in graduating to becoming a better or one of the best ice fisherman on the reservoir.

“Newbies” to the ice will sit there and watch fisherman all around them catching fish and they won’t have a bite, at least they think so. Sometimes by the time they finally get a bite they’re more involved in what’s happening around them then their bobber that slid under the ice. The only fish of the day is gone !

While I and another ice fishing friend pulled rainbow after rainbow through our holes late one afternoon a fisherman about thirty-five yards away came over and I remember almost his exact words, ” I’ve been sitting there for the past hour watching you guys catch fish after fish, haven’t had a bite and I’m from Minnesota where I caught fish all the time”, it wasn’t only a statement but a question?

The moments of daylight and my fishing time was waning, therefore I guess my response to him may have seemed quite obtrusive, something like this, ” We fish differently here in Colorado and we’re in eight feet of water and you’re in about fifteen where your sitting, move over and watch us.”

In essence what I was saying to him without detail is, “You can learn from us observing, but don’t bother us when we’re catching fish!”. Of course the best time to talk to ice fisherman is off the ice, because if you bring a rod over to their hole they could feel threatened. If you travel the ice without a rod, etc., maybe on ice skates as I have, ice fisherman are a lot friendlier and freely will pass on information both positive and negative.

All of the still fishing and vertical jigging methods used by fisherman during the “soft water” period will work catching fish through the ice, but as with anything, definite refinements in gear, tackle, and presentations will catch more fish.

For anyone wanting to get into ice fishing a local tackle store, a good ice fishing book, ice fishing seminars, ice fishing videos, or going fishing with a experienced fisherman is the way to start. Here you’ll see and hear about the game. After that it’s up to you to achieve the level of success you desire.

Enjoyments of Ice Fishing

Since my first day on the ice the challenges and the progress that I’ve made in developing techniques to catch fish through the ice overwhelm me when I think back.

Given an idea, or with an idea and turning that into a fishing method or presentation that works effectively on the ice and then being able to apply it to my other fishing time has been satisfying. Passing this information on to other fisherman to help them to be more effective and then seeing them catching more fish has been satisfying.

Fisherman I have met and will continue to meet on the ice remain foremost in my mind. Some of course only out there to catch dinner, but some like myself who would rather catch and release for another day.

Each and every year, each and every trip on the ice , provides the stories that are told amongst ice fishermen as they wait for their tip-ups to tip or their rod tips to bend.

No jet skiers, no jet boats, only ice, snow, and fish. Keep warm and dry, catch some fish, and you’ll not only be back next year, you’ll be getting prepared next October !