How to get the joy out of ice angling

Chances are you may have wanted to try it but haven't been able to commit to enjoying what I've been raving about for years.

I'm ready to go, and in fact as soon as the temperature starts its upward swing, I'll venture out on to the ice one of our area lakes.

But in all honesty, I've already been out there catching bluegills and crappies.

Believe me when I tell you ice angling can be a real joy, even in cold weather. The trick is to have the right gear and know that one has to frequently move around to various spots in order to find schooled fish.

I suggest starting with selecting a portable ice shelter. There are a number of good brands around, including Frabill; Eskimo; Clam and Fish Trap. I made my initial decision after fishing with a friend several times in his two-person Fish Trap.

You will need cold-weather clothing. I invested a bit and purchased the Ice Armor jacket and bib overalls because another angling pal suggested this stuff will keep me toasty while walking across the hard stuff.

I generally bring three short ice rods along - two ultralight one medium weight rod - just to cover the bases if I decided to look for bigger fish. There are new flasher/sonar units on the market these days, following the lead of Vexilar and that company's famous FL-8 and FL-18 models.

I also bring a small propane heater to take the edge off the chill and subsequently turn it off because the Fish Trap does a good job of holding the hit inside.

I truly enjoy ice fishing as much as the warm months. In fact, I once told a friend that the challenge of finding schooled fish is so much fun that it seems I can never get enough of it.

Now comes the key elements to the real success on the ice: In the line, lure and bait department, the choices are very important.

I have small spools (they're called pony spools) of one and 2-pound test mono, which I rig on one of the ultralight rods and reels.

I'll tie some fluorocarbon line at the end to make the line even more invisible. On that same rod I'll tie on a one-one-hundredth ounce micro-jig and tip the tiny hook with a wax worm or maggot (spike).

The other ultralight rod (with 2-pound test) will be rigged with a slightly bigger jig, like a Genz Worm, and I'll tip that with the same kind of live bait.

The medium weight rod will be set up with an even larger lure if walleyes start to show up beneath me.

Some folks like to use tip-ups. This is a live bait rig where you just drop a line through the hole, let lots of line out, set a flag on the unit and wait for the flag to pop up, indicating a fish has grabbed the bait. I'll sometimes use one if I want to catch pike and even a walleye that's cruising in the neighborhood.

In Minnesota and in many locales in Wisconsin, a lot of ice fishermen like to stay in one place in a permanent ice house and wait for the fish to come to them.

If you ever read any of the books ice guru Dave Genz has written, you know he suggests you drill a dozen or so holes with a gas-powered auger before you set up your tent. He recommends not staying in any one location more that 5-10 minutes.

If the fish are right there, they'll go for the jig or live bait. Why waste time sitting over a hole that isn't producing?

The trick to all this is fish comfortably. Unlike angling maven Spence Petros, who would rather sit on a bucket and fish out in the open, I want to be comfortable and warm, and with the gear I mentioned, that's exactly the scenario I create.

I manage all the tackle in a way that makes it easy to change when conditions dictate something different to show the fish.

angler88@comcast.net