by mikebaird

Article by jekky

Locations It is a popular pastime in Canada, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine and Germany[citation needed]. In the United States, people from northern states with lakes and long cold winters also enjoy the activity. Shelters Ice fishing on the Ottawa river, near the capital of Canada Main article: Ice shanty Longer fishing expeditions can be mounted with simple structures. Larger, heated structures can make multi-day fishing trips possible. A structure with various local names, but often called an ice shanty, ice shack, fish house, shack, bobhouse, or ice hut, is sometimes used. These are dragged or trailered onto the lake using a vehicle such as a snowmobile, ATV or truck. The two most commonly used types are portable and permanent. The portable houses are often made of a heavy material that is usually water tight. The two most common types of portable houses are when your shelter flips behind the user when not needed, or a pop up shelter so the only means out is through a door. The permanent shelters are made of wood or metal and usually have wheels for easy transport. They can be as basic as a bunk heater and holes or having satellite TV, bathrooms, stoves, full size beds and may appear to be more like a mobile home than a fishing house. In North America, ice fishing is often a social activity. Some resorts have fish houses that are rented out by the day, often, shuttle service via Snow Track or other vehicles modified to drive on ice is provided. In Finland, solitary and contemplative isolation is often the object of the pastime. In Finland, fishhouses are a rare occurrence, but wearing a sealed and insulated drysuit designed of space-age fabric is not. In North America, portable houses appear to create a city at locations where fishing is best. Fishing equipment Mora hand auger Icefishing gear is highly specialized. First, an ice saw or auger or chisel is required to cut a circular hole or larger rectangular hole in the ice. It is recommended an 8 inch or 20 cm hole is drilled through the ice. Power augers are sometimes used. If these are not available then axes are used to chop a hole in the ice. A skimmer which is a large metal spoon with holes in it, is used to remove new ice as it forms and to clear slush left from making the hole. During colder periods most ice anglers choose to carry a heater of some type. The heater is for warmth and it also keeps an anglers fishing hole from freezing. When temperatures reach -20 F or colder it becomes very hard to keep a fishing hole open. Three main types of fishing occur. The first is using a small, light fishing rod with small, brightly colored lures or jigs with bait such as waxworms, fat heads or crappie minnows. The fisherman sits at the hole in the ice and lifts the pole every now and then, producing the jig effect. The second is using Tip-ups, which are made of wood or plastic, and have a spool of line attached, with a thin piece of metal that goes from the spool to the flag. Black line is put on the spool and a swivel is placed at the end of the black line. Then a piece of fishing line with a hook is attached to the swivel. Worms, power bait, grub worms or small minnows are placed on the hook. The hook with bait is paced into the water under the ice. The depth that the bait is placed goes according to several theories. One theory is the bait is placed one meter under the ice. The second is that the bait is placed two to three meters under the ice. The third is that the bait is suspended one foot above the bottom of the lake. When the fish strikes the bait the flag is lifted which notifies the fisherman that he has a fish on the hook. The fisherman pulls the line in and the fish fights. The fisherman will allow the line to slip through his hands during the struggle. Finally when the fisherman can get the fish’s head into the hole in the ice, the fish is quickly lifted onto the ice. This allows for less-intensive fishing. The third method is spear fishing a large hole is cut in the ice and fish decoys may be deployed. The fisherman sits in a dark ice shanty called a dark house. The fisherman then peers into the water while holding a large spear attached to a line waiting for fish to appear. This method is often used for lake sturgeon fishing. In the United States many states allow only rough fish to be taken while spear fishing. Becoming increasingly popular is the use of a flasher, similar to its summer cousin the fishfinder . This is a sonar system that provides depth information, as well as indicates the presence of fish or other objects. These flashers, unlike most typical fish finders, display the movement of fish and other objects almost instantaneously. The bait being used can often be seen as a mark on the flasher, enabling the angler to position the bait right in front of the fish. Underwater cameras are also now available which allow the user to view the fish and observe their reaction to the lure presentation. Modern ice fishing Ice fishing methods have changed drastically over the past 20 years. The name of the game is mobility, for today modern ice fishermen. The days of drilling one hole and hoping a fish will swim by, are starting to fade. With sonar and fast augers many fisherman will drill upwards of 110 holes in a single day, in the search for fish. When the fish stop biting, fishermen will move to the next hole check it with their sonar, and if there are no fish they keep moving till more fish are found. Mobility increases the catch of any ice fishermen because you move to where the fish are. This is the same concept practiced by summer fishermen. Fisherman walk unto the ice with sleds made of plastic or wood with equipment. They drill hole with hand augers or power augers with a motor that turns the auger or drill. The fisherman determined the depth of the water where they are at. Then the fishermen set up tip ups depending on the number allowed by state law regulation. They place the bait according to where they think the fish are. After two hours if there are no fish caught, the fisherman moves to another area, usually close by. They keep moving until they decide to go home. Fishing is usually done during day light hours, as this this when it is the warmest and in theory, this is when fish can see well and search for food. Fisherman dress warm, as there is wind that blows across lakes or rivers that are frozen. Some set up a piece of plastic to block wind or a small plastic tent. Fires are sometimes made, but wood has to be hauled onto the ice. Dangers Illustration of ice fishing in Norway circa 1904 Many fishermen will go out with 2.5 inches of good ice for walking, but the recommended is 4 inches, 56 inches for Sleds (Snow Machines, Snowmobiles) 712 for light cars and 1416 inches for full sized trucks. Care must be taken, because sometimes ice will not form in areas with swift currents, leaving open areas which freeze with much thinner ice. On the Great Lakes, off-shore winds can break off miles-wide pans of ice stranding large numbers of fishermen. Just such a circumstance occurred in Lake Erie in February ’09, with 100 fisherman having to be rescued by helicopters, local authorities and the Coast Guard, and one man who’d fallen into the water dying on the rescue flight. Late-winter warm spells can destroy the texture of the ice, which, while still of the required thickness, will not adequately support weight. It is called “rotten ice” or soft ice and is exceedingly dangerous. Some ice-fishermen will continue to fish, since even with the bad ice normally 8 inches is more than enough. Fisherman may carry a self-rescue device made of two spiked handles connected by a string to pull themselves out of the water and onto the ice. Many cars, trucks, SUVs, snowmobiles, and fish houses fall through the ice each year. Current environmental regulations require the speedy recovery of the vehicle or structure in this situation. Divers must be hired, and when the trouble occurs far from shore, helicopters may be employed for hoisting. Other risks associated with ice fishing include carbon monoxide poisoning from fish house heaters and frostbite due to prolonged exposure to wind and low temperatures, although most new houses are fitted with air exchange systems that allow air flow preventing poisoning. Contests Participants of large Finnish ice fishing competition Miljoonapilkki in 2005. Ice fishing contests offer prizes for the largest fish caught within a limited time period, many offer a prize for the biggest fish caught as well. In Michigan, USA, “Tip-Up Town, USA” can bring 40,000 people out onto Houghton Lake for festivities which include ice fishing, snowmobiling, snow sculpting and fireworks. In Wisconsin, the Bass Lake Ice Fishing Contest is an annual ice fishing event held each February with prize earnings of over $ 50,000, and 100% of the proceeds are donated to charity. Forest Lake, Minnesota is host to a contest which was once called the largest ice fishing contest in the world. In its heyday, 12,000 anglers would compete for trucks, boats and at one point even $ 100,000 cash prize. In 2008 Forest Lake’s newest contest called Fishapalooza, paid out over $ 185,000 in cash and prizes and raised over $ 30,000 for local charities. The current world’s largest contest is held on Gull Lake, north of Brainerd, Minnesota, in January of each year. The contest has over 15,000 anglers and drills over 20,000 holes for the contest. In Finland, ice fishing contests have been marred by repeated scandals, where both contestants and organizers have been caught cheating. Contestants have smuggled previously caught and frozen fish with them. Organizers have awarded the prizes to shills, not really participating in the competition, to avoid paying prizes. References ^ “Man Dies and Scores Are Rescued From Erie Ice Floe” by Liz Robbins, with Chris Maag in Sandusky, OH, The New York Times, 2-7-09. Retrieved 2-7-09. Gruenwald, Tom and Genz, Dave (1999) Modern Methods of Ice Fishing Creative Publishing international. ISBN 9780865730717 External links Native-American Ice Fishing. v d e Fishing techniques Gathering Gathering seafood by hand Clam digging Pearl diving Ama divers Abalone Scallops Noodling Trout tickling Trout binning Flounder tramping Spears Spearfishing Speargun Polespear Bowfishing Harpoon Gigging Trident Hawaiian sling Lines Hand-line fishing Longline fishing Trolling Dropline Trotline Jigging Jiggerpole Category:Fishing knots Nets Fishing net Hand net Cast net Lave net Gill net Drift net Surrounding net Seine net Trawl net Chinese fishing net Lampuki net Glass floats Ghost nets Turtle excluder device Traps Fishing traps Fish wheel Fishing weir Fishing basket Eel buck Putcher fishing Corf Lobster trap Almadraba Double-Heart of Stacked Stones Other Fishfinder Fishing light attractor Fish aggregating device Payaos Basnig Flossing Ice fishing Cormorant fishing Electrofishing Shrimp baiting Dredging Muroami Explosives Cyanide fishing Fish toxins v d e Fisheries and fishing topic areas Fisheries Fisheries science Wild fisheries Oceanic habitats Fish farming Aquaculture Fish diversity Fish diseases Fisheries management Fishing quota Sustainability Fishing Fisherman Artisan fishing Fishing villages Fishing vessels Fishing history Industry Commercial fishing Processing Products Seafood Marketing Markets Recreational Angling Game fishing Fly fishing Catch and release Techniques Gathering Spearfishing Line fishing Netting Trawling Trapping Other Tackle Hook Line Sinker Rod Bait Lures Artificial flies Bite alarms Locations Fishing by country Fishing villages Fishing banks Fish ponds List of articles by topic areas Alphabetical list of articles Fisheries glossary Categories: Fishing techniques and methods | Winter sports | Minnesota cultureHidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from January 2010 | Articles with unsourced statements from October 2007

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