I took a trip North recently to test out my desire to move Norte.

I developed a fascination for ice fishing. If you participate in this activity, I'd love to know:

What do you like best about it?
How long do you stay on the ice?
Do you use a wooden structure or fabric shelter on the ice?
What is your heat source?

Basically, I have been watching people all day on a local lake. ha. I am from an area that does not freeze solid consistently. So, "stay off the ice, it's not safe" is well-rooted in my brain. I did walk onto the ice on my hike today. I decided if it could hold a massive truck, it could hold me.

Again, I am just looking for some personal reflections (as opposed to a "how to", if you don't mind sharing. It looks like a blast! I probably wouldn't fish much, but the idea of camping on the ice is very appealing. : )

I wrote in my journal today that the frozen ice creates a new world to explore.

I ice fish frequently and find it simultaneously relaxing and exciting. Depending on what I'm fishing for and where, I usually spend all day on the ice from pre-sunrise to after sunset. Each body of water and target species has its own bite pattern, though, so there's a high degree of variability there. I use a pop-up hub style shelter and a Mr. Heater Big Buddy as a heat source. The quality shelters with good insulation can stay warm enough just from body heat if the temp doesn't get too low and wind is forgiving.

Feel free to message/email me with any specific questions. I don't pretend to be an expert ice fisherman by any means but could offer some suggestions to get you going, gear priorities, and maybe some things to avoid.

My advice would be to talk to people.

Walk out on a lake on a nice day when people are fishing outside and talk to people. Ask what they're fiahing for and if they're having any luck. Most people I've encountered on lakes are pretty friendly and will give you advice. If they're fishing for walleye or Northern and you want to fish for panfiah, ask them if they'd recommend any locations.

Go talk to someone at a bait shop or sporting goods store and tell them you want to ice fish. They'll sell you everything you need at your price point.

Go back to your spot, drill some holes, talk to more people and watch what they're doing. Take note of who's catching fish, where and how. Im not that guy thats going to setup on top of someone with a hot hole, but ill definitely try to get that spot when I come back tomorrow.

Good luck, dress warm and have fun.

Ice fishing is my excuse for trying to be productive on a frozen lake while having a beer and watching the world go round. I go ice fishing mostly to just sit, stare at a hole through solid phase water, and think. To let my mind wander. To dream while awake. To work through problems, ideas, and goals.
Forcing myself to go out on a lake with the thin justification that I am there to catch fish creates a space for boredom, or according to Bertrand Russell "the time you spend wasting is not wasted time." It is in this wasted time that I can let my mind wander and find insights and connections that I can't fathom when surrounded by my regular daily survival pyramid.
The best days for icefishing are when you don't have to be in a shelter, there's no wind, the sun is crackling bright and there isn't a cloud in the electric blue dome above your head. I can feel my eyeball muscles get that "long sight," the same as when canoeing a lake and can see for a distance. My eyeball muscles have to work differently when I am present in a middle of a lake.
As the poet Louis Jenkins said "There is only one true wilderness left to explore, those vast empty spaces in your head."

I’ve ice fished in one form or another for 50 years. What I like best about it is, it gives me a reason to get off the couch and be outside. It’s a long winter and I can continue to catch fish. You can be by yourself or a bunch of friends. Next weekend we are hosting a ice fishing party with friends. Two shelters and lots of fun.

I usually stay the day on the ice, from right after breakfast until after dark. Sometimes I rent a permanent shack for a weekend. Mostly just on a Saturday.

I have an Eskimo 949iG portable shelter. It’s made from an insulated fabric and is the pop up style. It fishes 3-4 people.

For heat I use a Mr Heater cooker propane heater with a 20# tank. It has three heating levelsfrom 10,000 to 15,000 BTUs. It keeps the shelter nice and toasty. After a few minutes you take off your coat and turn it to low. It operates in the vertical position or horizontal position to use like a stove cooktop. You can heat the shelter and cook fresh fish at the same time.

You need a sled to pull your gear out on the ice. You can pull a sled of gear with a four wheeler, snowmobile or with a rope and pull it. Then you need something to get a hole in the ice. I have used chisels, hand augers, gas augers, propane augers, and electric augers. By far the Strikemaster 40 volt ice auger is one of the finest around. It can drill over 100 holes on a single battery. You might want fishfinder made for ice fishing that is a flasher style. Rods, rattle reels, tip ups.

There are lots of YouTube videos that show people camping overnight in portable ice fishing shelters. Lots of people that do this use a wood stove. Some use a propane heater. Just remember to vent any heater or open the vents on the shelter.

As much as I hate to admit it, if you're looking to actually catch vs. fish, I feel the number one tool is a flasher. Could you use tip ups or bobbers, absolutely. If you want to know that there's fish down there and have an idea of when they might bite your bait, you need a flasher. If catching is less important and cost is a barrier, there are many people who go electronic free and use map info and local knowledge to find spots to set up. Also, as with lots of activities, if the weather is favorable it makes the day more enjoyable and any "short comings" with equipment and clothing are easily dealt with. If the day is nasty and you're not prepared, you'll quickly learn where you need to get better. Nothing better than a 25 degree, sunny, no wind kind of day to introduce yourself to ice fishing.

Kawishiwashy: "As much as I hate to admit it, if you're looking to actually catch vs. fish, I feel the number one tool is a flasher. Could you use tip ups or bobbers, absolutely. If you want to know that there's fish down there and have an idea of when they might bite your bait, you need a flasher. If catching is less important and cost is a barrier, there are many people who go electronic free and use map info and local knowledge to find spots to set up. Also, as with lots of activities, if the weather is favorable it makes the day more enjoyable and any "short comings" with equipment and clothing are easily dealt with. If the day is nasty and you're not prepared, you'll quickly learn where you need to get better. Nothing better than a 25 degree, sunny, no wind kind of day to introduce yourself to ice fishing."

Great points. I was in the BWCA a couple weeks ago, about 25 feet, on a beautiful 25 degree sunny day mind you. My process was, drill a hole, put a line in, watch the graph for a while and jig. Drill another hole deeper or shallower, repeat. after a couple hours, something on the graph moved through at 18 feet, I moved up my bait and caught a 14 inch crappie. Drilled a second hole nearby, put both at 18 feet and caught lots of crappies. Without a depth finder, I would not have caught any fish.

As far as using maps, the boundary water maps were all created like 50 years ago with rock and a string, or some tech not far off. I've not found any of the maps to be reliable. Good for a starting point.

If your going to catch fish through the ice and enjoy it. You need the proper clothes and a flasher, and a good ice auger. I ice fished for years and by the end of the day I was bored and cold. Went on a 3 day dog sled trip so decided to purchase a flasher and ice fishing clothing and it made all the difference!! I'll fish all day if I'm a long ways from home and usually half a day if I'm close to home.
I have a shelter but very seldom set it up.
I have a mister heater for heat, you can also cook with it.
Last year I purchased a four wheeler to use on big lakes.
I like cold weather, visiting with other fisherman, the quiet.
The gear required is a lot less expensive then for soft water fishing and takes less storage space.