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01/26/2022 11:00 PMIce fishing or, fishing the hard water, as some refer to it, was initially born as a survival method that dates back more than 2,000 years to our indigenous peoples of North America, specifically the United States and Canada. This method of cold-weather fishing probably didn’t reach Europe until around the year 1500 as word spread of this new and innovative way to hunt fish in order to sustain people during the harsh winter months.
By that time, ice fishing was well entrenched throughout this continent, especially in those cold territories where ice easily formed. Since fishing the soft water was typically accomplished with spears, bows and arrows, or hooks made of bone attached to some sort of habitat material that would simulate crude line, the transition to fishing on the ice was a natural progression.
After all, our fishers were accustomed to catching fish in the rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. So, were those same fish not swimming under the ice? This thought process most likely led to the employment of tools like axes to chip away ice and other tools to create hand-carved fish decoys.
Native North Americans like the Ojibwa (Chippewa), who lived in Minnesota and North Dakota, as well as Ontario, Manitoba, and all land around the Great Lakes, would walk to the edge of the ice, swing a decoy overhead, and toss it out to open water. Eventually, chipping holes in the ice became the primary way of accessing fish in the winter. Attracting fish with decoys and spearing them as they passed, followed by constructing a structure over the hole to block light—ostensibly to act as form of camouflage while the ice fishers sat in the dark—was primitive but effective.
As the years ticked by, gear became more modernized. We saw the advent of hand and gas-powered augers that replaced axes and welcomed tip-ups that sprung brightly colored flags to signal when a fish took the bait. Those saved a lot of unnecessary running around time. Adapted rods and reels that replaced spears, along with sonar, took much of the guesswork out. We embraced simple ice huts and shanties that evolved into upscale portable, modern structures—some even with heaters, bathrooms, and TVs.
With all of the modern-day upgrades, the one thing that hasn’t changed is that ice is never entirely safe. We still have people falling through, cars and trucks lost, pets struggling to overcome cold water, untold cases of hypothermia, and, unfortunately, loss of life. We cannot express enough how important it is to check and verify ice thickness—four inches for an individual ice fishing and five- to seven inches or better for snow mobiles and ATVs. Keep a spud handy to check thickness, a pair of ice awls in the event that ice gives way, and waterproof clothing to avoid hypothermia. Remember, ice thickness changes with air temperature and water currents and also fractures during re-freezing.
On the Water
After a week that saw lowland flooding and forceful winds, winter seems content with playing dodgeball. The pattern of stormy weather to near misses continues as high and low pressures, accompanied by warm and cold fronts, either hit the shoreline or moved offshore. Another pre-weekend winter storm brushed through, dropping some snow, but leaving the weekend free of precipitation. Finally, a low pressure passed to the south as a weak high started the week ahead of a clipper system. Long Island Sound water temperatures have been fluctuating in the mid- to high 30s with seas being pummeled by high winds, causing waves to crest to four- to six feet. The upside was some spectacular sunrises and sunsets.
Early morning air temperatures bounced around the low- to high teens as day temps tried to reach into the 30s, allowing the ice an opportunity to build and giving ice fishers more opportunities to punch holes in the lakes and ponds to either jig or set flags. Some of those hard waters that were tentatively at three- to four inches had developed a better base and became safer. Still, remembering that since there is no such thing as completely safe ice, it is always smart to err on the side of caution.
Catches improved and consisted mostly of yellow perch, black crappie, sunfish, largemouth bass, some pickerel, a few northern pike, and a few end-of-the-day walleye. Live shiners, grubs, and jigs were producing fish through six- and eight-inch holes as ice skimmers were kept busy. False flags were an issue on days where the wind direction created challenges, although those days saw little activity unless wind was blocked by the surroundings. Looks like we will be in for several good days on the ice.
There was heightened activity in key tidal rivers where sea run browns and brookies were concerned. Mostly all were caught on artificials, such as countdowns and spoons, and were running deep. Rivers and streams also continued to produce trout, but off days had to be weeded out in favor of those having better flows and levels. Stormy and wind-blasted days saw little in the way of Atlantic salmon anglers out, although the recent full moon phase saw variable activity when deeper water columns were fished with spoons.
Note: Email us pics of your catches to share with our USA and international fishing friends who keep up with the latest fishing news and frequent social media.
For all things fishy including fishing trips, swing by the shop (203-245-8665) open seven days located at 21 Boston Post Road, Madison. Masks required inside. Until next time from your Connecticut shoreline’s full-service fishing outfitter, where we don’t make the fisherman, we make the fisherman better.