Why Would a Fly Fisher Try Ice Fishing?

Hans, what draws you to ice fish in the winter, when you could simply drive to the river and fish instead?

I like that it’s different. Learning about fish behavior in a different type of environment intrigues me. We are lucky enough to live in a place where we can go fly fishing 365 days a year; we can’t do that with ice fishing. The amount of time we have the opportunity to ice fish each year is limited to around 4 months, so I like to spend a good amount of that time on the ice.

It seems cold. Actually, it seems freezing cold. How do you stay warm if you aren’t walking up and down a river and making casts?

Well, first off it’s important to dress appropriately. Think like you are going skiing and dress similarly. Also, walking to your spot while pulling a sled full of gear gets the blood flowing and warms me up quick. If it’s a really cold day, I set up an insulated hut with a heater. That hut can get up to 65 degrees inside while it’s below freeing outside. So, staying warm usually isn’t an issue. 

One of the big things that has held me back from trying ice fishing is, honestly, it looks boring. I love kayaking on a lake casting at rising fish and drifting over drop-offs and exploring rivers and streams to find fish in structure. What does ice fishing have to offer to keep it interesting for a whole day?

One of the neat things about ice fishing is it gives the everyday fisherman who doesn’t own a boat or kayak the ability to explore parts of a lake that would otherwise be inaccessible. This can also up your stillwater game once the ice comes off and give you a head start to find the fish you’d otherwise have to search for.

Can you catch fish of size? What kind of fish are you catching? Are they still active and feeding heavily?

Absolutely! Some of my largest fish from 2023 came through the ice. I mostly target trout, but we have easy access to excellent panfish, pike, and walleye fishing through the ice as well. 

Tell me about the bait/lures? Do I have to put a hook through a minnow or worm to catch fish?

No, you certainly do not have to put a worm on a hook. Fish will often eat streamers made for fly fishing through the ice. Since I’m big into fly tying, I like to use flies I tie or “jigs” much more than store-bought lures or jigs. However, tube jigs and spoons for conventional fishing work well too. All that being said, I put a mealworm on the hook with almost every type of lure when I’m ice fishing.  

What is the equipment investment like?

It doesn’t have to be wicked expensive. You can buy all the absolute essentials for an entire season of ice fishing for around $200. Having electronics (a fish finder/Flasher) is nice, but not required. You can pick up a good fish finder for around $300 and have that to use for years to come. If some is just curious about ice fishing though, they can just rent the equipment for the day through the shop, or even better, book a guided ice fishing trip and not have to think about equipment at all.

Now the big one, especially if people want to ice-fish as a family, is safety. How do you know it’s safe to ice fish and where the safest places to go are?

There is a saying in the ice-fishing community and that is “no ice is safe ice”. However, if you have some inexpensive safety gear and know how to use a spud bar (it’s very easy), test the ice as you go, and use some common sense, there is nothing to worry about. 4″ of ice is all that is needed to hold up a person, and most of our large reservoirs in the mountains have 15+ inches of ice on them right now. It’s early ice and late ice that people need to pay attention to. 

With safety in mind, how else do you decide when and where to go?

I pay attention to temperatures, both during the day and overnight lows. If overnight temps aren’t dropping below 20 degrees Fahrenheit consistently it is hard for a lake to build good ice. That is the main factor I take into consideration when deciding where to go for early and late season ice fishing.  

What crossovers do you see between ice fishing and fly fishing that would interest the avid fly angler?

Trying to fool a fish with your own crazy inventions of hand-tied flies or jigs is something that every fly fisherman can appreciate, and that carries over to ice fishing. It’s also fun to play with electronics (fish finders) while ice fishing. Fish finders allow you to watch and read fish behavior in a way that just isn’t possible while fly fishing, which can help improve your fly fishing the rest of the year as well.

What is one common misconception about ice-fishing?

The biggest misconception is that it’s dangerous and people think they’ll always be cold. That’s not the case, it is not dangerous if you know how to approach it and have the proper safety gear. On the cold part, if you can handle skiing, you can more than handle ice fishing.