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Ice Fishing – Why I Love It

Ice Fishing – Why I Love It
News
January 2, 2023 4:01 pm

Tim M. Bergman has spent his entire life on the water. Originally from the Midwest, the avid fisherman grew up ice fishing with his family. Now, he shares with us his love for the sport and what it means to him. Read on for a heartfelt story, as well as some of the most helpful ice fishing tips.

This article was featured in PartsVu Xchange.

By Tim M. Bergman, Moose Lake, Minnesota

My buddies at PartsVu and I have whiled away many hours in the Southwest Florida sun (and occasionally in a Southwest Florida storm) fishing for grouper, snapper, amberjack, tarpon…you name it. I greatly enjoy the excitement of these offshore fishing trips, the company of good friends, and maybe a beer or two. I also really enjoy fishing from the shore on beautiful days and have developed a certain amount of skill maneuvering a skiff around mangrove points and edges in the pursuit of redfish or gray snapper.

As much fun as I always have on these trips, I’m a Midwesterner at heart. I relish days fishing in the tropics, but I deeply love fishing the Great Lakes and the inland Lakes of Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. It’s in my blood really. While I have loved fishing from a very early age, it has been only the last few years I revitalized a pastime I haven’t thought about much since I was a teenager – ice fishing.

As a boy, I spent hour after hour on the lake in my grandfather’s, then my father’s ice shanty – mostly on Mille Lacs Lake in Minnesota. I would bundle up in many layers as outdoor gear for kids was not all that great in those days. I waddled out to the truck, then onto the lake where we would make our way to the shanty. My job was to carefully deliver my dad’s or grandfather’s 6-pack of beer to the shanty, then to attentively scoop the ice keeping our augured hole clear once we had settled it.

Of course, too young to drink beer, I would be treated to a couple of bottles of Coca-Cola and Swedish Fish from the penny candy jar – my favorite. Swedish Fish were not only my favorite candy, I felt they provided us a certain amount of luck. Fish-shaped candies developed by a candy maker from my ancestors’ homeland had to be a lucky fishing snack.

Ice Fishing
For reasons I can’t even explain, I went years without ice fishing. I would still get out onto the water as early as I could in the spring and fished as late into the fall as possible. For years, I have enjoyed a fishing trip or two each winter in South Florida or some other warm-weather destination. But, those lovely afternoons on Mille Lacs Lake in the depth of a Minnesotan winter became a distant memory.

A handful of years ago, I revived the hobby and I can’t tell you how glad I am that I did. First, it is something to look forward to. Minnesota winters are long and if you let them, become a little depressing. If you don’t embrace all of the beauty and the activities the winters in the upper Midwest have to offer, it is easy to become a little stir crazy and you find most of your mental energies longing for the days to become warmer, so you can get back out on the water. Especially as I grow older, longing for what is to come, rather than enjoying the moment seems to be a huge waste of energy. Maybe this is why my dad and grandfather loved ice fishing so much.

So, what do I love about ice fishing?

The lakes are quiet in the winter. It is a quiet that I can’t really explain, you just have to experience it. The only sounds out there besides the occasional vehicle or drone of an auger, is the wind in the trees, the sounds of birds, and creaking ice. I will confess that the sound of creaking ice takes a little getting used to, but once I became comfortable with my safety, it became one of my favorite sounds.

Also, snow creates its own beauty – stark, white, desolate. The sunrises over ice are like no other as the snow picks up and reflects the colors of the rising sun.

The other thing I really love about ice fishing is that it is a great equalizer amongst fisherman. Yes, like anything, you can spend money on ice fishing toys and accessories, but you can enjoy ice fishing for very little investment. And, even when you do decide to indulge in acquiring items to make your ice fishing experiences easier and a bit more comfortable, the costs are fairly modest.

Warm-weather fishermen are segregated by those with a boat and those without a boat. Even when you decide to treat yourself as an ice fisherman, you are generally looking at a few hundred dollars for a new toy, rather than the hefty sums we spend on our boats – me certainly included.

With my love of ice fishing rekindled, I thought I would share some of the tools of the hobby that I have been impressed with –  that either I own, have tried, or friends have relayed their experiences with. If you haven’t tried ice fishing, I encourage you to. Find an experienced friend who can show you the ropes of evaluating the safety and thickness of the ice, throw on a good coat, hat and gloves, grab a few brews and give it a try.

Tim Bergman’s Top Ice Fishing Products (in no particular order)

HUMMINBIRD ICE 45 ICE FISHING FLASHER

The ICE 45 Ice Flasher features a fiber-optic flasher display for exceptional performance in any level of light, making this flasher easy to use on those blinding, sunny winter days. The 3-color display has an overlay depth scale for easy interpretation. At the heart of the Humminbird ICE 45 Ice Flasher is a Dual Beam 9 Degree (240 kHz) 19 Degree (455 kHz) transducer allowing for a greater overall cone of view. This flasher runs at assorted depths of 20 ft., 40 ft., 60 ft., 80 ft. 100 ft., 120 ft., and 200 ft.

RAYMARINE DRAGONFLY ICE FISHING KIT

The Raymarine Ice Fishing Kit includes everything cold weather anglers need to unleash the power of Dragonfly sonar on the ice. With a waterproof bag and rugged base designed specifically for the Dragonfly, this portable kit is built to withstand the elements. The Ice Fishing Kit houses a rechargeable battery, charger, and high-frequency CHIRP CPT-S ice fishing transducer with float. Full-sized cargo pockets provide ample room for tackle and the integrated rod holders make it easy to travel with all your gear.

VEXILAR FL-18 GENZ PACK 12 DEGREE ICE-DUCER – GP1812

The Blue Box can accept the full line of Vexilar accessories like a Battery Status Indicator, Vexilar Flex Light, or even a Dual Beam IceDucer transducer. Available with the Vexilar FL-18 or FL-8se. Each Genz Pack Combo comes with a 12 volt, 9 amp-hour battery with charger and an Ice-Ducer transducer. The Genz Pack comes completely assembled and ready to fish with. It also includes an instructional video.  The FL-18 offers a patented split screen flasher display. The Bottom Lock feature stays locked on the bottom even as the boat is bouncing up and down in big waves! The Auto Zoom mode is fantastic for watching Perch or Walleye while ice fishing. The FL-18 depth finder / fish finder is equipped with features like a built-in shallow water mode for fishing waters under 15 feet. Five depth scales down to 200 feet for the standard model. Built-in interference rejection. A three-color LED readout that tells you if the targets you see are weak (green) medium (orange) or strong (red).

FRABILL SIT-N-FISH INSULATED BUCKET – 6 GALLON – 1600

This 6-gallon pail is also a comfortable seat. Ten quart insulated foam inner bucket. The padded foam snap-on seat lid makes this a favorite with shore, pier, and ice anglers. Beverage holders on the inner bucket lid.

STRIKEMASTER CHIPPER MAGNUM POWER AUGER – 6″ -LD-6

StrikeMaster® 2-stoke models with their American-Made transmission components and Swedish blades offer the power and durability to punch holes all day, season after season. Dependable as daylight, the Chipper Magnum is a reliable workhorse. Great for re-opening holes.

PLANO BUCKET TOP ORGANIZER – 725001

Perfect for shoreline or pier angling, the 725 Bucket Topper StowAway is designed to fit on top of a standard 5-gallon bait bucket and provide extra storage in what would normally be wasted space. Bucket-top StowAway, 18 Compartments for gear and baits, removable floor for bucket access, two layers of storage, fits most standard 5-gallon buckets.

FRABILL DUAL FISH BAIT BUCKET WITH BUILT-IN AERATOR – 4825

Features more durable construction and adds a series of innovative lid designs to help you maintain the health of your bait. The Dual Bait Bucket includes a clip-on aerator (#14331) and a storage compartment built-in to the lid for worms or other bait separate from minnows.

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