Outdoors with Don Q: Things you need to know about ice fishing

With the bitter January cold weather in the Sierra and above Lake Tahoe behind us, we do have plenty of water frozen on our creeks, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and reservoirs. And that ice covering provides an excellent opportunity to catch fish.
Ice fishing is a unique sport that requires a whole different set of fishing techniques, gear and clothing, as opposed to lazy fishing on a warm, drowsy day in the middle of the summer. So, if you’ve never tried fishing through the ice, here’s some information that should be more than enough to get you “hooked” on this winter sport:

When to venture out on the ice:

One inch of ice: STAY OFF, STAY OFF, STAY OFF!

Two to three inches of clear, blue ice: Will support ONE adult walking.

Four inches thick: Considered safe for ice fishing.

Five inches: Needed for snowmobiling.

Eight inches: Needed to support a car or light truck.

Ten inches: Needed to support a medium weight truck.

For the record: Because I am a big chicken when it comes to the possibility of breaking through the ice on a pond, lake or reservoir, I want a minimum of six inches under my you know what before I begin venturing out onto an icy surface.

Also remember that currents under the ice and slush on the ice may affect the thickness of that ice in different areas. Be careful out there and when in doubt, do as I do: Stay home. Have a cocktail instead.

What to wear:
You will need insulted waterproof boots, thick woolen socks, layered clothing (thermo underwear, pants, long sleeve shirt, sweater, hooded sweatshirt, heavy coat with hood), wool cap, warm gloves, hat, and equally as important: sunglasses and sunscreen if the sun is shining.

What to take:
If you’re like me, take plenty of munchies, tasty food, and hot drinks (coffee, tea or hot chocolate in a Thermos jug).

Don’t forget to take a small rug to stand on, while you’re out on the ice, or your feet will get very cold, very fast.
Take a folding chair to sit in while waiting for some action, and a plastic bucket to put your fish in after they are caught (if you’re lucky!)

Heck, even take a portable radio to listen to your favorite tunes.

Be sneaky but legal:
If you’re really sneaky like me, you will also have a portable, battery powered, depth finder/fish locator.
I have a “Buddy III” which I can stick down in the hole in the ice, and then see down to 240 feet and out to 120 feet on the side. Plus it also give me the distance to any fish that it locates. It’s almost like cheating, but what the heck, it’s perfectly legal.

Extra items:
Don’t forget to have an ice scoop to clean slush out of your hole in the ice.
And, have a sled that you can use to carry all of your fishing gear, clothing, food and drinks out onto the ice and then back to your vehicle.

Fishing license:
Most importantly, you need a fishing license. Don’t forget to have it.
I have an annual Nevada fishing license with a second rod stamp and I also have an annual California fishing license with a second rod stamp.

Ice auger:
Obviously, you need an ice auger (manual or gas operated).
If you don’t have one, you need a friend or relative who has one.
And, if the ice is more than three feet thick (a common occurrence at the lakes at higher elevations), you will need an extension on your auger.
I dig two holes a short distance from each other to take advantage of being able to fish with two rods at the same time.

What to use:
Have a small ice fishing rod and reel.
I can use two rods with my second rod stamps, so I have two rod and reel sets where the rods are only about 3 feet long and the reels are loaded with 6-pound test line.

How to fish:
After your hole is dug in the ice and all the slush is removed from the water, slowly jig up and down with all kinds of different, small, shiny or bright-colored lures such as Daredevils, Kastmasters, Phebes, Mepps, Super Dupers, Thomas Buoyants or TOR-P-DO’s.
You can also jig with other things such as nightcrawlers, Power Bait, Salmon eggs, cocktail shrimp, mealworms or kernels of corn.

Where to fish:
Your best bet is to fish in California waters such as:
Red Lake, Caples Lake and Silver Lake, which are all located along California S.R.88. Davis Lake located just north of Portola. Frenchman Reservoir, which is only a few miles north of Chilcoot.
Boca and Stampede Reservoirs, just east of Truckee.

An ice fishing favorite:
Red Lake is a local favorite location about 26 miles from South Lake Tahoe on Carson Pass Highway 88.
Be advised that its parking area is also a very popular destination for cross country skiers. So, if you don’t arrive early, you could be out of luck finding a parking spot for your vehicle, especially on a weekend.
When fishing at Red Lake, fish near that parking area, close to the shoreline, in fairly shallow water areas (8-10 feet of water).
You can catch Eastern Brook, Lahontan Cutthroat and Rainbow Trout.

Finally:
Why not give the sport of ice fishing a try.
It sure beats sitting around the house, watching TV programs with all their dumb ads, while waiting for the warm weather of summer to return.
Ice fishing is fun and who knows, you might even catch a fish!

Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can’t tell you about my top two favorite ice fishing methods.
If he grins and says, “Don jigs with a small red-white striped TOR-P-DO lure on one pole and has a nightcrawler on his other pole,” he could be one of my usual wintertime fishing partners.

— Writer Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for South Tahoe Now and www.CarsonNow.org.