On first consideration, ice fishing seems to be a fairly simple sport. Select a well-frozen lake, put a hole in the ice, place a live bait in the water, and wait for the action to begin. As uncomplicated as that all sounds, the part about getting the bait into the water is tremendously understated.

Of everything that goes along on an ice fishing trip, live bait needs and deserves a good deal of attention from the fisherman before and during the outing. Proper selection, suitable maintenance and care during transport, and especially the observance of exacting techniques in setting out live minnows can make or break fishing action on many days. A wide variety of minnows, smelt and worms are the three basic ice fishing baits, and each type requires particular regard to selection.

Winter anglers must either trap their own bait or buy it from a local dealer. Area sporting goods stores, small variety stores in rural regions, and even individuals near remote lakes sell bait during the winter. Starting in late December, “live bait for sale” signs blossom throughout the state like dandelions in the spring. Retail bait dealers must have a state license, and they either trap their own bait or purchase it from larger wholesalers. Since certain species of fish aren’t legal to use as live bait, for fear of introducing an unwanted or harmful type of fish into a maintained waterway ecosystem, purchasing from a knowledgeable and reputable dealer is a wise choice.

A few avid ice drillers who fish almost daily do go to the trouble of catching their own bait. Some even start before the lakes ice over and keep the minnows in large aerated tanks. I’ve seen old bathtubs, huge glass aquariums, 50-gallon wash tubs, and old soda coolers used as live wells to keep hundreds of baitfish alive all winter in an angler’s cellar, garage, or basement.

It’s no small chore chopping ice for trap holes, snowshoeing or snowmobiling to check minnow traps daily, and transporting the live fish to holding tanks. Then the species have to be carefully sorted to avoid illegal baitfish, and that means knowing and recognizing a lot of types of small minnows. For most ice fishermen, it’s far more comfortable, convenient, and time saving to stop on the way to a favorite lake and purchase a couple of dozen bait for a few dollars.

When selecting live bait from your own supply or a retail operation, be particular. Be sure the minnows are healthy and lively. This can be easily judged by their ability to escape the small sorting net, and their activity level in the holding tank. Hardy, vigorous bait will better endure travel, transfer between bait buckets, and survive and actively swim once hooked and lowered into the lake.

Although two or three dozen minnows can survive all day in a five-gallon bait bucket, the use of a battery-powered aerator will increase survival and activity levels. Large buckets and square cooler-size live bait wells, which have anti-spill lids, internal aeration, and solid carrying handles, are commercially available. It’s simple to rig your own portable aerator in a bucket or even a Styrofoam cooler, but the retail rigs are far more durable and trouble-free. Be sure to use a secure cover, lest a tip-over and spill on the snow or ice kill most of the bait and ruin the trip.

Maintain a constant, cool water temperature in the large bait bucket and in any small transfer pails. Take at least a third of the water out of the large container and replace it with fresh lake water several times during the outing. This exchange adds oxygen to maintain the minnows’ vigor and keeps the fish from going into shock when placed into the cold lake water from stagnant, warmer holding water in the bait bucket.

When a flag signals a possible bite and the likely need of a new minnow, or when changing old baits for fresh ones, place half a dozen live bait into a smaller transfer pail. The small lively minnows will be easier to catch in the confined space and if the little bucket is dropped or knocked over, the loss isn’t as severe as if the main bait bucket were tipped over.

There are days when game fish will eat anything in the water; small live bait, large live bait, cut bait, and even dead bait, but these sort of outings are few and far between. In most cases the livelier a minnow is, the more it swims about and becomes far more likely to be noticed by cruising trout and salmon. Old hands at ice fishing check each baited tip-up every hour to rule out fouled lines or dead bait and to clear ice from the hole.

Fresh minnows are hooked up every two hours and depths changed if necessary. No matter how sensitive a trap is, gamefish still steal, injure, or kill live baits without setting off the flag, and until the minnow is changed, that tip-up is generally useless. An often espoused theory is: Big bait for a big fish. It’s just not so! Nightcrawlers don’t always work better than angleworms, and smelt don’t always work better than shiners, and shiners don’t always work better than small dace.

The size of the baitfish is seldom as important as its liveliness, its depth, and sometimes its color. The most productive size for minnows is about 2-3 inches, and for smelt, 31/2 to 41/2 inches. If these sizes don’t produce action within two hours, then try some larger, smaller, or even different species of minnow.

Live bait on tip-ups should be set at various depths to begin the day, and if one depth produces regular strikes, other traps should be re-set to that depth. If one type or size of live bait garners all the attention, change the other baits to match. When tip-ups close to shore are showing more flags than those in deeper water, or vice versa, it’s time to drill more holes in the hot zone. Change is good in ice fishing, it’s complete inactivity that leaves anglers with no clues.

A good deal of controversy exists on the proper method of hooking up a live bait. One faction insists that a minnow should be hooked through the lips, and since big fish swallow live bait head first, a solid hook-up is sure to ensue. Other anglers prefer to insert the hook behind the dorsal fin, while still another group touts the effectiveness of hooking bait near the tail. I have seen all three methods work on all sizes and species of gamefish and see no real difference, save the fact that minnows hooked behind the dorsal fin seem to have a freer, more natural range of motion while swimming.

Whichever hook-up method is to be used, it is imperative to perform the task quickly. Once a minnow is removed from the bait bucket, it’s water-covered body will quickly freeze in the frigid air. Keeping the live bait encompassed in a warm hand while the hook is inserted and then getting it quickly into the water of the ice hole ensures the baits liveliness. When anglers work in pairs this chore is faster and simpler; one man handles the raising and lowering of the line and setting of the tip up, while the second sport captures the minnow, hooks it up, and places it in the ice hole.

Use a long, camouflage-colored leader for live bait fishing, at least 3 feet is recommended, and remember that very cold water reduces stretch and resilience. It’s always best to use leader a couple of pounds heavier than might normally be needed, just in case a trophy-sized fish grabs the bait. Place a nontoxic sinker at least a foot above the hook and make sure all knots are solid.

Ice fishermen have no control over weather and whether. Weather randomly dictates if you’re up to your rear end in snow or just freezing it off, and whether is the luck-based phenomenon that dictates if it’s two minutes or two hours before a fish bites. What every ice driller can control from start to finish is his live bait. Follow the guidelines offered and at least you will have the cold comfort of knowing you’ve done everything in your power to beat the whether.