Two tactics help anglers enjoy winter fishing Mobility, comfort are key factors

Consistently successful ice fishing requires melding at least a dozen components, some completely controlled by the angler, others very nebulous and uncertain. Fully functional, well-maintained traps, a dependable ice auger, fresh, lively bait, and where and when to fish are all governed by the fisherman. Weather conditions and fish activity levels, as well as feeding depths and times are a few of the fluctuating variables that winter anglers aren’t able to regulate or manipulate to their benefit. There are two major factors which can be fully regulated by the sportsman during each outing however, and both guarantee a more enjoyable and action filled venture.

It’s been my experience that comfort and mobility are prime requisites of a satisfying and successful ice drilling foray. Let me be right up front and state that I ice fish because there are limited outdoor opportunities during snow season, and without some fresh air pastime, I’d go stir crazy. There’s little of the allure and personal skills that keeps me passionate about open water fishing, but you play the cards you’re dealt. I’d like to be able to say with a straight face that regardless of weather and fishing results, I’m happy to be out and about communing with nature. Horse feathers! I want to catch fish, and I want to thrill at the running battle on a thin line under the ice, regardless of the fact that most of the fish will be released.

This is where the comfort and mobility factors come into play. Unless it is a bluebird day in March, it’s very unlikely I’ll be found squatting on a bait bucket or perched on a snowmobile seat exposed to the elements waiting for a flag. Fishing is supposed to be fun, and being encased in a four-layer cocoon of winter clothing so thick that movement and coordination are restricted doesn’t fit my guidelines of fun and frivolity. When I was younger (and more foolish) I bought into that macho man, gung ho, regardless-of-the-weather mindset. A few outings shortened by numb toes and fingers with Jack Frost nipping at my nose cured me of that mental shortcoming, and now you’ll find me in or very near a comfortable and toasty-warm ice fishing shanty.

The revelation

Obviously the ice fishing hut fulfills the need for comfort, but where does the mobility come in, you might ask. And how do those two elements combine to yield a higher level of winter success? The answer and my initial revelation came about more than a decade ago, but it only took the one lesson to set me straight. It was mid-February when two friends and I drove to a remote pond in Aroostook County and snowshoed across the ice to a cove where we drilled holes and set tip-ups. It was windy, bitter cold, and in two hours only one flag had flown and that proved an overachieving 12-inch salmon. We spent most of our time huddled around a too-small shoreline campfire allowing the tree line to break the wind, yet still turning into ice cubes one side at time.

About 9 a.m. we heard a snowmobile coming and a few minutes later, it came zipping across the lake hauling a smelt shack on skis behind it. When the outfit came abreast of our cove, two older men dismounted and stopped to visit and ask about our luck. Our dismal report didn’t seem to deter them and they soon buzzed away to the far end of the lake. I remarked that they were a bit late in the season to be setting out their ice hut. Within 20 minutes we could see smoke wafting from the metal chimney and see them setting flags.

Just more than an hour later we heard their snowmobile start, and watched in amazement and total consternation as the hut went speeding across the ice only to stop at another cove near the outlet. Once again we heard the auger grinding and saw the pair once more setting traps. Throughout the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon we could see one and sometimes both of the older anglers go to check their baits. We joked about their being overly obsessed with fresh bait, especially since we had experienced only two more flags, and only one produced a hookup and a 13-inch brookie. We were a bit envious of their cozy shelter, however.

Come to find out, there was a lot more to be envious of, and a lesson to be learned. About mid- afternoon the pair of veteran ice drillers picked up, hooked their shanty to the snowsled, and motored our way. During a short visit we found out that the duo had caught nine fish and kept three, one a football- shaped salmon more than four pounds. Apparently when we assumed they were checking baits, they were actually catching fish. They had also caught about three dozen smelt by handlining inside the hut between flags. Considering the pair had used fewer traps and had only been fishing about four hours, about half the time our trio had been on the ice, we were crestfallen.

The elder statesman of the duo attributed their success to mobility. When they spent the first hour with only one bite, it was time to drill at another likely location, and their lightweight mobile ice hut made the move simple. If the second spot hadn’t panned out, they would have moved again. Using a come-along, the traveling shanty was guided up a pair of skids where it fit perfectly into the pickup box, and the next day would be transported to another lake for a change of scenery and different species.

By the next winter one of my buddies had built a fish cabin that two anglers could actually lift into and out of a truck. Sometimes we left the hut on a lake for a couple of weeks, but when the fishing slowed we moved on to another frozen gem. Often we would make day trips, visiting two waterways and enjoying altogether different finned quarry on Saturday and Sunday. When friends told us that fishing was peaking on a certain pond, we were at hand to enjoy the action, and kept out of the weather and comfy in the process.

Portable plus

Three years ago, an old schoolmate and lifelong fishing companion raised the bar on ice fishing accessibility and coziness another notch. He increased the ease of shanty transportation and travel on the ice by purchasing a fully collapsible, portable ice fishing shelter that packs into its own tote sled. This unit fits into a pickup bed or even the back of an enclosed SUV, and one man can easily load and unload it. Called the Otter, this model comes equipped with a sturdy tow-bar assembly, and bait buckets, augers, packbaskets of traps and other gear can be packed into the shanty sled for easy hauling.

After a bit of research I’ve found that there are dozens of companies manufacturing a wide variety of sizes and styles of collapsible ice shanties with a surprisingly wide range of features. There are models sized to fit one angler that actually fold into a backpack and set up in less than one minute. Then there are huts built to accommodate from two to six fishermen, and these come in units that can be carried, packed on a snowmobile, have a hard case with sled runners, or are attached to a bobsled. Heavy-duty zippered doors and multiple windows, fold-down seats and tables, flip-up floor covers over the fishing holes, equipment hooks, rod holders, and many more special features adorn fancier versions of portable fish houses.

One of the downsides to collapsible shanties is their lack of insulation, but on all but the coldest days, a small gas space heater will keep inside temperatures in the tolerable range. Huts that have foldable, yet solid, plastic floors or use a tote sled as the floor are excellent choice as they keep feet off the ice and out of melting snow. On windy days the fabric of collapsible huts tends to heave and snap about noisily, much more so than a wooden portable or stationary fish house, but that’s a small price to pay to keep the cold wind at bay.

These traveling, compressible fishing cabins can be found at most local sporting goods stores in one size or another, or if you have a particular model in mind, fire up the computer and go online to view photos, dimensions, and features. Some mail order outdoor catalogs also offer a few portable shanties for sale, and L.L. Bean in Freeport and Kittery Trading Post have units set up that sportsmen can try out for size and comfort. Prices range from as low as $75 for one-man huts to more than $500 for multi-man ice mansions.

Faster fishing

As you have probably figured out by now, my feelings are that any sportsman willing to endure winter weather to dip a line ought to catch a few fish. If you were floating a river in your canoe or wading a stream during the summer and one run or pool didn’t produce any action, you’d move along. When you’re stuck in a permanently located ice hut, the only moving involves slogging farther up the lake to drill a few new holes. With any sort of portable fish shanty, not only can you change locations on a lake, you can change lakes and move the warmth and comfort with you.

Any outdoorsman with a bit of carpentry skill can construct a lightweight, well-insulated wooden-, plastic-, or metal-walled ice hut with ease. For those sports who just don’t have the time, patience, or skills to build their own, there are a multitude of prefab portable ice shelters and one to fit anyone’s pocketbook. Instead of letting winter weather dictate when you fish, get out more often and catch more fish by utilizing a portable ice hut. Mobility and comfort will assure more enjoyable outings, consistent action, and far fewer frosty fingers, toes, ears, and nose. Any tactic that helps the winter pass quicker and more pleasantly is worth a try; footloose fishermen and nomadic ice shanties are the way to go.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached via e-mail at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com