Ice Fishing ideas/shortcuts.

[Walleye Express]

Probably like a lot of you, what I really hate when ice fishing is hauling along anything that does not have a real purpose. You have minimum space to store stuff for the most part and weight and messy items can be a hindrance especially when using a motorized vehicle to haul your stuff out.

With that said, one thing I really hate is making a mess in my 4 wheeler storage box with tipped over or splashing minnow pales. Not to mention if they do so on the way out and are all dead and/or frozen when you finally get to your spot. I mostly use minnow half's on my jigging spoons and a few live ones on my dead rod, but like them to be alive, fresh and shiny when it's time to be used. So my minnows are transferred before I take off from shore to my spot from an aireated minnow pale, to a plastic 2 quart bottle. In general, (even on charters) we'll only use about 3 dozen minnows per day. So a smaller container will do the job and keep them alive and safe for the short duration needed to reach my spot on the ice. What I do is clean and use the smaller plastic Kogels Ring Balogna bottle and seal and tighten the top so it don't leak or open even on a long, bumpy ride out. I then keep them close by in the shanty and make sure they are kept alive with fresh water from the open ice hole.

Another thing I hate is when my propane bottle gets that clump of ice that freezes to it's bottom and makes it tippy and unsteady. Lets face it, propane tank bottoms are small and unsteady to begin with. And few things can spoil your trip like a tipped over propane bottle with an attached and buring Mr. heater head on high in your shanty. Or the hassle and mess of chipping the ice off the bottom of your bottle before you leave. You could of course set it on something that keeps it off the ice, yet keeps it mobile. I solved this problem with an in-expensive product called a Tank Setter. A light plastic adjustable tank holder that fits any propane tanks bottom and moves around with it when moved from place to place. Picture below. Heres their link as well. www.tanksetter.com

You guys got any short cuts, gear, gadgets or accessories you use when ice fishing you'd like to share?

[schultzs]

Dan

A friend of mine uses an old picnic 1/2 gal? water jug - screwon top with small flip opening. Has a handle. I use them sometimes too. The handle is real nice and the insulation keeps minnows cool in summer, unfrozen in winter.

I have seen them sold in baitshops for the same purpose.

[Walleye Express]

Ya, I remember those. They're what the old timers called a Thermos way back when. The top and the handle were in one piece. My grandpa had one of those for years. I'll tell you another trick I just remembered thinking of Grandpa. When we used to spear pike, he had 2 ways he used to attract them into the hole. One was the old wooden decoys he carved himself with the tin can fins, hallowed out bellys full of lead and old hook and latch eyes screwed into the top for holding the attached line. The other was a stroke of genious. He'd drill 5 or 6 tiny holes into the thin tin top of a 1 quart mason jar. Put a string through the hole in the center and tie a knot, so when the top was screwed back onto the jar, it held up the jar. Then filled the jar with water and added either 1 or 2 big golden shiners or if we were fishing for perch a dozen perch minnows. This was let either down to the bottom or left suspened off the bottom. Both pike and perch would come into the hole for a look at this spectackle and Grandpa would spear them. Minnows always stayed fresh, kicking and alive with constant fresh water and Grandpa didn't have to buy more then 2 or 3 Goldies at .25 cents each. Big money back then.

Edited January 10, 2009 by Walleye Express

[tray19682005]

I use a 2 gun hard case to transport my rods, I can get 8 poles in it and have one ready for every presentation. The case is long but only about 6inches wide and never agian will I break another pole,and I keep plieres and a small jig box under liner.It works great for me as I dont leave anything in truck anymore and its all safe and secure .