No Ice Auger…No Problem
If you’re reading this, you’re likely just getting into ice fishing. Not only can starting a new hobby be intimidating, but it can be expensive. Many times you unsure if you’ll like the new hobby and if its worth the costly investment. That’s where this weeks blog post comes in. We’ve been covering how to get into ice fishing on a budget and here is one way to get started on the cheap. Head out to the lake and skip the ice auger.
Ice augers are one of the more expensive purchases in an ice fishing gear quiver. The difference from manual hand augers to the latest and greatest electric auger is hundreds of dollars. If you want to try out ice fishing for the first time, that pricetag is likely out of the ballpark. The good news is that you dont really need one to get started ice fishing.
Plenty of holes to choose from.
To get started without an auger, pick a lake close to home that is known for ice fishing. You’ll want to wait till mid day or later in order to let other fishermen make their way around the lake. When you get there, you’ll find that fishermen move all over the lake, leaving their holes behind. If there’s no-one around and it looks like the holes have been abandoned, go ahead and drop a line. Just make sure that you’re not encroaching in on a fishing party or using a hole that someone else is using at the moment.
This simple step of heading to the hardwater with a rod and some bait will teach you more than you ever expect. When we go out, we can easily drill 20 to 30 holes as we fish throughout the day. We never choose places that we dont think will have fish. So take note where there are clusters of ice holes, both frozen and open. These locations are likely good places to check out.
Another think to keep an eye out for is clues for useful baits. Fishermen are mostly clean. We rarely run into trash on the ice, but if we do we pick that up. Something that we do find are small hints from previous fishermen. Maybe its some dirt from the worm box or some wood shavings from the wax worms. Once you’ve been out long enough, you’ll be able to pinpoint what other fishermen were using and either follow their lead or try something entirely different. Fishermen tend to have tight lips when it comes to their fishing secrets, but there are almost always some clues to pickup on!
So let this be your inspiration! Grab a pole and head out to the lake. Im sure you’ll find an open hole, or even a friendly fisherman. We are happy to drill a hole or loan our auger to another angler. Who knows…maybe you’ll meet your next fishing buddy!
Tight Lines and Happy Trails,
Trails to Trout Family.
