Ice fishing
Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities.
History
Long before it was considered a form of recreation, ice fishing "was a matter of survival". Archeological findings of tools and equipment across those Arctic regions show the ubiquity and sophistication of the practice among these early communities. Arctic communities have used under-ice net fishing since the last ice age, with the Antrea Net in Kareliathe oldest archaeological net found in the worldbeing over 10,000 years old.For First Nation communities in Canada, ice fishing remains a way to have access to traditional food, and an important source of nutrients.
The Ojibwe people of northern Ontario were among the first to rely on ice fishing as a source of food.
Shelters
Longer fishing expeditions can be mounted with simple structures. Larger, heated structures can make multiple day fishing trips possible, sometimes even overnight. A structure with various local names, but often called an ice shanty, ice shack, fish house, shack, icehouse, bobhouse, portable shelter, or ice hut, is sometimes used. These are dragged by foot or towed onto the lake using a vehicle such as a snowmobile, ATV or truck. The two most commonly used types are portable and permanent. The portable houses are often made of a heavy material that is usually watertight. The two most common types of portable houses are those with a shelter that flips behind the user when not needed, or pop up shelters with a door as the only way out. The permanent shelters are made of wood or metal and usually have wheels for easy transport. They can be as basic as a bunk heater and holes or have satellite television, bathrooms, stoves, full-size beds and may appear to be more like a mobile home than a fishing house.In North America, ice fishing is often a social activity. Some resorts have shanties that are rented out by the day; often, shuttle service by Snow Track or other vehicles modified to drive on ice is provided. In North America, portable houses appear to create a city at locations where fishing is done.
Fishing equipment
Ice fishing gear is highly specialized. An ice saw, ice auger or chisel is used to cut a circular or rectangular hole in the ice. Ice augers can be hand-held or powered. The size of the hole depends on the type of fish sought, generally suggested is 8 inches. If these tools are not available, an axe may be used to chop the hole. A skimmer, a large metal spoon with holes in it, is used to remove new ice as it forms and to clear slush left from making the hole. During colder periods most ice anglers choose to carry a heater. The heater is not only for warmth but also for keeping an angler's fishing hole from freezing. When temperatures fall to -20 °F or colder it becomes very hard to keep a fishing hole open.Three main types of fishing occur. The first is using a small, light fishing rod with small, brightly coloured lures or jigs with bait such as wax worms, fat heads or crappie or shiner minnows. The angler sits at the hole in the ice and lifts the pole every now and then, producing the jig effect.
The second is using tip-ups, which are made of wood or plastic, and have a spool of line attached, with a thin piece of metal that goes from the spool to the flag. Black line is put on the spool and a swivel is placed at the end of the black line. Then a piece of fishing line with a hook is attached to the swivel. Worms, power bait, grub worms or small minnows are placed on the hook. The hook with bait is placed into the water under the ice. When the fish strikes the bait, the flag is lifted which notifies the angler that a fish is on the hook. The angler pulls the line in, and when the angler can get the fish's head into the hole in the ice, the fish is quickly lifted onto the ice. This allows for less-intensive fishing.
File:Kakivak.jpg|thumb|upright|A kakivak, a fishing spear used by the Inuit
The third method is spear fishing. A large hole is cut in the ice and fish decoys may be deployed. The angler sits in a dark ice shanty called a dark house. The angler then peers into the water while holding a large spear which has four or five points. A line can be attached to the points. The fisher waits for fish to appear, then plunges the spear into the water. This method is often used for lake sturgeon fishing. In the United States many states allow only rough fish to be taken while spear fishing.
Becoming increasingly popular is the use of a flasher, similar to its summer cousin the fishfinder. This is a sonar system that provides depth information, as well as indicating the presence of fish or other objects. These flashers, unlike most typical fishfinders, display the movement of fish and other objects almost instantaneously. The bait being used can often be seen as a mark on the flasher, enabling the angler to position the bait right in front of the fish. Underwater cameras are also now available which allow the user to view the fish and observe their reaction to the lure presentation.
Older ice fishing methods include the use of a large club, where the club is slammed into the ice. When the shockwave hits the fish, it is temporary paralyzed, and gives the fisher time to cut a hole in the ice to collect the fish.
Dangers and safety precautions
Ice thickness and type
There are many variables which dictate whether or not ice is safe to walk on, however there are some widely accepted parameters. For example, newly frozen ice is always safer than older ice. "Good ice" is ice which has frozen without the interruption of large temperature fluctuations, rain, or snow and is clear and free of large lumps and cracks. Additionally, the safest ice is that which sits upon a lake without moving water. Ice on the surface of rivers can be extremely unpredictable. Many anglers will go out with as little as 2.5 inches of "good ice" for walking on. The recommended thickness of ice to support an average person is 4 inches, 5–6 inches for sleds and most ATVs, 7–12 inches for light cars, and large ATVs and a minimum of 14 inches for full-sized trucks. Thinner ice in areas with swift surface currents are a significant hazard, as is ice that is directly over underwater spring.Hazards to ice
Offshore winds can break off pans of ice which are miles wide, stranding large numbers of fishers. Such a circumstance occurred in Lake Erie in February 2009, with 100 fishers having to be rescued by helicopters, local authorities, and the Coast Guard. One man who had fallen into the water died on the rescue flight. On March 28, 2013, as many as 220 ice anglers were trapped on break-away sea ice floes in the Gulf of Riga, necessitating a full-scale rescue operation which employed helicopters and hovercraft. Many similar operations—although typically much smaller in scale—are required each year due to reckless and/or inexperienced anglers.Late-winter warm spells can destroy the texture of the ice, which, while still of the required thickness, will not adequately support weight. It is called "rotten ice" or soft ice and is exceedingly dangerous. Some ice anglers will continue to fish, since even with the bad ice normally 8 inches is more than enough. Ice anglers may called an "ice pick″ made of two spiked handles connected by a string to pull themselves out of the water and onto the ice.
Hazards to people
Many cars, trucks, SUVs, snowmobiles, and fish houses fall through the ice each year. Current environmental regulations require the speedy recovery of the vehicle or structure in this situation. Divers must be hired, and when the trouble occurs far from shore, helicopters may be employed for hoisting.Other risks associated with ice fishing include carbon monoxide poisoning from fish house heaters and frostbite due to prolonged exposure to wind and low temperatures, although most new houses are fitted with air exchange systems that allow air flow, preventing poisoning.
Although fatalities are somewhat rare, in the year of 2017, 56 people died while out on the ice in USA and Canada. Fatalities almost always occur from drowning after one has fallen into the ice, although a small number of victims died from blunt-force trauma.