Today's ice anglers have it made. They're comfortable,
educated and efficient. As a result, a sport that once appealed
to only the hardiest and adventuresome anglers is now embraced
by many.
The reason is simple -- technology. Manufacturers have invested
in hard-water product development that is giving anglers
an edge in the cold war.
To appreciate how far we've come requires a heavy-footed
trudge through the snow of memory lane.
Remember when ...
Getting dressed for a day on the ice was like padding up
for a football game? Thermal underwear, two pairs of socks,
blue jeans, long-sleeved T-shirt, flannel shirt, turtle-neck
sweater and a sweatshirt might have provided the core layer
of warmth. And when it was time to hit the ice, we'd add
insulated coveralls, a heavy coat, monstrous mittens and
a pair of boots that weighed about 10 pounds apiece.
Halfway into the hike to begin the search for fish, with
a sled full of gear in tow, we'd be sweating like Roger
Clemens at a congressional hearing and stopping to shed
clothes and catch our breath.
Now we've got long underwear made of merino wool and other
fabrics that actually regulates body temperature in changing
conditions and varying levels of exertion. We've got better
socks, better gloves and boots so lightweight you could
run in them.
Remember when ...
Simply getting to a general fishing area was like conquering
an obstacle course? If we had any kind of shanty, it was
probably homemade with heavy materials like plywood, two-by-fours
and canvas. We'd set buckets of gear, bags of tackle and
small coolers on top of the shack, and stop to collect it
when it fell off during the drag through heavy snow or across
bumpy terrain. If we didn't have a shack, we'd waddle across
the ice trying to carry everything we'd need for the day.
Now we've got lightweight, flip-over style tents made of
heat-retaining fabric that is attached to deep-sided, rugged,
polyethylene sleds that not only store all our gear but
protect it from the elements and providing comfortable seating.
We've also got cabin-style, condo units that can accommodate
multiple anglers comfortably and fold up to fit in the back
of a pick-up.
Remember when ...
Finding our secret fishing spots was like playing pin the
tail on the donkey? We'd triangulate the white house with
the town water tower and the big pine tree to get close
to a particular hump, then drill holes and check depths
using a big sinker to find the spot on the spot. If we got
caught in a white-out or stayed after dark, getting back
to shore safely was always an issue.
Global positioning systems changed that. Now we can store
waypoints from these spots during the open-water season
and return to the exact spot when things freeze over. Some
units come with detailed maps of individual lakes that can
identify boat ramps and access points, help us understand
why an old spot has been good or guide us to new spots.
And when it comes to getting off the ice, it's as simple
as following your GPS trail or entering the coordinates
for an exit point.
Remember when ..
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We used to drill holes with a hand-auger or maybe even punch
through the ice with a pick or a spud bar? We changed locations
less frequently then because it was exhausting to cut holes
through 30 inches of ice. We'd try a couple of spots and
if they didn't produce, that's just the way it was.
Power augers have given us more mobility, and they keep
getting better, too. Some of the early power augers were
heavy, hard-starting and hard-working. These days they are
lightweight with better carburation systems for easy starting
and they're equipped with high-tech blades that cut faster
with less horsepower. It's nothing to drill 50 holes in
a morning.
Remember when ...
We never knew for sure if there were any fish beneath us?
Before modern sonar units, it was a
matter of either sight-fishing in shallow water or drilling
holes and fishing them in deeper water. If we didn't get
bit, we'd move. The only way we'd find suspended fish was
by sight or by dead-sticking a second pole higher in the
water column.
Now we've got sonar units and underwater cameras that let
us know exactly what's going on underneath us and can even
help us gauge the aggressiveness of the fish by their behavior.
I use a Humminbird Ice 55 unit with a six-color fiber-optic
flasher, a center LCD temperature display and a wealth of
zoom and range features. It's bright, clear, easy to read
in all light conditions and extremely detailed. I don't
know what more I could want, but the product development
folks will probably come up with something.
Remember when ...
Staying warm was an ongoing challenge that often distracted
us from our fishing? Back in the day, a homemade candle
in a coffee can or a pan of charcoal was our source of heat,
and we'd have to open the tent for ventilation. The early
propane heaters were bulky and potentially dangerous. They'd
burn a hole in your coveralls if you brushed against them
or melt your fishing line if you got it too close.
Now we've got compact heating systems that operate for hours
on small propane canisters. They don't take up much room,
so they don't get in the way, and they don't emit dangerous
levels of carbon monoxide.
Remember when ...
Our ice rods were a combination of stiff fiberglass sticks
with European-style spools as reels? Or when we'd use an
old push-button spincast reel on an ice rod? Basically,
we had one rod that we used for every situation and every
species of fish, and we spooled our reels with monofilament
that had too much memory and water resistance and often
became brittle. It took forever to get a tiny ice jig down
to the target depth range and if it had too much coil, a
lot of strikes went undetected.
Now we've got small, lightweight spinning reels and graphic
composite rods specifically designed for ice fishing and
even for various species. I've got medium-action rods for
panfish and heavier-action models I use when jigging or
spooning for walleyes. We've got stronger lines in smaller
diameters engineered for cold-water use, like the 2- and
4-pound Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft that's been outstanding
for my needs. Hard lines give us an advantage in deep water
because of the increased sensitivity they provide.
Remember when ...
Light in an ice tent or on the ice was typically provided
by a flashlight and a gas lantern with a glass cover and
fragile silk mantels? While they provide great light and
even a little heat, it was too easy to break the glass or
the mantels in transit or while in use.
Now we have an amazing array of options. Rope lighting can
be attached to the framework of most tents and hooked into
a small, six-volt battery. Headlamps allow us hands-free
direction of concentrated light. There are even small lighting
systems that clip onto the bill of a hat. All three of these
options allow anglers to focus the light where they want
it instead of having it temporarily blinding you every time
you look at it.
Remember when ...
Bobbers were either solid corks in which we cut a slit for
our line or store-bought plastic floats that always seemed
like they were either too big or too small for the job at
hand?
Now we've got thin, balsa floats that are both visual in
their appearance and easy for all sizes of fish to move
without dropping the bait and evacuating the area.
Remember when ...
Shopping for tackle meant perusing a small display at the
local bait and tackle shop? Plastics were either non-existent
or limited, at best, and most of the lures we could find
were so light they couldn't be fished through a slushy hole
and couldn't be returned promptly to the proper depth after
a missed hookset or after catching a fish.
Now we've got entire sections of tackle shops dedicated
to ice lures of all shapes, sizes and colors. There are
hundreds of options in plastics made to resemble waxworms,
spikes and mousies or just to add subtle action. Some are
so lifelike in their appearance and scent that anglers prefer
them over trying to keep live bait fresh.
Jig styles have advanced in both design and composite. Now,
with different shapes and different alloys, they give us
the same small profiles we desire, but they fish much heavier.
Technology can't make us better anglers, but it can make
us more efficient anglers.
Now that we've won the cold war, I can't wait to see what
they come up with next
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