Ice fishing is thought of as a sport for "hardy individuals". But Maine ice fishing really is a sport that can be enjoyed by all fishermen. True fisherman have experienced ice fishing once in their life. Ife they haven't they should. Maine ice fishing isn't that tough!

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife sponsors two free ice fishing days a year, just incase you don't have a license; the dates this year are Saturday and Sunday, February 18-19, 2006. These days are designed to introduce people to the sport and light a fire in there hearts that will last a lifetime.

Myself? I was hooked on fishing at a very young age. Not one person in my immediate family fished, which is unusual seeing I have three brothers and three sisters. No matter......I just couldn't be kept from the water and my fishing pole was always at hand. While my friends were swimming out to the dock, I was sitting on a solitary rock with my pole in hand. You'd be surprised at the number of girls that swam over to my spot to say hi! Must be "the call of the wild" that was intriguing them.

Anyways, with that said, here's a nice spot for ice fishing and some of the gear you should have.

If you live in Southern Maine a nice spot to get started is on Shaker Pond in Alfred, Maine.
What I like about this spot is its abundance of bass and pickerel. These species are fairly easy to catch. Try the north end of the pond then poke around if you don't have any luck. If you run into James, the pond’s local fishing expert, tell him Marc sent you.

If you have young children with you and you haven’t been ice fishing before, use Bob Rheault's hit and run technique. Bob's a friend of mine that likes to keep moving as he is fishing. Bob doesn't own an ice auger or chisel, but he ice fishes all the time. He fishes through holes augured by other people on previous days. Bob will get on the ice and start looking for holes. He'll chop though a few inches of ice with an axe or hammer and start jigging. He spends five or ten minutes per hole and if nothing is caught, he moves on. He tells me this method is very effective. It also keeps kids on the move.

For this adventure you will need a couple of jigging poles, an axe or hammer to break through, and a couple of lures.

I made my first jigging pole out of a busted rod. The tip was still intact, so I just cut out the broken part and stuck the end into the handle. If you do attempt to make one stay in the 24" to 30" range.

When you get on the ice, just remember you’re looking for holes drilled on previous days. Some may be several days old, but the ice will not be that thick. Also look for fish signs. If some one caught fish out of the hole previously, you are likely to catch fish too. One of the lures I like is a Swedish Pimple. Another is the Rapala Jigging Shad Rap. I like to put a worm on the hook of the Swedish Pimple if the regulations permit, but I fish the Rapala right out of the box. If I remember correctly, the Rapala Company just came out with an 11/2" model which is even smaller that the previous link. Make sure to load your reel with light line or use firewire and a 4-6lb leader. The lure will give you better action this way.

The Rapala Jigging Shad Rap was specifically designed for ice fishing. Its fins propel the lure in a circular direction as you lower the tip. Raise your tip with a jiggle or straight up, but make sure to lower your rod all at once. It's this fast tip lowering that starts its circular decent.

When is comes to ice fishing for bass and pickerel, I keep my presentation pretty small unless I'm using a vibrating blade lure, then I up the ante to a 3/4oz. Small bass love them on southern facing roch bars in the afternoon.

Remember, if this is your first time ice fishing, the ice has to be six inches thick for a party of four people and at least two inches thick for a single person. I always fish a little later in the season and let others check the ice for me. PFDs are always a good idea for you first experience. People usually die from drowning not hypothermia when falling through the ice.

Falling through the ice is no laughing matter.

Check my previous, November 21, post "Ice Claws" to make a pair of ice claws that will help save your life should you fall through the ice.

Check back later this week for more ice fishing information, but remember the lakes won't be ready for a while.