Tactics for Ice Fishing with 30 inches of Snow
 

What do you do differently with so much snow when going ice fishing? Do you pack differently ? Bring along a snow shovel ? More cautious on the ice ? Shorten your trek ? Dress differently ?

d) All of the above!

It's funny when we get these kinds of conditions.
Some years it'll be 1 1/2 feet of ice, no snow cover and bone rattling cold. Other will be 8-10" of ice, 1-2 feet of snow/slush and moderate temps, and bright BRIGHT sunshine (suntan levels) and light/no winds.

All you can do is prepare for the weather we have right now, and hope the fish don't know how maniacal we can get over nothing more than froxen water!

water and slush on top of 12" of ice, what a mess, had to wear waders to not get footwear completely soaked


Sit in the middle and snow shovel a path to each tipup in a star pattern, so you can look down to see if the flag is tripped, lol

get a jet sled......

Snowshoes will keep you near the top. Also having a snowmobile makes life 100 times easier. Also having 32 inch tip ups helps a lot.

Throw another log on the fire, and read a good book.

Yup

Double yup

Triple yup. Heres my reasoning: Snow is an insulator. We have an outhouse load. The water underneath is above freezing and may erode the ice. With 2 feet of snow on that ice I just don't wanna risk it. Nuts.

All this snow is really hurting my season. Not willing to make the hike to my normal spots with the 2+ feet we have on the ice. Would love a good rainy warm spell and then a deep freeze to help salvage the rest of the season m
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If you're so inclined, drive a bit closer to the coast. I've been in the Plymouth, Ma area during the last week and there's been no snow cover on the ice. Not sure what the last snow storm dumped down there, but its been perfect up until then. I would say anywhere towards the bridges will be easier footing. Around me(Franklin) its been brutal too in terms of footing as there's over 1' of snow on most of the area's water bodies, plus the parking has been tough.

That and the weight of the snow doesn't help.

ice fishing is a game of survival... deep snow warrants a change in tactics...

all my gear ( tip ups etc. get moved to a back pack... snow shoes are a must... because the deep snow pack limits the thickness of the ice, i carry the hand auger ( nils master is almost as fast a power anyway) ... If I fish with live bait, i can carry the bucket if the snow is real deep, snow 12" and under wqill let me use the sled/toboggan... some days I'll just jig for or set up for trout ( rainbows) whuich require less walkming ( most sets are in less than 5' of water) and i'll use power bait or salmon eggs... no need to tote a shiner bucket..

been lucky on the cape. ice is stayin around 7-8 inches on the pond right near my house. it was slushy snow when it fell and it set up nice so its easy to walk on, crunchy on top. fishin hadnt been bad either. Guy shane lives opposite me, got a nice fatty this weekend

Snow shoes are a must. Other than that just drink more and you will forget there is 30 inches of snow out there

You can take your spikes off of your feet. Tape your bibs to your boots.

Nice larry. Only thing I can add is that if you're sans snowshoes, make sure you have a solid pair of insulated waterproof boots, with wool socks. I spent the night before TABBIT sealing my bean boots and they kept me dry, but I tried to stay out of the really slushy areas. A friend of mine was out on the RI ice this past weekend and was getting splash over top of his servus boots- Can make for a cold and rough day. A good tall chair to sit in is key also.

I'm thinking about picking up a pair of muck boots for work and for the slushy days on the ice. Wearing oilskin bibs might also be a good idea- wear them over the boots and put hefty rubber bands around your ankles. Haven't needed to do it myself, but it seems like it would work well.

My 6 year old had a blast yesterday. We caught everything just right with the weather and all. I'm pretty fired up to see him doing all this stuff by himself now. I just rebait the hooks and he does the rest. He's even giving me grief if I lose a fish...:laugha:

I've actualy had to go north to escape the snow.. even Winnipesauki has 12" of snow, and 6-8" of slush in places.. snow shoes keep you on top and dry...Rubber Insulated boots like Red heads or Mickey mouse boots keep the cold water out..

Money well spent. I picked up a pair of the 1200mg lacrosse muck boots a couple weeks ago and I can tell you they're fantastic. Veeeeery warm and dry.

those are very simular to the Red heads that i have.... with a boot liners and a piar of woll socks .. I've fished several times this season when the temp was 0 or below... and never even felt any thing but warm...

BTW.. good White perch and laker bite on the big lake yesterday in the morning..

Several ponds were tri-level layered with snow on top, slush in the middle and ice below that. Makes me nervous as well as cold plus it's a chore to walk through. Wear a PFD.

The snow is definitely putting a damper on everyone's ice season. I try to leave my sled at home when I can; the drag is just too much for many spots. Instead I pack everything in a packbasket and carry my auger.