Minnesota Ice Fishing

Minnesota Ice Fishing

Did you catch the "big one" on your visit to Minnesota? Even if you "catch and release" you can preserve the fish story forever with our etched glass fishing related gifts and home decor items. Click on the photo to see what can be done with our designs or with your own photos.

Minnesota Ice Fishing on Lake of the Woods

Minnesota ice fishing

Minnesota ice fishing is one of our favorite winter pastimes. Men, women and children all find that ice fishing is both easy and exciting. It’s not as difficult or as cold as you might imagine. Keep a few things in mind, keep it simple and you can catch fish with little effort.

At the most basic level, ice fishing only requires a lake with ice that is thick enough to be safe, an auger to cut a hole in the ice, an ice fishing rod, some bait and a five gallon pail to sit on. And, oh yes, your fishing license! Most Minnesota ice fishermen (and women) prefer to add to this list. Every year my family adds to their stash of ice fishing gear.

Here is a “short” list of what we consider to be basic ice fishing gear:

Ice auger
Sled for auger or 4-wheeler or other vehicle if the ice is thick enough.
Ice scoop
Ice fishing rods, reels and tip-ups
Jigs and spoons and hooks,bobbers
Needle nose pliers
Small knife or fingernail clipper (to cut line)
Bait bucket and bait
A portable chair or stool

Ice fishing in Minnesota is often a family sport. Even quite young children can go ice fishing with proper safety precautions, warm clothing and supervision. Be sure to include snacks for them in your provisions and be ready to take them to a warm place as soon as they begin to get cold.

Here is a link to a wonderful article titled Let's Go Ice Fishing that offers lots of tips about ice fishing in general and also with a child as a companion.

Minnesota Ice Fishing Starts Young!

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