Category Ice Fishing

Ice fishing rewards preparation more than any other kind of angling, so this section leads with safety and gear, then the bait work that actually triggers bites.

Five guides cover it: the habits that keep you off thin ice and what to do when it goes wrong, the safety kit worth carrying every single trip, the starter gear a first-timer genuinely needs versus what can wait a season, ten strategies for finding fish and staying on them, and the bait and jigging techniques that turn lookers into takers.

It’s written for anglers in their first few winters on hard water, where the difference between a good day and a cold empty one usually comes down to hole placement, presentation speed and having brought the right kit. Best-of lists for tip-ups and the destination guides to Minnesota and Michigan ice sit in the neighbouring categories.