Ice fishing is carried out on a frozen body of water. Lines and spears are part of the ice fishing gear together with other tools meant to break the hard surface and cut a hole for uniform access to the unfrozen depths underneath. The sitting position is preferred for ice fishing too, as the fishermen can stay either on special stools or directly on the ice. Some fishermen have made this activity even more pleasurable as they have built cabins of wood around the opening which are heated and equipped with bunk beds so that they could also take a bit of rest.

Ice fishing is very popular especially in the cold areas on our globe. Latvia, Norway, Finland, Germany, Russia, Estonia and other Northern countries have given ice fishing the rank of favorite pastime as it has long ceased to earn one's living now. The Northern states and regions of the American continent where ice fishing still flourishes are Canada, Alaska, Colorado, Michigan and so on.

Getting into more details about the fishing equipment used, we may realize that it is pretty different from other types of fishing in that it has become rather specialized. A fishing line or a spear could turn out worthless for this type of activity if you do not have an ice saw or a chisel at hand to begin with. Remember that an opening in the ice is required first and foremost. But water will keep freezing even after you have made the hole, therefore most fishermen also carry a skimmer to get rid of that newly formed layer of ice. Most people also rely on a heater not only for their sakes but also for keeping the area around the hole warm enough to avoid letting more ice be formed. This is the reason why wooden huts or cabins that capture the heat indoors are widely preferred by ice fishing fans.

There are three ways to go ice fishing. First, you can use small-sized rods with colorful little lures or baits. The second makes use of tip-ups and they are very useful when you are not interested in catching a lot of fish over a longer period of time. And last, there’s spear ice fishing for which you need a larger hole and fish decoys.

Whichever the choice from the three methods, we can compare nowadays success of these fishermen’s activity with that of long ago ice fishing. It appears that today, with the help of sonars, ice fishing lovers can identify the areas where fish are located in the large body of water under the ice. Then, with the help of commercial fishing devices fishermen will drill about 100 holes per day if they wished to catch large amounts of fish, very much unlike our ancestors who had to wait by the hole for the fish to come to them.

Learn more about fishing, fishing techniques and fishing destinations here Fishing Tip and also here Big Game Fishing