- - Fishing Report at IDOfishing.com

Using modern technologies to make ice fishing easier.

Efficiency: By definition, ‘an accomplishment of or ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort.

We've all been there. Working for an employer or as an employer yourself, looking for ways to make better use of the time allowed. I can recall many times, sitting in a production meeting listening to the plant manager preach about efficiencies. The question is always asked, what can we do to make this task easier and faster? How can we be more efficient? In many instances, there are excellent alternatives that will make the task at hand easier and more efficient. However, there are also times that staying the traditional course is the best option.

Some say art often imitates life. In the same respect, it may be safe to say that our work is reflected in our recreation. Or, perhaps it should be. If your Boss were to ask you what you could do to catch more fish through the ice in a straightforward, more efficient means, you could offer the following.

First, let's look at the technological aspect. Today we have a huge list of items to choose from including flashers, underwater cameras, GPS units, and power augers. All of them are at our disposal to make the job faster and easier allowing all of us more time to fish and enjoy our time on the hard water.

Watching the fish react to how the bait is presented.

A GPS is an invaluable tool for today's ice fisherman. Year's ago anglers were required to mark a location with landmarks. "That house over there, staying directly across from the hump in the island and straight up from that point." Those days are gone for the most part. Now a simple press of a button into a GPS unit can allow you to find any spot even in the dark. That combined with the newest mapping chips, finding new spots almost seems too easy. With the aid of a GPS and electronic contour maps, ice anglers can share positions by using coordinates, outlining even the most difficult ledges and transitional spots.

Once the spot has been located, let's look at the tools angler's use to put more fish on the ice. Power augers certainly get the fisherman through the ice faster. Long gone are the days of chipping a hole open through the ice with an ice spud or chisel. There's no denying the speed of a power auger. Even when compared to the newest hand augers like the Strikemaster Lazers, power augers excel in speed and efficiency. Multiple holes can be drilled within minutes if not seconds. If an angler is educated with the surroundings of their location, holes can be drilled for later use as the daytime hours move on, allowing the angler to stay with the fish as they move and keep the bite active. No more sore arms or having to rely on a partner to help us steer and turn the auger.

Next we can look at the products used to determine whether fish are in the location's we've chosen. The most popular tool for determining the presence of fish is a flasher. Flashers have become a ‘must have’ item for today’s ice fishermen. Ice fishermen have been known to punch a vast system of holes through the ice and then fish from hole to hole targeting the fish in the water column below the hole(s). Obsolete are bottom bouncers, once clipped to your ice jig and used for determining the depth of the water. Now all we have to do is find the spot with the GPS, punch a hole with our power auger and drop the transducer into the hole for an instant reading of depth and fish position. Flashers have been instrumental in making ice fishing simpler and more efficient.

Flashers do have some limitations however. They cannot tell you what species are present and they cannot determine the activity of the fish you are targeting. While they are very effective at showing you if there are fish in the area, a flasher can’t tell you how those fish react to your presentation. Because of those limitations, an underwater camera is an invaluable tool.

Innovative ways to put fish on the ice.

Marine electronics manufacturers have made incredible advancements in camera design and capabilities. Some cameras now show the direction and depth of the camera as well as the water temperature. Using these tools, we can pinpoint the exact position of our jig and maintain sight of it at all times. This can be very important when targeting finicky fish. Many times fish will react negatively to our presentation. A simple little wiggle of our jig will send and Crappie running for cover. It’s important to see just how the fish react to different presentations. Having an underwater camera allows us to fine tune our presentation to attract and catch more fish, and will make us more efficient ice anglers.

In addition to the above mentioned ‘power tools” of ice fishing, there have also been important advancements in the hardware ice anglers use to catch their prey. We are far removed from sitting on a bucket watching a bobber freeze in the ice. Today, one of the most important items for shallow water fishermen is the use of long rods, a type of rod in which the line slides through the rod blank. These rods enable us to stay mobile, moving from hole to hole with ease, stopping only to check the depth. Not only do these rods give us mobility, they also offer comfort because they keep us vertical, not hunched over a hole for hours straining our backs. This is a factor we can all appreciate.

Fish dinner, just what we're looking for.

In the Bass fishing world the term is called “Power-Fishing.” Power fishing can be defined as ‘the technique by which fast-moving lures are used to create reaction strikes from bass; commonly regarded as the opposite of finesse fishing.’ While ice fishermen don't use fast-moving lures, they do stay relatively mobile by fishing baits that are used to trigger strikes from more active fish. Today's innovations have created the efficiencies we use to be better, faster fishermen, making ice fishing simpler and a lot more fun. Those long rods do a fantastic job of replicating ‘power fishing’ on the ice!

The most important part of any ice fishing rod is the spring bobber. If you‘re not able to own the underwater cameras or flashers, the spring bobber can in many ways be the lifeline between putting fish in your hand or going home to hot dogs. This little attachment is able to detect the lightest bites. As we all know, not every fish will strike our baits with enough force to submerge a foam or cork bobber and 9 times out of 10, a person fishing a spring bobber will outfish the guy using the standard foam or cork bobber.

Recently, some notable rod manufactures have made incredible advancements with spring bobber design. Many can be removed for proper rod storage and are adjustable depending on your needs. Do your homework before committing to a purchase as some spring bobbers are better suited than others for the specific job.

In tandem with long rods and spring bobbers, the use of fast snaps relieves us of frozen fingers while trying to thread a 2lb line through a tiny hole on the jig. Just thread the light wire through the eye of the jig and give it a snap. No longer do you have to try to focus your eyes and freeze you fingers while tying a knot. It doesn’t get simpler and easier than that. After all, it is about efficiency, isn’t it?

In a modern world, our recreational activity often needs to be performed as efficiently as our job duties. Fortunately for us, the modernization of ice fishing tools and tackle makes accomplishing such a task a real possibility. As we’ve evolved in the workplace, so we’ve evolved into more efficient ice anglers… something our boss would be proud of…

Ice Fishing Efficiencies

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