Ice fishing is a great way to get the kids and family outside to have a whole lot of fun. In our family ice fishing means more than just fishing. As a family we like to hit the ice with all the ice gear needed to catch fish. I also have the necessary equipment to find fish which is valuable when the fish aren’t very active. We also bring cross country skis, snow shoes, footballs, frisbees, grills and lots of shovels.
As a career Seward, AK ice fishing guide I have every tool known to man in my arsenal to catch fish, but have a firm understanding that at times while I may want to put fish on the ice, my seven-year-old daughter and her friends are there just to have fun.
When I’m drilling hole after hole and dropping my Aqua-Vu underwater camera down each hole to find fish and structure, I have my daughter and friends scoop the ice from each hole and write the depth next to the hole so we can come back and have the right set up for every hole drilled. It keeps the kids active and learning about the bottom and what fish are around. Kids love underwater cameras because they get to see the fish and how they react to different ice lures, baits, and presentations.
I like to get everyone involved in the set up of our semi-permanent spot or spots for the day. The kids take pride in helping set up and take down the pop-up shelters and helping with cleaning out the drilled ice holes as well as baiting the hooks, and setting tip-ups. I’m a camera junkie, but my daughter is a tip-up junkie like her uncle. When we get our pop-up shelter set up, we drill holes for tip-ups to add range to our set up and to ensure we all have two active lines in the water.
When I’m in the house watching the fish on the AquaVu camera my daughter Hattie is usually patrolling the tip-ups outside with her friends. When the flags on the tip-ups aren’t popping the kids are building snow forts and tossing the balls around or entertaining themselves with the shovels doing things only kids with active imaginations do when outside not staring at a television or notebook screen.
It doesn’t take a big fish or a lot of fish to make kids happy. It’s all about having friends and a few “toys” to play with when on the ice. I’m convinced that when we hit the ice with family and friends the parents are way more concerned about productivity than the kiddos. Having hot chocolate, lots of snacks, and a warm shelter keeps the kids happy, which leaves more time for anyone of any age to find and catch fish. Letting the kids run wild on the ice when they don’t have an ice rod in their hands is the best way to keep them coming back. Eventually they will want to fish more than they want to play, and with all the time on the ice when they do decide to get serious about fishing they already have the knowledge of how to set up and find fish using all the tools that make them better anglers.
You will notice my theme here is get the kids involved with out pushing them to actually fish. Letting kids have fun on the ice ensures they want to come back out, eventually they will want a rod in their hand more than than the shovel or frisbee. When that happens you get to kick back and enjoy the fruits of your labor while the little ones do all the heavy lifting. There is nothing finer than watching a young child scoop out a hole, grab a rod or tip-up set, it up accordingly and start catching fish.
Taking kids and families ice fishing is some of the most fun and rewarding times there is as a guide and probably my favorite trips, but there is also something to be said about hitting the ice hard with serious anglers who are targeting trophy fish and certain species of fish. If you are interested in booking a fishing trip, contact Jason’s Guide Service today. In future Blogs I will write about all the Big Three electronics I use on the ice, Why and when I use them and their best purpose. Stay tuned…………
