FEWER ICE ANGLERS SEEN IN FEWER PLACES

FEWER ICE ANGLERS SEEN IN FEWER PLACES

BY DIANE TIPTON, MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE & PARKS STATEWIDE
INFORMATION OFFICER

             Ice anglers out on frozen lakes are a part of Montana's winter
landscape. But this year there are fewer anglers on the ice, and in fewer
places.

Ice fishing enthusiasts say they are getting some fishing in, but they are
being very cautious.

"When you get a good cold snap in December and then it warms up and
snows on top of the ice it is real dangerous. Old ice-fishing holes get
blown over with snow and it can scare the heck out you if you step on
one," said Bob Gibson, a Bozeman retiree. Snow on top of the ice makes it
hard to see where the ice is blue, which means it is hard, and where it is
white or opaque, a sign the ice is weaker.

             Once you've found good ice, Dick Oswald, Montana Fish, Wildlife
& Parks fisheries biologist in Dillon, said the next challenge is to catch
fish when their metabolism is slowed due to the cold.

             The obstacles such as the slow-moving fish, changing ice
conditions, wind, and cold seldom discourage devotees who return year
after year for the excitement of observing and catching fish under the ice.

             Ice fishing doesn't require a lot of gear. The basics include a short
rod and reel, and a hand- or gas-powered ice auger. You'll also want a
skimmer or slotted spoon for clearing out the ice that can form on the
hole, a bucket or sled to haul your gear and some bait. The fishing license
year ends in February, so ice anglers will need a new 2006 fishing license
if they go out beginning March 1. Ice anglers in Montana generally fish
for perch, walleye, trout, northern pike and crappie.

Bob Gibson said that in the 60 years he's been ice fishing he has seen
some big changes. Take hole making, for example. Years ago, people
used an ice spud, a two-inch wood chisel welded onto a pipe, to chip out
an opening in the ice. In thick ice, it could take half an hour to create a
hole. Today's anglers can use gas-powered augers that can bore a hole in
just a few seconds.

Another new development is the ice fishing rod and reel combination. In
the past, ice anglers simply used a hand-held wooden board or dowel six
or eight inches long and shaped to hold the fishing line.

"A fellow could work it with a hand, jiggle it or do whatever he thought
was his secret way to catch fish," Gibson said.

Today's pricey, portable icehouses purchased at sporting goods stores
aren't anything like the ice shacks of old either.

"Icehouses today are unbelievable. Anglers take pride in how their ice
houses disassemble, crank up, and even come with wheels," Oswald said.
Despite these embellishments, ice fishing remains a simple pleasure.

"There are people I know that just lie spellbound on the ice looking down
the hole. One fellow gets on his belly and wraps the line around his little
finger. He jigs it this way and that with the rod lying next to him," Oswald
said.

Guenter Heinz, a northwestern Montana angler from Eureka, says he can
spend hours staring down into his ice hole, watching the watery world
below, "It's better than watching TV."