Of all the anglers, Icemen are the Best! No other group of anglers is as generous, sharing, or friendly. We have all met a few turds, but most Ice fishermen and women are true anglers.
My son Kyle and I were fishing at Canyon Ferry years ago. We were new to the area and had marched a few miles out on the ice from Confederate Gulch access. A huge pressure ridge seemed like a good area to try. As the day went on, we struggled to find or catch perch. A hundred yards away, an old Iceman was filling the ice with ‘neds’. The limit then was 50 per person, per day, and Kyle and I were getting skunked.
When the Cowboy Hatted angler was done, he called us over to his Honey Hole. Not only did he share the spot, but he also set us up for success.
The perch were suspended at 60 feet. He showed us where he had walked 60 feet, to measure his line. At the 60-foot mark he used a sharpie pen to mark on his monofilament.
He said the perch would surface with their air bladders exposed. He had drilled a separate hole where he tossed back the smalls until they could adjust to the change in pressure and retract their air bladders.
We learned about Spring Bobbers. Without a Spring Bobber, we never saw the light bites. He gave us 2 and attached them to our rods.
He showed us how to jig. Some days the fish want a Dead Stick but, on this day, they want a light jig or two. He focused on my son, 10-year-old Kyle, and soon he was catching fish.
Use the right bait. Maggots worked well and we had just one container. He had huge maggots and gave us his bait. There was a certain way to hook them on.
The right lure is important. The Iceman showed us how he rigged a dropper hook from the bottom of a Rapala ice jig. The dropper was five inches long and held a small glow jig. Just one maggot was attached.
“Love Juice was applied”. The Iceman shared a container of fish scent that he used. It glowed and was in a squeeze bottle. “The perch are in the dark and need to smell the bait”, he said.
Eyeballs are great bait. He gave me a 30-06 shell with a wire loop soldered into it. This tool was used to remove the eyes of iced perch.
The Iceman mentored us until we were catching perch regularly. He then said farewell and was gone. I do not even remember his name. I do remember the lessons that he taught us. His generosity helped me, and a 10-year-old kid catch their first perch limits on Canyon Ferry.
He also taught us the importance of becoming Icemen. This meant sharing knowledge, helping others, and making new friends.
Fishers of men are the best anglers. Teaching others how to fish helps them celebrate fishing for a lifetime. The only rule is that, you need to give this gift to others.
If this idea is not in your tackle box, you need to rethink how and why you fish.
Share the gift of fishing with others!
Montana Grant
