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A few of my tenants have started coming in to pull ice fishing equipment out of storage…yes, it’s getting to be that time of the year again. Until I went into the self-storage business I didn’t realize how much equipment people need for certain hobbies. Ice fishers, especially, like to keep their gear in storage, because some of it is best kept away from kids: fishing hooks and ice picks, for example. Some of the equipment, like flashlights, a shelter, and a heater, may not be dangerous, but it’s easiest to keep it all in one place, away from home, so that the ice fishing shelter does not migrate into the living room and become a play fort.
For those of you who are preparing for a fishing trip, I’ve listed some of the things you may want to be sure to bring along (whether you pull them out of self-storage or out of your basement or garage):
- fishing rods
- reels
- line (preferably 4-8 lb. ice-line)
- bait (please don’t keep your bait in storage unless you are renting a freezer unit!)
- a 5 gallon bucket to sit on
- hand warmers
- needle nose pliers
- your fishing license
- identification
- a compass
- bobber stops with beads
- assortment of split-shot
- ice fishing bobbers
- fingernail clipper (to cut the line)
- ice scoop
- First Aid kit
- jigs, spoons, hooks, etc.
- ice auger
- sled for the auger
- mouth spreader
- hook sharpener
- bait bucket
- small shovel, preferably collapsible
- ice pick or picks
There are other things you might want to bring if you have them: a shelter, a propane heater and propane, a spud bar (to check the thickness of the ice), a camera, ice cleats, an ice anchoring system, a small flashlight (maybe a wearable one), a lantern, matches or a lighter for the propane heater, tip-ups and leaders, quickstrike rigs, a cell phone if you have one, and GPS if you are lucky enough to have one of those. Something that just came out this year, which you may find handy, is a “glow-buster” lure light…one of my tenants told me that these work better than any bait she’s ever seen. Don’t forget to bring snacks, handkerchiefs, a hand towel, extra gloves, and any other odds and ends that you particularly need.
Most of all, don’t forget to bring your common sense. That ice isn’t always as thick as it used to be at this time of the year. Check the ice before you go out onto it. And then check it again. Be safe. And dress warmly.
For more information on ice fishing safety, try the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory website, which has a tip sheet relating to working on ice sheets.
Tags: hobbies, ice fishing, safety, self storage