Packing up ice gear

It’s been really nice to be home for the past couple of weeks after spending much of February and March down in the southern U.S. fishing in bass tournaments.
I’ve spent nearly every nice day that we’ve had on the ice chasing walleye, pike, lake trout, and crappies–basically getting in my ice-fishing fix.
In the past couple of columns, I’ve mentioned how much I love this late March timeframe for ice-fishing for the nicer weather, the longer days, and generally because the fishing is a lot better now than it is earlier in the winter.
The past couple of weeks have not disappointed. The fishing has been really good most days, and my friends and I have had some great fresh fish dinners.
While we still are not that far along in the melting process, it seems like the walleye and pike know the ice out is coming because a lot of bigger fish have started to show up near the areas where they’ll spawn immediately following ice-out.
Ice conditions on area lakes still are pretty decent but every body of water is different. On Lake of the Woods, for instance, conditions are sketchy in areas with current.
While there still is a lot of ice on the big stretches, it seems as though there is a lot of water going out at the dams, so there is a significant current moving through the lake, opening up a lot of the narrow spots.
So if you are running around out there, be mindful that anywhere that might see a little bit of current probably has poor ice.
Meanwhile, I’m headed back on the road for a bass tournament next week at Lake Cumberland in Kentucky, so the ice-fishing season is over for me. I love our summers here in Sunset Country and absolutely enjoy fishing in the boat, but I’m always a little bit disappointed at the end of the ice-fishing season because I just really like this time of year!
For those of you who are still fishing, there certainly are some good days ahead in the next week or two–just be careful out there.
When it comes to putting away the ice-fishing gear for the summer, there are few things you should do to make sure everything is going to be in good condition when the next season starts.
With my gas auger, I like to make sure it’s cleaned up by wiping off any excess gas or oil residue, then I’ll run some sort of gas treatment like Stabil through it (I always use premium gas in my auger and doing this, I never have any issues from year to year with my augers).
Make sure your tent or portable shelter is completely dry before you fold it up and put it away. If it is dirty or is still holding moisture, there’s a good chance it will get moldy so make sure it’s dry.
With my tackle, I like to look through my boxes and make sure there are no rusty hooks because they seem to shed the rust to other hooks if they are in there. Keep your tackle dry and it will last for years.
Finally, make sure you give your flasher or depth finder a good battery charge, then disconnect the positive terminal and it will be all ready to go again come fall.
All pretty simple stuff but the little bit of maintenance goes a long way in prolonging the life of your equipment.
If you have the opportunity to get out on the ice again, have some fun and be safe!