Ice fishing is a sport that involves catching fish from within a frozen lake or other body of water. Before going ice fishing on a body of water, the fisher must make sure that the ice is at least four inches thick in order to ensure his or her safety. The fisher must then saw a hole in the surface of the ice in order to drop a fishing line into the body of water.
When ice fishing, a fisher may sit outside in the cold on a stool with nothing more than heavy clothing to provide protection. In some cases, however, the fisher may sit inside a heated cabin located on the ice. These cabins are referred to by a variety of names, such as fish house, ice shanty, bobhouse, and ice hut. They may include bunks, cooking facilities, and light, and are usually used on a multi-day ice fishing trip. In order to set up an ice shanty for ice fishing, a snowmobile or truck must be used to drag it to the fishing location.
In order to go ice fishing, the fisher needs a saw, ice spade, or auger in order to cut the hole in the ice. Sometimes, a strainer may also be necessary to remove new ice as it forms while drilling the hole or while ice fishing. The types of fishing rods needed for ice fishing depend on the fish the fisher hopes to catch.
A small, lightweight rod is used to jig for fish. A fisher may also use a tip-up rod when ice fishing. This rod is ideal for the fisher who does not wish to attend completely to the fishing rod. The fisher may also use a spear instead of a reel for ice fishing. In order to use a spear for ice fishing, the fisher also needs fish decoys to draw the fish to the hole in the ice.
Fishers who are very serious about ice fishing may also use a flasher. A flasher is a specialized sonar system capable of telling the fisher how deep the fish are in the water. The fisher may also use underwater cameras in order to watch the fish. This can add an interesting aspect to the sport of ice fishing, as the fisher can watch how fish react to various lures and to being caught.