Drill holes with an
8" hand ice auger. This quickly cuts holes through very thick ice. A foot of ice takes less than 30 seconds.
When it's cold fish eat less because their metabolism slows down, so use live bait like large shiners, extra large if the bait shop has them, on the
ice rig. The ice rig is a deadsticking technique. Hook the shiner through the bottom of the mouth and out through a nostril.
Use a small 28 inch, or so,
rod, with a light spinning reel spooled with
20 lb Sufix 832 braided line and 3ft of
Seaguar 20lb fluorocarbon leader, and a
size 2 Gamakatsu hook for shiners, or jig a
1/2oz Kastmaster.
Use
tip ups to have multiple hooks in the water. In Massachusetts you can have five lines through the ice. Tip ups just sit there, and when a fish is on the flag pops up, and you pull the line in by hand. I spool these with
30 pound Mason braided green tip up line with a 3 foot
Seaguar 20 pound flourocarbon leader joined with a
quadruple surgeon's knot. Use a
size 2 Gamakatsu hook for shiners.
