Eric Davis
Sun Outdoor Columnist

Now that deer season is officially over, I start to change gears into ice fishing season. Unless you hunt downstate or outside of Ithaca in the special late seasons. This year we were lucky to have fishable ice when deer hunting season ended. I’d guess many people are in the same boat as I am, they haven’t even started getting their gear ready. Now it’s crunch time to get everything out and prepared for use.
First, make sure your fishing license is still valid. A few years ago (or more), the NYSDEC went to a 365-day license instead of the October 1- September 30 fishing license year. Also, make sure you put your license someplace where you won’t lose it.
Get all your jigging rods out and give them a good top to bottom inspection. Make sure the line guides are still in place and their interiors are smooth so they won’t fray your line. Turn the drag down on the reels and give the line a good pull to make sure the drag is operating smoothly. If it isn’t, consider buying some reel grease and strip the reel and give it a good cleaning and fresh grease. Inspect your line to determine if is still usable. Take at least the first 20-30 feet off the reel and inspect the line after that point. Look for the line to be cloudy if it’s monofilament or fluorocarbon. This is a sign of breakdown of the line from UV light. If your line doesn’t pass the inspection, put fresh new line on. I like to use brightly colored line as it is easier to watch for bites against a white background.
Follow a similar inspection for your tip-ups. I replace any monofilament or fluorocarbon leaders on my tip-ups every year. Give them a few dry runs of setting the flag down and pulling line off the spool to make sure the flag goes up to indicate a fish took the bait.
If you have a shanty, get it out and set it up. I try to do this outside just in case any mice are hiding in there. I like to check all the zippers, windows, and any other moving parts. It’s easier to take care of issues now before they get covered in snow and ice. Its also a lot easier to find parts you might need now rather than in the middle of ice fishing season.
Probably the most important piece of equipment is the auger. Without it, it’s impossible to ice fish! I only have hand augers so I can’t say too much about gas augers. I would guess they need to be serviced regularly just like any other small engine equipment. I like to run ethanol-free gasoline in my small engines and I would say doing the same with an auger would make sense. If you notice your auger is getting harder to use, it may be time to sharpen your blades or get a new set. I try to keep a mental note of how many turns of the hand auger it takes me to get through a particular thickness of ice as a way to monitor the sharpness of the auger blades.
The key to staying on the ice longer, increasing the number of fish you catch is to make sure you stay warm. Dress in layers so you can adjust your clothing to match what you are doing. If you put on everything you have and then pull your shanty and all of your gear a mile or more, you will sweat like crazy then get cold as your sweat evaporates. Start with quality base layers made of either 100% polyester or merino wool. Avoid cotton as it loses its insulative properties once it gets wet. Then layer your clothes on top of that. I tend wear lighter clothes while getting out on the ice and drilling holes then I put heavier outwear on once I sit down to fish. Because you are standing on a giant ice cube, good footwear makes a big difference. I like to wear heavy snow boots with a lot of insulation and light to mid-weight wool socks. I have learned through experience the right clothing and footwear combination for various temperatures and find myself more comfortable and staying on the ice longer. A personal propane heater helps a lot inside a shanty too!
Once you have your gear all ready, its time to grab some bait and hit the ice!