Ice fishing on the Ottawa river, near the capital of Canada

Ice fishing is the sport of catching fish with lines and hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Fisherman may sit on a stool on the open expanse of a frozen lake or sit in a heated cabin on the ice with bunks and amenities. Download high resolution version (1500x900, 395 KB)ice fishing in Canada on the Ottawa river between Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec I have taken this picture with my camera and I am placing it in the public domain. ... Download high resolution version (1500x900, 395 KB)ice fishing in Canada on the Ottawa river between Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec I have taken this picture with my camera and I am placing it in the public domain. ... Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish. ... A natural, 4 tonne, block of ice on a beach in Iceland Icicles Ice is the solid form of water. ... Water (from the Old English word wæter; c. ...

Locations

It is a popular pastime in Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia in Europe. A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ...

In the United States, Alaska, the states around the Great Lakes and other areas with lakes and long, cold winters enjoy the activity. Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish settlers brought the sport with them to Minnesota; most Minnesotans who engage in ice fishing are from Nordic families. The sport came to Alaska as settlers arrived from Minnesota. State nickname: The Last Frontier, The Land of the Midnight Sun Other U.S. States Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Governor Frank Murkowski (R) Senators Ted Stevens (R) Lisa Murkowski (R) Official language(s) English Area 663,267 mi² / 1,717,854 km² (1st)  - Land 571,951 mi² / 1,481... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ...

Except for Lake Erie, the Great Lakes seldom freeze over entirely, but bays of the Great Lakes do freeze and are popular ice fishing spots, with northern pike and yellow perch being the most common catches. Lake Erie, looking southward from a high rural bluff near Leamington, Ontario Lake Erie is one of the five large freshwater Great Lakes in North America, among the worlds largest such lakes. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... Binomial name Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758 The Northern Pike (Esox lucius) is a carnivorous fish of brackish and freshwaters of the northern hemisphere. ... Species Perca flavescens (Yellow perch) Perca fluviatilis (European perch) Perca schrenkii (Balkhash perch) A perch is a freshwater bony fish belonging to the family Percidae. ...

Shelters

Many fisherman fish with no protective structure, merely heavy coats and gloves and other winter wear. Longer fishing expeditions can be mounted with simple structures. Larger, heated structures can make multi-day fishing trips possible.

A structure with various local names, but often called a fish house, bobhouse, ice shanty, or ice hut, is sometimes used. These are dragged or trailered from shore using a vehicle such as a snowmobile or truck, to a suitable location on the lake. Some fish houses are elaborate, and can be equipped with lights, heat, bunks, cooking facilities, and the like. At the opposite extreme are portable, tent-like structures designed to be easily moved. A bobhouse or ice shanty is a small, portable shed placed on a frozen lake to provide shelter during ice fishing. ... A snowmobile tour at Yellowstone National Park, note the snowdust in the air (NPS Photo) A snowmobile (or snow scooter, often referred to by enthusiasts as a sled and in the Canadian north as a snow machine) is a land vehicle propelled by one or two rubber tracks, with skis...

In North America, ice fishing is often a social activity. Not infrequently, the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol is involved. Some resorts have fish houses that are rented out by the day (called ice huts); often, shuttle service via snowmobile is provided, eliminating any need for sobriety on the part of the participants. In general usage, alcohol (from Arabic al-ghawl الغول) refers almost always to ethanol, also known as grain alcohol, and often to any beverage that contains ethanol (see alcoholic beverage). ... A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation. ...

In Finland, solitary and contemplative isolation is often the object of the pastime, but the copious consumption of alcohol is the same, perhaps more so. In Finland, fishhouses are a rare occurrence, but wearing a sealed and insulated drysuit designed out of space-age fabric technology for emergency rescue teams is not.

In North America, lines of fishhouses often develop over underwater ridges or other areas where fish are particularly plentiful.

Fishing Equipment

Icefishing gear is highly specialized. First, an ice spade, saw or auger is required to cut a circular hole or larger rectangular hole in the ice. Power augers are sometimes used. A strainer is sometimes required to remove new ice as it forms.

Three main types of fishing occurs. Small, light fishing rods with small, brightly colored lures may be used in jigging for fish. Tip-ups, which carry a line attached to a flag that "tips up" when a strike occurs, allow unattended or less-intensive fishing. The line is drug in by hand with no reel. In spear fishing a large hole is cut in the ice and fish decoys may be deployed. The fisherman stands over the hole while holding a large spear attached to a line. This method is used for lake sturgeon fishing on Black Lake in Michigan. Hunting spear and knife, from Mesa Verde National Park. ... Binomial name Acipenser fulvescens ( Rafinesque, 1817) The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) is a North American temperate freshwater fish, one of about 20 species of sturgeon. ... State nickname: The Wolverine State, The Great Lakes State Other U.S. States Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) Senators Carl Levin (D) Debbie Stabenow (D) Official language(s) English de-facto Area 96,889 mi² / 250,941 km² (11th)  - Land 56,855 mi² / 147,255 km²...

Dangers

Ice needs to freeze to at least four inches in depth to support walking humans, and a foot to support vehicles. However care must be taken, because sometimes ice will break and move with currents, leaving open areas which refreeze with much thinner ice. On the Great Lakes, off-shore winds can break off miles-wide pans of ice stranding large numbers of fisherman. Late in winter warm spells can destroy the texture of the ice, which, while still of the required thickness, will not adequately support weight. It is called "rotten ice" and is exceedingly dangerous. Some ice fishermen will continue to fish, but will carry a pole horizontally to hold them, if they fall through. Fisherman may carry a self-rescue device made of two screwdriver connected by a string to help pull themselves back onto the ice out of the water.

A certain number of cars, trucks, SUVs, snowmobiles, and fish houses fall through the ice each year and people die. Current environmental regulations require the speedy recovery of the vehicle or structure in this situation. Divers must be hired, and when the trouble occurs far from shore, helicopters are employed for hoisting. The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors (propellers). ...

Another risk associated with ice fishing is carbon monoxide poisoning from fishhouse heaters. On cold nights the ice is very noisy and booming sounds like cannon fire can be heard from within it. A small cast-iron cannon on a carriage A cannon is any large tubular firearm designed to fire a heavy projectile over a considerable distance. ...

Contests

Ice fishing contests offer prizes for the largest fish caught within a limited time period. Some people take their ice fishing very seriously. In Michigan, USA, "Tip-Up Town, USA" can bring 40,000 people out onto Houghton Lake for festivities which include ice fishing, snowmobiling, snow sculpting and fireworks. Houghton Lake is the name of a few places in the United States: Houghton Lake, Michigan, an unincorporated community Houghton Lake, the name of two lakes in Michigan Houghton Lake, is a small lake in Marshall County, Indiana This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages...

In Finland, ice fishing contests have been marred by repeated scandals, where both contestants and organizers have been caught cheating. Contestants have smuggled previously caught and frozen fish with them. And organizers have awarded the prizes to stooges, not really even participating in the competition, to avoid paying prize monies, which often rise to very high sums.

Ice fishing is a major plot element in the film Grumpy Old Men and its sequel. Grumpy Old Men is a 1993 Warner Bros. ...

See also

Snowmobile skipping Snowmobile Watercross or Snowmobile Skiping is a competitive sport conducted on water using snowmobiles. ...