Tip-Up!

Ice fishing is a unique style of fishing. Drilling a hole in ice, about six inches in diameter. Setting up a fishing contraption called a "tip-up" next to it, hanging a line with bait on the hook in the hole, and when a fish hits the bait, a flag pops or tips-up. Or by using a cut-off fishing pole, called a "jigging" pole. In jigging, you jig, or bounce the line up and down a bit, to give the bait more movement, to attract the big guys! 

One of the amazing things about it is, you either love it or you don't. There is no in-between when it comes to ice fishing. There are many guys I know who wait just for the cold of winter, so they can get out and try to land some good eats. I used to do it years ago, and enjoyed it then. I think the camaraderie with your buddies out there, and the cooking a hotdog on a grill at 20º or so can be the best too! And sometimes, I've been told, perhaps a bottle of blackberry brandy may show up to help with keeping spirits lifted while waiting for a fish to bite!

These fella's had a flag tip just as I was getting ready to take their photo, so I watched to see if they could pull one in. This time though they just had a hit and run, sending the flag but no fish on the line. Hopefully, they did better the rest of the day. This was on the south end of Indian Lake on Wednesday morning about 9:45am.