ICE FISHING: Outdoors, low-cost gear lure anglers to lakes

Few landscapes in Colorado can seem as lifeless as a frozen mountain lake in the dead of winter.

It’s easy to forget, on the most brutally frigid days, when gales off the peaks howl like a harbinger of the end of days and fingers and toes go numb, that life goes on below the glassy surface.

“When it’s that cold and windy, nobody’s out there. Fish still gotta eat,” said Sam Heckman, a Colorado Springs fisherman.

A growing number of people in Colorado are venturing out into these conditions, onto the ice, to catch them.

According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, 25 percent of the state’s anglers go ice fishing.

While it’s not as simple as walking up to a creek and casting a rod in summer, it’s not as complicated or expensive as you might think.

And for those who doubt they could stay warm sitting still for hours in such conditions, there are huts to hang out in, which range in complexity and luxury from collapsible tents to heated command centers on skis, pulled on a trailer.

“It’s pretty much a low-tech sport for beginners. You can take it to any level you want to, with GPS, marking locations, underwater structure, using sonar to help locate fish,” said Dennis McKinney, an ice angler and DOW media specialist. “There’s an entire platoon of low-tech anglers that will just go out there and start drilling holes and dropping lures.”

First trip often uneventful

On a recent Friday night, anglers gathered at Bear Creek Nature Center in Colorado Springs for a course on the basics of ice fishing, safety and, of course, how to get a fish.

Bob Mininger, owner of Outlaw Bait and Tackle in Colorado Springs, has seen plenty of excited beginners shell out a few hundred dollars for gear and then pawn it after spending a few frigid days without catching a fish.

That’s why he recommends first-timers rent gear. He even rents huts.

Gear in hand, the next step is to do your homework. Get a fishing map showing the layout of the lake and plot your spots. Areas near where land juts into the water can hide fish.

Areas with boulders mean crawfish and fish to eat them. Flat areas above steep drop-offs can hide fish, as can old river channels on the bottom.

The next homework assignment is to check ice conditions. Anything less than 4 inches should be avoided, and anglers should test the ice themselves when they arrive at a lake.

A December incident at Nichols Reservoir near Colorado Springs showed how dangerous the ice can be: A man fell through the ice, pulled himself out but still froze to death before he could get to safety.

“If you think that ice is too thin, don’t go. Go to the inlet and catch some fish where (the water) is moving,” said angler Donnie Cox.

Once you have picked your spot — looking for old holes may tell you someone else tried there, though you’ll likely have no idea whether they caught anything — drill your hole. Some anglers prefer to drill multiple holes.

Choosing bait is often a matter of trial and error, though the DOW and other anglers may be able to give advice on what has been working at a lake and where people have been just drowning worms.

Then get jiggy with it.

Fish lured by movement

Fish won’t go after a lure unless it is moving, and in ice you don’t want to constantly cast and re-cast, so anglers jig their line, bobbing it up and down and around. Some do it constantly, while the more advanced, using a sonar fish finder, do it whenever a fish comes near.

Then you wait for the thrill of pulling something live — a trophy, a meal, or a throw-back — from the icy world below you.

Some anglers pass the time by jigging in different ways, to fool the fish. Others let battery-powered jiggers in a hole next to their rod do the work, while they tell fish tales or play football on the ice. Those without a hut often walk around or go back to their car to warm their toes.

Inside fishing huts, without the sun’s glare, fishermen watch fish swim beneath the ice, an experience anglers liken to being in an aquarium.

Above all, they relax. Ice fishing is a reason to get outside and enjoy the high country in its snow-draped splendor, while still enjoying a favorite sport.

Enjoying outdoors is key

Cox said he’s been an ice fisherman for 27 years for “The solitude, the quiet, getting out on the ice and watching the fish swim by, knowing you’re not going to catch them all.”

Asked what enticed him to the sport, Colorado Springs angler Jim Ludwig said, “Just being out in the elements, the thrill of looking in that hole and seeing the fish swim by.”

Experienced anglers say newcomers will probably face some disappointment, hours of endless jigging and sitting while catching nothing but a cold. But don’t get disheartened, they said, keep trying new baits and new locations until it works.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO GET STARTED ICE FISHING:

• Warm clothes, and cleats or crampons for boots

• Ice auger, for drilling holes in the ice

• Rod and reel, a short rod specially designed for ice fishing

• Fishing line

• Lures, an assortment is best

• Bait, depending on what you are fishing for

• Ice scoop, for keeping the hole clear

• Pliers, to get the hook out of the fish’s mouth

• Bucket, for a chair, tackle box and gear tote all in one, plus a place to store all the keepers you catch

• Fishing license, available for $9 a day or $26 for a year for adults at many bait and sporting goods stores

HERE ARE SOME ICE FISHING LUXURIES

• Portable hut, to keep you warm and help you spot fish below the ice

• Automatic jigger, to shake the line for you and spare you carpal tunnel syndrome

• Fish finder, an electronic device that indicates when fish are near

WHERE TO GO ICE FISHING

Some local spots with good ice fishing

Antero Reservoir, west of Hartsel on U.S. Highway 24, is popular, but in a cold location where the ice is usually thick.

Elevenmile Reservoir, south of Lake George, is a massive 3,400 acres, with a healthy rainbow trout population. Visit parks.state.co.us/Parks/ElevenMile/Conditions for conditions.

Manitou Reservoir, just north of Woodland Park, is small, but a great spot for beginners and kids.

Skaguay Reservoir, east of Victor, is 114 acres and another good place for beginners and families.

Monument Lake, west of Monument, is close to home but anglers should exercise caution, as ice can be thinner at lower elevations.

Ice fishing is not allowed at the reservoirs accessed by the Pikes Peak Highway. Colorado Springs Utilities officials discourage fishing at other water-supply reservoirs, because changing water levels make crossing the ice dangerous.

Note: Always check ice conditions before venturing onto the surface. For a complete list of reservoirs and the latest fishing reports, visit wildlife.state.co.us/Fishing/Reports/IceFishing.