STORY BY JOHN ALLEN
PHOTOS BY CHUCK DEES

Mike Jackson prefers ice fishing from the comfort of his commercially designed tent.

It's February, and you're probably itching for some fishing. Your choices in Illinois are to watch someone else fish on TV, daydream about that big bass that got away last summer, find a hot-water lake or put on your long Johns, grab your gear and head out for some "hard water" fishing.

"There are guys I fish with who live for the several months of hard water and never venture out during the summer," said Mike Jackson, outdoors writer for the Daily Herald newspapers in suburban Chicago. "These guys feel it's a challenge to try to find and catch a fish through the ice."

Jackson, who also hosts an outdoor radio show from 6-7 a.m. on Sundays on WSBC-AM 1240 and WCFJ-AM 1470 in the Chicago area, is himself no slouch when it comes to ice fishing. He has hosted an annual family ice fishing derby on Channel Lake in the Chain O'Lakes since 1988, and on any given winter day, can be found wandering northern Illinois lakes with his buddies in the Ice Nomads Fishing Club.

Another avid hard water fisherman is Bob Williamson, a Springfield area resident who retired last year after 28 years as a fisheries biologist with the Department of Natural Resources. Williamson said he ice fishes 5 to 10 times each year, but would go more often if the central Illinois season lasted longer.

The two men differ on some of the equipment they consider essential for a successful trip, but

Retired DNR fisheries biologists Rod Horner (left) and Bob Williamson prefer the minimalist approach, carrying all their ice fishing gear in a couple of five-gallon buckets that also double as seats.

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Though power augers allow anglers to drill holes faster, hand augers have the advantage of being easier to carry.

there are numerous points on which they agree. Here, then, is a primer on ice fishing from two Illinois experts.

Special Equipment

Williamson prefers to keep things simple. He carries a minimum of equipment in a five-gallon bucket, which doubles as a seat.

For starters, he uses a hand auger to drill through the ice.

"A power auger works better on thicker ice like they have in Minnesota, but a hand auger is fine for central Illinois," he said.

Also in the bucket is a "bottom bumper" to tell how deep the water is. Describing it as "a weight on a string attached to an alligator clip," Williamson said the bottom bumper is essential because the fish are usually just off the bottom. "They won't go 10 feet to chase a bait," he adds. "It has to be right on them."

Another key item is a scoop or ladle to remove ice chips from the hole, he said. It's also used to break out ice if the hole starts to refreeze.

Though he sometimes uses a shelter, Williamson said they're useful only on really cold or windy days. "They're nice to have some days, but they're not as mobile," he said, "and being mobile is the key to catching fish."

Jackson agrees with the mobility theory, but opts for comfort over simplicity.

"Sitting on a bucket is okay, but why be uncomfortable?" he asks. "We use a portable tent, portable liquid propane heaters, gasoline-powered augers and electronic fish finders."

Jackson's commercially built tent sits atop a sled, "has two comfy seats, windows, a door and mesh vents, because you have to vent the tent when you run the heater." The heater, he adds, warms the tent to about 60 degrees.

The fish finders are powered by rechargeable 12-volt batteries.

"They're color flashers that show the lure on a screen and show the fish hitting it," he said. "These units allow us to put a lure right on the fish's nose."

Dress for Success

Because he uses a heated tent, Jackson's main concern is staying warm until he gets the tent set up. He wears insulated bib overalls or a snowmobile suit topped by a duck-hunting parka. Beneath that is a cotton or flannel shirt. On his feet are one pair of cotton socks and one pair of wool ones and rubber-soled boots with leather uppers. Snowmobile mittens keep his hands warm, and he wears a knit stocking cap under the hood of his parka.

"If it's below zero, I wear polypropylene long underwear, and if it's really bad, I'll wear a polar wrap mask that allows me to breath in warm air instead of cold air," he adds.

Williamson's ensemble closely resembles Jackson's. He wears two pairs of socks, felt-lined boots with rubber soles, polypropylene long underwear, a flannel shirt, bib overalls, a sweatshirt and a hooded parka. He also wears ice fishing mittens that have a half-glove on the inside. "The mitten part folds over it so you don't have to take the glove off," he said.

Safety First

An ice fishing trip that includes a plunge into frigid water cannot

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Ice fishing with a friend is safer than fishing alone.

be considered a success, no matter how many fish are caught.

"I don't push my luck," Williamson said. "I want a minimum of four inches of clear, hard ice. If you go on ice that's less than four inches, you're risking your life. If you go through the ice you only have a short time before hypothermia sets in.

"When water first freezes, it's clear ice called 'black ice,'" he continued. "It's hard and strong. Cloudy ice has melted and refrozen and is not as strong. If it's cloudy, it has to be seven or eight inches thick before I'll go on it. For safety, I always drill a hole just a couple feet out from shore to make sure I have safe ice. I won't go on rotten ice."

Williamson also avoids fishing near open water, underwater springs or feeder creeks.

In his five-gallon bucket, he carries a 50-foot length of rope to help someone who has fallen through the ice and "ice grippers." Used to pull oneself out of the water, ice grippers are available commercially or can be homemade. Williamson uses two pieces of broomstick with nails driven into the ends, but notes that a pair of screwdrivers attached to a rope and worn around the neck will also work.

Though he prefers to fish with another person, Williamson said he occasionally goes out by himself, but only if he's completely familiar with the water he's fishing and only if the ice is safe.

Jackson, on the other hand, does not ice fish alone.

"I don't like fishing by myself," he said. "I like to compare notes with the other guys. We have a lot of fun out there. We sometimes have fish fries on the ice, but we don't bring alcohol because it's stupid to put yourself in jeopardy."

Jackson's safety gear also includes a 50-foot nylon rope and ice grippers, as well as anti-slip cleats for his boots to prevent falls.

"On a strange lake I'll wear a personal flotation device over my clothes," he adds. "At night I carry a flare gun, fuses, high-intensity flashlight and lantern."

Bait and Tackle

Jackson and Williamson agree that the primary species caught through the ice are bluegill and crappie, with northern Illinois waters yielding an occasional walleye, northern pike, channel catfish or largemouth bass and central Illinois yielding an occasional large-mouth or channel cat.

"It's critical to go as light as possible" to catch panfish, Williamson said, "because the bite is very light." He uses a short rod rigged with a lightweight reel holding 2-to 4-pound test line.

"Lighter line is less visible to the fish and allows the baits to work better," he said. "They make ice fishing line that doesn't get as stiff in cold weather, but you can use standard monofilament. I like fluorocarbon line because it's less visible."

Williamson ties on either a jig or a #12 to #14 hook, adding that #8 is about the biggest hook that can be used successfully.

"Most people use jigs," he said. "Some are lead heads or just a blade soldered onto a hook. They also make ice jigs. It's possible to catch fish with just the jig, but most people use waxworms or spikes for bluegill and minnows for crappie."

Jackson carries a variety of rods ranging from 12-34 inches, with the longer rods used for heavier fish like walleye or northern. The short rods have ultralight spinning reels, and the longer ones have light casting reels, he said.

The rods are rigged with 2- to 4-pound test Berkley MicroIce FireLine.

"There's no stretch in FireLine and it's ultra super-sensitive, which is important because the fish hit so lightly," he said.

Jackson tips his line with microjigs (1/32- or 1/64-ounce or smaller) "90 percent of the time," and like Williamson, uses waxworms or spikes for bluegill and minnows for other species.

Neither angler uses a tip-up, which is a folding device equipped with a reel connected to a flag that is released when a fish takes the bait.

"Tip-ups are used more in the north by people fishing for northern or walleye," Williamson said. "We don't need them here."

Both men agree on one other tip for novices: keep your bait warm. Williamson keeps his in his pocket, while Jackson keeps it either inside the tent or inside his coveralls.

"Frozen bait won't catch fish," Williamson said matter-of-factly.

Finding and Catching Fish

"The biggest problem is finding the fish," Williamson said. "In a small pond, bluegill will be in

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Lightweight line, hooks and bait are crucial because it's hard to feel fish biting under the ice.

deep water, usually concentrated in a small area. Sometimes if you're catching fish and move six feet you won't catch anything. I start just off the dam, drilling two holes and fishing two rods. In the areas I fish, I usually catch them in 8-12 feet of water.

"Some days you simply can't find the fish," he continued, "but if you do find them you can frequently catch them pretty fast. If the bite gets hot, it can be difficult to keep two rods going."

Williamson said he starts fishing just off the bottom and slowly jigs the bait up and down.

"I vary the speed of the jigging depending on what the fish want," he said. "It's usually a pretty light bite, which is why you need light tackle. It takes experience to know when they hit. The fish don't fight as hard as they do in the summer."

"We also fish for bluegill and crappie," Jackson said. "For about the first three weeks after first ice, they're pretty easy to find. The key is to keep moving because the fish move in schools when they're feeding."

Jackson starts by drilling 12-15 holes in a semicircle around his tent and "shooting" under the ice with the electronic fish finder to see if fish are there. "We're not wasting time," Jackson said. "It's not uncommon for us to drill 30-70 holes a day, which is what being mobile is all about."

Once he locates his quarry, Jackson also begins fishing just off the bottom.

"Most of the bluegill are 6-8 inches off the bottom," he said. "Crappie and walleye may be suspended halfway up. Walleye is generally a night bite, but not a lot of people fish at night because it's too cold."

When a fish takes the bait, don't "set" the hook as you would in summer. Instead, lift the line firmly and use a steady retrieve to raise the fish to the hole.

Know the Rules

Illinois ice fishermen are limited to a maximum of three poles or tipups with a maximum of two hooks on each, which must always be under the angler's close supervision. Holes are limited to a 12-inch diameter.

Portable metal or wood shelters covered with canvas, paper, plastic or fabric are allowed, providing they're labeled with the owner's name and address. After March 1, they must be removed from the ice daily and cannot be left unattended at any time.

Unless otherwise exempt, ice fishermen must have an Illinois fishing or sportsman's license and must abide by all statewide and site-specific regulations regarding sizes and numbers of fish taken.

Mmm-Mmm Good!

Jackson and Williamson agree on one other point about ice fishing: fish caught through the ice taste better than fish caught in open water.

"The meat is firmer, and there's less chance of the fish being wormy," Jackson said.

"The meat is firmer, and there's no algae taste," Williamson said. "They're also easier to clean because the flesh is so firm."

According to Rod Horner (L), safe ice, the right gear and a little patience often lead to the best-tasting fish of the year.

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