Fishing: Ice Fishing

In the Buffalo, New York area, the fishing season is limited to the months between late Spring and early Fall with one exception – mid Winter. When Lake Erie freezes over to a depth of more than a foot, ice fishing becomes possible. My Dad, while not as devoted to ice fishing as to fishing from a boat or pier, was an occasional participant. Ice fishing is physically more challenging than regular fishing because of the necessity of carrying much more equipment than is needed for regular fishing over a sometimes irregular surface. To solve this problem, Dad constructed an ice fishing sled. It consisted essentially of a large, rectangular wooden box mounted on runners with a handle at the back for someone to help push while the lead person pulled the sled. The box held all the fishing tackle and bait, plus a variety of equipment necessary for ice fishing. For example, it was necessary to have a heavy ice pick to create a hole in the ice, an ice scoop to clear out the hole of ice debris, a small charcoal grill and charcoal, several tall, wooden poles that would be implanted around the ice hole to support a heavy canvas screen to create a cozy shelter against prevailing winds and, not to forget, Thermoses of coffee and maybe some hot soup.