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Gear and a first trip

For someone who has fished open water and wants to try a hole in the ice. Most of this is from a guide Five Rivers MetroParks wrote for its own ponds, with ODNR and Minnesota DNR filling in.

No ice report here. We don’t know the ice on any Ohio water today, and nothing on this page says you can walk on it. Read ice safety first, and check the ice yourself, every few steps, every trip.

What is ice fishing, in one paragraph?

“Ice fishing is an activity where anglers catch fish through an opening cut or drilled into the ice. Portable shelters, called ice shanties, are set up directly over the fishing hole for warmth and protection.”
ODNR Office of Coastal Management, Lake Erie Public Access Guidebook, introduction · ODNR Coastal (PDF)

Black-and-white photo of a man in a wool cap, heavy coat, mittens and tall boots sitting on an upturned pail on ice. He holds a short stick with a line that drops into a round hole. A landing net lies to one side and a woven basket to the other. — A man on an upturned pail, a short stick and line in his mittened hands, a round hole at his feet, a net on one side and a basket on the other. The archive’s description: Fishing thru ice Photo: Bain News Service, Library of Congress, public domain in the United States, via Wikimedia Commons. The record dates the glass negative 1910 and doesn’t say where it was taken.

What should you do before buying anything?

Read the ice safety page, and print the checklist.
Buy a license. A fishing license is required to engage in fishing in Ohio waters. (ODNR regulations (PDF)) Costs are on the rules page.
Pick a water whose manager allows it: where. Some park districts ban ice fishing.
Find someone to go with. ODNR: Never walk onto the ice alone and prepare for the unexpected. Wear a life jacket or float coat. Carry a pair of ice picks or large nails in the event of falling through the ice. (ODNR Coastal (PDF))

What do you wear?

Five Rivers MetroParks: Dress in layers so you can take them off (if needed) or add them back on if you start to get cold. (Five Rivers MetroParks, January 21, 2022)

ODNR: Dress warmly in layers. Wear an inner layer of insulating fabric to trap body heat. (ODNR Coastal (PDF)) Avoid garments that are 100 percent cotton—they draw heat away from the body. Keep your head, neck, and hands covered, and wear waterproof boots. (ODNR Coastal (PDF))

And over it, flotation. Minnesota DNR: A foam life jacket or flotation suit may be the No. 1 item that will keep you alive if you fall through the ice. Most people who fall through the ice die of drowning – not hypothermia. (Minnesota DNR) Five Rivers MetroParks tells anglers on its ponds to be prepared by always wearing a life jacket. (Five Rivers MetroParks, January 21, 2022)

What safety gear goes with you?

Ice picks are the second most-important item. Pulling yourself out of cold water onto a smooth, wet surface with numb fingers is extremely difficult. (Minnesota DNR)
An emergency whistle is an inexpensive item that gives you a chance to call for help if there are others on the lake. (Minnesota DNR)
A pair of emergency ice picks held at the ready on a cord around the neck are a safety must, as is an emergency length of rope. (Cleveland Metroparks report, January 30, 2025)
An ice chisel or spud bar is a heavy metal rod with a sharp, flat blade welded onto one end. (Minnesota DNR)

The spud bar does two jobs. Five Rivers MetroParks: You can also use it to thump the ice as you walk to your fishing spot, testing its solidness. (Five Rivers MetroParks, January 21, 2022) Minnesota DNR on its limits: Checking as you walk with an ice chisel is not a substitute for measuring ice frequently with a tape measure. (Minnesota DNR)

What tackle do you need?

Five Rivers MetroParks: Ice fishing gear is pretty simple and easily packed across the ice, as the rod is only 2 to 3 feet long. The rod uses a spring bobber, leader, hook, lure or jig. (Five Rivers MetroParks, January 21, 2022)

ODNR, for Lake Erie perch: Fishing for perch during colder months is popular, especially in years with sufficient ice. Anglers use light jigs tipped with minnows or wax worms fished near the bottom. Anglers in the western basin usually target near Catawba, the Bass islands, Marblehead, Sandusky Bay, and harbor areas. (ODNR (PDF))

A seat: At a minimum, a turned-over bucket will work, but a chair may be a more comfortable option. (Five Rivers MetroParks, January 21, 2022) And a way to haul it all: A snow sled is a great conveyance tool to put everything on to pull across the ice with one hand as you use the spud bar to test the ice with the other hand. (Five Rivers MetroParks, January 21, 2022)

How do you make the hole?

Five Rivers MetroParks: Kingery notes that your fishing hole should be big enough to get fish in and out of the water, but small enough that people won’t fall through it. (Five Rivers MetroParks, January 21, 2022)

The rules cap the size; see hole size. Then: Be sure to dip all the little pieces of ice out of the hole, too. A tool called an ice skimmer is made for this purpose. When you leave, it is important to mark the hole so that no one steps in it and people are aware someone already drilled nearby. (Five Rivers MetroParks, January 21, 2022)

What about a shanty?

Nothing we quote requires one. If you use one, the state rule says how it has to be marked: it shall be unlawful to use an ice fishing shelter that does not have the owner or user's name and address or their unique division of wildlife customer identification number exhibited on the outer part of the structure of an ice fishing shelter. (codes.ohio.gov) State parks have their own wording: No person shall use an ice fishing shelter which does not have exhibited on the outside of the structure, the name and address of the owner or user shown in legible letters. An ice fishing shelter is a temporary shelter taken to or used on a frozen body of water as a protection or cover from the weather. (codes.ohio.gov) Park districts set their own terms; Summit Metro Parks, for one: You may ice fish at your own risk, dawn to dusk, as conditions allow. Users may not light fires, take motorized vehicles onto the ice or build/leave structures and shelters on park property. Temporary shanties may be moved only by hand from the parking lot to the lake, and must be removed daily. (Summit Metro Parks)

ODNR describes a tip-up, the other thing you’ll see on the ice: A tip-up means a device consisting of a hook and line attached to a spring or other device which is capable of raising a small flag or other signaling device when a fish is biting or is hooked. (ODNR regulations (PDF))

What about Lake Erie for a first trip?

Read what the Coast Guard says about that lake first (ice safety): Never assume the ice is safe, even if others are on it. Evaluate conditions for yourself and exercise sound judgement. (U.S. Coast Guard release, Feb. 3, 2020) Ohio requires a license of anyone who guides there: No person shall be or serve as a fishing guide in the Lake Erie fishing district without a license from the chief of the division of wildlife. (codes.ohio.gov)

Next: what bites, and the freeze tracker for the weather.