Prior to your first ice fishing trip this year, be sure to inspect your ice house or hub for critters that may have taken up residence since last spring. (Photo: Ross Robertson)
December 03, 2025
By Capt. Ross Robertson
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Just about anything you want to be successful at requires some preparation prior to the actual event. Everything from painting a bedroom to running a 5K require you to take time to have any amount of actual success. The same could be said for ice fishing. Here are a few things to consider adding to your check list before you hit the hard water this season.
Boat Work I live on Lake Erie. The 11th-largest freshwater lake in the world feels even bigger when you aren’t marking fish while ice fishing. I’ve learned that the last few days before the boat gets put away can be the best ice fishing pre-fish you can ever do. I like to run around and mark fish at speed (20 to 40 mph) in the areas that we will most likely get ice coverage. I’ve found that a lot of fish don’t move great distances once the water temperature drops into the 30s and this lets me narrow down the areas I’ll fish at first ice.
This same tactic can also work on smaller bodies of water, but instead of marking suspended fish at speed, using side imaging to locate fish is often better suited. This is also a great time to make maps on small lakes that have not been mapped with digital chartography. Humminbird has a feature called Auto Chart Live that allows you to make your own maps and save it to the hard drive or chip. This can be one of the most important scouting tasks you do to be successful this ice season. Knowing each bump or hump on a small uncharted lake reduces the number of holes you need to drill and lets you spend more time fishing.
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On your last few open water trips of the year, be sure to utilize your side-imaging sonar to cover water and locate areas that may be worthy of revisiting once the lake freezes over. (Photo: In-Fisherman) Computer Work In the past, this might have meant looking over forums, websites and social media to see what areas have the fish you are after or where trophy fish have been caught. As most of us know, this info can be unreliable. Recently, onX, the app known for hunting and trail maps have now launched a fishing app. The onX Fish app can be accessed on your phone or on your computer and allows you to access fishing surveys with specific species reports for individual lakes. Literally at the touch of a button you can find out what species are present, when lakes have been stocked and how likely they are to have big or small fish in them.
As important for ice fishing, it also shows access points and ways that you can use public lands to access them legally. Additionally, you can access weather data, moon phase and even satellite images of the lakes you plan to fish. Loaded with features, onX Fish makes it way easier to be successful before you even leave your house.
Doing some recon work on website or apps such as onX Fish can help you identify lakes to check out and even areas to focus on based on publicly availble stocking and creel survey data. (Photo: onX Fish) Gear Check We all have seen the guy that has a dead battery on his first trip in the boat after ice out. You can also be “that guy” when your sled or ATV battery isn’t working this winter. Take a minute to check out batteries on everything, put a trickle charge on them and replace them if needed before you need them or everyone is sold out. The same can be said for heaters. Take a minute to start them and if they don’t work you have time to repair or replace them. The list of things that needs to be done could be lengthy and vary depending on where and what you are doing. Make sure to check gear such as trailer bearings, trailer electrical plugs, old gas (in quad, snowmobile, augers), and possible damage from rodents in your shacks or other gear. There is nothing worse than realizing on first ice that a mouse has chewed wires on your machine or used your shanty as a hotel for 9 months.
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Also check your fish finder shuttle for any signs of critter activity. (Photo: Ross Robertson) Reservations More often than not the best guides and lodges have limited availability. Take the time before we even get ice to lock down reservations on what could be prime dates to avoid driving hours each morning and evening to your preferred destination. The same goes for guides. As a guide of nearly 30 years, I can promise you, the good dates and preferential treatment go to those that don’t wait till the last minute.
Order It! Along the same lines as the reservations, during a good ice season, items ranging from auger blades to aerators can be in short supply. Aside from making sure you have what you need, many dealers, such as FishUSA , offer preseason sales that are often the best prices of the season. When thinking of items you may need, don’t just think about lures and other goodies. This is a great time to get boring stuff, like extra spark plugs, heater lines and fishing line for when you need it.
There is an old saying that “preparation causes separation.” Take it from a guy who makes his living on the water. I can tell you just about everything can and will break, so being prepared for when it does is the only thing that can help you have a more productive season this winter.
