Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2021 - 23

batteries are so efficient. " If you warm
up the battery for a second or two before
plunging it into the ice, you will get more
life out of it. "
While state-of-the-art equipment may
give anglers an edge, nothing matters
more than dressing for conditions,
beginning with base layers-or long johns
with a modern twist.
" They are warmer and lighter, so you
are not putting on too many layers, "
said Don Kelly, who, with wife Renee,
is a fishing skills instructor for the
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
Their shop, Tackle Shack, Wellsboro,
Tioga County, is near some of the first ice
fishing of the season on Hamilton Lake,
Hills Creek Lake, and Lake Nessmuk.
Ultra-fine merino wool is currently a
popular fabric, because it is soft enough to
wear next to the skin yet breathable and
has great capacity for wicking away sweat,
according to the American Wool Council,
which works to promote performance
wool for wear in the great outdoors.
Engineered alternatives made from
Don Kelly, a fishing skills instructor for the Pennsyvlania Fish and Boat Commission,
nylon
or polyester also are available along
displays a Bluegill he caught through the ice on Hills Creek Lake, Tioga County.
with merino wool-synthetic blends.
" A warm hat is important too, since you
lose
most
of
your
heat
through your head, " said Kelly, " and so
other matter. Flashers process the information and depict
are
quality
insulated
boots.
"
it in various colors depending on target location, " said Matt
The
most
important
item
an ice angler can invest in is a
Waldron, a Minnesota-based professional ice angler and
float
suit.
" My
big
thing
is
safety,
plain and simple, and a float
service technician for Vexilar, one of several companies that
suit
can
save
your
life
if
you
break
through the ice. The prices
manufacture flasher sonar.
are
not
bad.
A
bib
and
a
jacket
with
buoyancy technology
" Red, for example, is the strongest signal and indicates
start
at
a
few
hundred
dollars
each
and
they are worth every
that a fish is in the center of your sonar cone and at about the
penny,
"
said
Eastman.
same depth as your bait. You can watch the interaction in real
Even the best-dressed angler will want respite from
time. Green is weaker, which means the fish is further from
the
elements during a day on the ice, so a quality shanty
your lure. "
is
another
must. Many of today's pop-ups weigh less than
LCD sonar shows objects on a screen and requires less
30
pounds
and can be folded into a carrying bag, while
interpretation than flasher models.
others
are
built
onto sleds. Features like fabric thickness,
Although both technologies have enthusiasts, flasher
insulation,
and
capacity
determine price.
outsells LCD, according to James Eastman, customer service
Terry
Miller,
age
79,
Crawford
County, still considers the
supervisor at Erie-based FishUSA, who notes that units using
pop-up
hut
he
bought
20
years
ago
new and much more
lithium-ion batteries are especially popular, because these
convenient
than
the
huts
he
used
to
build from plywood.
batteries are ultra-light and can work for hours on a charge.
" When
I
was
young,
you
made
your
own huts to get out of
Underwater cameras with infrared LED for low light and
the
wind,
"
said
Miller.
dirty-water conditions are an alternative to sonar. Underwater
But, he leaves sonar and other high-tech gear to the
cameras are typically simpler and less expensive but more
younger
generation, relying instead on decades of experience
limited in what they can show.
and
the
same
rods he used 60 years ago to locate and catch
Augers have also come a long way in recent years, with those
fish.
" When
you
get to be my age, you just do not follow
powered by 20-volt lithium-ion batteries or propane gaining
trends,
"
said
Miller,
who won a tournament on Canadohta
fans. Unlike gas augers, these augers do not produce fumes, and
Lake
in
1996
by
icing
a 41-inch musky on a minnow.
propane augers can double as a means of fueling cook stoves.
" My
rods
are
magnetic
rods I sent away for and are now
" It has gotten so much quieter on the ice, because anglers
quite
rare,
very
hard
to
find
today. I use live bait, and I know
have gone to electric or propane, " said Eastman, who
where
the
weed
beds
are
located,
" said Miller.
notes that electric has a slight edge in sales because today's
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