Tag Archives: spud bar

Believe it or not, I know there have been some folks on the ice in Nebraska already.  Most of us are going to have to wait.  How long we might wait, I have no idea, hopefully not long.  But, I know we are anxious and every year it does not hurt to review ice safety.  I have already walked away from some ice this year that was NOT safe.  So, I am simply going to brush off an old blog …

This is the third installment in a four-part series of articles on ice-fishing for beginners. Next week: Rods and reels. By Daryl Bauer Nebraska Game and Parks Commission LINCOLN, Neb. – To be incredibly obvious, one of the unique things about ice-fishing is, well, the ice. An angler stands on the ice, and the fish are literally below your feet. To get to those fish, you have to have some specialized gear to make a hole. I once watched three …

This is the first installment in a four-part series of articles on ice-fishing for beginners. Next week: Clothing. By Jerry Kane Nebraska Game and Parks Commission LINCOLN, Neb. — Catching fish through the ice can be a fun way to spend a winter day. Winter days are shorter, so any time spent outdoors is a bonus. But with ice-fishing, safety always should come first. It always starts with ice thickness. When is the ice thick enough to go out for …

Starting to hear a few reports of folks venturing onto the ice in parts of Nebraska.  As I warned a few weeks ago, now it is time for my obligatory blog about ice safety. I pretty much will never tell you that the ice is safe, “no problem, go fish”.  Sure, there are times in the middle of the winter when we have plenty of ice, but even then I am not going to tell you it is safe.  You …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Stay safe on the ice this winter while enjoying a day of ice-fishing. Follow these tips from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for safety on the ice: — The minimum ice thickness for supporting one person is at least 4 inches of clear, solid ice. — Drill holes or use an ice chisel or spud bar to check the ice conditions while working your way out to your fishing spot. — Wear a life jacket. — …

I am not going to pretend to know when we will have safe ice.  If I did know, I would still tell you that it is up to YOU to be sure that it is safe every time you walk on the ice.  I am not going to take someone else’s word for it and you should not either.  You have to make that call yourself. I will tell you that we are getting close to seeing safe ice, but …

One thing I will tell you blogging about outdoors “stuff” is it is seasonal and as the seasons repeat so do I.  Finally, I have enough confidence in the weather forecast to believe we have some ice-fishing just around the corner!  It’s about time!  So, you know what that means–my annual blog about ice safety, especially safety on first ice. Water temperatures across Nebraska have cooled to the point where we are ready to make ice.  Duh.  What I mean …

I have a lot of ice fishing gear. I’ll admit it, I’m a junkie. Too many hours have been spent perusing catalogs and the Internet for the latest and greatest tools to get fish from one side of the ice to the other. Whether my purchases have resulted in more success can be debated. If I had to name the most valuable piece of equipment in my arsenal, it wouldn’t be the portable shanty, gas drill or electronic fishfinder that …