spear fishing

[Southren boy]

I want to try spearfishing this year and was wondering how to cut the hole. do you drill a few holes and then use a saw or do you use a chainsaw. I have a 18" chainsaw but do I need to buy a ice chain? Any info would be helpful.

 

[Allen]

A chain saw will work on thinner ice, but what most people do (from what I've seen) is they use a regular ice auger to drill a rough opening and then an ice saw (google images will help with that if you haven't seen one) to finish up the job.

Bottom line is that at the end you are going to have several large and heavy pieces of ice that you will either want to remove from the hole, or you will push under the ice. The smaller these large pieces are, the easier of a job you will have in clearing the spearing hole.

Two things.
1. DON'T forget to mark the hole!

2. DON'T leave really large chunks of ice on top of the lake for others to whack with their vehicles, snowmobiles, or 4-wheelers. Dangerous as all hell to them for the remainder of the winter. So push the larger pieces of ice that you have pulled out of the lake back into the hole when you are done.

Thanks!

 

[Finaddict]

A chain saw works great. Drill 4 corner holes and use the saw to cut the sides. Drain the bar oil. You don't need it and the sheen or oil slick will disrupt your vision. You will need something to grab the ice chunk and pull it out of the hole. Pushing it under the ice works, but it is better and safer for others to put it back in the hole when you leave. Open spear holes, hit with wheelers can be a serious accident. Good luck! Sitting and watching fish move through the spear hole is a blast.

 

[KDM]

I drill holes close together and then bust the ice between the holes out with an ice spud. A saw would work better when the ice gets thick, but I managed to cut several holes in 2+ ft of ice without one. It just takes a little longer. Have Fun, but I must warn you!! Spearing has been known to be habit forming!!

 

[luvcatchingbass]

Oh I hope you don't have an extreme addictive personality cause once your hooked your hooked. I spear in extreme moderation due to fear of what hobby additions I will be making to my obsession for ice fishing.

 

[martinslanding]

I have an ice saw they work super slick...usually cut 4 holes or so in the corners then saw out the chunk...push under ice...then bring back up in hole when I leave...looks like they're about $120.00 online...

 

[fj40]

fargin iceholes.

 

[JayKay]

fargin iceholes.

cork-suckin' suminabadges...

Seriously though, if you're going to pull the ice out of the hole, put it on a cheap tarp. Otherwise you ain't going to move it once it's frozen to the surface.

 

[RNinND]

I make mine by drilling only. Usually 4 holes wide by 6-8 holes long. Only left with slush and small ice pieces that be easily scooped out with a shovel. Just never seen the need to add another piece of equipment to the arsenal.

 

[martinslanding]

cork-suckin' suminabadges...

Seriously though, if you're going to pull the ice out of the hole, put it on a cheap tarp. Otherwise you ain't going to move it once it's frozen to the surface.

they make good chairs ...

 

[luvcatchingbass]

they make good chairs ...

That's the kind of chair one needs mostly after a night of eating too many really hot wings and drinking beer.

 

[KDM]

I don't like pushing the block under the ice. It reduces my visibility when the fish come in and I can't lift a whole block of ice out of a hole so I bust it up into basketball sized chunks that I can get out with my scoop shovel. When I'm done I just knock the chunks back into the hole. An 8 lb sledge hammer works real good for that. The spud works alright too, but it's not as much fun. (Grin)

 

[luvcatchingbass]

about 4lbs of tannerite should make a hole

 

[bowhunter88]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-sFG-BEfxQ

Seen this a while back. Pretty cool with the thick ice

 

[Bowhunter_24]

I make mine by drilling only. Usually 4 holes wide by 6-8 holes long. Only left with slush and small ice pieces that be easily scooped out with a shovel. Just never seen the need to add another piece of equipment to the arsenal.

Ditto

 

[CatDaddy]

So according to the video, drill your corner holes at an angle away from the center so when you cut it gives max viewing angle. Anyone do this? Seems legit.....

 

[Opie11]

Ice saw is the fastest and best way to do it up to around 15 or so inches of ice. Gets to be a lot like work after that and I tend to use the auger a bit more. Using the auger makes for a bit of a job cleaning all the slush out of the hole. Have a couple of cheap plastic shovels with holes drilled in them to help with that job. We usually push the blocks under the ice and use a pole of some sort to give them a good shove to get them away from the hole a bit. Cutting at an angle is definitely a plus if you're going to try to push the block under.

 

[AR-15]

I was waiting for someone with the Tannerite, I would use 8lbs. bigger hole bigger fish

 

[Whisky]

What other gear is needed for spear fishing?

Are the portable spearing houses any good? I see Clam makes a thermal one now.

 

[KDM]

Speared many a pike out of a flip over. However, you WILL need cleats if you use a flip over. At least I do. The edges of the hole melt a little over the course of the day which slopes the edges to a smooth sheen and slipping into the spear hole is a VERY real possibility as the day goes on. Having the door in the front, the hole in the middle, and you sitting on the inside makes for some interesting ballet moves when trying to get out'in the house. If you have the side entry house, you're a bit better off for spearing. Also, once you stick a fish you will need to watch the tine points when the fish is thrashing about. They can really tear the hell out of the canvas. Decoys, spear, depth, mono vs. dacron on the decoy, depth, and other aspects of spearing are a matter of personal preference. Good Luck!!!