Are ice reels really needed?

[TyeDyeTwins]

What is wrong with using a regular spin reel instead of a ice reel while ice fishing?
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[JLW]

Nothing, I use my normal reels for ice fishing. The only thing you run into on some reels is that they put a pretty thick grease in the gears so they do not want to function very good when it gets cold. Your drag doesnt work very good then either. If you clean out the heavy grease and use a light grease or oil instead and WD-40 all your other working parts, your reel wont know that it isnt summer.[] Fishon
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[Ahi1953]

I always just slap my light or ultra light reels on to my ice rods. never had any problems.
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[wagdog]

Like everyone else has said, there is no problem using your regular spinning reel with an ice rod. It may be a little bigger or heavier than some of the reels made for an ice rod but then again, the quality of your reel may be a lot higher (e.g. better drag, smoother retrieve, etc.). I bought some cheaper Frabill combos a couple of years ago and had issues with the el cheapo reels. I ended up keeping the rods (they were great) and replacing the reels. As was stated previously, I like using reels that are rated as ultralight or light with the ice rod of choice. Make sure you set the drag for whatever line you respool with too.
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[Jazzperch1]

i dont think it realy matters, i was ice fishing around the hotsprings at UL and when i got out there i realized i brought my fly reel instead. i ended up using it the whole time and it was kind of fun, but i dont think that would work at deeper lakes.
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[N.E.T.O.]

It's not the reel, it's the line. The issue that I have experienced (and I ice fish a lot), is that I really like the braided lines, due to the added sensitivity. (I'm a sensitive kind of guy...[]). The PROBLEM with braided lines (Fireline in particular), is that the line gets iced up. Then you have issues regardless of whether you are using spinning reels or levelwind (ice) reels.

My solution?...I fish inside of a heated ice shack. At that point it doesn't matter what kind of reels or lines you are using.

If I know I'm not going to be in a shack (heh...like that would ever happen...ask the ones that fish with me []), I make sure I have a rig with regular mono line on it to avoid at least those issues.

At Flaming Gorge and Fish Lake however, due to the depths involved, even if I were fishing outside (not in the shack) I would find a way to still use the braided line as you need that sensitivity down that deep.
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[bassrods]

Try the Nano line it has the same feel as brad..
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[Jazzperch1]

is it braid still? the nano i mean
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[Duckbutter]

Reels? HA! I have found, on hard water, that fish come through in schools, and when you have one down the hole, you want to get your line back down the hole, back to the the same depth you were before. I have stopped using reels unless I have a big fish on, usually I just set my rod down and bring the fish (usually perch) in hand over hand. Once I'm at the right depth, I don't ever adjust anything on the reel. I can bring perch up faster, and drop my bait back down faster, precisely where I need to be and can get fish back on almost immediately. I have a spin reel on my rods, but they only hold line for when I'm not actually not fishing, or if I have a bruiser that needs a little tlc.
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[sinergy]

Same reel spinning and ice IMHO all ice all reels do is complement the small ice rod. A 10 lbs reel is kind bulky on a 3 foot rod but Ive done it many many time before. In reality there just ultra light reels and for the most part are cheep reels at that.

The one thing I see allot on ice reels are the spools are made from plastic I dont know if this is suppose to keep the line from sticking to the spool or if it just to keep the cost down but not a big fan of plastic spools.

Any how, I have rods that came with ice reels ( St Coix, Frabill, & HT, ) use them on my float tube in the summer.


Oh and a few companies only Frabill comes to mind that make ice reels in the fly reel form for ice fishing
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[Hookinup]

Not a bad idea..... Kinda like hand line fishing....
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[Blueboy22]

I take my reels with the same line on them as I use in the summer and put them on my ice poles and go.
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[bassrods]

Not sure??

Its called NanoFil by Berkley. It works best on spinning reels and will out cast any line I have used so far, and real slick..

One line like mono but stronger, and it works great for ice fishing..
But it is costly like brad..
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[CoyoteSpinner]

I'd agree with the other comments. Lines the change. Ice rods tend to come with pretty crappy reels, but if you're only hauling in panfish, weeeelllll.

Just know - one touch to the buddy heater, and the line instantly melts! One reason I don't stick with the hand-over-hand, unless I'm in shallow water - like 10ft.


Bam-a-lam, Oh Black Betty, Bam-a-lam. . .
anyone ever use these kind of reels? Thinkin to try one. I have swapped over to my regular reels, and yeah- line can make a difference.
Maybe silicon or lithium greese - better than your average household oil. I have a couple reels that light up when you turn the crank. Novelty, but kinda fun all the same, especially when it's dark out. EVERYONE knows - your ON IT!
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oh, and if you DO buy a cheap basic rod-reel setup, RIP off the line that comes with it, and spool something up fresh. Cheap line, strong memory, bad news.

Nuthin like being cold AND frustrated.

[duckdog1us]

i use just a spin cast real for ice fishing but some are still better then others unless you like your fingers sticking to cold metal or some real get brittle in the cold also so i do chose reel that i can use for both soft and hard water
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[Fin-S-Fish]

Unless you're fishing in an ice tent I wouldn't bother with ice reels or ice rods even. I have several ice rods but used them sparingly despite going ice fishing at first ice to the end. By first ice I mean a solid two inches though I have been 1 and 1/2 lol. I have to admit only you beat me to hitting ice early.......saw your post a while ago during first snowstorm. There's not much need for ice fishing line either. I can land a decent 18in lmb down in the valley in open water with an ulgy stick 5ft ultralight rod with a big size 4 pfleuger president reel spooled with 12lb trielene xl and then head up somewhere with the same rod put a hole through the ice and an ice fly on the end of the 12lb and boom and bam, little brookies and rainbow action. I fish that rod all winter and i tend to switch constantly from open water to ice daily depending on my mood and what I feel like fishing for. Landed the finickiest mantua bluegills, to big trout at hyrum, rock port, deer creek to perch and tiger muskie at pine view. I hate ice rods since hookset SUCKS with it. Too short equals no leverage. The only ice gear I use are augers, chisels, strainer, and yes a plethora of ice lures, now ice specific lures ARE a necessity. Fish want entirely different things depending on species and body of water.
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[RonPaulFan]

The question of using conventional fishing equipment for ice fishing intrigues me. I see that some here do just that, so I have some specific questions. Please answer based on this being completely new to me.

I grew up in Louisiana among bayous and swamps and thought a mountain was fifteen feet. I deep sea fished a lot about forty miles out into the Gulf of Mexico from Grand Isle and caught red snapper with some weighing more than me.

I just had my first season of spinning rod and reel fishing with cast and retrieve of lures and swim bait. I did very well catching big fish and had a lot of fun and learned a lot.

Now I need to figure some things out before I go shopping for ice fishing equipment on black Friday. In particular, I have questions about choosing products for multiple season use. I'm not trying to spend little, but I would prefer to get more use of equipment than just ice fishing unless the substitutions won't preform well and make my fishing less productive.

Here is my thinking based on no experience, so please tell me if I'm wrong and overlooking important criteria.

I like the idea presented here of using my same spinning reels that I've been using.

Ice fishing poles look too weak for the size fish you guys pull out from under the ice.

It seems that I should use the same line strength that I've been using this summer.

I do like the idea of longer rod length presented above to help set the hook, so how about I choose one of my two piece rods and just not use the second half. My 7 foot rod should be 3-1/2 feet and my ten foot two price rod which I like a lot should be 5 feet. Either would be much stiffer than an ice fishing rod which seems right to me, but how am I wrong? Lighter action for big fish when they are under ice? I do have a spinning rod that is 5 feet and ultra light. It's carbon fiber and would seem to be easy to break with a big fish.

Ice fishing tents? The material is black on the inside. Are we trying to keep out light? Other than that, they look very much like my camouflage hunting blind that looks something like this one:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunting/H...t104365080

Is that substantially different from an ice fishing tent?

But, the high dollar item is the fish finder and that's where I would most like multiple use versatility, if it makes sense. I've been reading posts on what people like and I might get a fancy expensive one. Can I get a fish finder that will work well for both boat fishing and ice fishing? Would an ice fishing one work on the boat well? Or should it be the other way around? Or should I get a dedicated ice fishing one and later get a boat one? Can a MarCum LX-9 be used on the boat or would I do better with a boat fish finder that I also use on ice?

I might design and build my own auger to take out a core of ice and much easier and built much lighter. I have some titanium superalloy to make it even lighter still. Has anyone ever seen a core of ice removed to make a hole?

On boots, I've read our posts on that too. How about I wear my insulated waders for ice fishing?

Thanks in advance.
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[fish_fear_me2]

Yes you can use the same reels you use during summer it is a preference thing, I prefer the smaller ultra lights. You would be surprised how big of a fish you can bring in on those weak looking ice rods
. Line diameter can make a difference, depends a great deal on the species and presentation. I would still probably stay under 8lb. Lines do get slightly stiffer in extreme cold.
I dont think using the bottom half of your spinning outfit is going to give you the sensitivity you need for fishing hard water. Many bites through the ice are much lighter than in warmer months. I guess you could get by if you want to hold the line in your hand all the time to detect those ligth bites. I have fished Pelican lake when the only indication of a bite was the slightest move sideways of your line I am talking like a 1/16th of an in or less.
Your camo hunting blind will work as an ice tent, most do prefer the black or dark inside but yours will be fine as long as you have a way to anchor it to the ice on those windy days.
Many conventional fish finders can be rigged for ice then put back on the boat in the summer. You may want to buy a spare transducer so you dont have to do any wiring when you switch.
As far as the ice auger that cuts a core. Again not a good idea. Getting the core out of a hole in deep ice might not be a lot of fun.
These are just my opinions but I have been ice fishing since they first made ice fishing legal in Utah. Others will have different opinions
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[LOAH]

I have an ice rod and usually ignore it every year, using my regular rods. They work really well, but not in a tent. Fine by me, since I'm never in a tent.

The longer rods will give you plenty of extra leverage on larger fish (still no need to go over 4lb, I say) and if they already have a sensitive tip, you're in business.

If your rod has a stiff tip, keep it in your hand. You'll feel the bite before you see it. Leave the floppy rod for your 2nd pole permit (if applicable).
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[kastmaster]

I use the same spinning reels that I use in the summer for ice fishing with one difference. My Daiwa and Quantum reels came with spare graphite spools and I use them for ice fishing, spooled with the same line and find that the line doesn't freeze in 15 degree temps as much as when I use reels with metal spools.

As far as using shorter length ice rods, I find them much more convenient to use not only in an ice tent but also when I use a flasher/fishfinder and I have to be close to the action. A good old-fashinoned hookset and proper drag adjustment is what works for me when fishing with shorter ice rods. Besides, what's more fun than fighting a bull bluegill with 28" light rod. Ok, maybe an 18-lb lake trout on a medium action ice rod spooled with a 6-lb line (not me, but a friend of mine did).
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