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It's cold outside and the lakes are all frozen over. It might be time to go ice fishing. Pack up your car. Call Ray, your fishing buddy. That guy knows how to reel in them bass! And head on down to the lake. Now you and Ray will be wanting to fish the eco-friendly way, I'm sure. Here are five tips to help.
- Cut through the ice manually. Don't wimp out and cut through the ice with a gas-burning power auger. Be a man and hack through the ice with a hand chisel or a saw. You and Ray can take turns. He really knows how to cut through that ice!
- Build your shack out of repurposed lumber. Ray has an old barn that his grandparents used to store horses in. You can reuse the wood from those stables or find other reclaimed wood and build an ice fishing shack out of that. No point in using fresh trees. You can also use fast-growing bamboo if you find yourself lumber-less.
- Practice catch and release. Unless you catch an obscenely large fish, you should practice catch and release. Even a big fish you may want to photograph and let go. Mercury levels in fish can be quite high. Unless you need those catches to survive, I'd suggest putting them back. Isn't that right, Ray?
- Don't bring a heater. You're going to bring a car battery-powered heater to the lake? You don't need to waste a battery for that. Bundle up. Several thin layers are better than one big layer. Also, if you are in an ice-fishing shack, you and Ray should generate sufficient body heat.
- Check your tackle for lead. Our lakes and streams have a lead problem that has come from lead sinkers. No one makes these sinkers today, but they are still prevalent. Make sure your fishing tackle is free of lead. Ray also made sure to use biodegradable fishing line and tackle. Way to go, Ray!
More on Fishing
The Eco:Friendly Fisherman
Research That Fish Before You Eat It
US Should Push for Bluefin Tuna Fishing Moratorium, Conservation
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