Ice fishing lines??

[heath19]

I am just wondering what everyone else recommends as their favorite, or best ice fishing lines?? I have stren ranging from 4-6lb test on my ice fishing rods and i was thinking about trying some kind of braid, probably Power Pro. I use power pro on all my open water poles and wondered if it would be as good on my ice fishing rods, and if the line would scare off fineky fish??

[Illinoisgiller]

I am using Stren clear, .006 diameter. I like it. Low memory and seems strong enough. The gold is .008 and noticeably stiffer.
Third or 4th thanks to CrappieKeith for bringing up this line diameter thing I never paid attention to that detail before. Just because they post the lb. test, it doesn't mean it is not a rope. lol
I haven't tried the Power Pro for ice yet. I do have second hand report though. I have a friend that uses plain Power Pro for icing crappie on jigging Raps in south Iowa.
I'd think that it would be spooky for a tough bluegill bite.:confused0024:
Like you I love my Power Pro for open water. Working off a 1500 yd spool of 8 lb.:icon_cool::icon_cool: Mike

[heath19]

Yes, the Power Pro is by far my favorite for any kind of fishing in open water. I asked this because i have been fishing a spot for a couple weeks that is holding some really big bluegills but i can never seem to catch them. I can catch 6 or 7 of them every trip but i see dozens more that just wont touch anything i put down there. Its only about 2ft. deep at the most and crystal clear so u can sit in the hut and see them. Its the same with the bass, its full of them and i can get 10 or 15 of them to look at it a day but they will never touch it either. I dont know if my line may be to heavy and they can see it or are they just not in the mood?? I use 6lb test cause on the mississippi u never know what u might get from a 23in bass, a pike, dogfish, 16in. crappie so i am always prepared for big fish. Maybe u can help me out illinoisgiller since u seem to know how to catch those bluegills?

[CrappieKeith]

Being a mono guy I'd stay away from power pro for cold weather conditions.
Cajun red,P-Line,Sten or Trilene Ice are all good lines with low coiling.The lines do not freeze up in the reel and with the diameters under .006 you'll notice low coiling.
You'll also have a line that disappears in the water.
in addition to low test lines a reel with a smooth drag is a must.
I reccomend Pflueger Presidents in the 6725 series.They are smooth reeling with silky smooth drags and have strong bail springs to last.

[heath19]

what lb. test is the .006 diameter line though, i have always stayed away from anything to light due to the big fish that i often get ahold of on the river so i would be losing a lot of jigs if i went to light:confused0024:

[Illinoisgiller]

Those shallow backwaters can be really tough. I've got a pretty good idea the area you are on. I've never done any good on 2' of clear water. I do know I would be armed with the smallest dia. line and sacrificial baits. lol Mike

[CrappieKeith]

what lb. test is the .006 diameter line though, i have always stayed away from anything to light due to the big fish that i often get ahold of on the river so i would be losing a lot of jigs if i went to light:confused0024:

.006 can range normally 3-4 test depending on the manufactures.
Like I've said before,if you have a good drag you can still fight big fish.
I've caught 20 lb fish with 2 test.You can count on a 30 -50 minute fight though.

[heath19]

i might have to try that but maybe not till next year cause i dont think i can afford to buy one of the pfluger reels like u said right now and i wouldnt want to waste money on something cheaper. i think before next year i will buy one of those reels and a nice pole and put some light line on one of the spools at least for sure and im gonna have to get me some of THE Jig in 1/80 and 1/100 sometime before then too

[CrappieKeith]

Buying a decent reel will land you more fish and it will last you much longer.
I've been upgrading reels every 2 years or so in the UL variety and I've found Pfluegers to be the one for me.
If I can help you in any other way please say so.
CK.

[heath19]

You have helped me make up my mind what i should do, but i pry wont get enough money to buy myself a nice pfluger real and rod till next season. Most of the time i fish shallow water so two of my rods are just poles with the circle plastic reels on them,lol. i got one rod with a reel on it but its just one of the little zebco closed face spinning reel type with the finger trigger or whatever u call it. Thanks for the advice though and in the future i will try it out for sure.

[troutrageous1]

I'm not an ice fisherman, but I love those Pfluegers too. My UL for trout is a Trion GX, have a Supreme for the heavier stuff. I too was thinking of upgrading to a President UL. Actually, I think all of my spinning reels (except for that Acadia one I'm going to win a few weeks!!!:evilgrin0039:) are Pfluegers. Just a great product - smooth as silk - that's never let me down.

[gofish]

fer 2ft of water go to the 2lb mono...ifn it helps gittin them big gills but ya lose a bigger fish while sight fishin its worth it...been usin fireline an power pro thru the ice in crystal clear water fer years with excellent results thru the ice and open water....1lb diameter seems thin nuff lol.......even use it fer gills on one rod but it really shines fer jiggin spoons,blade baits an bigger jigs fer crappie,bass an perch....easy ta git the ice off it too when yer ice fishin

[dipper69_2000]

been ice fishing the miss for years and use 2 n 4 pound test i lose a few fish a year but the pay off is well worth it.i fish threw a 5 inc hole also and have brought some nice fish threw the ice. to me the smaller the better when it comes to lines and holes. if i use a bigger hole i keep slush in it to cut down lite. just me but seems to work

[heath19]

i also use a 5 inch hole except when the ice gets really thick, over a foot, then i have to break out the ole 8 in. power auger,lol. I have caught big fish through 5 and 8 inch holes but i have heard a lot of people say they will only use a 5 inch hole. the only time i have used an 8 inch hole has been in spring lake in the hole, so deep water. i think it would make a difference though in clear shallow water where i have always used a 5, and i have yet to get ahold of a fish that i couldnt at least force up a 5 inch hole.

[gofish]

used ta use a 5 inch years ago...then i lost a walleye i couldnt git thru the hole an the next year had ta spud bar out a cat....been usin 8 inch ever since.....fish strip pits with water so clear ya can see yer ice jig 20ft down an havent seen any ill effects of usin the bigger hole ta speak of.....i do leave the ice chips mounded up round the hole cept the side im fishin on ta block the light but ive always dun that.

[heath19]

That wouldnt be no fun to lose a walleye like that. I have always wanted to catch some walleyes through the ice but never know where to do it, you know of any good places that produce good walleyes through the ice around here??

[CrappieKeith]

I'm an 8-10" guy.10 can take a foot though.
My augers are alway 8"

[gofish]

ifn i was there id sure try the sand pits cross from rock creek......if i could git to em lol.....after fishin the river there this year i wish i lived up there lol....look fer an area with a deeper hole with current near by.....make sure its safe ice though lol....gittin wet aint no fun....

[cattracker16]

especially when there's a river involved. you could end up down stream quickly. and don't try snow mobile skipping either the results are not good.

[Fishaholic]

ifn i was there id sure try the sand pits cross from rock creek......if i could git to em lol.....after fishin the river there this year i wish i lived up there lol....look fer an area with a deeper hole with current near by.....make sure its safe ice though lol....gittin wet aint no fun....


did you get any walleyes in that sand pit last yr?? probly be some good ice in there dunno if you can get to them on land though!!
That could be some good spots fer some cats on ice too u think??

[gofish]

ill never tell.....lol.......quite possibly.....maybe....kinda......sorta.....yep a couple lol.....lotsa NICE bass,whites,crappie.....lol...oh yeah an cats lol......mightta been a reason me an the boy fished it a bit lol.......very specific locations in there though.only a couple humps had the rocks on top and the base of the drop......remember where ya seen me an the boy keep driftin an snatchin durin the tourney? 2 humps an a 14 ft deep shelf with rocks right there....:icon_biggrin::icon_biggrin::icon_biggrin :......ifn i didnt have my boy with me ida figured out every square inch of that place lol....had ta keep the lil feller on fish though................oughtta be plumb FULL of cats.....launch boat,cruise over reall slow,then ice fish lol.....or is the river froze too much?

[heath19]

The river is frooze solid right now, i almost bet you could walk on it but im not gonna try it. The spot i ice fished yesterday had 12-14 inches of ice on it. Its starting to be a chore to drill ya some holes, thats why im glad i got a five inch lazer and nothing bigger. There was a few guys over there yesterday with some 7 or 8inch moras and they could hardly drill a hole,lol.

[gofish]

must be usin a hand auger huh?got a gas one myself last year.....old age an laziness creepin up on me lol.....wouldnt try walkin it myself......anyplace close by where ya could park and then walk the edge of the river without trespassin?

[Fishaholic]

I bet that pit be a great area to ice for just about any species, I am ganna get up there a couple times this yr before the muddy and check that pit out some more, the other pit little bit up river on same side was pretty much just a hole, no humps nothin pretty level bottome the hole way around, didnt probe too much up by the barge that was still in there though.... have to check her out some more this yr..

[gofish]

fishaholic ya need ta check that second one out a lil better too.fergot all bout that one....its got at least 5 decent drops,a couple flats,rocky sections AND a weedbed that always seemed ta have wind on it.....ifn a guy could git ta that one ice fishin itd be as good as the other one and a lil easier ta locate fish on....id expect ta find fish on the scattered weeds and in that deeper 34ft of water..ifn i lived up that way id find a way ta git to em.....icebreakin bobber boat !................actually all of em had structure,the first 2 have more definate breaklines and more variety of structure though.be easier ta find active fish in:evilgrin0039:

[Fishaholic]

all I really noticed wast the drop right where yo enterd to the right side of pit, kenney told me not to go in there right in the middle, said boat be up on the sand, thaen after that pretty much just dropped and diddnt notice much change from there, im def ganna get back up in there this yr and scout it out some more!!

[Fishaholic]

joe go to mapquest.com put in where we were for the muddy, zoom to street level, check out those pits!!!! looks like theres some access rds to those pits!!!!!!????

[Fishaholic]

i might have to try that but maybe not till next year cause i dont think i can afford to buy one of the pfluger reels like u said right now and i wouldnt want to waste money on something cheaper. i think before next year i will buy one of those reels and a nice pole and put some light line on one of the spools at least for sure and im gonna have to get me some of THE Jig in 1/80 and 1/100 sometime before then too
I bought
2 spinning reels combos at Farm and Fleet several yrs ago, I spent no more the 20 bucks a peice and I have had no probs with them, I actually sold another that I had from Bass pro the next yr after I bought these!! I wouldnt waste my $$ on a top dollar rod and reel for fishing, It will NOT make you catch more fish. I have 2 spinning reels that I use for deeper water and 2 schoolies that I use for shallower water, I catch just as many as they guy with a $60 rod and reel and my 4 cost less than his 1. my 2 schoolies Ive had for over 10 yrs and there still work like brand new, perfect for shallow water!!!

[jason454ci]

all I really noticed wast the drop right where yo enterd to the right side of pit, kenney told me not to go in there right in the middle, said boat be up on the sand, thaen after that pretty much just dropped and diddnt notice much change from there, im def ganna get back up in there this yr and scout it out some more!!

If thats the same pit Catbird, Slingblade, and myself seen ya guys in with the barge in it. Ya definitely wanna enter it on the right side. Kenny would be absolutely right about sitting on the sand. Don't ask how I know this either. :icon_eek:

[Fishaholic]

yeah thats one of em jason, the other "better" one...lol was a littlw ways down on same side of river..

[Fishaholic]

I am just wondering what everyone else recommends as their favorite, or best ice fishing lines?? I have stren ranging from 4-6lb test on my ice fishing rods and i was thinking about trying some kind of braid, probably Power Pro. I use power pro on all my open water poles and wondered if it would be as good on my ice fishing rods, and if the line would scare off fineky fish??


I use trilene cold weather 2lb on my ice poles!!