shot easier.
When shooting pike through the ice a large hole should be cut to give the shooter as much visibility as possible. The size of the hole depends on how much room you have in your dark house. I would recommend a hole at least 2 feet square. I use a 2 foot by 4 foot hole because my dark house was constructed with a hatch framed to that size in the floor.
A purpose-built dark house allows the shooter to customize it to their liking, but portable fish shacks can be used as a dark house as well. The key to any dark house is to prevent light from entering, especially from behind the shooter, as the fish may see your movements and spook early. Cover windows up and keep doors shut as much as possible. The light coming through the ice outside will
illuminate the hole, while you stay hidden in the darkness above.
I drill holes with my ice auger in the four corners to begin. Then, depending on the thickness of the ice, I drill additional holes from 4-12” apart (the thicker the ice, the closer the holes). I use an ice saw to finish cutting the dividers between the holes. The more holes you drill with an auger, the less work you need to do with the ice saw.
Once the ice block is free and ready to be removed, there are two options. The first option is to lift it up on top of the ice. This can be done with ice tongs, which grab the ice edges like a big set of pliers. The second option, and the one I prefer, is to push the block under the ice and off to the side of the hole using a shovel or spud bar. When you get the block
started under the ice it will slide
easily away from the hole.
There will be a lot of slush and ice shavings from the auger and saw left floating in the water that should be removed. I like to use a large minnow net to scoop it all up, leaving the hole clean for the best view.
When you are done fishing a very important thing to remember is that marking an exposed hole is required by law. I like to mark my holes using brush and dead limbs from a nearby shoreline. I may even bring branches along from somewhere else if necess-ary.
I place branches in the hole, as well as over the top to create an obstruction that is obvious to vehicles and fishermen. Addition-ally, blocks of ice removed from a hole should also be marked if
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March, 2015
Portable fishing shelters can work well if you can prevent light from entering. Ty's dark house is luxurious by most standards and seals out nearly all light with the windows and doors shut.
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