Youtube Fisherman And The Ice Fishing Camping Craze.

On a dark winter’s night on the hard frozen ice of a northern Ontario lake sat a single lit tent in the empty field of white. Outside is a icy cold that makes it hard to breath while the blanketed sky hides everything in the peripheral. The small tent sits alone in the dark, making a refuge from the void. Inside is starkly contrasted, lit up with white LEDs and the glow of an oversized propane heater. A flasher hums to the left, bars of light dancing on the screen, showing off the world hidden below. Inside the hut and hidden from the unwavering elements is the angler, only a thin tent wall separating the illuminated paradise from the winter night. When in such a reprieve you begin to form a sense of home, a hidden enclave. The idea of leaving the paradise seems formidable. Once the walls come down, the cold night reaches inwards and grabs the last bits of warmth and light coming from the ice hut. Cold numb hands, ice laden gear, ice shelter bags that are too small, all become near impossible obstacles to overcome by the glow of a headlamp. One immediately ponders if its worth leaving at all. Why exit the refuge when the refuge is most needed?

A few years back I sat in isolation, the idea of having to pack up in the cold night kept me fishing longer, putting off the inevitable suffering and fumbling in the dark. The idea to camp out until morning hung with me. As an avid camper and experienced winter camper, began to formulate the necessary plans to camp next ice fishing trip. Packing a yoga mat, two thermorests, a -40-degree sleeping bag and two cans of Chunky Noodle soup and some instant oatmeal I set out to return in the morning. The night was restless, fishless but pleasant. Other than the vibes of cabin fever faced inside the small tent the night passed by to show off a beautiful morning. Leaving the icy campsite, I knew it wouldn’t be the last time I fished this way. The idea of winter camping to most is preposterous let alone for the sole reason of fishing in one 8-inch hole all night so it came to a surprise when ice fishing camping began to appear social media and youtube. The Fishing influencer was suddenly posting videos of late-night walleyes and 2am burbot to their thousands of viewers. Soon after feeds became filled with everyday anglers and camping enthusiasts spending the night on cots hoping to find the mythical midnight bite. The idea isn’t new, as permanent ice shacks holding bunk beds have been dragged onto lakes for generations. The idea festers in all anglers during the moment before pack up when staying put carries its most powerful pull. But with the technology of heaters and ice shacks anglers are now realizing they have held all the equipment to camp on the lake already and the overnight fishing boom is in full swing. Over my trips I have learned how to fail in winter camping, and also how to make it a memorable night. Here is a collection of tips to spend the night out on the lake and cash in on the craze.

Staying Off The Ice

What sounds counterintuitive in ice fishing, staying off the ice is key to staying warm. If you are in contact with the ice, the ice will lower your core temperature. Staying above the ice surrounded by warmed air helps keep you out all night. My first trip as mentioned used a yoga mat and multiple air mattresses to create a barrier from myself and the ice when sleeping. This worked, but the bulk of all the layers creates a tonne of extra packing. Another occasion I harvested spruce browses to make a bed to keep me above the ice. This labour intensive strategy did its job, but at the cost of a tree and many hours of work. The comfort level was supbar, and the branches warmed during the night oozing sappy residue. The second variation of the spruce browse bed used a tarp and rope to constrict the branches into a better form, and saved another sticky problem. The best choice by far is a camping cot. The cot allows air flow under you, unlike the first two, and it doesn’t add too much bulk or work preparing the set up. This also gives you tiered storage under the cot which is valuable in the small layout.

Flooring also helps keep you off the ground. Rubber gym mats that can be interlocked are the clear favourite in the influencer world, as the charcoal foam mats are seen constantly as a way to stay off the ice. As a user of those exact mats, their value is warranted. The little layer of foam does wonders for keeping your feet warm and separated from the ice. The surface also gives you clean space to put your more sensitive items down without getting covered in snow. Buddy heaters, flashers, spare rods all lay can be laid out cleanly. If you don’t want to go out of your way for those, lids of containers, yoga mats, and tarps can all be used. As long as you can create a barrier between the ice and yourself than staying warm will be a manageable task for the night.

Laying Out Your Layout

Floor space is already tight in ice fishing shelters, especially without you laying down. Between your fishing holes, heater, and bed you need to lay out the space properly to succeed. Right from set up of the hut the layout is planned. I begin by setting up the hut and creating an imprint on the snow. Now with the shape of the floor laid out, I can set up my positioning of holes without the tight quarters of being in my hut. If slush conditions allow it, I will shovel down to the bare ice at this step, leaving the snow outside my hut’s footprint remain untouched. At this point it’s time to pick, drill and clean your ice holes, before covering your home for the night. Something as simple as the slush cleared from your holes can cluster your shelter, leading to wasted space, so removing slush and snow before hand will just help you later. It’s also imperative when setting up for the night to be prepared for worsened conditions. It may not happen as such but preparing for wind changes or snow should be done when first setting up. Adding the security of an ice anchor or two in combination with packed snow on the skirt will keep the hut secure, and the snow on the skirt will help insulate the shelter.

Prepare For Emergencies

Always be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Have a way out ready, never get “dropped off”. Have an emergency plan ready, from where you keep your keys to how far to get to the truck or cell phone range, etc. Make sure someone knows where you went camping and set a time to contact them on your way out. Its best to carry a repair kit with you. Electrical tape, extra pins, wire, rope, pliers and a multitool will fix or repair any broken gear or fix any problems encountered. In your camp gear, it is smart to carry a first aid kit, an emergency blanket, extra gloves, some fire starter material, multiple lights and headlamps and extra batteries for everything. Shovels and axes are always useful in camping scenarios and are key in ice fishing emergency tools. Emergency kits can be customized to your liking and needs. Getting stuck on the lake can be a real possibility too, so it is always smart to bring extra food. At minimum you should have one spare meal. I often bring a Backpackers Pantry dehydrated meal, as a quick last resort option for survival situations. Carbon Monoxide is a real threat that most anglers ignore. Make sure your tent is properly vented if you plan to sleep with the heater on low, but I recommend sealing up the tent, turning off the heater and using the residual heat and a good sleeping bag to keep you warm.

Basic Packing List for Ice Fishing Winter Camping Trip

· Pop up Ice Shelter

· Bedding (camping cot, multiple sleeping pads and mats stacked, spruce browse, etc)

· Flooring (rubber gym mats, yoga mats, plywood, action packer lids, etc)

· Sleeping bag or sleeping bags layered to -40 temperature rating

· Pillow

· At least one headlamp

· At least one flashlight, Lighting system

· Propane heater and or propane stove

· Food for 24 hours with at least one emergency meal.

· Cookery required for your meal

· Toilet paper

· Toiletries

· Nalgene water bottle

· Batteries and Spare batteries

· Fishing gear

· Ice Flasher

· Auger

· Repair kit (electrical tape, rope, superglue, wire, extra pins, multitool, pliers, patch kit)

· Emergency kit (first aid kit, extra dry gloves and socks, fire starter, emergency blanket, shovel, axe, rope)

This isn’t a complete list. Every trip deserves its own custom list of gear and equipment. Bringing entertainment like a book or some downloaded Netflix, or specialized items to make your camping feel more like home. I love a good cup of coffee in the morning, and will go out of my way to pack the extra gear for that good first morning cup. Bonfires are another great activity, so bringing a chainsaw and fire starter might be your thing.

The Fishing Side Of Things

Late at night is a time most anglers aren’t out fishing but fish are often still just as active as during the day. Crappie often become more aggressive feeders once the sun goes down with usually a spike in activity post sunset. Some fish like Yellow Perch actually become less active at night and therefore camping for perch is a waste of time. That is why lakes dominated by Perch, like the Kawartha Lakes will have stellar crappie fishing after dark since all the Perch have tucked into weed beds to hide for the evening. Their eyesight isn’t as good as their top predators the Walleye. Walleye, Pike, Lake trout all feed at night and burbot rule the dark midnight waters. Burbot come up from the depths into the flats us anglers target to feed at night. Burbot love a jig and a minnow, especially a still line inches from bottom.

At night, sound and smell are far more impactful than sight for fish, so loud baits like a lipless crankbait, or tipping a jigging spoon with live bait. Glow patterns do work at night, but know how long your bait will glow before you send it down. Every time you check you bait, hold a flashlight to your glowing bait to charge up the lure. Still lines and dead sticking with live bait catch a lot of fish at night. A still line with a noise indicator in your shelter is a great way to maintain fishing all night, even while you sleep. You can usually get clip on bells at your local tackle shop, as noise indicators for a late-night bite, but some companies now make electronic noise makers to clip onto line. Having a line out all night is the only way to maximize your time spent on the ice and nothing screams entertainment than hooking into an aggressive lake trout at 4am while still in a sleepless state of astonishment.

Camping Tips To Make The Night Survivable.

Most people haven’t camped in the winter, and there is no shame in inexperience. Some different tips learned along the way will help you manage the night and keep yourself fishing.

· Nalgene trick Boil a litre of water and pour it inside your Nalgene right before bed. Place the sealed water bottle at the feet of your sleeping bag, creating a type of hot rock to warm up the air trapped in your sleeping bag.

· Emergency Blanket Liner trick

Use an emergency blanket inside your sleeping bag, especially wrapped around your feet, as a way to better insulate your sleeping bag.

· Using your jacket as a blanket

Use your jacket as a layer over your sleeping bag at your feet. Zip it up with the head hole facing away from you. This will also keep your jacket from freezing up overnight.

· There will be icicles

When sleeping your warm breath will create a lot of moisture in the hut. This will cause the inside layer of your tent to frost up. Icicles from the ceiling, especially around the vent holes will form. This is normal and manageable, turning on your heater will quickly melt and dry up the humid cold air.

· Use your bungee cords to suspend your gear

That bungee cord used to hold your gear on the sled? It will create a great place to hold your clothes off the ground. Mitts, socks, and jackets can all he suspended high in the tent, where the warm air collects.

The black edge of the shorelines silhouette was cutting into the tangerine sunset to the west end of the horizon. Variants of the colours surrounded the lake, wrapping the sky in a pallet of pastel colours. Blues and purples with white specks of astral light moved in from the east, while the fires of daylight receded off the canvas above. The night began to swell, darkening the world and plunging the temperature. Unworried I lay back in my cot to the hum of my campsite’s equipment. The nights cold icy grasp wasn’t going to make an appearance tonight. The sunrise came as a lovely reprieve, yet I still sat comfortably separated by millimeters of material from the ruthless winter temperature. With the spark of the igniter the heater roared to life cutting the cool edge off, and a second flash from the igniter lit up the propane stove with a coffee percolator resting patiently to work its morning magic.

Social media has brought new life to camping on the ice, but the desire to fish is what has sent dozens of anglers to embrace the cold, besting the night for the experience of a lifetime.