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[chrisc54]

Hi, I am new to ice fishing, but not fishing. I don't have an auger, is it safe to use a hatchet ? If not I could order a hand auger. Is it safe to have fires on the ice? Weird I have seen that a lot but can't understand how it's safe. Closest ice fishing to hope? Also why not use my 5' trout rod?   Thanks again for the knowledge..

[ninez]

5' rod is too far from the hole.  Rod has videos on ice fishing.

[pwn50m3 f15h3r]

FIre is safe on ice because ice is a really great insulator, and after the fire has been burning a while, a puddle forms, and the layer of ash in the puddle prevents the heat of the fire from reaching the ice

[sbc hris]

Yep, as long as the ice is thick enough, a hatchet or axe wouldn’t be a Problem. The first time I went ice fishing, we used a splitting maul and a big pry bar to chip holes in 18” of ice. It wasn’t fun, and all the fish in the lake were probably spooked for hours, but it worked. I recently picked up a very minty ice auger on craigslist for $30, so keep your eyes peeled! You could use a longer rod, but tiny ice rods are much better. Closest ice fishing to Hope is a silly question. If it gets cold enough you can ice fish anywhere. Closest ice fishing to Hope right now?! Probably the Coquihalla lakes IF they’re open to ice fishing. Check the regs!!

[psd1179]

Good luck with hatchet. You will spend 20 min for a hole and wait another 2 hr for spooked fish to come back.

[Rodney]

Save the grief and buy an auger for sure. You don't need a gas one, just a manual one which is actually really easy and effortless to use. You want to use a proper short ice fishing rod because you want to be close to the hole. The hole's too small so if you are using a 5' rod, any little movement is going to bump your line to the side of the hole etc. It's just not going to work properly especially if you plan to do some jigging.

Last year you could have ice fished at some of the lakes around Harrison Hot Springs area because it was so cold. This year, the closest good lakes are the ones in the Kane Valley, just make sure you double check the regs to see which ones are open for ice fishing.

[Rodney]

Good fishing at Tunkwa now, resort owner Al was out yesterday and caught a bunch.

https://www.facebook.com/tunkwalakeresort/photos/a.100150840141747.103.100124680144363/915043901985766/?type=3&theater

[Rieber]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using a 5' rod.

Out in the Kootenays, we used to even use branches cut off on the side of the lake. Strip them down and freeze them in a slush ball on the ice. Tie your line to the branch.

Cut your self a Y branch for your rod tip support or just us a pair or anything to get the tip off the ice. The longer the rod, the steeper you can make your rod to give you a distance from the hole to better see your rod tip.

Put something on the ice to keep your reel out of the snow/slush.

Take a laddle or seive to scoop ice/sluch out of the hole without using your hands.