Some basic tips on going ice fishing, if you're interested

This is late January, and many of our creeks, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and reservoirs are now covered with a nice layer of ice.

That ice coating, obviously, inhibits your opportunity to catch fish, unless you are an ice fisherman. And, if you're not an ice fisherman, then I need to ask: Why not?

It's a "ton of fun," and you can get "hooked" on it very quickly. If you would like to give it a try, here is some info:

Thickness of ice (As recommended by the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame):

One inch of ice: Stay off!

Two to three inches of clear, blue ice: Can support one adult. (Don Q says: I would not go out onto that ice!)

Four inches of ice: Minimum needed for ice fishing.

Five inches of ice: Can be used by snowmobiles.

Six inches of ice: (Don Q's minimum thickness for safety)

Eight inches: Needed to support a car or light truck.

Ten inches: Needed to support a medium-weight truck.

Ice hole:

You need an auger, either a hand auger or a gas-operated one. If you don't have one, you need to find someone who does. Remember that in the depth of winter, the ice on some of our lakes can be six feet thick!

When digging that hole in California, your ice hole must be eight inches or less in diameter. In Nevada, that diameter must not exceed 10 inches.

Don't forget to take a large slotted ladle to scope the slush and ice out of your hole.

Clothing:

You need to have such things as waterproof insulated boots (an absolute must!), thick socks, thermo underwear, layered clothing for variable weather conditions, wool cap, warm gloves, sunglasses and even sun screen (Yep, you can get sunburned in the wintertime!).

Miscellaneous:

Take a piece of thick rug or plywood to stand on and keep your feet warm.

Take a folding chair or sturdy plastic bucket for sitting. (It makes waiting for the fish to bite a lot more comfortable, plus you can use the bucket to carry your fish, if you've been successful).

If you're like me, you will also take all kinds of tasty "Munchies," plus a thermos full of hot coffee or hot chocolate.

Don't forget to take either a small sled or a backpack to carry all of your stuff to and from wherever you are going to fish. It will be a whole lot easier than carrying arm loads.

Fishing equipment:

Preferably, you should have a very small ice fishing pole and reel. My pole is only about three feet long and my tiny reel is loaded with 4-pound test line.

You darn sure don't need a surfcasting rod and reel with 50-pound test line. You are out to have fun, not set a new world record for the biggest fish ever caught through ice.

Bait and lures:

Use worms, Power Bait, red Salmon eggs, mealworms, cheese, cocktail shrimp or kernels of corn for bait.

Or you can use them in combinations with small shiny or colored lures such as Kastmaster, Mepps, Phebe, Rapala, Super Duper or TOR-P-DO.

My all-time favorite ice fishing combo is a small, lead-head jig with a white plastic tail with the hook tipped with a piece of mealworm. It's awesome!

Whatever you use, drop it all the way to the bottom, reel it up about 4-5-6 turns of your reel handle, then slowly jig it up and down, and wait for some action.

Where to fish nearby:

Red Lake, Calif. (about 40 miles south of Carson City)

Its parking area is a very popular destination for snowmobiles and cross country skiers.

Be forewarned, if you don't arrive early, you could be out of luck in finding a parking spot.

You can catch Eastern brook, cutthroat or rainbow trout.

Caples Lake, Calif. (about 50 miles south of Carson City)

You can catch Eastern brook, cutthroat, brown or Mackinaw trout. Once or twice a year, a lucky ice fisherman catches a Mack up to about 15 pounds.

Finally:

After all of this good advice, why not give the sport of ice fishing a try, one of these upcoming weekends. It's fun!

-- Bet Your Favorite Pigeon

Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you why I wear blaze orange in the winter.

If he grins and says, "Don says if he gets lost in the winter, he wants to stand out like a sore thumb, so the rescuers can quickly find him," he could be one of my ice fishing partners.

-- Don Quilici is the Outdoors editor for the Nevada Appeal.