Megan's Nature Nook
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I didn't know what spearing was until I met Tony, but the first winter we were together he was sure to show me how it was done. Since then I've gone along many a time with him, usually jigging in the hole and watching the "underwater TV" as he spears. This year instead of just jigging in the hole, I decided to give spearing a shot and was successful! Since Tony is the pro and knows the ins and out of spearing, I thought he should be the one to share about it, so I'll hand this post over to him now... A lot of people, especially in the Midwest, are familiar with ice fishing. It is a pretty popular sport among outdoors enthusiasts and typically garners great attention as it can be easier for anyone to target bigger and more fish. There is another “fishing” method that people may not be so familiar with. That is, spearing. Spearing is a very traditional sport, has roots that go way back, especially in Minnesota. A lot of people who do spear do it because their dad did, and their dad's dad did, and so on… Not too many people have just picked up the sport. Some say it is a dying sport due to this. I am one of those people who basically just picked it up. My grandpa had gone spearing a few times with a friend of his, but not to the point where he did it on the regular. I was fortunate enough to have been able to go once or twice with him, and that lit the fire, so to speak. But first, what exactly is spearing…? What is Spearing? So, what is spearing and what does a person need to do it? Well like any other hobby, it can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it. When spearing, typically the main species targeted is Northern Pike. All “roughfish” are legal to spear as well as Channel Catfish and Whitefish. Tools of the Trade There are a few tools of the trade that are necessary to begin spearing. First, you need something to cut a hole with. This can be done a wide variety of ways. Anywhere from using a chisel to chip out the hole, to using a chainsaw to cut out the hole. What’s typically done is using a power auger to drill several holes in a rectangle or square (whatever you want essentially) and then connect the dots with an ice saw. These holes can be any size you like, mine is typically 4 feet by 2 or 3 feet. Ice blocks can be pushed under the ice or an ice tongs can be used to take the blocks out. A finer meshed dipnet can be very useful to remove all the ice shavings and ice chunks out of your spear hole. The next piece of equipment is the spear. Spears are one of two very important and traditional aspects of the sport. There are a lot of older spears made by well known people, and these can be unique to each maker. Depending on the maker and age of the spear, these spears can be very expensive and fancy! There are a bunch of spears mass produced that work well but may not look as fancy or cool. They have a small hole on the end to tie a rope or line to and the other end you clip to the house, so you do not lose your spear after throwing it. The other very important aspect of spearing is the decoy, what attracts the pike into your hole. Large sucker minnows are sold under the name of decoy, or decoy minnows and make a great live decoy to bring pike into range. Handmade decoys are probably the coolest part of the sport. Anyone can make a decoy. There are a lot of historic decoy makers that are well known and have unique styles to their decoys that set them apart. (Megan's side note: You can visit Decoypedia.com to see some awesome carvers and their decoys). A decoy can literally be whatever you want it to be, from a fish, to a frog, dragons, any color, any shape, you name it, and it can be made! Red and white is a pretty common color scheme and works very well. Decoys are attached to a thicker line, dacron or braided, which is affixed to a fishing rod or the top of the house and lowered down into the water. Have your spear ready because the second that decoy is dropped fish could already be coming in! The last key part of spearing is the dark house. A shelter that is dark colored on the inside to make it easier to see down your hole. A lot of people have smaller shelters that are homemade and put on skids to leave on the ice. Another common shelter, a bit more portable, are hub style shelters. Sled-style shelters can also be used, but hubs are most popular. What I Use I have three spears, two of which I use regularly. I have two decoys, one firetiger perch style Rick Whittier decoy and a classic red and white colored Duey decoy. I use my power auger, Fish’s ice saw, chisel, dipnet and ice tongs when cutting and clearing out the spear hole. Then I set up my Eskimo Fatfish 949i over the hole, drop down the decoys, and it's game time! I made a YouTube video of my most recent trip to my family’s cabin that shows how it’s done pretty well, and it’s fun to watch! After you are done for the day there is one last measure you must take to ensure safety. Mark your spear hole. This is extremely important from a safety standpoint so other people enjoying the outdoors to do not fall into a spear hole and harm themselves. Marking a spear hole consists of putting branches to alert people that there is/was a spear hole here and please be cautious. If you took your ice blocks out, it is encouraged to put them back in the hole, so vehicles do not hit them. Spearing to me is so much fun. I am an avid hunter and this to me feels like hunting for fish. In Minnesota you are also allowed to angle in your spear hole. It is very entertaining to watch all the goings on under the water! I love taking people who have never gone before. Spearing is a very fun way to introduce new people to ice fishing too, as they can angle in the hole. I have caught 20+ inch largemouth bass and countless panfish while jigging in the spear hole. Always remember to follow your specific area’s regulations. I hope you learned something from reading this! If you are an avid enjoyer of the outdoors, I encourage you to introduce someone new to the outdoors whenever you get the chance! Thanks for reading! - Tony Long If you're looking for something to do with all those pike you spear, try pickling! Check out my previous blog Pickled Pike for a recipe and directions!
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