Spear Fishing on Ice - An Old Tradition of Stabbing Northern Pike
Ice Hole Spear Fishing is an Age Old Tradition that has been documented by Europeans as far back as 1763. While it has been around even longer than that, the principle of the sport has remained the same over the past several hundred years. There is a fishermen in the dark with a decoy and pointed stick, waiting for a fish to come up close enough to spear.
We now have portable gas heaters, power augers to drill through the ice, brighter portable lights, and significantly stronger and more durable fish spears. We have put the odds in our favor to comfortably spear more fish, but the essence of the game hasn't changed.
THE DECOY
Whether you are using a jig or a spoon, the decoy itself rarely is what entices the fish to strike and then come back for more. The motion of the decoy plays a significant role in fish behavior. A lively decoy with consistent action will increase your chances in fooling a northern pike to surface close enough to you to throw your spear at it. Most Pike are on the order of 2.5 to 3.0 lbs in weight and 16-22 inches in length. As with all fish, there are always the outliers which are tremendously larger. Northern Pike can get up to 60 inches in length and weigh as much as 63 lbs!
Northern Pike have a tendency to attack in packs, similar to wolves. When you have a pike hit your decoy hard, react quick! While accuracy and reaction time is very important, don't be hard on yourself if you miss. Keep jigging your decoy and wait for another member of the pack to strike. A decoy in motion will sometimes help a hungry fish forget they just had a spear whiz by their side.
THE ICE FISHING SPEAR
Quality ice fishing spears can range in price, some being homemade while others being forged or manufactured by specialty companies such as Outrigger Outdoors. Key points to keep in mind when choosing your ice fishing gig include a strong, durable, and sharp spear that can not only penetrate through the fish scales, but also hold on tight to prevent the fish from falling off. The Outrigger Outdoors Fish Gig is among the best in ice fishing for penetrating the fish quickly and holding on tight to bring it to the surface.
Outrigger Outdoors is a designer and manufacturer of fish spears and fish and game processing equipment. Originally designed for gigging flounder on the gulf coast, our Flounder Gig has quickly become a leading spear for ice fishing. Made from 17/4 stainless steel and capable of easily sliding over any one-inch outside diameter pole, our flounder gig has proven itself time and time again to always bring the fish back above water and minimizes the chance of it flopping off. If you're looking for a cost effective fish spear that always lands your catch, look no further than our 5 prong flounder gig.