Ice Fishing
The Hole Story
Steve Piatt
Penn Lines Contributor
Don Kelly hasn’t walked on water much in the past two years. Neither has Gary Heubel Jr., nor Walt Tubach.
They’re hoping that changes this year, but it’s up to Mother Nature.
The trio is part of a loyal legion of ice anglers in Pennsylvania, a tight-knit circle that for the past two winters has largely been kept shorebound by warm temperatures not conducive to making ice — or at least safe ice.
“Last year we didn’t have anything really good as far as safe ice,” says Heubel, whose family owns Poor Richards’ Bait & Tackle in Erie County, which is part of Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative’s (REC) service territory. “A couple inland lakes had some ice that was pretty sketchy, and guys were trying it … and we had a few inches on Presque Isle Bay for a while, but not enough for me.”
A cure for cabin fever
However, when conditions permit — and safety is paramount in the hard-water game — ice fishing can offer a superb break from cabin fever, an enjoyable day outside with friends and family. And bringing home a bunch of filets is an added bonus. Pennsylvania is particularly attractive to anglers thanks to its variety of lakes, reservoirs and, most important, fish, which include walleye, crappie, northern pike, and trout.
“It’s a completely different form of fishing,” says Kelly, owner of the popular Tackle Shack on Route 287 outside Wellsboro in Tioga County, an area served by Tri-County REC. “And when you get out there, the camaraderie aspect is much bigger in the wintertime.
“You’ll see families out there … kids running around playing ice hockey or skating, just having a good time and waiting for a tip-up flag to pop (which signals a fish has hit the bait).”
Tubach, who lives in Forksville and is the retired manager of operations for Sullivan County REC, can relate. Introduced to hard-water angling by his father at a young age, he says a day on the ice then typically involved his sisters, brother and cousins.
“They would come up from Montoursville and we would fish, ice skate, and cook hot dogs and hamburgers over an open fire,” he says. “It brings back a lot of memories.”
PLENTY OF FISH: When conditions are right, Pennsylvania’s lakes and reservoirs offer up good ice fishing and quite a variety of fish, including bluegill, shown above, yellow perch, walleye, crappie, northern pike, and trout. (Photo by Steve Piatt)
His older brother, Gary, remains his ice-fishing partner today. The pair have access to some private ponds and other nearby waters, like Sones Pond, where they will set a few tip-ups and handle jigging rods, pulling their share of perch, bluegill, largemouth bass, and chain pickerel through the holes.
When it comes to ice fishing, gear can be as simple as a hand-powered auger to cut a hole through the ice, standard fishing rods and weighted lures, known as jigs, and a bucket to sit on. Other anglers, however, may choose to make a more significant investment, buying powerful battery-operated augers and underwater cameras and monitors.
“You see a lot of different things out there,” Heubel says, “from the basic gear all the way to the live scopes and hub-style shelters. You have the guy with all kinds of gear on a four-wheeler and you have the guy sitting on a bucket right next to him.”
A matter of preference
The Tubachs go the spartan route, sitting on camp stools and dealing with the elements without benefit of the shelters and portable heaters so popular today. And they don’t use the high-tech fish finders that have revolutionized ice fishing, either.
Today there are digital flashers for real-time sonar data, graphical sonar units for detailed underwater views, GPS combo units for mapping and navigation, portable fish finders for mobility, wireless fish finders that connect to smartphones or tablets, and underwater cameras for live video feeds.
“Vexilars (a flasher unit) were the best sellers,” Heubel says. “The thing now is the live scope, either Garmin or Humminbird, that lets you see a little bit more compared to the straight up-and-down flasher.”
Kelly adds the technology “just keeps getting better and better. We’re seeing more [people] go to the live sonars and live scopes. They’re absolutely incredible [but] whether you can get the fish to bite or not is up to you.”
The technology has also extended into clothing designed for the coldest of weather. And while you can continue to drill holes using pure muscle, power augers — both gas and electric — can make things easier in your search for fish. That’s especially true if you have to run and gun a bit to locate schools of perch and other species.
BEYOND THE BASICS: When it comes to ice fishing, some anglers keep it simple with a hand-powered auger, fishing rod and a bucket to sit on. Others, however, prefer to go beyond the basics with powerful battery-operated augers and underwater cameras and monitors to find the fish. (Photo courtesy of Vexilar)
Once safe ice arrives, Heubel concentrates his hole-drilling efforts on underwater structure, such as logs or rocks. Fish tend to congregate around this terrain because it provides shelter and access to food.
“If you’re fishing a piece of structure, it might take a couple hours, but there’s going to be fish coming eventually,” he says, “so I’ve learned the structure on the waters I fish.”
Kelly is a fan of using Tungsten jigs as his go-to lures, which “seem to be what most people are buying these days. They get down fast and there’s a million different colors available.”
He also prefers jigging, a technique using the weighted lures, to setting tip-ups, which he says “really confine you to one area once you set them. It’s great if you’re going to spend the day and hang out with your buddies, but if I want to cover some water it’s just tough to do.”
Walt Tubach keeps it simple.
“If the wind is blowing hard we usually don’t go,” he says. “The wind triggers a tip-up flag when there’s really nothing there, it fills the holes with ice and it’s not really pleasant. But if it’s a sunny day, even if it’s cold, we’re out there.”
And this winter, after a two-year hiatus thanks to Mother Nature, hard-water anglers just want to go.
“I’m just hoping we can get to do some this year,” Tubach says.
‘Every year is different’
According to Kelly, the 2023-2024 ice-fishing season was the shortest he could remember in Pennsylvania. “And two years ago,” he adds, “it was short for most of Pennsylvania, but we did fish for about a month and a half.”
Clearly, ice anglers are an optimistic lot, and an early December cold snap had many checking their equipment — even though long-range forecasts for the winter are generally calling for warmer-than-average temps.
“Every year is different,” Kelly says. “I’ve seen years of the El Nino weather pattern forecast that were supposed to be warm, then we ended up having these big cold snaps. And looking through my old reports, at the end of February and into March of 2022, we were fishing on 12 inches of ice. So hopefully we’ll have good ice again.”
For the novice ice angler, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission offers a variety of fishing classes, including those focused on the hard-water experience. Some are even virtual. For a complete list, go to pa.gov/agencies/fishandboat/education.html.
SAFETY FIRST, FISH SECOND
There’s no fish in Pennsylvania or anywhere else that’s worth risking your life for, and “safety first” is the key thing to keep in mind when you head out this winter.
First, be sure to test ice thickness with an auger. Four inches of solid ice is the minimum recommended thickness for a single person. Seven inches of solid ice is the minimum recommended thickness for a small group.
Check the weather and plan accordingly, too. Several days with temperatures above freezing will weaken the ice.
The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission offers a few more important tips for hard-water anglers:
- Never fish alone: A buddy can save your life in an emergency and help you get warm and dry in the event of a dunking.
- Wear a life jacket: A life jacket is as important when ice fishing as it is when fishing from a boat in summer. It will keep you afloat if you break through the ice and can help insulate you from cold water.
- Wear ice picks: Ice picks are handheld, spiked tools you can use to dig into the ice and pull yourself out of the water should you break through. The paired picks are linked by a rope or coil and worn around the neck for quick access if needed.
- Carry rope: Spread the rope on the ice so that it’s near your fishing locations and can be grabbed quickly. If it's too far from shore to tie off, carry rope that can be thrown to someone in trouble.
- Be aware of changing conditions: Underwater springs, entering streams, current, wind, and snow cover can all erode ice thickness across short distances or during the intervening time between trips. Be careful after new snowfall. Snow can hide thin ice and pre-exisiting holes and inhibit freezing.
- Stay away from structure: Snags, logs, stumps, and rocks absorb sunlight and emit heat. Stay a respectful distance from any natural or manmade material and be careful around or over weedbeds. Decomposing plant matter releases heat and can melt the ice from underneath.
Follow these simple rules, and you can safely enjoy a day of fishing on the hard water.
HARD-WATER HOTSPOTS
Here are some of Pennsylvania’s top waters, where cold weather often means hot fishing on ice:
- Presque Isle Bay — When the bay locks up, ice anglers flock to this northwestern water outside Erie, where they run and gun for perch, bluegill, walleye, northern pike, and even the occasional steelhead. Presque Isle Bay State Park provides superb access, with protected areas like Misery Bay and Horseshoe Pond typically drawing a crowd.
- Lake Wallenpaupack — It’s big, at over 5,700 acres, so don’t expect the entire lake to freeze over. Located along the Pike-Wayne county border in the Pocono Mountains, the “big-water, big-fish” philosophy often holds true here, with solid crappie, chain pickerel, walleye, yellow perch, pike, sunfish and pickerel in the mix.
- Hills Creek Lake — Located at Hills Creek State Park outside of Wellsboro in Tioga County, the 137-acre water is hugely popular when it offers safe ice. Anglers jig or set tip-ups for perch, crappie, bluegill and the occasional walleye. Superb access is a bonus.
- Tioga-Hammond and Cowanesque lakes — The massive Army Corps of Engineers flood-mitigation project that followed the Hurricane Agnes flood in 1972 produced these waters in Tioga County. They may not freeze quite as quickly as nearby Hills Creek Lake, but when and if they do, some fishing for warm-water species can be had. Hammond Lake is 680 acres, Tioga is 470, and Cowanesque is the biggest at nearly 1,100.
- Lyman Run Lake — Just west of Galeton in Potter County, Lyman Run Lake’s popularity stems from its location in a cold-weather pocket and for the fall trout-stocking done by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. Rainbow trout are often the primary target, but the lake also holds warm-water species, such as perch and panfish.
- Yellow Creek Lake — This 720-acre Indiana County water offers great access for fishing, given its location in Yellow Creek State Park. The lake is known for its fine crappie fishing, and the facilities include winter picnicking and warming areas, and even a designated area for ice skating — provided Mother Nature cooperates.
- Bald Eagle State Park — This Centre County body of water of about 630 acres has warm-water species topped by crappie, perch, bass (both smallmouth and largemouth), channel catfish, and the chance for a feisty tiger muskellunge.
- Parker Lake — It’s not big, at just 20 acres, but it’s located at Parker Dam State Park in Clearfield County and offers good access and, when the weather cooperates, some fine ice fishing. The state Fish & Boat Commission stocks the lake with rainbow trout in the fall, which adds to its popularity.
- Sones Pond and Bear Wallow Pond — There’s usually a good chance these waters will lock up and offer safe ice: They’re located in the mountains of tiny Sullivan County in northcentral Pennsylvania. When they do, anglers target perch, bluegill, pickerel, and largemouth bass. Access can, however, be a challenge depending on snowfall totals that clog the rural roads.
- High Point Lake — It’s located downstate in Somerset County, but does, on occasion, offer safe ice given that it’s not far from Mount Davis, the highest point in Pennsylvania. The 338-acre impoundment holds walleye, pike, bass, perch, black crappie, and bluegill.
- Tionesta Lake — The Army Corps of Engineers impoundment in Forest County is just short of 500 acres, and when it freezes over, can offer some fine fishing for crappie, perch, and if you’re rigged up for them, muskellunge. There’s also some big channel catfish cruising the water.
- Canoe Creek Lake — Its location within Canoe Creek State Park pretty much guarantees good access, and when this 155-acre water east of Altoona locks up, it’s popular for anglers pursuing trout. The Fish & Boat Commission does a fall stocking of rainbows, and the lake also holds good numbers of panfish.
- Beltzville Lake — Located in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains in the state park of the same name, Beltzville Lake can offer good ice fishing for walleye, pickerel, trout, perch, bluegill, sunfish, and even muskellunge. There’s also good access along its 949 acres thanks to being within state park property.
- Lake Arthur — This big (3,225 acres) lake is part of Moraine State Park in northwestern Pennsylvania, and is capable of producing good-sized bluegill, crappie, and perch through the ice. There’s also the possibility of tying into a muskellunge, walleye or channel catfish. Ice fishing is allowed in the Game Propagation Area from Jan. 1-March 15, when conditions permit.
- Pymatuning Reservoir — It’s huge, at more than 17,000 acres, so it’s no surprise this Mercer County water draws some serious attention from the hard-water hordes. But there’s plenty of room for everyone, and the species lineup includes perch, bluegill, crappie, walleye, and even white bass. Access is best through Pymatuning State Park.
- Conneaut Lake — This Crawford County water of about 900 acres offers solid — if the ice is solid — fishing for panfish (notably bluegill, crappie, and perch), walleye, and a chance for a big pike or muskie.
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