Homemade Ice Rods / Girl Guides

[5Weight]

Hi All,

My wife is a Girl Guide leader and as a project this winter, would like to take her group ice-fishing. I will be a guest leader for the day and suggested that prior to the outing, the girls build their own ice-fishing rods at one of their meetings.

When I was a kid, I remember using cut-off pieces of hockey sticks to build my first ice fishing rod. Not exactly finesse fishing, but it got the job done on pike and burbot back in Saskatchewan.

I thought that there may be some board members who have their own ice-fishing rod designs that would be better. The idea here is this:

- VERY little cost
- easy to make with few tools
- good basic rod for ice-fishing

Any thoughts out there? Pictures would be great if you have them!

Oh, and any suggestion on where to take them (in January)? We're leaving out of Calgary. I thought Chain Lakes for rainbows? Or is PCR a good thought for little walleyes but lots of action (I've never been there but keep reading about all the action in the summer time)? It will be the first time fishing for most of them, and I obviously want them to have fun and catch some fish!

Thanks in advance,

5W

[Braun]

i would definately say that pcs would be your absolute best bet to have everyone get a fish

[Sundancefisher]

Cut plywood into strips 3 inches wide. cut strips into 16 inch lengths. Notch each end with a V 2 inches deep. File notch to prevent snagging line.

Sand around the edges to remove slivers.

Then tie on line and wrap. Should be about 2 feet for a complete wrap. Makes it easy to measure your depth.

You can use markers to color the rods or paint with a water proof latex. Works well.

[iliketrout]

I've never done this but I heard that using paint stir sticks works well, used like Sundance has pointed out with strips of plywood. I'm sure Benjamin Moore would give you a couple dozen stir sticks...

[FishingFrenzy]

http://www.instructables.com/id/Ice-Fishing-Pole/

This is a bit more of a complicated design but it turns out very nice!!

If your not into that a piece of dowel rod with old bike tire tube wrapped around as a handle works well, just wrap the line around it.

Good luck and tight lines!

[Kim473]

Cut plywood into strips 3 inches wide. cut strips into 16 inch lengths. Notch each end with a V 2 inches deep. File notch to prevent snagging line.

Sand around the edges to remove slivers.

Then tie on line and wrap. Should be about 2 feet for a complete wrap. Makes it easy to measure your depth.

You can use markers to color the rods or paint with a water proof latex. Works well.

I used something simalar for years. 16" is a little long tho mine were like 10 or 12" and made from a mahogony or a like wood, 1 X 2 or so, less to file and not as many slivers compared to plywood. Those things were better than my rod today unless you get a pike on because of the drag. dont forget some real good elastic bands or simalar to set your line and for storage. Very good point sundancefisher. Hocky sticks are good too but a little big for small hands. And heavy compared too. For fun find a real good perch lake that has some pike, so the odd small pike gives one or two of them a real pull. Nothing like having a mad 3 lb pike pull on a line in your hands.

With these you could pre cut the small boards and set up some vices to hold the wood. The girls could cut the Vs in them with a hack saw and file, wrap the line and tie the hook. I would set up 4 to 6 vices and the girls make at least 4 jig sticks all pre tied. If you were in Ed. I would be glad to donate wood or hooks or line or a vice. You might even concider buying a small bench top band saw or scroll saw for cutting the V groves. But a good solid table, C clamp and jig saw will work good also.

[Garry B]

I'm just taking everyone's good ideas so far and arranging them a bit.

To start I have in mind those stakes that you sometimes see marking building sites. They are rough but about the right width (very light) and thickness if I remember. They can be cut to length and then sanded a bit. Then the notches cut. One end could have a hole to tie the start of the line. Then each end dipped in red or yellow Plasti Dip (easy to apply, soft on line and highly visible not to mention grippy in the mittened hand). Pre-drill a small hole in the side of one end and thread in a small eye screw. Wrap line. Use the rubber band as previously mentioned to hold the line. Then go to the lake. Once the kids have the found the depth they can pass the line through the small gap in the eye screw and jig fairly well and hopefully the line would stay in the eye.

This is Plasti Dip's website:
http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

Home Hardware caries it and I know the Sherwood Part HH has red and yellow since I called two days ago looking for black to use on a different project. Other HH's may or may not have it.

[Rumtan]

Go to local hockey rinks and ask for all the broken sticks and split them down the girth (making then 1/2 inch thick instead of 1") and "V" the ends you will have a stick strong enough to pull out a salmon if the lins doesnt break first. If you make all the sticks 17" long and the "V" 1/2 inch you will be able to know how deep you are fishing as each time you unravel a length of line you are down 16". The fiberglass wrapping on a stick makes them very durable. Hope this helps a bit.

[mudbug]

Hockey sticks work well and we used to use thread spools from mom's sewing machine to put the line around and an thread in eyelet on the front for th line to pass through :thinking-006:

You can use a hole saw to cut out a small circular piece to go on the end of the thread spool to make it hold line better as well

[Freedom55]

Cut a wooden broomstick or 1.5" dowel (40mm) into 2' (60cm) lengths and paint one half white and one half black, or striped like a barber pole, so you can see the alternating colors when it spins.
Staple a short length of colored tape to an end then wrap an end with bicycle tape or the like to fashion a handle grip.
Wind about 50' (17m) of mono or braid onto the mid-section of the stick. add a leader and terminal tackle and centre the line over the hole. The stick will peel off line as the fish takes it and the spinning stick will flash color as it works. The tape on the end is to let you see from a distance if the pike is pulling line or has stopped moving. Leave it longer on one side to act as a strike indicator (if it is up when you placed it and now it is in another position, something has pulled line).
The completed rig will somewhat resemble a spit on the bbq and you can fancy up the snowbank around the hole to provide a suitable rest for your rod.
I learned this simple trick from a man who would be about 125 years old if he was still a fisherman and believe me, they work!

[Cal]

Cut plywood into strips 3 inches wide. cut strips into 16 inch lengths. Notch each end with a V 2 inches deep. File notch to prevent snagging line.

Sand around the edges to remove slivers.

Then tie on line and wrap. Should be about 2 feet for a complete wrap. Makes it easy to measure your depth.

You can use markers to color the rods or paint with a water proof latex. Works well.

This is how I make mine but 3" wide is pretty heavy duty and solid wood works better than plywood, hockysticks are also a little crude. If you take a solid 1"ish x whatever board and rip it into 3/4" ish strips and cut these into lengths a around 12-14" long thats plenty. Cut slots in the end, a band saw works best and sand or file them smooth, wrap about 30' of line on there and use an elastic band to keep it from unraveing while in use or storage.

This is another design that is easy to make at home although more complicated than the slotted sticks.
http://yahoo.shoptoit.ca/shop/product--productId_4770443.html

[mikebossy]

check this out for suggestions and let the girls see and decide

http://www.hurley.k12.wi.us/ryesciencewww/tipupwww/index.htm

[mikebossy]

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