Many people don’t know that Arizona is more than just cactus and desert. When you head up north from Phoenix, you hit miles and miles of Ponderosa Pines and small creeks and man made lakes. During the Winter months, it is cold enough for enough ice to form and thick enough to walk on. I have dreamed of heading up north and visiting one of these lakes to drop a line. This last weekend, this dream of the last few years finally came true.

Also quick reminder ice fishing is dangerous. Please use caution and know that I am an amateur and this is for entertainment only.

Planning:
Most of the lakes in Northern Arizona freeze over during the winter. The lake we went to was only a mile or so off the main road and the edges of the lake were frozen solid. We had a good 5 inches of ice that was extremely stable and didn’t move or crack at all. We left the Phoenix Metro area by 8am on Saturday morning. After a brief stop at Walmart in Payson for some night crawlers and beer, we finally arrived on the Mogollon Rim around 10:30am and were off hiking at the lake.

Ice Fishing:
After parking, throwing on our packs loaded with fishing gear, backpacking chairs, and beer we started Chiseling holes in the ice. The tools of the trade were an Axe and Shovel. The axe worked perfectly for cutting a hole in the ice and the shovel worked for getting out the big chunks of ice. From there, we tied some jig heads on our line and stuck a night crawler on the end. From there, we sat in our chairs, joked with each other, and ate way more junk food then we should have. While we landed no fish, we both missed multiple bites and others were catching fish using the same nightcrawlers.

We tried spinning jigs and worms. The Jighead and Worms seemed to be working best. There is no need to get fancy out here, the fish don’t get much pressure in the winter so they are pretty willing to take anything. The most important thing is setting the hook and paying attention to your line and the movement.

Gear Used:
While an auger would have been nice, the axe and shovel worked very well. While the auger would be nice and create nice looking holes, the axe cut perfectly fine holes with a few extra splashes. Next, a camp chair is required to get you off the ice and be more comfortable for sitting there all day.

Gear List:
Axe
Shovel
Zebco Dock Demon – this thing worked pretty good without investing a lot of money, I have upgraded the reel to a Bass Pro Tinylite reel which is a significant upgrade from the stock reel but the rod works great.
Camp Chair
Pnuma Hand Warmer – I bought this for my wife for skiing but this was the MVP of ice fishing

Clothes:
Shell Pants and Jacket – It was Windy and waterproof clothing was important to keep the water off, I used my Ski shells which worked perfectly
Wool Socks
Waterproof Boots
Gloves
Beanie
Sunglasses with Polarized Lenses

Summary:
This was my first time ice fishing in Arizona and it will not be my last. Ice Fishing is so different than regular fishing and it was great to get out on the Mogollon Rim lake when they weren’t crowded. This is going to turn into a yearly adventure, renting a cabin up north, cracking some beers on the ice, and spending some quality time out in Nature.

Have you tried ice fishing yet and if not, when are you?