Ice fishing maverick Dave Genz built the first Fish Trap® portable ice fishing shelter two decades ago.  Since then, no other name is more recognizable in the sport than that of this St. Cloud, MN resident who is credited with pioneering modern ice fishing. 

 As captain of the Power Sticks, he’s gearing up for a busy winter.  In this month’s issue of the Ice Fishing Chronicles, Dave shares his favorite tips for starting the season off right. 

 Be sure to get your equipment out and ready ahead of time.

 REPLACE YOUR LINE: One of the most important steps in preparing for a season on the ice is to put new line on your reels.  The line that is still on your poles from last year has acquired memory and is filled with coils.  Also, the remaining line from last year is not as strong as it was to start because of the heat of the summer.

 HANDLE AND PREPARE NEW JIGS: Take some time to take the paint out of the eyes of the jigs, so you can easily tie on when you’re on the ice, rather than doing it on the ice.

 CHARGE BATTERIES ON ALL ELECTRONICS:  Check all of your electronics and charge them properly.  The batteries are most likely dead or may have gone bad over the summer.  Be patient when re-charging at the beginning of the season, because batteries might be stone dead and take a long time to recharge.

 CHECK OUTERWEAR: Does it need to be washed, cleaned or replaced?

 SCOUT FOR FISH: Before you put your boat away for the season, head out and do some pre-ice scouting, actually locating the fish.  When you know where the fish are before you go out on the ice, it saves a lot of time.  Use the GPS on your boat to track and store locations.

 CHECK YOUR HEATER: Start up your heater and make sure everything is working properly. 

 Check out the new equipment for the new season. 

 When planning your first trip of the season on to the ice, take all necessary safety precautions.

 WEAR LIFEJACKETS: Grab your lifejackets out of the boat and take them with you on the ice for your first escapade of the season. 

 AVOID THIN ICE: With first ice, check the ice as you walk.  To check safety, use the method of hitting a chisel in front of you as you advance.   

 WEAR ICE CLEATS: At first ice, there is no snow and the ice is extremely slippery. 

 Dave’s secret tip for early anglers…

 Generally, fish are shallower at first ice.  Fish the shallow weeds for the best chance to reel in plenty of fish.  Also, some boat channels are ripe for fishing because fish gather here at first ice.