How To Use Ice Fishing Spears

Learning how to use ice-fishing spears is not difficult at all. Any beginner who plans on using one during his ice-fishing activities must first learn several stops on how to use an ice-fishing spear. As part of the preparation for ice fishing, the fisher must first dig a hole through the ice. The ice must be wide enough to allow room for maneuvering the ice-fishing spear. From there several tips are recommended when trying to spear a fish. From there the beginner starts to learn how to use an ice-fishing spear

1. Always keep the sharp points away from you. This is the first thing to remember on how to use an ice-fishing spear. An ice fisherman should always bring an ice-fishing spear as if a shepherd holds his/her staff. Keep the sharp prongs pointing up away from any body part and should not be pointing towards another person. This will keep the spear from piercing the fishermen incase an accident happens on his way.
2. Have a firm grip. Every experience ice fisher knows that he should never use a fishing spear with a loose grip. Once a fish is visible from the hole firmly grip the spear when preparing to strike the fish. Aim for the sides and the gills when planning to strike the target. This is where the wideness of the hole becomes important. A hole with not much room to navigate and maneuver the spear will make the attempt very difficult. A wide enough hole will give enough room for beginners on learning how to use an ice-fishing spear. When the position is perfect and the target is in sight thrust the spear with enough force to pierce the side of the fish through its opposite end. There is no need to worry about the fish slipping, as the prongs of the fishing spear will keep this from happening.
3. Pull the fish out using the spear. Pulling the fish out of the hole is easy. The only concerns of any ice fisherman is the size of the fish and how much it struggles on the spear. Most experienced ice fishermen will move the spear towards the ice like a lever just incase the struggling fish causes their grip to loosen. This way if the spear is dropped it will land on the ice instead of falling into the ice-cold water. This is one of the most important aspects on how to use an ice-fishing spear as failing on this one would mean loosing a fish and the spear.
4. Use a stick to release the fish from the spear. An ice angler must always remember that an ice-fishing spear is sharp. Therefore removing it from a fish needs a lot of care to avoid being wounded by the fishing tool or get far more worst injuries. This makes learning how to remove the fish from the spear another important skill on how to use an ice fishing spear. The first thing to do is to set the fish on the ice. This should be followed by careful examination of how the spear pierced the fish. Use a sturdy stick to hold down the fish while slowly pulling spear out of its body.