Who has trouble with their guides freezing when the water temps are low and the air temps are below freezing?
I know I do!
Why would you want to fish in these conditions?
“I had one of the biggest smallmouth limits of my life (24 pounds) while fishing an ABA (American Bass Anglers) championship at Watts-Barr when it was 11 degrees,” reminisces Scalish. And former Bassmaster Open competitor Skip Surbaugh fished a buddy tournament at Lake of the Ozarks this winter in 4-degree weather; and he and his partner landed a limit in 25 minutes and caught 23 keepers that day. Source
A few quick tips are included in these videos so check them out.
In addition to Pam here are some other ways to keep the ice at bay.
I have used Reel Magic and it helps when the temps are in the upper 20s to low 30s.
Fishing Line
Avoid using braid in cold water as it tends to retain water in the line and can make fishing in freezing more difficult. Switch up your reels to monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line and you’ll be good to go.
“People like to dunk their rods in the water to get the ice off, but that’s bad news because all you are doing is making them freeze twice as fast and twice as hard,” cautions Scalish. The 2004 New York CITGO Bassmaster Open winner keeps his rods ice-free by applying fly fishing line coating on the guides. Spooling his line with a rag coated in Armor All also helps Scalish minimize icing problems.
Loose, worn-out reels with minimum grease work best for Tucker in freezing conditions. “The worst thing you can do is put oil on your reel before a cold day of fishing,” he warns. “You will be sitting there with just 6 feet of line because the reel will gum up on you.” Source
If you have some other great tips, please leave your comments in our Facebook group!
