Ice fishing season is here

January 4, 2024 | By Vermont Fish & Wildlife | news release 

With a few simple, affordable pieces of gear, ice fishing is a fun winter activity. Vt. Fish & Wildlife photo 

January is the start of ice fishing season in Vermont, and a forecast of cold weather over the coming week should offer increasing opportunities to safely enjoy this fun and accessible winter activity.

 Shawn Good, a fish biologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department said ice fishing is generally more accessible than open-water fishing.  “All you need to do is walk out onto a frozen lake or pond with some simple gear, drill a few holes in the ice, and enjoy being outside with friends and family while you wait for the fish to bite,” Good said. 

Heading into the weekend ice conditions are variable across Vermont due to recent warm weather.  Anglers should use good judgment, know how to read the ice and test it often, and check with a local outdoor store or other anglers about area conditions when deciding where to fish.  Anglers should always bring a spud bar to test the ice and a set of wearable ice picks for self-rescue, and let someone know where they are going and when they plan to be back.  

A minimum of 3-4” of clear black ice, visible here below the top layer of cloudy frozen snow, is recommended for safe ice fishing. Vt. Fish & Wildlife photo

“Three to four inches of clear black ice is the minimum for safe ice fishing,” said Good. “For the kind of cloudy gray ice we get after cycles of freezing, thawing, and re-freezing like we’ve had so far this winter, we recommend anglers look for at least six inches of ice where they plan to fish.”

Some waters at higher elevations and in northern parts of Vermont already have fishable ice.  Many waters in the Champlain Valley and southern Vermont do not yet.  Additionally, some waters that had fishable ice earlier this winter will need several consecutive cold days and nights to re-freeze after this past week’s warm temperatures. 

Perhaps most important for both safety and fun, Good recommends always going ice fishing with a buddy, or a whole group of friends. “For many people, ice fishing is as much about being together with friends and relatives as it is about the fish,” Good said.  “I’ve seen families out on the ice with grills, food and hot drinks having a great time.  They set their tip-ups, build snowmen and even skate and play pond hockey between bouts of fishing.” 

To learn more about ice fishing techniques, safety and places to fish visit the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s “Ice Fishing Basics” and “Ice Fishing Opportunities” webpages.  For those new to the sport, the department’s “Let’s Go Fishing Workshops” offer opportunities to enjoy ice fishing with an experienced teacher and other new anglers all winter long.