Peter Patenaude, a registered Maine guide, has been a Filson advocate for over six years. His blog Boot & Canoe, focuses on traditional skills and Maine’s outdoor heritage. Today, Peter shares 10 tips for a successful day of ice fishing.

Exercising a small brook trout on a fly rod is a great experience; similarly, pulling one out of a hole in the ice can be just as gratifying. Winter is a long season if you are waiting and watching for it to boil over into spring. Ice fishing can be the perfect remedy for cabin fever, and offers a great excuse to get out into the cold fresh air. There are few better ways to build camaraderie among old friends or new acquaintances while fighting off the temperatures and waiting for a flag to stand straight up. I have always truly enjoyed this type of fishing, and arguably, one of the many reasons is because of the lack of bugs. You do not need to invest a lot of money to pursue this activity, and if asked, most people have old ice traps and equipment that has been in their attic, untouched for years. Here are some tips to get you out onto the hard water and catching fish:

1. Elbow Grease:  A hand auger or ice chisel will not break down or run out of gas. Although they are more work, they are quieter, more reliable and will warm you up.

2. Extra Blades:  Whether you bring a hand or power auger, bring extra blades and the tools to replace them as they can break off or dull by hitting underwater rocks or stumps.

3. Depth:  Use a lead sounder to check the depth of the water and set your bait at a level appropriate to the fish you want to catch. You can mark your line by attaching an old button to slide up and down.4. Variation:  Do not be afraid to drill more holes or adjust the depth of your lines if you start catching fish in a particular area and depth.

5. Know the Land Beneath:  It helps to know some of the underwater features such as large rocks, ledges or sandbars.

6. Warm Lunch:  There is nothing like hot food to keep you going on a cold day.

7. Check Your Traps and Bait:  The water in the ice hole will freeze over, so bring your skimmer to break it up and remove it. It is best to do this when you don’t have a large fish on the other end of your line. Also, it is hard to catch fish on an empty hook. The smart fish will take your bait without getting hooked and setting off your flag, so every so often, check your bait.

8. Know the Water:  It is ice fishing, not open water, so know the lake before you go out onto the ice to avoid thin areas and breaking through.

9. Insulation:  When setting up an ice trap or pulling in a fish, kneel on your mittens or another insulator to keep your knees from getting wet in the snow.

10. Snowshoes and Traction:  You never know what the conditions will be, and glare ice can be very dangerous. Bring snowshoes as they will work in deep snow, or provide traction on slick ice.

Maine-based Rhon Bell of Backwoods Plaid, takes Filson on a record-setting ice fishing trip.

Fishing is my ultimate connection to nature, so it’s without hesitation that I agreed to a two-day ice fishing trip with long-time friend and Registered Maine Guide, Steve. Within an hour I booked a rustic cabin conveniently wedged between two remote lakes. One lake offering traditional targets of trout, salmon and white perch. The other, pickerel and bass. Most would choose to fish only waters with prized trout or salmon, but there is something to be said for fishing waters promising greater activity; we’re told the bass are hungry. With fishing plans in the books – we anxiously await arrival to the countryside.

Staring into the glow of his iPhone, Steve raised his voice slightly above the AC/DC blaring on the classic rock station to inform me, “The snow forecast for day two is 8-10 inches”. Approaching the camp road, I feared that tomorrow might be our only good day of fishing. It’s my experience that fish feed heavily going into a winter storm. “We’ll be fine”, I muttered and turned off the truck.

Day one offered a beautifully sunny afternoon. Other than an Easterly wind, conditions were enjoyable. We brought three White Perch to the hard-water surface. Each ranging between 11-14 inches. Beginning with a few traps set near bottom we hoped of luring a fat brown trout from a ledge. Others were strategically placed just under the thick ice in case a good-looking salmon were to pass by. Seven hours on the ice were well spent and as grey clouds rolled in, we called it a day. Proving to be amateur meteorologists, a heavy wet snow began falling by the time we arrived back to the cabin. Tomorrow would be the real test.

Quarter to five, I rose and began percolating the Folgers. Peering from behind the cold kitchen window revealed a few inches of fresh powder. Perhaps today wouldn’t be as bad as anticipated. By the time we reached the second lake, snow began to really accumulate. We setup the portable ice shack to provide a refuge from mother nature. The lab we brought along chose to avoid the shack like a plague – there is evidently nothing to explore within the four nylon walls.

We hadn’t setup our fifth tip-up when a blaze orange flag rose. The line spun furiously from the reel as we lifted the trap from the depths of the ice water. Whatever fish was on the end liked to fight. We slowly peeled line onto the ice and watched the line dart back and forth in the depths of the hole. Within moments we surfaced one of the largest bass I’ve ever caught. Weighing in near 7lbs, we quickly snapped a photo and returned him to his native waters. This trend continued all afternoon, large bass after large bass. Each played a good game of tug-of-war. However, we only lost one to not setting the hook just right. Outdoor-sporting chatter was enjoyed as we each learned from the others experiences and laughed at our greatest mistakes.

As the forecast proved accurate and the ten inches fell, we watched from within our warm shack and agreed we’d chosen the right piece of water. The joys of spotting flags rise for hours on end is second to none. As always, two days in Filson gear kept me warm enough to take pleasure in the outdoors. A base layer of Filson Mid-weight Long Johns, an Alaskan Guide Shirt, and Whipcord Wool Pants were the perfect choices.

Words and Photos by Rhon Bell of Backwoods Plaid

A smile spread quickly across her face on Christmas morning as she ripped the tape from the top of the cardboard box and pulled out a green-checkered Alaskan Guide Shirt. I had seen that big smile two days earlier, on our sixth year anniversary, when without her expectation, I proposed on bended knee in front of our parents at a surprise dinner that was weeks in secretive planning. I’d traveled 6 hours North two days earlier just to ask her father’s permission. Both her father and Gabrielle, my new fiancé, said “yes.”

As a post-holiday get-a-way, I planned a 5 day lakefront cabin retreat in the woods of Maine for us to escape all the stresses from a Christmas week booked solid with family events and obligations. This would be our time to enjoy life’s simplicities: test out new snowshoes, fly down a surprisingly steep hill on flying saucers, and merely watch the snow fall. Oh, and to warm ourselves by the fireplace while enjoying the fire in her new diamond.

I admit that I bought her the Filson Alaskan Guide Shirt for selfish reason. I own the men’s version and I thought it would be humorous that we could match. Of course it will keep her warm on fall hikes and while ice fishing in the harsh of winter, but it would be particularly important today. I knew heavy snow was in the forecast and the lake was beginning it’s slow winter freeze-up so I invited a photographer friend out to snap a few photos of us for Save-the-Date’s (or wedding invitations, if you will). I couldn’t have planned a more perfect afternoon for a walk along the edges of the frozen lake. The combined beauty of nature and my future bride, the sparkle in her eye and the laughter as I hoisted her onto my back for photos, all culminated to remind me of why I love spending time in the outdoors, no matter what the reason.

All of this puts a great story behind an amazing shirt. What’s the story behind your Filson?

‘In Your Words’ explores the incredible stories we’ve received from Filson fans across the globe.  Send us your own experiences with our clothing or product here for a chance to be featured on the Filson Life blog.  Thanks to Matt from Eagle Mountain Guide Service in Maine for his story and support thus far.

I am a Maine hunting and fishing guide who spends a lot of time all year in the outdoors.  We live in a world that is moving towards high tech materials and away from old school.  Here in Maine, we who work and play in the cold winters know that wool is still the only way to go.  In this picture I am ice fishing on a remote lake in downeast Maine.  I am wearing my Double Mackinaw Cruiser and my Mackinaw Field Pants.  Under that I have on my Original Extra Long Wool Shirt, my Alaskan Long Johns and my Heavyweight OTC Merino Socks.  The outside air temp is 5 degrees with 25 MPH sustained winds and frequent 40-50 MPH gusts!  I fished all day oblivious to the cold.