Outdoors with Don Q: Go ice fishing, catch a nice fish and win a trophy

Mark Saturday, Feb. 1 on your calendar to be a contestant in the annual ice fishing tournament at Davis Lake in Plumas County, Calif.

How to get there: Davis Lake is about 80 miles from Carson City by a combination of I-580 and
U.S. 395 north to Hallelujah Junction. At that junction, take California S.R.70 to the west and travel through Chilcoot, Vinton and Beckwourth toward Portola.

Davis Lake is located north of Portola via either Grizzly Road (four miles east of Portola) or West Street, which is in the center of town.

Tournament details:
The tournament is sponsored by John Pato, Sr. (530-832-9659) and the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society non-profit organization.
The entry fee is $20 per person, with the first place winner taking home a trophy and $200, while the second and third place winners will be awarded a trophy. The winners will be determined by a combination of length and weight on any one fish entered by the top three contestants.

Registration forms are available at KS Market in Portola, Mill Works in Graeagle, J&J Grizzly Store at the south end of Davis Lake or on line at 420incfishing.com.

Tournament check-in time is 7:00-9:00 a.m. at the J&J Grizzly Store, the tournament begins at 8:00 a.m. and weigh-ins end at 3:00 p.m. at the store.
You must have a valid 2014 California fishing license to enter the tournament, and if you don't have one, you can buy the license at J&J Grizzly Store.

Ice fishing:
Ice fishing is a unique sport which requires a whole different set of fishing techniques, gear and clothing, as opposed to lazy fishing on a warm, drowsy day in the middle of the summertime.
So, if you’ve never tried fishing through the ice, here’s some information that should be more than enough to get you “hooked” on this winter sport:

When to venture out on the ice:
The following are generally accepted, ice-thickness, safety guidelines:

One inch of ice: STAY OFF, STAY OFF, STAY OFF!
Two to three inches of clear, blue ice: Will support one adult walking.
Four inches thick: Considered safe for ice fishing.
Five inches: Needed for snowmobiling.
Eight inches: Needed to support a car or light truck.
Ten inches: Needed to support a medium weight truck.
For the record: Because I am a big chicken when it comes to the possibility of breaking through the ice on a pond, lake or reservoir, I want at least six inches under me before I begin venturing out onto an icy surface.
Also remember that currents under the ice and slush on the ice may affect the thickness of that ice in different areas. Be careful out there and when in doubt, do as I do: Don’t go, stay home!

What to wear:
You will need insulted waterproof boots, thick woolen socks, layered clothing (thermo underwear, pants, long sleeve shirt, sweater, hooded sweatshirt, heavy coat with hood), wool cap, warm gloves, hat, and equally as important: sunglasses and sunscreen if the sun is shining.

What to take:
If you’re like me, take plenty of munchies, tasty food, and hot drinks (coffee, tea or hot chocolate in a thermos jug).
Don’t forget to take a piece of rug to stand on, while you’re out on the ice, or your feet will get very cold, very fast. Take a folding chair to sit in while waiting for some action, and a plastic bucket to put your fish in, after they are caught (if you’re lucky!)

Extra items:
Don’t forget to have an ice scoop to clean slush out of your hole in the ice.
And, have a sled that you can use to carry all of your fishing gear, clothing, food and drinks out onto the ice.

Fishing license:
Most importantly, you need a current fishing license. Don’t forget to have it.

Ice auger:
Obviously, you need an ice auger (manual or gas operated).
If you don’t have one, you need a friend or relative who has one.
And, if the ice is more than three feet thick (a common occurrence at the lakes at the higher elevations), you will need an extension on your auger.

What to use:
Have a small ice fishing rod and reel. I can use two rods with my second rod stamp, so I have two rod and reel sets where the rods are only about 3 feet long and the reels are loaded with 6-pound test line.

How to fish:
After your hole is dug in the ice and all the slush is removed from the water, slowly jig up and down with all kinds of different, small, shiny or bright-colored lures such as Daredevils, Kastmasters, Phebes, Mepps, Super Dupers, Thomas Buoyants or TOR-P-DO’s.
You can also jig with other things such as nightcrawlers, Power Bait, Salmon eggs, cocktail shrimp, mealworms or kernels of corn.

Where to fish:
Your best bet will probably be near the dam on the south end of the lake.

Finally:
Why not give the sport of ice fishing a try on February 01.
It sure beats sitting around the house, watching TV programs with all their dumb ads, while waiting for the warm weather of summer to return.
Ice fishing is fun and who knows, you might even catch a nice fish at Davis Lake and win a trophy, which will be good for all kinds of bragging rights.

Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon he can’t tell you about my favorite ice fishing methods.
If he grins and says, “Don has a second rod stamp, so he jigs with a small red-white striped TOR-P-DO lure on one pole and has a nightcrawler on his other pole,” he could be one of my usual wintertime fishing partners.

— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now. He can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com.