First off: Just because you see someone else out on the ice, does NOT mean it’s safe everywhere:

And ice-safety charts are great…

…but they do ZERO good unless you actually know how thick the ice is….

Stop using your “spud bar” (AKA chisel) as a walking stick, and start learning what each swing means for you in actual inches of ice.

Three hard swings might mean 2″ of ice for some…might mean 5″ for others. Completely depends on which chisel you’re using, how hard you’re swinging, and the quality of the ice you’re walking on:

Couple other things we gotta say:

Take your time and check the whole way out — and back — not just at the ramp. Ice picks ’round your neck are a must and probably the cheapest insurance you can get. Same goes for using the buddy system.

Wear a life jacket and/or maybe consider treating yourself to a “flotation-assisting” suit. Doesn’t matter if it’s the IceArmor Ascent Parka and Bibs in the vid above, or one of Striker Ice’s getups with Sureflote Flotation Assist…the important thing is they all will help float you and shed water instead of weighing you down.

PLEASE be safe everyone! When in doubt, give it a few extra days to thicken up:

Okay now back to the goods….

All the new baits in the world won’t do you any good unless you’re on the fish! Lucky for you we don’t need to do it the old-fashioned way anymore…unless you want to?

Speaking of “video out”…I’m surprised Brad Hawthorne’s nose wasn’t too deep in the cribbage board — basking in his cushy Yetti Fish House — to notice the slabbage on the big screen:

Ever think there’d be a day you could drill a single hole and scan for fish 100′ away in any direction…? Now you can, it’s called the Garmin Panoptix Ice Fishing Bundle:

Ain’t cheap, but can’t put a price on outfishing the snot outta your buddies:

New last year, but still one of the coolest dang ice things I’ve gotten my hands on. Crazy lightweight and fully decked-out “shuttle” for your ice flasher/sonar.

Has a 12Ah lithium-ion battery that can extend a unit’s run time by 40+ hours [!] and trim about 3 lbs off.

Between the USB plugs and 1/4-20 ports, options are endless for mounting Go-Pros, Garmin Virbs, underwater cameras, you name it. Few units we spotted in the In-Depth Outdoors forums:

Not everyone’s into the whole ice-fishin’ thing…some may curl up with a good book (or 2019 Lund catalog lol) instead and daydream of warmer times. Of course it also doesn’t freeze over everywhere — there’s actually some open-water fishin’ fools whackin’ the slush melons as you read this.

Fish-heads John Hoyer and Pat McSharry are a couple of those crazies (in a good way!) we’re talkin’ about. The duo tag-teamed a metro MN lake — the last couple days they could possibly sneak a boat in — and cashed in on solid gold.

Pat McSharry — the skill-filled video editor at In-Depth Outdoors — busted out IDO’s camera gear to snap a couple of the best after-dark wally photos I’ve ever seen.

First up is Pat’s finned-out razorback that inhaled a #12 Rapala Husky Jerk (green tiger UV) being sloooow trolled at 1.2 mph:

This next shot’ll make you feel like you’re there in person. John got it done with the new #7 Berkley Flicker Shad Shallow in the “racy shad” color:

Nope, us common folk can’t get that prototype Simms suit ^ John’s rockin’ [yet]…not even sure I was supposed to be showing it [zipper-mouth emoji]. Word is it’s comin’ out later in 2019 though….

Now that we got you jonesin’ for what’s left of open water, few other fishy treats you might dig:

Finally a better option than yer rusty pliers (video here). ‘Cuz if you do something enough, you want the right tool for the job…that’s actually designed for that job:

Catches ’em through the ice too, but it’s been killer for late fall spot-on-the-spot walters. Gotta love the hand-to-hand combat! Be careful if you’re fishing with the “holographic Kemos katcher” color on the far right…heard Tommy Kemos has been known to bite back:

Anyone else been craving sushi lately? Wouldn’t recommend a mouthful of this one though…. Suspending rip bait with super loud rattles, dives 6′ and weighs 1/2 oz. Weight-transfer system means longer casts and helps give it an erratic darting action.

Saw on Lunkerhunt’s IG page they’re getting into rods and reels, comin’ Jan ’19:

Fishing the same lakes each time out can get a bit stale. Here’s some incredible spots to get in on the early-ice goodness if you’re up for a roadtrip.

First thing that comes to mind is Lake Winnipeg and its portly “greenback” walleyes, but there’s zillions of other options too depending on what you wanna catch.

Ice-heads have already been plucking fish through the ice for several weeks now [insert not-fair, huffy-puffy breath here] in Manitoba’s northern region! Couple recent pics from Wekusko Falls Lodge — and the Ice Fishing Manitoba FB page — that’ll make you wanna head north ASAP:

I’m planning 2-3 runs up there this winter ‘cuz no matter what species you’re chasing, Manitoba grows ’em stupidly big. Gotta say though, the green ones will always have a special place in my heart. Here’s a few from our early-ice trip last year:

The fall bite was en fuego [fire emoji] with a pile of walleyes along the south shore and loaded in the Rainy River. One of the reasons IDO pro Cal Svihel decided to spend his “deer opener” on the water — impressed that Humminbird can still fly being so weighed-down with arches lol:

Seen it before up there: a hot fall bite usually = excellent ice feeshin’, and you don’t have to be a pro to enjoy it.

They have “full-service ice fishing” where all you gotta do it show up. They pick you up from the resort and drive you to a heated fish house where the thermostat is set to 70 and the fish are hungry. Will even bring you back to shore in time for “happy hour” if that’s what you’re into…unless you’d rather have it on the ice:

That’s Zippel Bay Resort’s Igloo Bar that they set up ON THE ICE each year. Big screen TV, full bar, food menu…and the answer is “yes,” they catch fish out of it.

Devils Lake is a world famous perch fishery — with 15-16″ jumbos being a real possibility — but don’t overlook the hefty walleye population. Leave the 6″ auger at home: Devils is packed with freshwater shrimp and the fish have serious girth.

Case in point: Joe Koors stuck this 15″ stump-knocker while fishing out of Woodland Resort, didn’t even have to get cold to do it. Weighed 1.83 lbs and was caught on a Northland Buck-Shot Spoon: