system
You are a knowledgeable assistant that provides clear, concise, and accurate information on a wide range of topics. Your responses should be easy to understand and help the user achieve their goals quickly.


user
Write a story about an ice fishing trip in Minnesota. Make sure to include what you need for a successful trip.


assistant
Ah, winter! It’s time to put on your long underwear. Slip in some wool socks and a sweater. Climb into your snowpants. Pull down your stocking cap. Grab your fi shing rod and bait bucket.
There’s ice on the lake, and it’s the season to enjoy a true Minnesota adventure, —ice fishing. Don’t worry about getting cold or bored on a frozen lake. Ice fishing is both easy and exciting. It’s fun to hike across the ice imagining hungry sunnies or walleyes lurking below. It’s an adventure to hang out around an ice hole with friends and family, telling stories and holding a funny looking fishing rod as you wait for a bite. And it’s thrilling when your bobber suddenly  vanishes down the hole, and you pull a slippery fish from the water with a splash. So grab a grown-up, a Thermos of hot cocoa, and get ready for an ice fishing adventure.

Start with a visit to your local bait store or DNR Fisheries office. Folks there can tell you in which lakes the fish are biting and where you can get onto the lake. They can also tell you where the ice is most likely to be OK. Wind, warm weather, underwater springs, and currents can all make ice unsafe. Ice must be at least 4 inches thick before you walk on it. (See Be Safe, page 45.) Once you know the ice is thick enough, you can go find a fishing spot. Here are three ways to look: § If you know where fish hang out in summer, go there. Fish usually go to the same places in winter. § Pick up a lake map at the bait shop or DNR and look for shallow areas or drop-offs (where the bottom gets deep quickly). Fish are more likely to be there. § Look for anglers congregated at the best fishing holes. Ask if you can fish near them. (It’s not polite to drill holes too close to other anglers.) If the fish aren’t biting in one spot, try another.

You can use a regular reel, or some anglers use a device called a tip-up instead. A tipup has two sticks. One lies across the hole. The other points down into the hole and has a spool with line. When a fish takes your bait, a flag springs up from the stick across the hole. Then you pull the fish up with the line. Tip-ups are fun because you can watch them while reading a book or tossing a Frisbee.

1.	Cut a Hole.
a.	To catch fish through the ice, you must first drill a hole. To drill a hole, ice anglers use a tool called an auger, which looks like a giant screw with a sharp blade on the end. Another handy tool is a spud, a long-handled chisel with a sharp blade for checking ice thickness and chipping extra ice from the hole. Anglers use a scoop, a big spoon with holes, to clean out ice shavings.

2.	 Find the Depth
a.	If you know the depth of the water, you have a better idea what fish to fish for. Bluegills and northerns like shallow water. Look for walleyes in deeper water. Some anglers use an electronic fish locator or a lead weight on a hook. You can also tie a string to a weight, hold the loose end in one hand, and drop the weigh to the bottom. Then measure the length of string that’s down the hole. The simplest solution is to use a weighted hook, which drops to the bottom. Then you reel it up to fish as far off the bottom as you like. 

3.	Land your Catch
a.	When you feel a fish on the line, reel it up steadily but not too fast because you might yank out the hook. When you see the fish, ask your adult fishing buddy to lift it out. After landing a fish, remove it from the hook. It’s easier to get a hook out with pliers than with your hands in cold weather. If the fish is too big or too small to keep, return it to the water. Or put your catch in a bucket or a snowbank. Watch out for dogs! A dog might try to run away with your catch! It happens. 

4.	Use Good Manners
a.	Be polite and don’t disturb your fellow anglers with loud talk or goofing around. Always pick up your trash and anything else you brought. Remember: Anything you leave on the lake will go into the water when the ice melts.