The Ice Fishing Hockey Stick

ere at TFN, we periodically receive information about ideas and inventions that we feel are worthy of investigation and reporting. The Ice-Fishing Hockey Stick certainly falls into this category, both for its novelty and its practical application.

When Doug Dumont first emailed us with information about using bits of broken hockey sticks as the basis for the most common local ice fishing rigs, we chuckled a bit and then had a second look at the idea. It works. Those hardy souls who brave the frigid winter temperatures of northern Ontario have indeed not begun to suffer the ill affects of cranial frostbite.

Indeed, once we saw the picture of one of these contraptions, it was obvious why they all use this rig. It's simple, inexpensive and effective. All you need to make use of it is some snow and slush around a hole in the ice. In fact, if made properly, it can even be taken out of the snow once a fish is hooked to fight it as if you were using an actual fishing rod.

Parts List:

• a broken hockey stick (or 1" dowel)

• a door spring or coiled door stop

• a broken rod tip or piece of ¼ dowel - about 12" long

• a screw-eye if not using a rod-tip

• a screw to attatch the spring/door stop

• a 2" nail on which to fix your sppol of line.

• duct tape (possibly needed to adjust fit of dowel/rod-tip)

Tools List:

• a saw

• a screwdriver

• a hammer

Instructions:

1. Cut the hockey stick or i" dowel to about 18" in length, making a 45^o cut

2. Screw the door spring/stop onto the 45^o cut

3. Hammer the nail about ½" into the side of the hockey stick to hold a spool of line

4. If using ¼"dowel instead of a rod tip, screw in the screw-eye near the tip

5. Wedge the rod-tip or dowel into the door spring/stop, using duct tape if necessary to build up the size

That's it - Enjoy! (and thanks Doug!)

Scott M. Binnie, Managing Editor

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