Adam Johnson Outdoors • Reading Outdoors

Maintaining Mobility: What Does Genz Bring Along?

By Mark Strand

It's often said that you should bring what you need, and nothing more, when you go out ice fishing. But what is the list of what you really need? Dave Genz details what he brings along, and what he leaves in the pits, where he can grab it if needed.

Enough ice has formed and melted since Dave Genz helped revolutionize the sport of ice fishing that most anglers know something about his Winter Fishing System. When you distill it down to the core, it centers around retaining the ability to fish a lot of spots in the course of a day.

Despite the ice cover, "I still want to see how many casts I can make into new water," says Genz. "So I have to have a setup that allows me to move a lot, until I find what I want."

What he wants, of course, is to find nice fish. They don't always have to be monsters; especially if you live in a heavily-fished urban area, you have to be realistic about how big the fish are going to be. "But even after I find good fish," says Genz, "it's rare that I can sit there all afternoon and pull up one after another."

So goes the life of the mobile modern ice fisherman. You might make 'smaller' moves after finding nice fish, but you still have to retain the ability to move quickly and easily. "If it's not easy to do, you won't do it," says Genz, a statement that has become familiar.

Why are we talking about something that most of us already know? Because the plastic sled of a Fish Trap potentially holds too much stuff. For many ice anglers, it's still routine to keep packing stuff into the Trap until the sled is full. Never know what you might need. But that's old-school thinking packed into a modern tool. In the summer, you don't have to pull your boat. A Fish Trap doesn't have a motor, so you have to pull it. You have to at least pick it up and put it in the back of the truck or into the rack on the back of a snowmobile or ATV.

The way many ice anglers pack for a day on the ice, it's still a hassle to move, so they don't move as often as they should. The result is they don't catch as many fish as they would?if they packed lighter.

So we come to the timely advice. How can it be that Genz packs everything he needs, tackle-wise, in his shirt pocket? How can he bring all the essential tools and still pack light?

It's an ever-evolving system that now involves using the truck, and in some cases the trailer that is pulled behind his snowmobile, to hold 'just-in-case' and 'extra' stuff, a stash that can re-stock lures or provide different rods or anything else, in the event the bite changes from the anticipated.

"At the beginning of the day," says Dave, "I make a decision about what I'm after. I might hit the lake targeting bluegills, but I'm ready to switch over if the walleyes are going good, or there's a big bite on for pike or something else. I bring the stuff to target the first species, but I'm ready to change over in a hurry if I decide to do that."

That's the key to packing light, making mobility painless. There are essential pieces of equipment that you'll use most of the time, no matter what species of fish you're after. Those get packed every trip.

Let's look at the list.

Fish Trap, the instant setup shelter that holds the gear and gives you an enclosure.
In the 'tub of the Trap' Genz packs an Aqua-Vu underwater camera, Vexilar flasher, Lazer auger (hand, gas or electric, depending on ice thickness and the nature of the outing), heater, a bucket for his fish, and a bag that has all the little stuff you always need.
In the bag is one can of spare propane, slush strainer, dry towel for wiping off wet hands, one spool of 2-pound-test line (Trilene Micro Ice), sometimes heavier line or FireLine, depending on the situation, electrical tape, spare sunglasses, ice cleats ('creepers') that can be pulled over his boots for traction on slippery ice, a camera, water or something else to drink, and maybe a snack.
On his jacket and in the jacket pockets are some universal items. The list includes a clippers and a Tazer, both affixed to a retractable cord device fly fishermen use on their vests. Techni-Glo baits have become a staple in the Genz arsenal, and the Tazer is used to charge the glowing paint. A new item, the Tazer 2, is clipped to the bill of Dave's cap. It can be set to remain on for use as a flashlight, when gathering stuff or tying knots in low light, and also used to charge Techni-Glo lures. A multi-tool is in his pocket or on his belt, giving him scissors, knife, screwdriver, and other tools he might need.
He wears a small profile (Stearns inflatable) life jacket, regardless of the time of year. "I don't plan on falling through," says Genz, "but if it happens, you just pull the cord and the thing inflates." In his pockets he also stashes maggots or wax worms, sometimes both, and one or two small tackle boxes with just what he expects to fish with on that day.
"I used to carry so many more lures than I do now," he says. "The more time I spend on the ice, the more I see that it's not some magic lure that helps one person catch the most fish. It's the hole you're fishing in, and how well you know the lure you're using, how real you can make it look, how well you can trigger fish with it." In his seminars, Genz stresses spending time watching all the lures you routinely fish with, so you get to know them, and how they behave on the line and rod you match them with.

"It's so important to know your lures," he says. "Switching lures all the time, and not knowing what they do down there, can cause you to not catch fish."

Stocking the Pits

When he needs something, the truck (or the trailer) is where Genz can make quick runs that look like pit stops in a NASCAR race. He might want to jig for walleyes because he's seeing them come through on the Aqua-Vu. Or he might break off his only two jigs of a certain size and color, and need to grab a couple more. Whatever the case, bags with extra lures, and spare rods (protected by Rod Guards and left in a spare bucket) are in the pits, waiting to be grabbed. They're rigged and ready, no tying time needed. More propane is in the pits, too, along with more spare line. Auger blades, auger gas, and a lot of other things many anglers lug along with them every step of the way, is one quick run from active duty. A small metal shovel is there in case snow depth requires it.

"That's how you maintain mobility," Dave says. "You don't need all that stuff in your Fish Trap all day. Grab it if you need it, but don't pull it from spot to spot."

Editor's Note: Dave Genz's latest book, 'Bluegills!' can be ordered by calling 1-320-230-1518. or contact Winter Fishing Systems, 5930 - 16th Ave. SE, St. Cloud, MN 56304. Recognized as America's leading ice-fishing authority, Genz is also captain of Ice Team, the only club in North America exclusively for ice anglers. Check out www.iceteam.com on the web.