With the temperatures dropping and the ice thickening, Buckeye Lake is becoming a winter wonderland for ice fishermen, and business is booming for local tackle shop R&R Bait and Tackle.
As the ice fishing season continues, R&R Bait and Tackle remains a key stop for local anglers, with Bryan Wentzel, the 62-year-old owner of the family-run business, offering advice and the gear they need to make the most of this short but rewarding winter fishing season.
“This is an ice fisherman's paradise right now,” Wentzel told the Mount Vernon News.
Ice fishermen have been in their element after the season’s first good ice arrived.
"We’ve had good ice for about two weeks now," Wentzel said. "It’s getting better every night with the cold temperatures. Right now, we’re on 5 or 6 inches of ice, and it’s getting stronger. Last weekend, they were fishing on 3 to 4 inches of ice. The snow on the lake insulated the ice, but now that the temperatures have dropped, it’s building quickly."
Wentzel has noticed an uptick in activity on Buckeye Lake where R&R Bait and Tackle is located and business has been brisk as the Licking County outfitter.
“Once you start seeing snowmobiles, it means the ice is thick enough for safety,” he said. “Right now, there are about nine ice shanties on the lake, but this weekend we’ll likely see around 100. It’s like a little city out there on the weekends.”
R&R Bait and Tackle, which has been in business for over a century, moved to Buckeye Lake five years ago after being established in Columbus in 1913.
“We’ve had ice every year since we’ve been here,” Wentzel said. “But only one other year, about three years ago, did we get two weeks of really good ice. The other years, we’ve had a few days of good ice before it warmed up and melted.”
Wentzel, who has been an ice fisherman since the age of 12, said this year will likely see the longest stretch of good ice in central Ohio in the last decade.
“If it holds for two more weeks, it will be the most ice fishing we’ve had in central Ohio in about 10 years,” Wentzel said.
Business has been brisk.
“People are catching bluegills and crappies,” Wentzel said. “Buckeye Lake has great bluegill fishing, and the state stocks a lot of small ones here, which are popular among fishermen.”
The cold temperatures, however, are making it difficult for those who do not have a heated shelter.
“The weather’s been so cold lately that it’s hard for people to fish without a heated shanty,” Wentzel added. “But the fishing reports should improve as the weather warms a bit.”
For those new to ice fishing, Wentzel explained the necessary gear.
“You’ll need an auger to drill holes, ice cleats for your boots, and short rods for vertical jigging,” he said. “It’s different from summer fishing, where you use longer rods. For bait, we use small jigs with wax worms or minnows. One popular method is using a tip-up, a device with a flag that pops up when a fish bites.”
The ice fishing crowd at R&R Bait and Tackle is different from the usual summer crowd.
“It’s always a different group of people who come in for ice fishing gear,” Wentzel said. “When we have good ice, they really spend money. It’s a unique crowd.”
Wentzel, who grew up ice fishing with his father, encourages younger generations to give it a try.
“I’d definitely encourage younger people to get involved in ice fishing,” he said. “It’s a fun sport, and while it’s tough in the winter, it’s worth it. If you like fishing, you’ll enjoy ice fishing, but you’ve got to be ready for the cold. It’s different from summer fishing, and the fish bite differently in the winter.”
Wentzel said R&R Bait and Tackle has all ice fishing accessories in stock for both seasoned ice fisherman as well as those new to the sport.
“We do have shanties here,” he said. “We have the ice augers, drill holes. Okay. We carry a variety of ice fishing rods and the tip ups. We also have some electronics. A lot of guys use little electronic units that you can take out and put down in the hole and it shows you the bottom, it shows you the fish and your bait and that kind of stuff is always to your advantage when you're trying to catch fish. So we have all that.”
But before heading out, Wentzel emphasized the need for caution on the ice.
“No ice is truly safe,” he said. “You always have to be careful. We use spud bars, which are metal bars that help us test the ice as we walk. If you hit a soft spot, the spud bar will go through, warning you to avoid that area.”
He also warned against driving vehicles on the ice.
“Last week, someone tried to drive a truck down to the boat ramp, and the back of their vehicle went through the ice,” he said. “They had to call a tow truck. It’s never safe to drive a vehicle on the ice, and I wouldn’t recommend it.”
