Ice fishing is a whole-day event. At times, people make it a weekend affair. They spend a whole day at a frozen lake or river to get the best fish for themselves. The frozen water body is temporary and the ice melts in the summers. So there are lesser civic amenities for the ice fishers. In such a scenario, you may wonder where to go for bathroom when ice fishing?
You have multiple options to go to the bathroom when ice fishing. You can either go to an ice fishing shelter with a bathroom or use a bucket at a discrete place nearby. You can also use portable toilets that are available in the market. Remember to carry essentials such as toilet paper, hand sanitizers, and disposable bags with you while on an ice fishing trip.
Reliving yourself is an important task on a whole day ice fishing trip. Since amenities are scarce at ice fishing sites, you may want to know alternate methods of relieving. If you do, this article is for you. We bring to you a detailed discussion on an otherwise neglected topic in ice fishing. Read on to find more.
Ice fishing and bathrooms
The heading above may sound strange. After all, how do ice fishing and bathrooms come together? Well, they do. Ice fishing is a daylong activity. It starts with selecting the right place for digging your ice fishing hole. You then make multiple openings in the ice to find the best one for you. You then sit by the hole with your gear for hours to catch the fish. This whole process takes time and is a day’s hard work.
Naturally, at various times of the day, you will feel the urge for relieving yourself. You may want to go to the bathroom once you are at the ice fishing spot. This is natural. You may thus wonder what your options are. Before we delve into them, let’s see what all we can do to reduce this urge. This is an efficient tactic to reduce or avoid going to the bathroom while you are on the ice.
For starters, we can have an early breakfast and use the washroom before you leave for the ice fishing site. The early morning coffee forces us to exit all the food we had during the last night. Have an early but hearty breakfast to concentrate more on your ice fishing activities during the day. Next, while traveling to the ice fishing spot, remember to occasionally relieve yourself at the roadside restrooms. It will further reduce your desire to go to the bathroom once you are on the ice.
Washroom options while you are on the ice
Once you reach the spot, you will like to spend most of your time ice fishing. Relieving yourself may be a difficult task. So we bring to you a few options:
Relive yourself in an ice shelter
Ice fishing spots have several ice shelters built as temporary rest places. When you go to the ice fishing spot, remember to locate them before you start your activities. When you feel the urge of going to the bathroom, you can rush to the nearest one and feel happy.
Stay close to the shore
It is a good idea to fish near the shore. When you want to relieve yourself, you can find a discrete place to do so. Carry with yourself the basic needs for cleaning and disposing of the waste. Remember that the keyword here is discrete – you don’t want to disturb anyone by showing yourself while you take a dump.
Use portable toilets
If you are going in a group, carry a portable toilet. It is for everyone’s benefit. They come cheap and it becomes convenient for everyone to visit a bathroom. Just remember to choose the right place to set it up and stay away from others’ view field.
Use a bucket
If you don’t want to use a portable toilet, simply use a bucket for the purpose. For the seat, make a hole in a plywood and place it on top of the bucket. Now just find yourself an ice shelter or foliage near the shore and do your stuff.
Use popular ice fishing sites
The popular ice fishing sites have temporary washrooms in their place. You can pay and use these amenities and they are well maintained by the staff. In such a case, you don’t have to bother about going to the bathroom while on an ice fishing trip.
For the women
Men find it easier to relieve themselves. Also with layers of thermal clothing, it gets even more difficult for the women to go to the bathroom. They can however use Female Urinary Devices or FUDs. They come for about $20 to $50 a piece and are very handy in such scenarios.
A few pointers on going to the bathroom during ice fishing
We cover here the common points which come to our mind while ice fishing.
It may be illegal to relieve ourselves in the ice holes
Due to environmental reasons, many ice fishing sites do not allow you to relieve yourself in the ice holes. It may even be unlawful at places to do so.
How to dispose of the excreted waste
You can either carry your waste in toilet bags or put them in a hole you dig in the dirt. Just make the hole deep enough for you to properly dump your waste without any odor or waste leaking from it.
Carry your essentials
Plan and remember to carry toilet paper, soap strips, hand sanitizers, paper towels, disposable bags, and a spade for a smooth experience towards relieving yourself.
Have a companion to watch your back when you do your act
It is always better to have a companion to watch your back when you go to the bathroom outside. This way, no one will accidentally startle you or get upset seeing you do your act.
Conclusion
We have given you a number of options to consider when you need to go and hope you find them useful.