Phil Jensen says fishing on early ice is all about being stealthy to consistently get fish to bite. (Contributed photo) As with any ice, but especially first ice, make sure you’re using a spud bar and checking the ice thickness every few steps. One of the key strategies to utilize during early ice is to stay in stealth mode. This content is restricted to subscribers of OutdoorNews.com. If you are already an OutdoorNews.com subscriber, you can log in here.