Tip: Ice Blocks & Ice Maker

Keeping the catch cold can be a struggle and the cost of ice can add up.  Last year I purchased an ice maker, it makes 8-10lbs a day that I bag up and put in the freezer for fishing day.  It was a great investment paid for itself in the first year in $ saved from buying cubes.  However, the bags of cubes take up a lot of room in the freezer when you have multiple ice cube bags.  

Recently we started freezing thin blocks of ice to add to the coolers and then I can pour less of the cubed ice over the fish.  These blocks will even last on a two day fishing trip.  All you need is a pack of the cheep foil roasting pans (you can reuse these), fill with water and freeze, pop out of the foil and drop in an ice bag with a twist tie.  The pans are a great size for the ice bags.  I buy them on Amazon about $14 for 100 bags they seem to be stronger than the zip lock bags and more economical.  Generally you can reuse the bags after the ice is melted or if only on a one day fishing trip just put the bag/ice back in the freezer.  They stack nicely and take up less room than the cubes.