disregard Jason, all you need is a bucket and some whiskey to keep your blood frome freezing,any fishing pole with line a hook and some sinkers will work.(its just there to prove that you are realy going "fishing") Dont waste your money on bait, its just gonna freeze in a bucket anyway. just sit there and drink. Its realy just something we tell our wives we do just to get some piece and quiet. there is no way any normal woman will willingly go with us to sit on a frozen chunk of water anyway. Our wives are already used to us going fishing for hours and hours to just come home empty handed anyway( and skunked most of the time) you can just tell em ice fishing is as hard a s musky fishing and they will understand and realize that we realy are crazy!!its realy nice to go and sit quietly and not not get bothered by anything other than the urge to freeze your weeny off when you have to pee.just stay away from lakes that are over-ran with snowmobilers, they can realy ruin the solitude. But it realy can be very relaxing if done properly.
The Gander ice combos are just about unbeatable, for the 20 bucks or so you will spend they are perfect…unless your looking for big fish, in which case there are more expensive rods. but you basically need a rod or two, maybe a tip up or two (don't forget to add your name and address, as tip ups are considered traps), and a bucket to sit on. literally for like 50 bucks you can be set up to catch anything in an inland lake. popular lakes will have obvious places where people like to pan fish, and usually if panfish are around so are predators. I like to hole hop, and find the active ones.
As for an auger I use the blue mora augers and they are as good as I need. also for $20 I added an attachment for a cordless drill…anything less than a 6" auger and its flippin sweet. over that it dogs a little and goes through battery too quickly for it to be effective.
I think he bucket might be the most important part… its something to sit on, carry bait, tackle, beer, and whatever fish you happen to catch.
In addition to all the great ideas above, I have two additional suggestions…
First, safety. Ice can be 12" in one spot and 2" 10 yards away. When wandering on ice not yet fished use both a spud and an auger. A heavy spud, not a cheapo light one. Use the spud to whack the ice as you move and pause now and then to drill holes and reach down and investigate what the ice is like. Also, don't asume that you are safe because you are walking where others have gone before. Areas around holes where folks have been recently fishing can become dangerous under certain circumstances.
Second, flare guns at night are a whole lot of fun. Start off with a few strings of firecrackers, some 16oz rockets, etc, so the locals know it's just a party and not a distress call. Then proceed to goof around lighting up the nite.
fun aside what are you going to fish for?
Panfish and walleye need different approaches/set-ups. Small rods with spinning or closed-faced reels, very light line, etc.
Likewise, tip-ups can be rigged for perch, walleye or pike. (Must have tip-up lights for walleye fishing after dark.)
Other common gear are:
Fish-finder
Head-lamps (or similar)
White gas or propane latern
Mini-gaff
GPS (cell phone?)
Lake Maps
Various safety items (compass, whistle, etc)
Something to sit on
Something (a sled) to drag all you stuff with
add on to the list, except for whiskey, we covered that. (Crown for me, please.)
granted I like to screw around but Ranger is right, safety first!! ive been through the ice twice, once with 45lbs of traps strapped to my back,im lucky to have lived through that one, its not fun to face death. I would highly recomend having some Ice Picks that go inside your jacket and stick out the arms, they are just handles with spikes on the ends to climb your way back onto the ice. and like diving and snorkeling, or wading a fast current or deep river(wich ive also been wet and scared) I believe in the buddy system, never go onto fresh ice without someone!!!!EVER!!! and dont walk next to each other. Spread out at least 20 feet apart and stay in the same track. (if possible have a realy big or fat freind go out first!!Then you will know it will support you!! hahaha) Ice fishing can be fun and it can be just as relaxing as any other fishing, but it is almost the most dangerous fishing also.always have respect for frozen water, it changes constantly and you dont know what is under your feet.
once on the ice and you cut hole, if water rushes out, slowly walk away from the hole on the same track, its not stable, it means you are sinking. If you have a inflatable life vest I would recomend wearing it, and if you do go through. DONT PANIC!!!! its easier said than done I know, swing your arms strait out and that should keep you from getting your hair wet. If your head does go all the way under just float strait up, dont try swimming to the surface. Most times you will come out where you went down, if not follow the bubbles.
I hope that didnt turn you offf from ice fishing, but it can be realy dangerous. and it can be an absolute riot at the same time. and dont forget, beer freezes and whiskey works like anti-freeze…it keeps the blood from freezing.
"Ranger" said:
In addition to all the great ideas above, I have two additional suggestions…First, safety. Ice can be 12" in one spot and 2" 10 yards away. When wandering on ice not yet fished use both a spud and an auger. A heavy spud, not a cheapo light one. Use the spud to whack the ice as you move and pause now and then to drill holes and reach down and investigate what the ice is like. Also, don't asume that you are safe because you are walking where others have gone before. Areas around holes where folks have been recently fishing can become dangerous under certain circumstances.
Second, flare guns at night are a whole lot of fun. Start off with a few strings of firecrackers, some 16oz rockets, etc, so the locals know it's just a party and not a distress call. Then proceed to goof around lighting up the nite.
16 oz ROCKETS!!!!! you realize that a 16 oz rocket is a act of war, not an act of partying in most counties and countries!!
368
15