A Greenhorn’s Guide For Purchasing Ice Fishing Gear

Purchasing Ice Fishing Gear

Fishing through the ice is Winter activity that the whole family can enjoy. Unlike other Winter sports, it’s cheap to get outfitted and with knowledge of where to find a place to fish, a Newbie can have an excellent chance at success their first trip onto the ice.

But what’s required to begin ice fishing? One has a lot of choices when choosing fishing supplies on the market now, a person can easily spend hundreds of their hard earned money on ice fishing equipment and still wonder if they have all they need.

This is why I wrote this collection of basic ice fishing tackle that a Newbie will need to begin. What’s even better is that for what it cost to fill a F-250 up with diesel, you could purchase all the fishing gear that a Greenhorn will need to begin fishing on the hard water.

To begin with, you will need to buy an ice auger to bore holes in the hard water. For Beginners, I’d want a five, possibly even a 6 inch auger meant for ice fishing for panfish like Perch, Bluegill and Crappie. For bigger fish like Walleye, Pike or Channel Catfish, then I’d get a eight or ten inch auger meant for ice fishing. You have two choices, power augers or the manual augers. It’s no secret that the manual augers are less expensive but need more effort to drill a hole. You will also need a scoop to keep the ice chips out of the hole you’re fishing.

Tip ups and rods. Many ice fishermen bore a bunch of holes over weed beds and other structure and use tip ups to increase their chances of catching fish. Other fishermen prefer to ice fish with a ice rod rather than tip ups. I’d get a few tip ups along with a good rod so you can see which tactic you like for catching fish.Aberdeen Fishing Hooks

Line for ice fishing should be designed for ice fishing. The ice cold water can make the line so stiff that it breaks easily. Due to this, you will want to be certain and purchase line specifically designed for fishing through the ice. Cortland makes a product called Ice Line that is great. Ice fishing line is the most important part of your ice fishing gear.

You’ll also want to get some jigs and lures to go along with your bait. Small jigs are great for Perch, Crappie and Bluegill. Also tear drop jigs and tiny spoons will come in handy when the panfish get finicky. As for bait, panfish love mealworms and spikes while larger fish such as Walleye prefer Worms or baitfish like smelt. You’ll want to chat with other fishermen to see what’s a good choice for your fishing spot.

Make certain to get something to sit on. A majority of seasoned ice fishermen bring along an ordinary 5 gallon bucket. Some will bring along lawn chairs out on the ice, but a bucket will also help you haul your gear to and from the lake.

And that’s about all you need to start ice fishing. Make sure you get a fishing license and read up on the regulations for your local area. Getting a ticket for breaking a law can ruin any trip. Now get out there and start drilling holes in the lake. Never forget the first rule of ice fishing, be safe and follow all the safety rules for getting out on the ice.