Newbie’s Guide To Purchasing Ice Fishing Equipment
Friday, September 18th, 2009Fishing through the ice is a sport that can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of age. The cost is minimal to get fixed up and with tips from experienced ice fishermen, a first-timer can be expected to have success their first trip at the fishing hole.
But what’s required to begin ice fishing? A Greenhorn has a wide range of options fishing tackle on store shelves, one can easily lay out 100’s of their hard earned money on ice fishing supplies and still come up short of the essentials.
It’s this reason alone that I created this guide about essential ice fishing supplies that the Fisherman will need to get out on the ice. What’s even better is that for less than what a Family of for can eat out at a steak house these days, you ought to be able to purchase all the fishing gear that a Greenhorn will need to begin fishing on the hard water.
First off, you’ll need to buy an auger meant for ice fishing to cut holes in the hard water. If it was me, I’d get a five, possibly even a 6 inch auger for panfish like Perch, Bluegill and Crappie. If you want to go after bigger fish like Bass, Pike and Walleye, then For Beginners, I’d want a 8 or 10 inch auger meant for ice fishing. When it comes to augers, you have two choices, power augers or the manual augers. You need to keep in mind that the manual augers are cheaper to puchase but need more work to make a hole in the ice. You will also need a scoop to get the ice chips from the hole in the ice.
You’ll want to buy quality tip ups or ice rods. Many fishermen drill a bunch of holes over weed beds and other structure and use tip ups to increase their chances of catching fish. Also, most fishermen prefer to ice fish with a ice rod rather than tip ups. If it was me,I’d get a few tip ups along with a good rod so you can see which one catches the most fish in your area.
Line for ice fishing should be designed for cold water that is associated with ice fishing. The near freezing water can make the line break easily. That’s why you will want to make sure 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.
The best ice fishermen will tell you to get some jigs and lures for ice fishing. Tiny 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. Ask around at your local sporting goods store to see what’s a good choice for your fishing spot.
It would be wise to get something to sit on. A majority of seasoned ice fishermen bring along an ordinary five 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 your fishing hole.
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 area. Being ticketed for breaking a law can ruin any trip. Now go out and start drilling holes in the lake. Don’t forget the most important fishing tip, be safe and follow all the safety rules for being out on the ice during Winter.