Newbie’s Guide For Getting Ice Fishing Gear
Going fishing on a frozen body of water is an Outdoor activity that the whole family can enjoy. It’s relatively inexpensive to get and with just a little bit of knowledge, a Newbie can be expected to catch some fish their first trip or so out on the ice.
But what’s required to begin ice fishing? There are a variety of choices in fishing gear available today, the Fisherman can easily spend 100’s of dollars on ice fishing supplies and never get what they really need.
Knowing this, I sit down and made this guide about essential ice fishing tackle that a Beginner will need to begin. What’s even better is that for less money than it cost for a trip to the grocery store, you ought to be able to buy all the fishing supplies that you will need to begin fishing on the hard water.
For starters, you will need to purchase an ice auger to bore holes in the ice and snow. If it was me, I’d get a 5 or 6 inch auger meant for ice fishing for Perch, Crappie and Bluegill. If you want to go after bigger fish like Bass, Pike and Walleye, then I recommend a 8, possibly even a 10 inch auger. You can get the power augers or the manual augers. Not surprisingly, the manual augers are less expensive but need more work to make a hole in the ice. You’ll also need a scoop to scoop the ice chips out of your hole.
Tip ups and rods. A lot of fishermen drill numerous holes over bottom structure and use tip ups to increase their chances of catching fish. Not surprsingly a lot of 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.
Line for ice fishing should be designed for fishing through the ice. The frigid waters can make fishing line brittle. That is why you’ll want to be certain and purchase fishing line made for fishing through the ice. Cortland makes a product called Ice Line that is great. The line you buy for ice fishing is the most important part of your ice fishing equipment.
The best ice fishermen will tell you to get some jigs and lures to go along with your bait. Tiny jigs are excellent 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. Be sure to talk to local fishermen to see what’s they recommend a Beginner use their first time out on the ice.
Be sure to buy something to sit on. Many seasoned ice fishermen bring along an ordinary five gallon bucket. A select few will even bring lawn chairs out on the ice, but a 5 gallon bucket will also help you haul your gear to and from the lake.
And this is all you need to get started. Also you’ll need a fishing license and read up on the regulations for your area. Getting a ticket for breaking a law can put a damper on your ice fishing efforts. Now get out there and have some fun. And most of all, be safe and follow all the safety rules for going out on the ice.
