Ice fishing gear, poles and equipment

This week we are going to talk about the ice fishing gear I use and what gear tackle and rods work best for me.

There are a few things I find absolutely neccessary for ice fishing equipment. An ice auger is the very first one. A powered ice auger at that. Drilling holes with hand power or chopping them with a ice spud just doesn't get it. To much work.

I've had eskimo ice fishing augers and a couple of others. !0 inch is better but an 8 inch will work just fine. Most of the ice fishing augers are good, just be sure you get one with enough horsepower to get the job done.



Next on my list are ice fishing shelters. I'm to old and get cold to fast to be standing out on the ice. You can buy portable ice fishing shelters pretty cheap. They really are worth the money if you do a lot of winter time fishing.

The next thing I can't do without is my flasher. Preferably a Vexilar but an old Eagle 60 will also do. Lol, when fishing deeper water so you can see what's going on it's a lot like playing a nintendo game with the fish. You can see your jig and the fish so you can try different things to get them to hit.

Don't try to use the lcd fish finder you have in your boat. It just doesn't work as well as a real flasher does. I know flashers are a bit old fashioned but they work better than anything else does for ice fishing.

Now you need some sort of heater to keep your shack or shelter warm. How many BTU's your heater should be depends on how much propane you want to haul and how warm you want to be. Nothing less than 10,000 BTU's tho.

For ice fishing poles of rods I much prefer the type for close faced spinning reels. The kind with the piece that comes down like a trigger so it won't slide out of your hand. I don't like open face reels or the rods that use them. Whatever works best for you. Make sure you don't buy the cheapest ones they have.

Now we need some ice fishing jigs. No problem there as a lot of the jigs you already have will work but you are also going to need some smaller ones. Panfish don't like large baits in the winter, for the most part, so smaller jigs will work better. !/16-1/64 ounce.

For line I use regular 10 pound Trilene XT or spiderwire. I also use slip bobbers as they hold my bait precisely where I want it. Because I have the flasher I can see the exact depth the fish are coming thru at and can adjust my bobber to put the bait in front of or slightly above them.

If it's very early ice I also want a motorized vehicle for ice fishing. An atv or snowmobile works fine as long as the ice will hold it. I don't like the long walk out on the ice pulling all the other gear I need. BTW, if I'm using an atv I like it better when I have atv flotation for ice fishing on it. If you are unlucky enough to go thru the ice you'll be glad you had it. ATV's are expensive so spending a few bucks on flotation for it is a great idea.

Now that you have the ice fishing gear figured out there are only a couple of more things you need. Every fishing shelter I've owned has had a very comfortable ice fishing chair in it. Lol, I want to be warm and comfortable when I fish. Sitting on a 5 gallon bucket for hours is not comfortable.

The last thing I do before I had for the lake is pick up some ice fishing supplies. Junk food, sandwiches, snacks, etc. Got to eat while I'm out there. Bringing a supply of food along is always a good idea.

There you have it, all the ice fishing gear and equipment you need. Oops, forgot something. Get one of the dipper things to get the ice out of the holes and get a styrafoam bucket for your bait. Have lots of fun ice fishing and catch plenty of fish.

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