A Beginners Guide For Purchasing Ice Fishing Gear
Going fishing on a frozen body of water is an Outdoor activity that can be enjoyed by everyone in the family. Unlike other Winter sports, it’s cheap to get outfitted and with just a little bit of knowledge, a Greenhorn can have an excellent chance at success their first trip onto the ice.
But what’s required to begin ice fishing? One has many options in fishing reels on the market now, a Newbie can easily lay out 100’s of their hard earned money on ice fishing gear and still wonder if they have all they need.
This is why I wrote this guide about essential ice fishing tackle that a First Timer will need to start. The big surprise is that for less money than it cost for a trip to the grocery store, you should be able to nab all the fishing tackle that a person will need to begin drilling holes in the ice for those tasty fish.
First off, you will need to purchase an auger meant for ice fishing to cut holes in the ice. For Beginners, I’d want a five or six inch auger meant for ice fishing for panfish. For bigger fish like Walleye, Pike or Channel Catfish, then I recommend a eight or ten inch ice auger. When it comes to augers, you have two choices, 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 get the ice chips out of the ice hole.
Tip ups and rods. Many fishermen drill a lot of holes over weed beds and other structure and use tip ups to increase their chances of catching enough fish for a fish fry. Not surprsingly a lot of fishermen prefer to ice fish with an ice fishing rod. 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.
Fishing line should be designed for fishing through the ice. The ice cold water can make the line so stiff that it breaks easily. It’s due to this that you will want to be certain and get fishing line made for fishing through the ice. Cortland makes a product called Ice Line that is great. Ice fishing line is the most critical part of your ice fishing gear.
You will also need to get some jigs and lures for your tackle box. Miniture jigs are a good choice for panfish. 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 hot in your area.
Don’t forget to get something to sit on. A majority of seasoned ice fishermen make use of an ordinary 5 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.
This is all you need to get started. Don’t forget about buying a fishing license and read up on the regulations for the area you plan on fishing. Being ticketed for breaking a law can ruin any trip. Now go out and bring home some tasty fish. Don’t forget the most important fishing tip, be safe and follow all the safety rules for getting out on the ice.
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Tags: bass, crappie, Fishing, fishing gear, ice fishing, lake fishing, musky, panfish, pike, river fishing, walleye, winter fishing
