Buy The Right Tackle For Your First Ice Fishing Trip
Ice fishing is an Outdoor activity that the whole family can enjoy. The cost is minimal to get and with tips from experienced ice fishermen, a Newbie can be expected to have success their first trip or so out on the ice.
How do you go about getting started? And more importantly, how is a Beginner suppose to know what they need to get out on the ice? Plus, in this day and age, when families are watching their budget, how much will it cost?
With this in mind, I sit down and made up this guide that will help you select the basic gear you’ll need to get started in the Sport of Ice Fishing. You’ll be surprised to know that most of this gear can be had for less than a hundred dollars or so. If you want to spend more, then by all means do so, but if you’re just wanting to try it out a few times, then the money invested is minimal.
First off, you will need an ice auger to bore holes in the ice and snow. I’d get a five or six inch auger meant for ice fishing for panfish like Perch, Bluegill and Crappie. If you want to go after bigger fish like Bass, Pike and Walleye, then I’d get a 8 or 10 inch auger. You have two choices, power augers or the manual augers. You need to keep in mind that the manual augers are not as expensive as the power augers but need more effort to use. You’ll also need a scoop to get the ice chips out of your hole.
You’ll need a way to get the fish to the surface. For this, you’ll want to use tip ups or a rod and reel. Multiple tip ups allow you to fish many holes while a rod and reel will restrict you to only one hole at a time. Some ice fishermen increase the odds of them bringing home fish by using a combination of tip ups and rod and reels.
Don’t overlook the line you’ll be using to catch fish. Regular fishing line will become brittle and break easily when fishing through a hole in the ice. Look for fishing line that is designed specifically for ice fishing. There are many on the market or you can order it through catalog retailers such as Cabela’s.
For bait, you can buy mealworms, spikes or nightcrawlers for panfish. For bigger fish, you may want to use minnows or artificial lures like tear drop jigs or jigging spoons. It’s best to take a variety since you never know what the fish will want once you get out on the ice.
Unless you don’t mind standing all day, you had better think about bringing something to sit on. Many ice fishermen simply use a 5 gallon bucket. This works great and you can put gear in it to haul it back to your vehicle. Some will bring lawn chairs but they’re less practical. Some die hard ice fishermen will shell out considerably money and buy a ice hut and small heater. While expensive, these are very nice and make the coldest day on the lake enjoyable.
Other miscellaneous things you may need are an ice scoop to get the ice chips out of your hole, a cooler or other item to carry your fish in and maybe a portable heater. Some hardcore fishermen even take sonars to see the structure on the bottom of the lake. Ice fishing is easy to get started in. You can spend as much or little as you want so get out there and grab your gear. Be sure to read up on the regulations and safety rules before heading out.
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