October 6, 2009
Newbie’s Guide For Purchasing Ice Fishing Gear
Going fishing on a frozen body of water is an Outdoor activity that can be done as a family. The cost is minimal to get outfitted and with knowledge of where to find a place to fish, a first-timer can be expected to catch some fish their first trip at the fishing hole.
But what’s required to begin ice fishing? There are a wide range of options fishing equipment on store shelves, the Fisherman could easily shuck out hundreds of dollars on ice fishing gear and not be sure they have what the need to get started.
Knowing this, I sit down and made this collection of basic ice fishing tackle that a Greenhorn will need to start. What’s even better is that for less than what a Family of for can eat out at a steak house these days, you can obtain all the fishing gear that a Greenhorn will need to begin fishing on the hard water.
To begin with, you’ll want to get an auger meant for ice fishing to bore holes in the ice and snow. If it was me, I’d get a five, possibly even a 6 inch auger meant for ice fishing for panfish. For bigger fish like Walleye, Pike or Channel Catfish, then If it was me, I’d get a 8 or 10 inch auger. When it comes to augers, you have two choices, power augers or the manual augers. Obviously the manual augers are less expensive but require more work to use. You’ll also need a scoop to scoop the ice chips out of your hole.
You’ll want to buy quality tip ups or ice rods. A lot of fishermen bore numerous holes over rock piles, weed beds and other types of bottom structure and use tip ups to increase their chances of catching fish. Others prefer to ice fish with a short rod. If it was me,I’d get a few tip ups along with a good rod so you can see which strategy is best for your style.
Line for ice fishing should be designed for cold water that is associated with ice fishing. The frigid waters can make the line so stiff that it breaks easily. That is why you will want to be certain and purchase fishing line made for ice fishing. Cortland makes a product called Ice Line that is great. Fishing line used for ice fishing is the most crucial 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 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. Talk to the people at your local bait store to see what’s they recommend a Beginner use their first time out on the ice.
Make certain to bring along something to sit on. Many seasoned ice fishermen use an ordinary 5 gallon bucket. Few Beginners 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 that’s about all you need to to start ice fishing. Don’t forget about buying a fishing license and read up on the regulations for the body of water you plan on going fishing at. Running afoul of the law for breaking a law can put a damper on your ice fishing efforts. You’re cleared to go fishing and bring home some tasty fish. Don’t forget the most important fishing tip, be safe and follow all the safety rules for getting Outdoors in the Winter.
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