A First Timer's Guide To Purchasing Ice Fishing Equipment

Fishing through the ice is an Outdoor activity that can be done as a family. The cost is minimal to get fixed up and with tips from experienced ice fishermen, a Greenhorn can be expected to catch some fish their first trip on the lake.

But what does a beginner need to begin ice fishing? There are so many choices in fishing reels on the market now, the Fisherman could easily lay out hundreds of dollars on ice fishing gear and still wonder if they have all they need.

Knowing this, I sit down and made this guide about essential ice fishing supplies that a Beginner will need to get out on the ice. The big surprise is that for less than a hundred bucks, you could obtain all the fishing tackle that a Greenhorn will need to begin ice fishing.

Before anything else, you will need to buy an ice auger to bore holes in the ice and snow. If it was me, I'd get a five, possibly even a 6 inch ice auger for panfish like Perch, Bluegill and Crappie. For bigger fish like Walleye, Pike or Channel Catfish, then If it was me, I'd get a 8, possibly even a 10 inch auger meant for ice fishing. When it comes to augers, you have two choices, power augers or the manual augers. Not surprisingly, the manual augers are not as expensive as the power augers but require more effort to drill a hole. You will also need a scoop to dip the ice chips from the hole in the ice.

Your second purchase needs to be tip ups or an ice rod. Many ice fishermen drill a lot of holes over weed beds and other structure and use tip ups to increase their chances of catching fish. Other 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 strategy is best for your style.

Fishing line should be designed for cold water that is associated with ice fishing. The near freezing water can make fishing line brittle. That is why you will want to be sure and buy line made for fishing through the ice. Cortland makes a product called Ice Line that is great. Ice fishing line is the most important part of your ice fishing tackle.

Beginners will want to get some jigs and lures to go along with your bait. Small 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. Talk to the people at your local bait store to see what's a good choice for your fishing spot.

Don't forget to bring along something to sit on. Most seasoned ice fishermen make use of an ordinary 5 gallon bucket. Some will bring along lawn chairs out on the ice, but a bucket will also help you haul your gear to and from your hot spot.

This is all you need to begin catching fish through the ice. Make sure you get 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 ruin any trip. You're cleared to go fishing and start drilling holes in the lake. Never forget the first rule of ice fishing, be safe and follow all the safety rules for fishing on the ice.