Going fishing on a frozen body of water is a sport that can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of age. The cost is minimal to get and with knowledge of where to find a place to fish, a Newbie can be expected to have success their first trip on the lake.
But what does a Newbie need to begin ice fishing? A Greenhorn has a lot of choices when choosing fishing reels on the market now, a person can easily shuck out 100′s of dollars on ice fishing equipment and still wonder if they have all they need.
This is why I wrote this guide about essential ice fishing gear that a Beginner will need to start. What’s even better is that for less than a hundred bucks, you ought to be able to obtain all the fishing gear that the Fisherman will need to start fishing.
Okay Newbie, for your first purcase, you’ll need an auger meant for ice fishing to cut holes in the hard water. If it was me, I’d get a 5 or 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 or 10 inch auger meant for ice fishing. You can get the power augers or the manual augers. Obviously the manual augers are not as expensive as the power augers but require more work to drill a hole. You’ll also need a scoop to scoop the ice chips out of your hole.
Your second purchase needs to be tip ups or an ice rod. Many ice fishermen bore a lot of holes over weed beds and other structure and use numerous tip-ups to increase their chances of catching their limit of fish. Other fishermen prefer to ice fish with a ice rod rather than tip ups. For Beginners, I’d want a few tip ups along with a good rod so you can see which tactic you like for catching fish.
The line you use for fishing should be designed for ice fishing. The ice cold water can make fishing line brittle. For this reason you’ll want to be certain and obtain line made for ice fishing. Cortland makes a product called Ice Line that is great. The line is the most important part of your ice fishing supplies.
Beginners will want to get some jigs and lures for your tackle box. Miniture jigs are great 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. Ask around at your local sporting goods store to see what’s they suggest buying.
Make certain to bring along something to sit on. A lot of seasoned ice fishermen prefer 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.
And this is all you need to get started. Make sure you get a fishing license and read up on the regulations for your local area. Being ticketed for breaking a law can ruin any trip. Now go out and have some fun. Never forget the first rule of ice fishing, be safe and follow all the safety rules for getting out on the ice.
