For those of you who live in the south, or those who have never ice fished, this list may give you an idea of what it takes in terms of gear to go ice fishing. This is some of the stuff I use, but each ice fisherman has his own list.

I am not trying to suggest that a person new to ice fishing has to have or take along all this gear - rather - it is list of the things to consider taking/using. Some things go along each trip, others go as our needs dictate.

• A trash bag or garbage bag - now why does Jim suggest this? Simple - we have got to pick up after ourselves. We shouldn't be leaving litter out on the ice. It blows around, sinks to the bottom when the ice melts, or washes up on shore. It's unsightly, and need not happen. Fishermen and woman, as well as hunters, have enough problems with our image to the non-fishing or hunting public. Let's not add to the problem.

  You can also use a trash bag as a light weight and compact container for hauling the fish you're going to catch. As an alternative to purchasing trash/garbage bags, you could substitute the plastic shopping bags stores use these days. They work just as well, and it puts them to work a second time.

• Rods & reels - As I indicated on the prior page, I use nothing heavier than 6# test ice line. My rods are spinning rods of various levels of sensitivity. I have various types (brands & quality) of spinning reels as well. I have reels equipped with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6# line. Just remember, the lighter the line test weight, the more "give" the rod must have when you hook and play the fish. Don't forget to adjust your reel's drag.

  When purchasing rods, keep two things in mind. For bobber fishing, you want a rod with "slow" action - that is the rod tip/midsection should bend easily with the fish, keeping tension on the line. For jigging, you want a much stiffer rod - preferably graphite. I am gradually upgrading my jigging rods to graphite.

• Jig rods - also called "jiggle" sticks. These are mainly used for panfish (sunfish, perch, crappie, etc), while the rods and reels are used more for game fish like walleye. If you are fishing deep suspended fish, like crappie, one of your rods and reels, equipped with a slip bobber can be quite handy. If you intend to only fish for panfish, and want to make a minimum investment - jiggle sticks are the way to go. They also offer an advantage when fishing outside (no shelter) when the temperature is below freezing, as they are not as prone to problems from icing up.
• Tackle & tackle box - filled with an assortment of jigs, hooks, lures, bobbers, sinkers, etc. When selecting lures, etc, think small. Remember the fish are less active, and therefore take smaller baits.
• Tip-ups - a form of set line. A tip-up can be made from wood or plastic, and there are many varieties/brands available. These work great for large game fish such as Northen Pike. Some people also use them panfish, such as perch. A tip-up suspends the spool of line in the water, where it is kept from freezing by the heat in the water. We tip our tip-up's with shiner or sucker minnows.

  

  Here is one of my tip-ups set and waiting. When a fish hits and begins to take line, the spool attached to the spindle turns, and releases the spring loaded flag, alerting the fisherman to tend his line.

• Bait bucket - I use a 5 gallon pail with a lidded, foam insert for my minnows. A dip net is handy too.
• Ice chisel or "spud". Use it to test early season ice, mark hole locations, etc. You can also use it in the early season to make holes, when the ice isn't to thick. At first ice - a chisel is often faster than an auger for making holes. Don't forget to have some sort of rope attached to your chisel, and to have that rope attached to you. There is more than one chisel adorning a lake bottom.
• Ice auger - faster and quieter than making holes with a chisel, especially once the ice gets thick.

  I have two augers, a 8" Strike Master Lazer hand auger, and a Strike Master Mag 2000 gas auger (2hp). I like my hand auger - it cuts well, but arthritus and tendonitus are catching up with me, and my elbows were hurting. With the gas auger, no pain. :)

• Ice dipper - used to clean the shavings out of a hole. There are lots of these on lake bottoms too, a couple of them are mine. ;)
• Depth finder (sonar) - if you have one, take it. You can be sucessful without one, but you will have to work harder to find the fish and map the lake bottom. And just like when fishing in the summer, ice fishing is about structure. Santa Claus brought me a Vexilar FL-8SLT in 1999. :) :)

  The Vexilar is a flasher style sonar - that is - the screen is a dial, with flashing, colored lights which indicate the relative size and depth of the targets. You can also use a liquid crystal graph (LCG) sonar, but you must be careful to not let the unit freeze (there are some units - most notably those made by Zercom, which use military grade licquid crystal - they don't freeze). As a general rule, the flasher style sonar is better for immediate feedback - it lights up instantly when a fish apporaches your offering. Some of the newer LCG units (such as the Lowrance X67 & M68 "Ice Machines") have a "flasher" mode as well as the traditional graphing mode. Some of the older LCG model sonars show all targets as lines (vs "arches") on the screen - this is due to the fact that a boat moves, while a ice fisherman (as a rule) doesn't move on the ice. Well, maybe on those really gusty days.....

• Something to tote your gear - I have several 5 gallon pails and a homemade sled I use for this purpose. I have some cushion style lids for my buckets which we use to sit on. Much more comfortable.
• Ice House or Fish House / Shelter - not mandantory, but it sure helps make things more comfortable when its cold and the wind is blowing. You can purchase a commerically made house, or build your own. My first house was a home built house. Fish houses come in all sizes, shapes, and luxury levels. It basicly is a matter of your fishing style, and the amount of money you want to invest.
• Some sort of light - a must if you are fishing at night. I use propane lanterns. Doubles as a heat source - just not as fast as a heater. It also depends on the weather - when its really cold, a lantern won't keep up. I also have a propane fired heater - it will run off the disposable 14 and 16 oz. "bottles", or off a 20# bulk cylinder when attached to an adapter hose. Consider carrying a small flash light, such as a Mag-lite too.
• Lake maps - showing contours and structure. Follow this link to go the Minnesota's DNR "Lake Finder" webpage. You can search by county, lake name or both for your favorite lake(s). The map files are down-loadable as TIF or PDF files. You might want to include a small magnifying glass in your tackle box, as the print on some of these is really tiny. I keep my maps in plastic page protectors, in a 3 ring notebook. The notebook stays in the truck, while an individual map goes on the ice with us.
• Your fishing license and any required "stamps". If you use a fish house, check your state's regulations. Some states require that they have a license too.

  Consider taking along a copy of your states fishing regulations, especially if the rules vary from lake to lake, such as size restrictions.

  On a similar note, add some sort of measuring device. A sporting goods dealer in my area carries vinyl measuring tapes which have a sticky backing, they could be "glued" or stapled to the inside of a fish house, or carried in your tackle box. You can weigh your fish if you know how long it is.

  Another method would be a knoted string or lightweight rope. Don't forget which knot goes with which fish... ;)

• Water and snacks - a must if you will be out all day. Stay away from caffine - it will dehydrate you. Also stay away from alcohol. The line of thinking that a shot of brandy etc will warm you up is a myth. It does just the reverse - it cools you of, by causing warm internal body core blood to be transfered to your extremities, where it cools off more.
• Cleats or other traction device - a must to prevent falls on wind polished ice.
• Ice Spikes - a handy little device you can carry in your pocket in the event you would break thru the ice. I have found a page by Minnesota's DNR which describes how you can make a set of these, as well as how to use them. You can also find them in the sporting goods stores for $5-6. This item falls in to the "something you never want to use - but you're glad you've got it if you do" catagorey.
• Seat cushion. Consider taking a boat cushion or even a PFD (Personal Floatation Device) with you, especially in the early season, as it could save your life if you hit a weak spot.
• A old towel - use it to wipe and dry your hands - it helps prevent chapping.
• A camera - to record your day - the catch of a lifetime, a sunrise, a sunset. You would be amazed at the things you will see and want pictures of. I use a 35mm and 400 speed film.
• Toilet paper - don't laugh! Which would you rather use, TP, your handkerchief, or your hand when nature calls? Also - remember those shopping bags I mentioned? Slip one of those (or your garbage bag) over the top of a 5 gallon pail, and you have a great emergency toilet (inside your fish house or other privacy shield) - beats the heck out of going behind a tree or a snow drift. Remeber to dispose of that plastic bag properly.

This list will be further expanded on as I have time.

If you want, take a look at the Ice Fishing home page. There is much, much more information available to you here. It includes equipment, tactics, places to go, you name it.

My first fish house - known as " 'Da Beast " - and equipment sled, on a snowy January, 1999 day. In this picture, the propane tank and heater are still in the sled.

We called the house 'Da Beast, cause it does weigh a fair amount (about 100 pounds). While you can save money building your own house, you can't beat commerical built houses for their light weight. But the flip side of the weight issue is windy days. 'Da Beast stays put!! You can't say that for some of the commerical houses unless they are fastened down to the ice with ice screws - a special eye-bolt designed to be driven into the ice thru holes in the floor from within the commercial houses, or some other type of device for holding a shelter down.

This is one of my current shelters. This is a Eskimo Quik Flip III. I also own a Frabil Hideout.

This is why I stress that no ice is ever 100% "safe". This is a full size road grader and snowplow, it was used to make roads on the ice for fisherman fishing out of the resorts on Upper Red Lake. It hit a pressure ridge and broke threw. The operator escaped un-harmed.

For more information on ice safety, you can go to the Minnesota DNR's ice safety tips page.

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Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005© Jim Laumann.