[Upland]

as the title said new at his game I have always want to go ice fishing but never did now that I'm older and some what wiser (that's laying it thick) I want to start ice fishing maybe not this year but next and I would like suggestion on what equipment to get It's hard to explain but I don't want something that won't last or just cheap but nothing that I need a second loan on the house to get not asking much huh Yeah I know I called Mr Rourke from fantasy island but tatttoo said he was out ice fishing but seriously something mid range that is worth the money and since I'm a big guy a 2 or 3 man set up thanks in advance

 

[dlancy]

1. Safety gear (Ice picks, spud bar, rope)
2. Hand auger (can use a high torque drill to convert into electric if you have one)
3. Tackle (rods, ice jigs, tungsten jigs)
4. Shanty or sled (many options out there depending on style of fishing and person limit, I prefer the tip over shanty models)
5. Electronics - entry flashers like the vex fl-8 are around $200 and can change the game)
6. Navionics $15 or lake contour maps
7. Float suit $200-$250 (I only have bibs)
8. A good set of warm boots, gloves and clothing
9. An experienced angler friend to show you the ropes and learn about ice conditions

 

[dlancy]

Forgot boot cleats


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Upland]

1. Safety gear (Ice picks, spud bar, rope)
2. Hand auger (can use a high torque drill to convert into electric if you have one)
3. Tackle (rods, ice jigs, tungsten jigs)
4. Shanty or sled (many options out there depending on style of fishing and person limit, I prefer the tip over shanty models)
5. Electronics - entry flashers like the vex fl-8 are around $200 and can change the game
6. Navionics $15 or lake contour maps
7. Float suit $200-$250 (I only have bibs)
8. A good set of warm boots, gloves and clothing
9. An experienced angler friend to show you the ropes and learn about ice conditions

thank you I have a good idea of what I need I was more or less looking for suggestions of brands I seen at Bass pro a shanty with accessoires for $299 thinking that's a good buy but sometimes too good to be true looked at Abu Garcia rods cabella's sled and again info you gave is very helpful any info on what brand to get or to stay away from would be great

 

[Outasync]

Stay away from eskimo augers.

 

[Upland]

Stay away from eskimo augers.

thank you that's what I'm looking for what to buy and what to stay away from you had problem with those augers?

 

[Outasync]

My buddy bought 3 of them. Took 10 minutes to get 1 hole drilled. He tried my mora and drilled 5 in the same amount of time.

 

[randazzo87]

I went cheap and bought a eskimo hand auger the first time. Used by friends strikemaster Lazer. No comparison. I went a bought a strikemaster lazer!

 

[archerjay1]

Ok so first things first....your life isn't worth going cheap on, sooooo with that being said. Save the money to spend on a good pair of bibs, and jacket with floatation in it. It's gonna cost some coin, but if you fish and take it seriously then you know eventually everything takes coin. So a good set of bibs and a jacket, that not only keep you warm and safe and if it's taken care of will last for years and years is gonna run you about $500 possibly more if you want a better set. Next is a good spud bar and a set of ice picks and an auger. A lot of things can be made and modified to fit your needs. As far as everything else goes you can make a rod out of the top section of a 2 piece 6' rod and an old reel. I like a one man flip over shanty, but I know for a fact that an ameristep dog house blind some rope and four 4 1/2" I bolts with a screwdriver keep it in place. A sled is nice, but not necessary a 5 gallon bucket is a necessity. And I liked the comment about finding a buddy that will show you the ropes and can give you a first hand look at what works and what doesn't. I have been fooled plenty by the lure that catches the fisherman and not the fish. You will find a lot of good info on here, but watch as many you tube vids as you can, if you are into that.

 

[allwayzfishin]

Good advice Jay...plus 1,000,000 on floatation bibs and parka..like the Styker ice. Best purchase I ever made besides livescope lol.

 

[archerjay1]

Yup that should be the first purchase in my opinion. No need to die over some fish

 

[Ron Y]

Whats so special about using a flasher fish finder vs a new style one ??

 

[RStock521]

Whats so special about using a flasher fish finder vs a new style one ??

Nothing. I prefer and use a "new style" graph. I use a Garmin 73SV and also have a Lowrance Elite 5 HDI. As long as you have the amplitude scope (A-scope) on, you get instant return and the rest of the graph is the history. The history is helpful to see how aggressive the fish are, or to mark fast moving fish such as trout. If you look away for a second on a flasher, you'd never know the trout was there, but with a graph you can see that they came streaming through.

If you're talking live imaging such as Panoptix, that's a whole different level. Pricey and bulky to carry around, but they are the best technology for locating fish right now.

 

[nixmkt]

as the title said new at his game I have always want to go ice fishing but never did now that I'm older and some what wiser (that's laying it thick) I want to start ice fishing maybe not this year but next and I would like suggestion on what equipment to get It's hard to explain but I don't want something that won't last or just cheap but nothing that I need a second loan on the house to get ...

Stay away from eskimo augers.

My buddy bought 3 of them. Took 10 minutes to get 1 hole drilled. He tried my mora and drilled 5 in the same amount of time.

I went cheap and bought a eskimo hand auger the first time. Used by friends strikemaster Lazer. No comparison. I went a bought a strikemaster lazer!

The easiest cutting hand auger by far, far, far is a Nils. Also the most expensive, but you get what you pay for. If you stay at one spot and only cut one or two holes each outing, any auger brand may work well enough for you. But if you move around a lot and cut a good number in an outing, you will wish that you had a Nils. Probably a Lazer is #2 but with a big step in between and then another step down to a Mora and then apparently another big step down to an Eskimo.

Auger size is another consideration. Somewhat dependent on what you will be fishing for. 6” is a fairly versatile size but 8” allows more room for larger fish and electronics. But an 8” hole is almost twice (178%) the area and volume of a 6” hole and thus almost two times the work to cut, which adds up if you drill very many.

 

[Upland]

The easiest cutting hand auger by far, far, far is a Nils. Also the most expensive, but you get what you pay for. If you stay at one spot and only cut one or two holes each outing, any auger brand may work well enough for you. But if you move around a lot and cut a good number in an outing, you will wish that you had a Nils. Probably a Lazer is #2 but with a big step in between and then another step down to a Mora and then apparently another big step down to an Eskimo.

Auger size is another consideration. Somewhat dependent on what you will be fishing for. 6” is a fairly versatile size but 8” allows more room for larger fish and electronics. But an 8” hole is almost twice (178%) the area and volume of a 6” hole and thus almost two times the work to cut, which adds up if you drill very many.

great information this helps me out a lot what do you think about ice shelter what to look for and your thought on what I may start with

 

[Upland]

Ok so first things first....your life isn't worth going cheap on, sooooo with that being said. Save the money to spend on a good pair of bibs, and jacket with floatation in it. It's gonna cost some coin, but if you fish and take it seriously then you know eventually everything takes coin. So a good set of bibs and a jacket, that not only keep you warm and safe and if it's taken care of will last for years and years is gonna run you about $500 possibly more if you want a better set. Next is a good spud bar and a set of ice picks and an auger. A lot of things can be made and modified to fit your needs. As far as everything else goes you can make a rod out of the top section of a 2 piece 6' rod and an old reel. I like a one man flip over shanty, but I know for a fact that an ameristep dog house blind some rope and four 4 1/2" I bolts with a screwdriver keep it in place. A sled is nice, but not necessary a 5 gallon bucket is a necessity. And I liked the comment about finding a buddy that will show you the ropes and can give you a first hand look at what works and what doesn't. I have been fooled plenty by the lure that catches the fisherman and not the fish. You will find a lot of good info on here, but watch as many you tube vids as you can, if you are into that.

good info thank you

 

[nixmkt]

great information this helps me out a lot what do you think about ice shelter what to look for and your thought on what I may start with

I have a homemade one so don’t know much about various brands and types. Many others will have better insight. Size will depend on whether you will be solo or having others in with you. Don’t skimp on size though. Most likely you will be increasing your quantity of equipment for a while and run out of room before you know it. If you will want to be able to move around to locate fish, a flip-over probably would be better than a hub style but limits how many can fit inside. Also need to consider insulated vs. non-insulated. Suggest you make a trip to Mark’s Bait & Tackle in Ravenna. He usually has several kinds set up and most likely will have one of the best prices available. He also has a wealth of info on shanties, electronics, and most anything else fishing related.

 

[HeaVyMeTaLFiSHinGFiEnD]

Bought a Gen 1 Ion auger last year and love it. It's a bit on the heavy side, but in planning on swapping out the steel auger with a composite one that weighs less than 2 lbs.

 

[Outasync]

I prefer a hub style mostly because I dont set up unless im on fish. If going that route remember a 2 man is actually a 1 man. 4 is 3 ect. For solo I take my quickfish 2i and keep almost everything inside with me. My buddy heater keeps it toasty inside. Then I use a small light bar that velcro to the hub poles to keep it lite before sunup. With 2 to 3 ppl I use my fatfish 949.

For storing gear i bought the $50 eagle claw hard case. Keeps 6 rods safe and can hold my aquavu mini, 4 lure boxes, gloves, pliers, scissors ect inside.

 

[c. j. stone]

Upland, not sure your age but if you have “shot” arms, hands or “shoulders”(like me), definitely invest in some kind of powered auger.(If you have any issues mentioned, I guarantee drilling holes “manually“ will be a major effort! Be sure you are “physically able“ to ice fish overall, it can be very exerting)! I have a ‘Clam plate‘ kit I use for panfishing with a 6” auger and quality drill attached(use, or get, the best drill you can afford! and at least two batteries). There are pre-assembled, brand name, units available, self contained units(battery powered) available that can drill any sized hole, ready to drill out of the box. For larger fish, I have a gasoline powered 8” auger I’ve used on Erie to drill thru up to 2 ft. of ice(and landed some big walleye). Not previously mentioned(for help landing bigger fish!) is a ‘cheap’ requirement is a good ice “gaff”. You could easily make one out of a salt-water sized treble hook screwed to a piece of broom handle. I made one out of a piece of stainless welding rod sharpened on the end, bent into a U shape and epoxied into a hole drilled in the end of the broomstick!
Additionally, you mentioned possibly waiting til next year, don’t wait! The ice is forming now and this(should be) a great ice year! Next year(and subsequent years), there may not be fishable ice-and noone is getting any younger! And by the way, Mark’s B&T near Streetsboro has “everything” you could possibly need. Good, helpful guy too. OR, check OGF & FB Marketplaces, Craigslist, etc. Guys are always upgrading, moving South!, or simply getting out of ice fishing. You could conceivably get a “package deal” of most, or all the required equipment you’ll need!