Ice Fishing Gear for Beginners
Ice Fishing Gear for Beginners
I’ve put together a list of equipment for a beginner or someone who is relatively new to ice fishing. I’ve included my must haves and also some nice to have items so that you can make the most of your ice fishing adventure and be prepared.
When I lived in west Michigan our gear was simple.
An ice rod _without_ a reel (the line twisted between two pegs), a couple ‘tip-ups’, a simple auger, an ice strainer (for cleaning out your slushy hole) a few jigs a good pair of waterproof boots, a pair of insulated "Carharts’, a good wool hat and some gloves. (a decent bottle of whisky helps). Everything that would fit was carried in a 5 gallon bucket (which served as a seat while fishing) A plastic sled was used to pull it all from the car to the ice.
This setup was good enough for perch, gills and walleye.
I always _wanted_ nicer gear and especially a ‘portable ice house’ and a fish finder, but my financial situation made that impossible.
We caught just as many (or more) fish as the guy who had all the best equipment. I do miss eating those pan fish….but I don’t miss the bone chilling cold!