Child Learning Help

Posts Tagged ‘pike’

Ice fishing is a sport that can be enjoyed by everyone in the family. The cost is minimal to get fixed up and with just a little bit of knowledge, a Greenhorn can have an excellent chance at success their first trip on the lake.

But what’s required to begin ice fishing? One has many options in fishing reels on the market now, a Greenhorn could easily shuck out 100’s of their hard earned money on ice fishing gear and not have the basic gear to get out on the ice.

Knowing this, I sit down and made this list of the basic ice fishing equipment that a Newbie will need to get out on the ice. What’s even better is that for about a $100, you ought to be able to purchase all the fishing equipment that a Greenhorn will need to get started fishing on the hard water.

For starters, you will want to find an auger meant for ice fishing to make holes in the ice. For Beginners, I’d want a five or six inch auger meant for ice fishing for panfish like Perch, Bluegill and Crappie. If you want to go after bigger fish like Bass, Pike and Walleye, then I’d get a 8, possibly even a 10 inch ice auger. You have two choices, power augers or the manual augers. It’s no secret that the manual augers are cheaper to puchase but need more work to drill a hole. You will also need a scoop to scoop the ice chips out of your hole.

Next on the list are tip ups and ice rods. Many ice fishermen bore a lot of holes over rock piles, weed beds and other types of bottom structure and use numerous tip-ups to increase their chances of catching enough fish for a fish fry. Also, most fishermen prefer to ice fish with a reel and ice rod. If it was me,I’d get a few tip ups along with a good rod so you can see which technique you prefer.

Line for ice fishing 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’ll want to be sure and get fishing line specifically designed for ice fishing. Cortland makes a product called Ice Line that is great. The line you buy for ice fishing is the most important part of your ice fishing gear.

Any good sporting goods store will advise you to get some jigs and lures for your tackle box. Small jigs are excellent 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 hot in your area.

Make certain to get something to sit on. A lot of seasoned ice fishermen make use of an ordinary five gallon bucket. Some will bring along lawn chairs out on the ice, but a five gallon bucket will also help you haul your gear to and from the ice.

This is all you need to to start ice fishing. Don’t forget about buying a fishing license and read up on the regulations for the area you plan on fishing. Being ticketed for breaking a law can ruin any trip. Now get out there and bring home some tasty fish. Don’t forget the most important fishing tip, be safe and follow all the safety rules for fishing on the ice.