Ice Fishing Question

[gman2153]

o.k. mention of this SC Ice Capade Event got me interested again in Ice Fishing..

I plan on joining Cecil and Johnny Flails this year on ***** Pond in their all-exclusive 5 Star Pop-Up Hotel to see what Luxury on Ice is all about,,

but for the time being, I don't want to go full-blow on equipment.

So, can any of you Icechippers suggest types/models I should look into

1) Tip-ups,
2) Fishee rods,
3) Hand Auger
4) Body Flask:D

Thank you in Advance

[cuz]

GMAN, I bought my tip-ups at Wally World about five years ago. I paid between 12-14 bucks a piece and they were already lined. Not sure of the brand name, but they are two feet high, and when the flag goes off, add another 18 inches! This makes it very easy to see the flag from a long distance. As for rods, I use two jigging rods from Gander Mt. Paid about 20 bucks for each, with reels attached(shakespeare). I don't have a hand auger. Most of my ice fishing is done with Rusty and he has a gas auger(StrikeMaster I believe). Along with that he has an ice shelter(Clam) and a mister heater, so it's never cold when we fish!! As for a body flask, take two, there small!!!!:D

[Junkyard Gypsy]

hand auger- got mine at gander mtn for 30-40 6". haven't caught anything big enough to need the 8". gas augers blow when the ice is only 5" thick. by the time you start that 2 cycle in the cold you could punch 3 or 4 holes by hand. now if the ice is really thick well then....

ice rods- get a little whippy rod for jigging the small fish, its much easier to get the tiny movements when the rod is whippy. just get the harmonic going and keep it moving.

tips-ups- ? i paid 6 bucks after season, needed line so add snother 5.

booze- don't take glass out there, its a bloody mess (literally) when your drinking and a flag goes up.

fish finder- fish tv is cool to have out there but not necessary, i rigged up on of my old FF to battery. put the transducer on the ice and poor water to get conductivity and you can see how deep it is, maybe a fishee or two as well.

i love hard water, its like having a boat the size of the lake.:D

[cuz]

Forgot to mention, Rusty also has a Vexilar. Very nice!! Gives the depth of the water, the flasher indicates fish and at what depth, and gives you a read out of the bottom(muddy, weedy, rocky, etc.). This is especially important when we fish Alexandria Bay area. Cuts down on a lot of guess work.

[rusty]

cuz,
jiffy, not strike master......i drive over strikemasters....

o.k. mention of this SC Ice Capade Event got me interested again in Ice Fishing..

I plan on joining Cecil and Johnny Flails this year on ***** Pond in their all-exclusive 5 Star Pop-Up Hotel to see what Luxury on Ice is all about,,

but for the time being, I don't want to go full-blow on equipment.

So, can any of you Icechippers suggest types/models I should look into

1) Tip-ups,
2) Fishee rods,
3) Hand Auger
4) Body Flask:D

Thank you in Advance

G-
usually all the bait shops in our area have just about everything you'll need.....your main concern for tip-ups is to make sure the flag fires off when tripped.....there are some real cheap-o's out there that won't work at all....but there is also no need to spend alot of $$$ either....your pers. preference....

jigging - depending on what your target fish is.....for panfish, go light/ultralight, 4# line.....if you cant find an ultralight, a reg. rid will be fine, just attach a spingbobber on the end.......for jigs, i perfer percheyes and marmooshka's, all assorted colors, sz.8-10.....usually about 2-$1.00 or so....and the everfaithful swed. pimp......the percheyes i usually add a waxworm or pinhead.....

auger - hand auger will be fine for under 10".....other that that, fire up te jiffy...

a can coozie is a must along with a soft collapsible cooler so the swill don't freeze up.....a 5-6gal bucket, handwarmers, you'r prefered contents for your flask, and that chick on the sled, and your ready to rock...

rusty

[gman2153]

Thanks for info guys..

I plan on hooking up my potato gun to the tipups, so noticing a bite should be no problem.

Gman's preferred Winter Time Swill (Homemade Dago Red Wine does not freeze) - matter of fact- left a jug on the porch the other night -8 and just a hint of slush in the jug.:D

That Minky Chick,,, hehe,,, Cecil thinks he has the cross hairs on that, but little does he know that the gman already had the pleasure of meeting her. Stick with the four-leggeds Ceesaw - I don;t want to see you get your heart broke...:p

[coolrobc]

a can coozie is a must along with a soft collapsible cooler so the swill don't freeze up.....a 5-6gal bucket, handwarmers, you'r prefered contents for your flask, and that chick on the sled, and your ready to rock...
rusty

You gotta love it when you're using a cooler to keep the beer warm!:snow:

[rusty]

G-
dago .....hmmmmm......looks like cuz just lost his seat in the fishtrap.....

coolrobc......oh, that can make for a very, very long day.......been there, done that.....it'll never happen again....

[cuz]

Rusty, forgot about you driving over the strikemaster!! But hey, that perch looks good on the wall! Oh, just remember who has to carry your #SS when you hit the sauce while on the ice before you give me the boot from the shack!!

[hizzy19]

auger - I have a strikemaster and a jiffy... Each is good in one aspect or another. Both have 8" bits, the strikemaster is pretty light so its nice if you are going to be carrying it around at all. The jiffy is heavy as hell but you have to hang on tight cuz it cuts the ice so fast... as far as a hand auger, I don't care what anyone on here says, it sucks drilling 6" plus holes through a couple feet of ice. If the ice is thick and you don't plan on catching massive fish, I'd stick with a 4"... If you need a bigger hole, invest in a power auger.

tip-ups - I use "heritage lakers" They run between 18 and 22 dollars apiece but they are well worth it. Its like anything else, you pay for quality. These are great for trout/salmon because the reel turns very smoothly and they are easily adjustable to prevent bait flags when you are fishing with lively or large bait. I have used everything from shad to 6" suckers underneath them and never get bait flags. IMO they are the best.

Jigging rod - depends what you are trying to catch... Its all personal preference.

Flask - I recommend a good bourbon on those days when the wind chill factor brings the temps down to 0F... Anything below that and I usually upgrade to Johnnie Walker Black...:faint:

[hizzy19]

heritage laker - http://www.fish307.com/fish/herit.htm

[ranger22]

tip ups frabill polar 10" round covers the hole entirely 14.79@cabelas on sale
auger strikemaster 7"
electronics bottom line fishing buddy
jigging rod ugly stick 24"

[hizzy19]

tip ups frabill polar 10" round covers the hole entirely 14.79@cabelas on sale
auger strikemaster 7"
electronics bottom line fishing buddy
jigging rod ugly stick 24"

ah yes, I forgot to mention the bottom line fishing buddy... One of my greatest ice fishing investments. By the way, I use the ugly stick 24" jigging rod as well and it has wrestled its fair share of 20"-26" lakers, but its also sensitive enough to catch panfish and still have a good time.

[rusty]

heritage laker - http://www.fish307.com/fish/herit.htm

almost identical to the tip-ups we use.....only thing different is the flag......it looks like we have a bit more height than the one in the pic.....

flask.....jimmy beam

[rusty]

tip ups frabill polar 10" round covers the hole entirely 14.79@cabelas on sale
auger strikemaster 7"
electronics bottom line fishing buddy
jigging rod ugly stick 24"

just to make you aware........i've been known to run over strikemasters......

[rusty]

[QUOTE=hizzy19]auger - I have a strikemaster and a jiffy... Each is good in one aspect or another. Both have 8" bits, the strikemaster is pretty light so its nice if you are going to be carrying it around at all. The jiffy is heavy as hell but you have to hang on tight cuz it cuts the ice so fast...

[/QUOTE

i have an 8" 2hp stealth......unbelievabley quiet.....ever accidentaly step in a 10" hole on slushy ice??? no need for anyting bigger than 8" bit.....

[steelnewbie]

G, one little extra you might want to have is some form of GPS. I don't have anything yet, but soon.. My current method of marking the hot-spot with a stick works form week to week, but doesn't fair too well from season to season!!

What is the bottom line fishing buddy??


ah yes, I forgot to mention the bottom line fishing buddy... One of my greatest ice fishing investments. By the way, I use the ugly stick 24" jigging rod as well and it has wrestled its fair share of 20"-26" lakers, but its also sensitive enough to catch panfish and still have a good time.

[hizzy19]

It is a portable fish finder... http://www.cabelas.com/products/Cpod0012236.jsp

A new trend I've seen in the past few years for perch/panfish jigging is the use of a gas-powered drill similar to those used for tapping maple trees. The guys I know who fish perch all winter to make money swear by them. They weigh about as much as a light chainsaw and zip down through with a 3" hole like cutting butter.

[rusty]

well, after running a few errands in the morning, i got all the ice gear ready....but not without help from 24 close friends from holland......still a few friends left, but their leaving little by little....unfortunatly none of my cuban friends were available.....

[gman2153]

I spent a bit of time on Cabelas website today , and after $267 I am ready to go with ice fishing gear!!!

I opted for this 6" hand auger - I guess the Fins know about their ice...
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0010850115630a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnString=N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&Ntt=hand%20auger&QueryText=hand%20auger&noImage=0&returnPage=search-results1.jsp
As far as GPS - I bought a handheld Lowrance Ifinder GPS unit last year while cruising on Cabela's with a beer buzz...Thus far, I have only used it to track my trip from White Haven to Altmar:D ..

Now I think I have a bond-fide use for this gadget...

I am ready to hit the hard water...

[woolybugger65]

tip ups frabill polar 10" round covers the hole entirely 14.79@cabelas on sale
auger strikemaster 7"
electronics bottom line fishing buddy
jigging rod ugly stick 24"

hey ranger, let me know when you are going sometime. i own exactly NO ice fishing equipment but very skilled at drinking. :laugh:

[rusty]

hey ranger, let me know when you are going sometime. i own exactly NO ice fishing equipment but very skilled at drinking. :laugh:

hmmmm......seems like there are alot of us on here that are skilled at drinking......

[ranger22]

no problem wooly i have enough gear for 2 people for when my wife or daughter decide to go out. i'll pm you and let you know