Ice Fishing: Don't Let Lack of Equipment Curb Your Passion for the Sport

One of the cool aspects about ice fishing is that it is an easy sport to get into. A person can get involved with very little gear – can walk to fishing spots – and can grow their arsenal of fishing tackle and gear at a pace that is comfortable for their pocket book. Never let a lack of a few pieces of equipment dampen your passion for this great sport

My first ice fishing experience consisted of a bait bucket, a spud (chisel), and one jig stick. There were no fancy spoons or even jigs - instead a simple hook and split shot would be my fishing arsenal. I didn't have a GORE-TEX suit. I had good socks and a pair of Pac boots and losts of layers of clothing. This was my first time on the ice and I was more than willing to get out there and brave the cold to potentially get my "Next Bite".

I was on foot and weaved my way through the rough ice close to shore and stopped about a quarter mile or so out to where the ice was smooth and looked thin enough to punch through with the spud. I had no GPS with contour maps or depth finder to see how deep it was or if fish were swimmng by. It didn't take too many swips to chisel out a rough 8 inch hole in the 12 inches of ice. I took a seat, my back to the wind and I settled in for some fishing.

I caught one white bass and one small perch that day.

Bass Pro Shops has a wide selection of ice fishing gear to help ice fisherman of all skill levels.

Fast forward to today, I've been ice fishing for over 30 years and I have seen that ice fishing just keeps evolving. And as you can imagine, I've figured out a few fishing tricks and tools in those years. My fishing has come a long way and, so has my gear and equipment. Here are a few of my favorite places to shop for the best ice fishing gear.

Bass Pro Shops has a wide selection of ice fishing gear to help ice fisherman of all skill levels of hard water fishing.

Also, Clam Ice Armor has a nice ice fishing product line from ice shelters like the Clam Scout XL to an easy and affordable ice auger drill conversion kit, LED fishing lights and waterproof gloves that withstand the coldest and wettest conditions.

So whether you’re an ice fishing veteran – or a kid wanting to get out on the ice, start with whatever you’ve got - a bait bucket, spud and jig stick. As time goes on, evolve to a shanty, auger and graphite rod. Just remember – don’t let your lack of equipment curb your passion for this great winter sport! Bite On!