Your best tip/ Must have equipment

[appleye]

We had this topic a while back and of course I can't find it so I will start a new one with the equipment added.

My tip is to save the eyeballs of the fish you clean, salt them down with non-iodized salt (sea salt or kosher salt) put them in a zip lock bag with a piece of paper towel and use for bait (were legal to use bait). Stays on a hook very well, lots of smell, easy for fish to eat.

equipment: A couple years ago I got a big northern and all I had with to use was my hands to land. My fingers were shredded. My wife thought I needed stitches. LOL. So I went and got a cheap bog grip and have used it a lot on nice fish since, hand changer for sure!

So lets hear it while we start to get ready to play the rest of the winter.

[phishmonger]

I'll bite!

Tip: Move! You don't necessarily have to swiss cheese a lake, but if the fish aren't biting in one hole, they might just not be there.

Equipment: Spud bar. With the springs and pressure ridges and wind out here, it pays to spud the ice ahead of you. Safety first and all that jazz!

[hardwater diehard]

Couple tips...scale down the poundage of your quality fishing line ...add a Ballbearing swivel all cheap enough but the rewards are numerous.

[DR.SPECKLER]

My best tip to be a good fisherman or doing anything in life is be patient and persistent with a bit of learning along the way.

[WYIfish]

We had this topic a while back and of course I can't find it so I will start a new one with the equipment added.

My tip is to save the eyeballs of the fish you clean, salt them down with non-iodized salt (sea salt or kosher salt) put them in a zip lock bag with a piece of paper towel and use for bait (were legal to use bait). Stays on a hook very well, lots of smell, easy for fish to eat.

equipment: A couple years ago I got a big northern and all I had with to use was my hands to land. My fingers were shredded. My wife thought I needed stitches. LOL. So I went and got a cheap bog grip and have used it a lot on nice fish since, hand changer for sure!

So lets hear it while we start to get ready to play the rest of the winter.

hot tip, at flaming gourge we can't use a gaff hook but we can wrap a nylon on a stick to make a tooth catching device to bring a fish through the hole. I just called the game and fish and they confirmed that it is ok. the metal gaff is to protect the big lakers from getting holes in their mouths. Nylon wrapped on a wooden handle works pretty slick and costs next to nothing, just  wrap tightly.

[phishmonger]

hot tip, at flaming gourge we can't use a gaff hook but we can wrap a nylon on a stick to make a tooth catching device to bring a fish through the hole. I just called the game and fish and they confirmed that it is ok. the metal gaff is to protect the big lakers from getting holes in their mouths. Nylon wrapped on a wooden handle works pretty slick and costs next to nothing, just  wrap tightly.

Well that's pretty cool!

[hardwater diehard]

hot tip, at flaming gourge we can't use a gaff hook but we can wrap a nylon on a stick to make a tooth catching device to bring a fish through the hole. I just called the game and fish and they confirmed that it is ok. the metal gaff is to protect the big lakers from getting holes in their mouths. Nylon wrapped on a wooden handle works pretty slick and costs next to nothing, just  wrap tightly.

More detail please ..so a stick wrapped in a nylon stocking ...that seems amazingly simple

[huntinfool18]

2 things that have made me a more successful angler are a sonar/gps unit and lake contour maps. Even more so on new body’s of water.  I won’t leave home without them, least not on purpose anyway 

[WYIfish]

More detail please ..so a stick wrapped in a nylon stocking ...that seems amazingly simple

I made one a few years ago and it worked well on fish less than 10 pounds or so.  1) best option is a 18 inch wooden shovel handle, and a pair of cheap pantyhose.  tightly wrap the pantyhose on the end of the wooden handle. drill a hole carefully in the handle and tie off the stocking/hose real tightly. For a better tool, put a cord or small rope at the hand end. if you catch a ling, you could use it a coup stick to whack them in the head. Laugh if you want but it does work quite well. Just have to catch fish with teeth in the front of their mouth.............espe cially pike and walleye, and lake trout.

Another tool that works really well is a livewell.  Use one inch pvc and make a 12 inch aquare. Use the net that socker balls are put in and fasten it around the frame. Attach with zip ties. Place the net device (think of a regular fishing net with out a handle) or just use your fish net instead of building one. Place the net in the ice hole. Place the fish in the net. works surprizing well, weights little cost next to  nothing to make.  We all know that ice fishermen love to make gadgets. The fish stay fresh in the water instead of drying out  and freezing on the ice. It will surprize you how better they are to fillet when they aren't froze stiff as a board.
And that's what I know to share.

[hardwater diehard]

I made one a few years ago and it worked well on fish less than 10 pounds or so.  1) best option is a 18 inch wooden shovel handle, and a pair of cheap pantyhose.  tightly wrap the pantyhose on the end of the wooden handle. drill a hole carefully in the handle and tie off the stocking/hose real tightly. For a better tool, put a cord or small rope at the hand end. if you catch a ling, you could use it a coup stick to whack them in the head. Laugh if you want but it does work quite well.

Another tool that works really well is a livewell.  Use one inch pvc and make a 12 inch aquare. Use the net that socker balls are put in and fasten it around the frame. Attach with zip ties. Place the net device (think of a regular fishing net with out a handle) or just use your fish net instead of building one.  We all know that ice fishermen love to make gadgets. The fish stay fresh in the water instead of drying out  and freezing on the ice. It will surprize you how better they are to fillet when they aren't froze stiff as a board.
And that's what I know to share.

Thanks ..I learned something new today

[DawntoDusk]

Having contour maps are the way to go. It saves lots of time , because you already have a rough idea of  your depth, if you are on on flat or on the edge of a drop off. Also after drilling, if I do not see any good activity after about 10 mins I will move.

[badger132]

Often we find that the most productive technique is the first drop. Fish appear on the sonar waiting for the bait to reach bottom. If that seems to be the case, when we find a spot, I take the auger and drill a circle of holes, maybe 12 of them, in a circle 20 yards radius from the first hole. I take only my flasher and jigging rod ( and maybe a skimmer), and move from one to the next, spending no more than 2 minutes per hole. I go around the circle as long as I can get fish coming to look every 3 holes or so.
This also works in a line if you are trying to fish a drop-off or locate other structure.

[HunterK]

Muck boots and my Garmin striker

[SLAYERFISH]

Never thought Id say this but those stupid Jaw jackers certainly up the hook ratio!

[muskyon46]

  Its really going to snow good now, Thanks Slayerfish

[Keiz2]

Anything to block the wind!

[jakediesel1]

good boots. I have good luck with Baffins.  I dont care if im not catching fish, as long as my feet are warm the rest of me is just happy with a beverage in hand. Just love fishing

[SLAYERFISH]

Its really going to snow good now, Thanks Slayerfish

I get it!  HECK is gonna freeze over now!

[appleye]

TTT

My tip for this year is to learn to gain confidence in fishing at prime time without bait. You miss a fish with a rap or a spoon and you still fish on. Every time you re-bait you loose time out of the water. There are days when it helps (? maybe). 

[Hillsfisher]

My must have equipment- my Pnuma heated vest!  Makes the coldest of mornings tolerable.

Tip- Be willing to adjust.  Just because the spot, bait, or technique worked last week or yesterday, does not mean it will today. 

[badger132]

Thinking I may add my heated socks and electric hand warmers after this year. I have not tried them ice fishing yet, but in the deer stand it was sure nice to be able to add heat whenever I needed it. They use rechargeables, so it is just a matter of plugging them in when I get home. When my fingers or toes get cold, push a button, and they warm back up. Turn off when I get out of the stand to walk. I got them cheap from Amazon warehouse in the middle of summer.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Tip....

Digital scout a lake by looking at DNR survey data tand lake maps to understand what size, type, and number of fish are in it.

[ont_angler]

Less is more

[regulator]

Always have at least 1 gold Kastmaster w/chartreuse prism tape.

[307ice]

Buying a new Strikemaster 24v electric 14# liteweight auger. My old Mag 2000 was the lightest auger when I bought it 20 yrs. ago at at 25# but the new one weighs just 14#. Plus you don't have to carry and mix gas and throw out your shoulder trying to start it in cold weather. Win-Win-Win!

[Dorado]

Eskimo Pistol Bit and Hammer drill.  Combo weighs less than 8 lbs (dedicated electric augers feel heavy compared to this setup)!  Super sharp, Easy to drill holes, can drill a ton of holes other one battery.  but I already had a bunch of spares, so I never run out of power.  No gas smells getting on all my gear and clothes and no fickle starting issues!!!

[doublehaul]

Invest in a 36”-42” custom ice rod. It will change your life.
Even better, build your own rods from start to finish including turning cork rounds on the lathe. It’s incredibly satisfying to build something with your own hands that isn’t mass-manufactured and catch fish on your work of art.

Pair that custom rod with a shimano stradic spinning reel and don’t ever look back.

[musclewhitefish]

Puzzle Floor Mats.

They are so incredibility nice, it is stupid.

Just piece them together on the floor and remove a piece where you drill your fishing hole. 

[Wyoming_Ice]

Puzzle Floor Mats.

They are so incredibility nice, it is stupid.

Just piece them together on the floor and remove a piece where you drill your fishing hole.

If you are camping on the ice, put a blue tarp down first. Then the interlocking mats. Any ice that melts has a barrier between the ice and the mats.
A word of caution, the ice under the tarp becomes extremely slick when you break down your camp... 

 Wyo Ice

[Doeslayer]

My best advice is talk to people...ive learned so much from other fisherman.... I tend to make this an at the launch in or out kind of thing... I try not to bother anyone while they are fishing... But when i get there or in leaving i ask most everyone how they did... You can gauge their level of interaction interest and potentially further the conversation....

My best piece of equipment is my flasher.... Even an entry kevel flasher can help you catch more fish.... Example- on a particular lake i fish there is a smaller side to it.... I always thought it was basically barren of fish as i never caught fish there.... Once ingot a flasher years ago i went to see what that spot was all about come to find out gills and crappie are plentiful but they seen to suspend 10 feet of the bottom in about 30 fow and were very slow to bite only wanting a still jig or barely moving.... Weird but its been that way 4 years in a row now so it just seems thats hownthey like things to be