Great topic.
There are multiple schools of thought when it comes to gear. It really boils down to your personal style, your target species and how you like to spend your time on the ice. Having the depth charts will help you focus on the structure.
I primarily target panfish. Depending on the day, the bite will explode or it will require finesse and buckets of patience. I personally like to bring 3-4 rods out that are pre-rigged the night before with different presentations: horizontal, vertical, different colors ect ,. It’s cold and unforgiving on the open expansive waters. Heat management plays a big role on how long you can be out there. If you mark Fish and aren’t getting any strikes, I quickly reel up and grab another rod. I want to minimize tying on different jigs if I can.
Given that info, I don’t buy high end rods. Typically I look for ultra light rods with a decent reel. I buy a rod & reel combo for $35-ish.
From there I use the mono as a backing to the reel and add a big 2lb test fluro leader, or I peel off all of the line and respool with new line. Again, it all depends on your target.
Be sure to have a variety of different jigs, tube/colors and have that flasher handy. And yeah, tight lines.