I'd like to say thanks. The information on this site / subject has been a huge help.
In New Mexico we don't have a whole lot of water let alone water that freezes. Finally found a lake (Eagle Nest - 3.5 hr away) that has good reliable ice. I fished it the last couple weeks and all we caught was a handful of perch. I did my research on this sight last week and went back out yesterday with all that I learned. I took one old hunting buddy with me that has never Ice Fished before. With 3 rods working we iced 60+ Perch and brought home 44. All but ~4 of them were caught in a couple hours.
What a kick! It might have just turned another towards the sport.