Please help me not waste my money late in the season

[RedRangerOAB]

Hello this is my first year ice fishing I’ve been going out to good spots like the cove and Batam every weekday and trying to go to local spots as much as I can during the week earlier in the season I bought an ice fishing mystery tackle box which came with some good tackle to get me started I’m thinking about buying another one I’m just concerned the ice isn’t gonna last much longer and it won’t be worth it when I could just save my money and buy a bass one for open water season for me it’s really a matter of how long the ice here in ct will last so if any one of you more experienced ice anglers had any info it would be great


Edit: you can’t even get the mtb ice fishing box now they online sell them November to February and apparently nows past the deadline but I’d like to still know how long you guys think the ice will last

[fishoninct]

You ask an impossible question to answer. Sometimes ice lasts into March and even April. April will probably not be possible this year as the ice isn’t thick enough. If I had to guess, March is probably going to be a possibility this year. How far into March is the question.
The sun will become stronger as the angle will be more direct and cause more melting and thermal cycling. This will degrade the strength of what we have.

[Ravo Himself]

Any gear you buy for this year is just less gear you have to buy next year.... even though us seasoned anglers know that's not how it works. We always find excuses to buy new gear. So I say go for it. And if you don't already have one buy a spud bar. We're going to be coming into late season ice soon. It could be 6"thick but still be unsafe at times. Spud is the only way to know

[flagup!]

Sorry....Can't help you, if I can't help myself..   

[Global Warming in CT]

Buy the tackle! A lot of it can be used in open water too. Keep in mind that any gear you buy is going to last you several ice seasons if you take care of it. I started ice fishing about 15 years ago and tried to make one semi-big purchase a year (new tipups, power auger, shelter, flasher, a 2nd flasher, etc). After a few years you'll find yourself with a pretty nice setup that didn't cost you too much at once.

[Adironzach]

I say go for it. I have a hard time saying know to new gear tho, especially when i know i dont have something. I tend to use a fair amount of my ice tackle open water too so there are definitely multi use purposes for a lot of baits you have in your tackle box.

[mungo544]

List what is in the "mystery box" and whether you prefer jigging or traps, what kind of fish you are targeting etc. That would give a better idea of what advice to give. If you have a supply of basic ice fishing gear, (jigging rod or two, some jigs, a few tip-ups) I would save any other funds for  a good sonar/gps combo or a quality auger. I am pretty confident that I will be on the ice at Bantam well past the end of Feb into early March.

[Ryan51993]

Personally I'd say don't buy it but that's because I keep it pretty simple when I'm ice fishing and because I doubt the ice will last much longer. I essentially just use small jigs/jig bait/shiners and that's it. Beyond that all I need is good hooks and line. I'm from mass and last season the latest I was able to get out in central ma was February 29 and this season is shaping up to be similar with all the warm temps coming next week. Yes we've had years where you could ice fish all the way to April but that's not happening this year, extended forecast shows high 30s or higher almost ever day for the next 2 weeks.

[TheJigginJerk]

I think you would be better off buying a few lures that you know will work rather than getting a box of stuff you may never use.
You really only need a few baits. Try to find a Hali jig with the chain, a Rapala Jigging Rap and a small tear drop jig. That’s really all you need. You can bait them with natural bait like a wax worm or spike. If you want to go all artificial then tip the jigs with some micro plastics. If you want to try a few bigger baits you could get a darter, ripping rap or blade baits.