When Ice Fishing was a $4 dollar jigging rod from K-Mart and a pickle bucket

[Gunflint]

and either no fish at all, or limits of one over 1 inch.

[badger132]

Still have my old school inline reel. We used these fishing perch in Wisconsin. A fireman made and sold them on his days off- never saw a commercial version until the '80s. I got this for Christmas in the early '70s. They cost $25, and it was my big gift for the year. The original weight was made from a V8 pushrod, and the depth was set with the wire hooks brazed to the 16mm film reel. Once you had it set, you could reel up a perch and have it back down in seconds. I still bring it out from time to time, and it still does the job, but to be honest, my new cheapie spinning reels are sooo much nicer.
I still enjoy simple fishing, but really we are soooo much richer, in terms of the time and money we can devote to entertainment than our parents or grandparents, it is not a fair comparison. I guess the fact that we remember those times so fondly shows that we have not been very effective at converting that affluence into happiness. I know I have a lot of equipment I will never use, and need to remember that it is the experience we are after.

[2MuchStuff]

to the O.P.   well written you have a gift for prose.
in the early days ,when having your p.j's under your trousers and plastic bread bags in your boots to keep your feet dry,was hi tech clothing.
we had stick rods and bare hooks  ,with grubs with harvested our selves from the golden rod bulbs.
I remember saving up money to buy a schooly reel, it was aluminium, was ? I still have it .
our auger was a spoon blade 4 inch or so. It took all you had to get thru 12 inches of ice.
had a 5 gallon pail to sit on and a clamp on heavy weight for a depth finder. and we caught fish.
next week if the weather holds I will be going out to the rock pile where this all started
It will take twenty minutes to unload all the crap I bring with from cameras to coolers to heaters and batteries with solar chargers tackle boxes
Ill be in my strike master floatation suit with matching bibs and gloves pulling my insulated flip shack and gasser auger to the same spot to catch just as many fish
I feel as though I have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

[TACP]

to the O.P.   well written you have a gift for prose.
in the early days ,when having your p.j's under your trousers and plastic bread bags in your boots to keep your feet dry,was hi tech clothing.
we had stick rods and bare hooks  ,with grubs with harvested our selves from the golden rod bulbs.
I remember saving up money to buy a schooly reel, it was aluminium, was ? I still have it .
our auger was a spoon blade 4 inch or so. It took all you had to get thru 12 inches of ice.
had a 5 gallon pail to sit on and a clamp on heavy weight for a depth finder. and we caught fish.
next week if the weather holds I will be going out to the rock pile where this all started
It will take twenty minutes to unload all the crap I bring with from cameras to coolers to heaters and batteries with solar chargers tackle boxes
Ill be in my strike master floatation suit with matching bibs and gloves pulling my insulated flip shack and gasser auger to the same spot to catch just as many fish
I feel as though I have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Well said sir,  I think I wrote that post just because whenever I think of ice fishing my mind always goes back to that chubby 10 year old kid with plastic bread bags on his feet and his boots chasing down a dream on the ice. I agree I have all kinds of gear sonar and cameras and beautifully matched ultralight spinning reels in Saint Croix rods too. Last year I kind of Made a pilgrimage back to those old feelings and started building jigging Rod’s and Tip downs and I absolutely crushed fish on them out fished my buddies who had nice stuff and they were amazed at my homemade tackle that works great. I think that some ice fishing gear was designed the right way long ago and can never be irrelevant in today’s nano world.

[rivereddy]

hell we used to have to crank the reel to get it to work.....

This is just too rich to ignore!!!!!!! Amen

fish on, sittin' on bucket - waitin' for a bluegill to bite

rivereddy

[PaCarpboy]

Thanks TACP.   Good to know.   Wall E Gator, funny stuff.   Someday,we won't even need to on the ice to ice fish.   All virtual with delivery. 

[stuckinohio]

Sounds VERY similar to how I started. I am still a trap guy but miss the pickerels. We had huge ones where I lived back when.

When I started going with my dad, probably around 1965-66, we had a spud bar and Fishcrafter tip-ups.  We only fished tip-ups.  I still have and use everyone of those tip-ups.  Some still have a metal plate with my dad's name and address on them.  There may have been a homemade jigging stick, but it never got used.  Our primary quarry.....PICKEREL!   I can still picture my dad chopping the holes.  Took a while to get through a foot of ice.   Often, we would build a fire on the ice for warmth.  No such thing as an ice shelter.  The other memorable experience was stopping for live bait.  There was a farmer that had his own ponds and trapped the biggest shiners I ever saw.   He had a small cinderblock outbuilding next to his barn where he had a concrete tank and constant flowing spring water from a pipe running into it.  He and my dad were good friends.   Early in the morning we would stop there and it would always end with my dad and him doing a shot of whiskey.  My dad told me one time (before I was old enough to go), he stopped there and never ended up going fishing.  Things were so much simpler back then but I remember them like they were yesterday, not 50+ years ago.  I'm blessed that I got to experience those time with him and am glad I am still ice fishing and have found a few good friends to share the hardwater times with.  Stay safe and enjoy the holidays everyone.

[Gunflint]

I'm getting my order in for the new Robot Auto Ice fisherman with the Track option for deep snow. I think my buddy is getting the Super Drone Spectral Quantum Flux Fish Finder. Gonna do a fly over n tag all the fish then send RoboLips out to scoop em up. Damn this fishing from the couch crap is tough.

But the limit will be ZERO by that time.

[stuckinohio]

I'm getting my order in for the new Robot Auto Ice fisherman with the Track option for deep snow. I think my buddy is getting the Super Drone Spectral Quantum Flux Fish Finder. Gonna do a fly over n tag all the fish then send RoboLips out to scoop em up. Damn this fishing from the couch crap is tough.

LOL!   

[Iceassin]

The advancements in gear make me wonder what will be the latest cool fishing gadget in 30 years. Will I be waxing all nostalgic in 30years  on the good ol days when all we had was a Panoptix, Electric Auger.... ( you know these new Photon Laser Augers burn a hole in 2 nano seconds) Hell I remember my Milwaukee taking 10-15 seconds to drill a hole. and now that quantum flux finder shows every living thing in the lake, when my panoptix only showed a small portion of what was under my feet. and these new nuclear powered reels that auto reel for you .... hell we used to have to crank the reel to get it to work.....

Good point Gator. The art of putting the ability to catch fish in the hands of the angler has been enhanced and surpassed by the advancement of technology. Where has the fun and appreciation gone from being able to say "I caught these fish through hard work and determination" to "I'll be right back...I forgot my locator".

[zcm_82]

Makes me sorta glad I never really got into the fishing electronics craze. I had an old Vexilar I got at a yard sale once upon a time. Ended up using it a handful of times and sold it to my uncle for what I paid for it. That's been 15-20 years ago. I do have a depth finder on the boat, but it's just an old late 90s Humminbird I just use to find drops and avoid smacking into stuff on the river.

[Dave R]

I won't begrudge anyone for spending what they want on ice fishing gear. Like most I started out with simple and inexpensive gear. But over the years have appreciated the advancement of gear in our sport. Frankly I don't want to go back to the days before getting my Vexilar. It has made my time on the ice more enjoyable and productive!

[MumbleSEED]

I definitely haven't been at it as long as some here.  But the thing I can remember about the first ice fishing pole I bought was that it was orange and white and only had line wrapped around two pegs on it.  Lost it my first trip out too went torpedoing off my 5 gallon bucket.  The fish finder, shack, and other accoutrement that have come over the years are definitely appreciated.   I was thinking also my first set up was definitely a split shot and a regularly hooked crappie minnow, no jig head, scent, plastic, fancy glow, etc.  I really can say that over the past decade and a half the change in the sport of ice fishing has been pretty large.  I like it all nonetheless and still have the mentality that if I go out and get skunked it was better than my favorite day at work.

Be safe out there! 

[Agronomist_at_IA]

The advancements in gear make me wonder what will be the latest cool fishing gadget in 30 years. Will I be waxing all nostalgic in 30years  on the good ol days when all we had was a Panoptix, Electric Auger.... ( you know these new Photon Laser Augers burn a hole in 2 nano seconds) Hell I remember my Milwaukee taking 10-15 seconds to drill a hole. and now that quantum flux finder shows every living thing in the lake, when my panoptix only showed a small portion of what was under my feet. and these new nuclear powered reels that auto reel for you .... hell we used to have to crank the reel to get it to work.....

Lmao in 30years libtards will have fishing shut down, you won’t be able to fish on a lake or river because it  destroys the enviornment. We will be eating plant based food crap. We will think.....remember the good ol’d days when people didn’t believe the bullchit....and just went fishing then ate the fish afterwards.

[taxi1]

I'm getting my order in for the new Robot Auto Ice fisherman with the Track option for deep snow. I think my buddy is getting the Super Drone Spectral Quantum Flux Fish Finder. Gonna do a fly over n tag all the fish then send RoboLips out to scoop em up. Damn this fishing from the couch crap is tough.

 

[Fishmon]

LOL!  When I saw this thread could not help but laugh.  Last year I decided to go low tech for perch fishing and purchased two Schooley rods for less than $20 and equipped them with about 30 yards of some  8# mono I had and  drop shot rigs with two or three ice flies.  Drop shot sinker (3/4 oz.) is adjustable to keep flies just above weeds and goes down really fast; just watch the spring bobber twitch and reel up and repeat.  Lake I fish in is crystal clear and perch are on weed beds 25-30 feet plus in depth.  Those tiny tungsten jigs take forever to go down so my fancy jigging outfits kinda sit there.  Have to admit that I don't sit on a bucket out in the open but sit inside my flipover with Little buddy heater and Vexilar going. Milwaukee drill and augur sit outside.  Ain't technology great!

[Kinkyline]

Debt... absolutely crippling debt. Some of the guys I work with have new trucks, campers, boats, etc. There is no way I can afford that without taking on a massive debt load, and we are all making roughly the same salary.

.  Let them tear there own hide...Eventually the new wears off of those expensive toys and then the funs over.

[badger132]

I won't begrudge anyone for spending what they want on ice fishing gear. Like most I started out with simple and inexpensive gear. But over the years have appreciated the advancement of gear in our sport. Frankly I don't want to go back to the days before getting my Vexilar. It has made my time on the ice more enjoyable and productive!

That is the key Dave: Keep your focus on your own experience. What others do has no bearing on your enjoyment. If we all quit worrying about the other guys "doing it wrong" we would all be happier!

 

[zcm_82]

That is the key Dave: Keep your focus on your own experience. What others do has no bearing on your enjoyment. If we all quit worrying about the other guys "doing it wrong" we would all be happier!

 

That's true. I can see the appeal of all the new tech and gear.

I've just always keps things pretty simple and old-school from habit, budget, and the dislike of dragging a ton of gear around with me.

[chilly-willy]

Wait till you got to haul all the fancy gear out on the Ice .. what happened to the simpler times?

[Rebelss]

I'm getting my order in for the new Robot Auto Ice fisherman with the Track option for deep snow. I think my buddy is getting the Super Drone Spectral Quantum Flux Fish Finder. Gonna do a fly over n tag all the fish then send RoboLips out to scoop em up. Damn this fishing from the couch  is tough.

Just beware of the signal-jamming UHO (Ultra-high Orbit) drones, that will lock on to yers, make it fly erratically, while they deploy a tractor beam to lock on and move yer fish into their FBCD. (Fish Bucket Carrying Drone)

                                                           

[ice dawg]

I remember when Dave Genz brought out the Fish Trap and there were Trap Attacks held all over the ice belt. I was on Waubay Lake during a Trap Attack and I thought those Fish Traps were the real deal. Dave was moving around and all he had to do was drill a hole  sit down, flip the canvas over him and fish. They really were the real deal IMHO. Now some of the shelters are $1,200 and pretty heavy. Loading them into a pickup can be a problem for one person. I went fishing with my son last week and we used his insulated popup. My gear consisted of an old kids plastic sled, my hard side rod case, a seven gallon bucket, my Helix 7, tackle box and a few rod holders. The funny thing was I used about six of the 1,000 spoons, jigs and other lures I had on the ice.

[zcm_82]

I remember when Dave Genz brought out the Fish Trap and there were Trap Attacks held all over the ice belt. I was on Waubay Lake during a Trap Attack and I thought those Fish Traps were the real deal. Dave was moving around and all he had to do was drill a hole  sit down, flip the canvas over him and fish. They really were the real deal IMHO. Now some of the shelters are $1,200 and pretty heavy. Loading them into a pickup can be a problem for one person. I went fishing with my son last week and we used his insulated popup. My gear consisted of an old kids plastic sled, my hard side rod case, a seven gallon bucket, my Helix 7, tackle box and a few rod holders. The funny thing was I used about six of the 1,000 spoons, jigs and other lures I had on the ice.

I downsized my gear a lot because of that whole using maybe 20% of my stuff situation. All my ice tackle fits into one small flat box now, instead of the huge Plano hipper I used to haul out with me. I sold the rest and used the money to stock up on the few things I actually did use.

[Kennebec]

I taught myself to ice fish in New Hampshire in 1980. It was on Turkey Pond in Concord when I was a freshman in college. Bought 5 traps (I still have 2 of them), a spud, a bait net, and a 5 gallon bucket for bait. Caught pickerel and perch mostly that first year and learned a lot. I miss those days.

[rdhammah]

Still have the old wooden tipups that I bought when I was in high school (i'm 68 now) along with the 4" scoop auger. they don't get used anymore. now using Polar tipups that i bought at a flea market for $1.50 each.  Went from hand auger to gas auger and back to hand auger with Hammer drill. Getting too old to crank the hand auger and to lug the gas auger. Hate to say it, but i don't know If I can fish without the flasher anymore.

[Reb]

TACP,, Thanks for bringing back some great old memories.!!

[TACP]

TACP,, Thanks for bringing back some great old memories.!!

No problem sir, I use new gear and love technology but like I told my wife whenever I think about ice fishing my heart goes back to being a kid and how learning to ice fish is how I always think of it. Before all the crap of becoming a "RESPONSIBLE ADULT" mucked everything up.  Take care and good luck this season!

[TACP]

Still have the old wooden tipups that I bought when I was in high school (i'm 68 now) along with the 4" scoop auger. they don't get used anymore. now using Polar tipups that i bought at a flea market for $1.50 each.  Went from hand auger to gas auger and back to hand auger with Hammer drill. Getting too old to crank the hand auger and to lug the gas auger. Hate to say it, but i don't know If I can fish without the flasher anymore.

I was that way with my AquaView camera I refused to fish without it.  I gave it away and bought a cheap garmin flasher, I've got to have something to monitor my jigging operation! 

[JohnnyO19]

Lmao in 30years libtards will have fishing shut down, you won’t be able to fish on a lake or river because it  destroys the enviornment. We will be eating plant based food crap. We will think.....remember the good ol’d days when people didn’t believe the bullchit....and just went fishing then ate the fish afterwards.

Not gonna happen dude, let it go 

[jacksmelt71]

i remember going fishing with my grandfather in the early 80's. he would bring hooks sinkers and a spool of 15lb. shakespere line and 2 handlines with some frozen fish to start out. we'ed sit on buckets and jig up smelts on our hand lines to use as bait then he would walk to shore with his ax and cut a half dozen 6 ft. alders. wed' drill the holes and pile the slush near the hole. then we would push a alder into it, centering the tip over the hole. hed strip about 20 yrds of line tying one end at the base of the alder and tying a hook and sinker on. hed then slightly split  the tip of the alder. once hook was baited, he would find his depth then nock the line in the split and coil the extra near the hole. the fish would grab the bait and pull the line thru the notch untill it hit the end, setting the hook. you would see the whippy alder bouncing
 up and down when the fish was on! man we caught alot of fish this way. i even did it with my kids. they loved making their own traps. we rarely missed a fish with this setup. said he learned it from a old indian when he was a kid. landed some 6-7lb lakers and salmon on these. try it sometime. its fun!