Chadd:

Ice fishing can be a lot of fun, but without the right gear it can be a real drag. You can’t cheap out on boots and outer wear, obviously, but a shelter and gas auger aren’t far behind those essentials.

You can start with a hand auger, and I won’t even recommend getting a gas auger. When you’re new to ice fishing, young, and still very excited about catching fish, that energy will allow you to use the hand auger and still enjoy yourself. However, at some point you’ll go out with someone who has a gas auger or you’ll be fishing near someone with one, and you’ll start making little sacrifices (like going without food) in order to save up for one.

A shelter (even a little one) can become indispensable, too. If you’ve ever fished on a bitter cold day with wind, you’ll understand. Again, when you first start ice fishing, your enthusiasm will keep you warm, but it won’t belong before you’re ready to upgrade from enthusiasm to actual shelter.

As for bait, I find that lures and bait together are best — the fish are more sluggish in winter, which I find sometimes means subtle and half-hearted takes. And because you’re somewhat limited in your ability to move around to find fish (especially with a hand auger), you have to draw them to you, despite their sluggishness. So, the lure provides flash, color, sound, and movement, and then added bait ensures an energetic take. I have usually used jigs with a worm, a minnow, or bacon on the hook. Sometimes, if we catch small perch, we will use those as bait, too.

I live in the west, so I’ve never ice-fished for northern pike, and I have a feeling there are special jigs and tackle for catching them. However I have ice-fished for bass and walleye, and jigs and bait have always worked, as long as the spot was hot.

You will also want to use depth sounders. These are clip-on weights you can use to find the bottom so that you can systematically fish from the bottom to the ice. Different fish will feed at different depths. For example, trout hold pretty deep in the lakes I’ve fished — sometimes right at the bottom. Bass and perch are typically higher up in the water column and are found in vegetation or around submerged structure. I don’t know about pike — I’d imagine they’d be higher up in the water, too.

Anyway, I hope this helps somewhat. Good luck and tight lines to you.