What Supplies Will You Need When You Go Ice Fishing

Ice fishing has a lot to offer! Ice fisherman and women also are called hard water anglers, which makes sense . Many people get hung up on the idea that ice fishing is all about hanging out on ice yet this does not take into account many of the terrific advantages of the sport. For example you will have fewer fisherman nearby and far less insect infestation to contend with!

Ice fishing has its own set of equipment requirements that differ quite a bit from other equipment needs like fishing fly gear. There are additional safety precautions that are not seen in other styles of fishing, this article provides you with the facts to have a great day on top of the ice !

Major ice fishing supplies consist of an ice shanty or shelter, an auger for cutting a hole in the ice and a light fishing rod or a tip-up which I explain later .

The ice shanty or shelter is built to be portable or permanent and will protect as many as four occupants from the weather . Portable heaters can be used in many of the shelters to provide additional comfort.

An auger comes as manual or powered and is what most fisherman will use to cut a hole into the ice, yet other fishermen will use a saw or chisel. A round hole or rectangle is the usual shape and the recommended size of the hole is 8 inches or approximately 20 centimeters. This size lets plenty of room for fishing yet is not large enough to allow it to be a safety problem should a foot slip in the hole.

An option to the rod is to have what is referred to as a tip-up. This is a device that can be laid over the hole in the ice and supports a line suspended into the hole . When a fish takes the bait , a flag on the tip-up is triggered telling you that you got a hit.

Ice fishing has many terrific aspects and many fishermen like the additional fishing season. Still safety precautions must be taken and this includes the thickness of the ice. If you plan on ice fishing alone the ice thickness should be 10 centimeters or more , if you are in a group it should be 18 centimeters or more and if you will be driving a vehicle onto the ice, then do not venture out on ice that is below 28 centimeters in thickness.