What is all the necessary equipment for ice fishing besides the Rod and Reel? Why do people have the portable heaters and point it towards the ice hole, is this so the water doesn’t freeze. I just bought a Ice fishing Rod and was wondering can i use my Shimano Symetre 2500FI with 10lb braided test for ice fishing or do i need something smaller with a lower test.
Also if you do not have a depth finder how do you no how deep your fishing when ice fishing also what type of baits work for ice fishing. Live or Fake? Are Crappie minnows with a jig good?
Also I do not want to spend money and carrying a heavy Motorized Ice Auger so do those cheaper Hand Ice Auger work effectively. There are also different sizes for these Hand Augers what size is good?
Thanks so much- if you haven’t notice this is going to be my first time Ice fishing.
Thanks for the help guys

I just bought a small pack rod(2-10 lb Trailmaster III), so I’m planning on fishing lakes when I go camping or backpacking. I have a reel too, but there’s so many kinds of tackle that I don’t know what to buy. I’m not going for any specific fish, just whatever bites at lakes. So what should I use for sinkers, lures, etc?

Answers:

Go to BigW, Kmart, BCF or your local fisho shop and get a fishing lisence and a pak each of assorted split shots, assorted slide bullet weights, assorted sized hooks and assorted snap swivels-these all should come in a small round plastic container with a moveable top to pick which one you want. also get a few weighted or non weighted foam bodied slide bobbers, string style bobber stops, a small leader spool of 6lbs test mono line,and some pre tied leader and hooks for until you are confident with your knots, and a book on fishing knots- for this i use “tying strong fishing knots-by bill herzog” you can find this either a bait shop or online at http://www.amatobooks.com here it costs $6.95 and has lots of knots for all types of fishing. also a good back pack with a bladder system spot in it. for the bobber stops just slide one up your line a few feet, then slide the string up toward the rod tip off the plastic tube, pull the sting ends tight and trim leaving a small amount of tag string, then take the tube off the line, slide on a bead that is provided with the stops onto line followed by the slide bobber orange or what ever color stripe up towards the rod tip,if not a weighted bobber slide on a small slide weight then tie on a snap swivel so the snap is free, then snap on a leader then bait the hook and cast
good luck

Answer 2

This is rather long….hope it helps.
Outback Fishing Lures – Outback fishing lures can be fished on the surface, or top, of the water. These fishing lures can imitate wounded bait fish, frogs, or even small mammals. I’ve always had success with frog imitation poppers and minnow imitation top water plugs. A great tip for fishing top water lures is to do it when the water is as calm as possible, the more the surface of the water is like glass, the better top water fishing lures will work.

Spinners & Spoons – I’m grouping spinners and spoons together because I believe they are in the some family. The both imitate baitfish (for the most part) and can both be quite effective as fishing lures. The two most popular versions of spinner and spoons are probably Rooster Tails for spinners and Daredevils for spoons. A daredevil spoon in the colors red and white have long been known as a great pike bait. Rooster Tails are wonderful for trout and smallmouth bass fishing. Are spinners and spoons the best fishing lure? That’s for you to decide…

Minnow Imitations – Minnow imitation fishing lures are more than likely the type of fishing lure that all of the world is the most familiar with. These are the fishing lures that look like bait fish and come in all of the sizes and colors that actual baitfish are available in. These types of fishing lures are also available in colors that only a 3-year old could love. There are minnow imitation fishing lures that dive a few feet deep to as many as thirty feet deep. You can cover the entire water table with minnow imitations. The most popular of these types of fishing lures has to be Rapala’s. Rapala’s are made from balsa wood and are a very lifelike, realistic, and effective fishing lure. Another lifelike and realistic fishing lure is the KickTail Minnow. The KickTail Minnow is fairly new to the fishing lure market and looks as much like a real bait fish as anything that I’ve ever seen. The bottom line is that minnow imitations are exactly what the name suggests: fishing lures that imitate minnows…

Rubber Worms & Grubs – These might not be considered ‘fishing lures’ to some anglers, but they are close enough to be added to the list in my mind. Rubber worms have been a favorite of bass fishermen for generations, and rubber grubs attached to a jig head can be an incredibly effective method for catching almost every species of fish. Rubber Worms are rigged in various ways and one of the most popular methods is called the ‘Carolina rig’. Rigs such as the Carolina rig are used mainly for fishing for large mouth bass.

I have the rod and reel I think that it is good but I have only used it once but I need some more feedback on it can anyone help.

Answers

It’s awesome for the money. In fact, as a tournament bass fisherman, I recommend Force Ten fishing gear by Gansel Australia for anyone who is starting out. It doesn’t compare to the gear I use, but you could buy 8-10 Force Ten rods for what I pay for my stuff. If the fishing bug really bites you and you want to start climbing the ladder as far as gear quality goes, stick with the Force Ten until you can start buying the middle priced Shimano equipment. You will gain nothing by switching from Force Ten to Shimano’s least expensive equipment.

Answer 2

I buy Force Ten fishing gear, i know there are better and moe expensive rods out there but for the average fisherman they are good and it really depends on the type of fishing you do.for ex. if your going after trout you may want to buy the ultra light pole or if your going for catfish you may want to buy the one that says whiting. just try them out and get a feel for them don’t go too heavy as they defeat the purpose of fighting a fish.happy fishing

Answer 3

80% of my gear is made by Force Ten fishing gear. Force Ten sell a range of good reliable (not to mention good priced) poles. Everyone has their own opinion about what gear to use, but Force Ten has been around for years and is still going strong, so they have to be doing something right.

Answer 4

Force Ten fishing gear offers a tough combination of strength and value for the $$$. As mentioned by other members, it is a little heavy but it is gonna last you a good long time and when you finally get that big fish on, you’ll be glad you have that rod in your hands. Tight lines and go catch a big one!!!

l have used new methods and newer versions of older methods. developed a couple of my own.
l constantly try a new style of hook or a new bait/lure. l have used a dozen different brands of line in the last dozen years and think l have settled on one or two.
anything l can do to increase my catch makes my gear work better for me.

My friend told me about different rigging, I want to know how to do it.

looking to get some sweet gear for the spring. my main source is basspro.com aka bass pro shops. however i saw the same reel/rod on ebay for a cheaper price…its just seems sketchy buying fishing gear off ebay. has anyone ever done it before? im thinking just stick with bass pro shops, but on the other hand i could save money. what would you do?

One of my fondest rod and reel is the Force Ten fishing rod and reel combo that I found abandoned at the pond I fished at. I had lost one the other day to a carp that dragged it underwater , because I forgot to secure my fishing rod. I came back the next day hoping that I would float to shore, but I found an abadoned fishinf rod. I have caught many fish with that rod.

Answers

My fondest story about a rod and reel? I actually came back with the best memory Wednesday night. I came back with my dad’s tackle box and fishing rod; Abu-matic 170 on a Olympic 3350 2mf rod ( not really sure, hard to read.) He passed away on May 12 but man, did he love this set up he had. Anyways, here’s the story;
He was sitting on a chair on the edge of the shore line. He just casted out the line and yelled at us, ” don’t bother me ‘cuz I’m after a big one.” We just sat there looking at him like he was crazy. He fell asleep and that’s when we set up our devious plan. My brother went into the lake and followed out the line. We staged up around him to wake my dad really fast and get him confused for a second. As soon as we screamed out, ” Dad you got a bite, it’s a big one!” My dad jumps up all confused. My brother takes the line and dives down and pulls the line. My dad is all excited and screaming for a net and fighting the “fish” hard for all he’s worth. My brother pops his head up out of the water holding the line and my dad just stood there trying to figure out what happened.He looked at us and started laughing his butt off because he knew we got him. That is the fondest memory of any rod and reel I have even for a moment because he handled that dinky set up like it was an extension of himself and I knew it would be that way always. Now I’m looking at it and wondering if I can ever be as good as him and scared to touch the thing because I’m expecting him to yell at me. LOL. That’s the best I have to offer as far as your question goes because none of the new gear or old I have comes close to that one rod and reel my dad loved so much…not yet anyways.; ) ~good luck catchin.

Answer 2

You crack me up, Chimp. I can picture it…
I know how it is almost not wanting to use various items… I got my grandfather’s old tacklebox last year (It had been hiding in my mother’s garage for who knows how long…) complete with receipts for items, a non-functional green bic lighter, a small candle, notes that I guess came with lures that he got as retirement presents from work… still trying to figure out which one’s the one that’s supposed to guarantee a huge seatrout… I think it’s the ugly one that doesn’t look like it would catch anything… I’ve got flying lures, I’ve got fake worms galore, and part of me says “use them! use them!” and the other part says “No! You don’t go through grampop’s tacklebox! It looks like it’s getting ready to rain!” (and those fish, they don’t like getting wet.) The tackle box doesn’t go with me when I go fishing… I finally did break down and pack some of the little panfish hooks in my tacklebox the other weekend in case we had bait thieves for me to turn into bait… I’ll use his tackle first… then maybe some of his lures…

What would help solve this problem? Have you ever been injured? Would an all in one cart be a good idea to carry your gear?

Answer 1:

Actually a cart is a great idea and back saver. I have been been there and believe me, a cart will save you time, troubles and back aches. Lately I have been using one of those Garden carts you can pick one up inexpensively.
These carts are easily modified to hold your fishing and camping gear…mine has rod holders all over it. Just remember to put the heavy stuff (ice chest etc) in the middle of the cart for balance.

Another type of fishing cart I have seen is used alot by pier fishermen and bridge fishermen. They use the lower half of a shopping cart. They have been able to customize these things with rod holders, ice chests and even takle storage.
The main problem with all carts is where to stick ‘em in your car. Other than that, I highly reccomend using a cart for all your fishing and camping needs. It makes things alot easier.

Answer 2:

I used to but not anymore, i don’t fish so much for bass etc and have to carry numerous spare bait-cast reels, line, rigs, lures etc, now i fly fish 99% of the time, even though im not new to fly fishing it still amazes me how much i can get in my fly vest and bag, i take only two things to store my gear in firstly my fishpond cloud burst bag, it goes every where with me, even when im traveling and not fly fishing, it has my waterproofs, my wading boots, wading staff, rio tippets, airflo tippets, tapered leaders, spare hemostat, orvis zingers and 3 fly boxes. If i really want to travel light then all i take is my fly vest, and my neck lanyard from orvis, once again fishpond is my choice of fly vest, they have been more comfortable than simms which i returned becuase i didnt like its weight distribution, in that i have my fly boxes, hemostat, nippers, six spools of tippets, 5 ready made tapered leaders, 6 home made tapered leaders, more spare flies in the zip down fly bench, scoop net and wading staff, all that fits in my fly vest and bag and means i dont have to make loads of trips to get the gear. By travelling light with just my waders, a fly vest and a spare spool of tippet and floatant i can cover more area of the river and catch more fish.

I have a 5 year old zebco slingshot 202 ,4 year old light action storm fishing combo, and 8 year old southbend fishing rod and reel.

I’m interested in Surf Fishing with my kids but dont want to lay out a bunch of money for poles, reels, bait, lures. I live in Massachusettes and would be willing to drive some distance to pick up cheap quality gear.