There is some basic ice fishing gear you need to get started ice fishing. First of all, having an ice house is something we highly recommend. You don’t necessarily need one, but when it’s cold in the winter, it can help keep you warm. If it’s especially cold, a propane heater is another piece of gear that will help keep you warm in your ice house.
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Something else you need are fishing poles and a case that can hold your rods. A case will help protect them when not in use and during transportation. You’ll then need jigs and having a variety of them will help you. Other pieces of gear that are important are an auger and an ice scoop. An augur is used to create your holes to fish through and you don’t want to have extra ice and slush in the hole when fishing. Lastly, a Vexilar or a similar type of graph can be a great tool to help you catch more fish.
Real bad ice this year in Wisconsin and Minnesota. So be careful. Carry a spud with you to test the ice on your way out!!