After 9 years of serious ice fishing................

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Here is what I learned and wish I would have known year 1. It would have saved me a lot of trouble.

1. The best portable shack to have is a 2-3 man flip over. It gives you plent of room to store an auger within the sled & to store gear in, seats, quick up and down time and portabliity it puts itself above all other portable shacks. Took owning a eskimo lodge suit case I bought for $600 an then later sold for $100 to get a flip over to teach me the lesson.

2.Augers dig holes. All work well. Biggest thing is to keep weight down. An 8in hole with a smaller light weight motor is the key. Hole is big enough to bring up anything you catch through the ice and the auger is about the lightest you can get.

3. Besides what everyone claims. One pole can do all of the ice fishing that I do. Main thing is to have a solid yet flexible pole with a good reel with plenty of berings and a good drag on it.

4. After all of the ice fishing line hype, I've found that good old berkly micro ice fishing line in the original color is about the best for the money around my area. It's cheap and effective

5. All sonars on the market help you catch fish. While a lot of the new electric ones like the showdown and boat sonars are nice, It's hard to beat an old flasher when you are hole hopping in very cold weather. All are great units but a true flasher just works no mater what.

6. When it comes to tip ups. They all work, but for all around preformance I just can't seem to beat the solid Orange Thermal Tip ups. They don't seem to freeze the hole over and into the ice like the others. Plus one good kick with the tip of a guys foot breaks them loose if they do freeze down.

7.Rattle wheels are sweet

8.Always make sure you have a good battery in your electronics. Otherwise you seem to have problems.

9.A pee bottle is well worth the investment for the portable when it's zero below out.

10. For space and usability a good old Mr. Heater cooker with one lb tanks is about the most cost effective and heats way better then the big buddy does. Plus it makes coffe.

11. Cameras are very handy to have, I like to use them.

12.A water tight minno bucket when moving is important.

13.Plastics fish well for panfish. However, always make sure you have live bait so you know for sure the fish are or aren't biting.

14. After fighting with milk crates to hold stuff in my clam Voyager, I found that the shopping baskets in the grocery stores are better. They are longer and a touch shorter so they fit under the bar and seats where a milk create was just a touch to tall and would only fit in certain places.

15. Led strips are a lot less of a problem then a coleman lantern when in the flip over.

16. I'll probably add more later.

[Will]

Great points! We must be related the only difference would be my 3 hp Jiffy legend (weighs about 40lbs) that I've owned for about 15 years, can't bring myself to part with it.

[hunt fish repeat]

Glad you found what works for you, but to think your plan would fit everyones fishing style is just plain silly. I went from a flip over to a hub and would never consider going back. I could'nt imagine trying to land a 10 or 12 pound pike on a micro panfish set up. Ever try to get a 31 inch walleye up an 8 inch hole or worse yet trying to release it.

[grasshopper]

Great post, but 1 thing. I don't pee in a bottle no matter how cold. Only when I have a drug test I do that.

[Tom Buckles]

Glad you found what works for you, but to think your plan would fit everyones fishing style is just plain silly.

I must have missed something. He never said his plan would fit everyone. He was only stating what works for him.

[Esox_Magnum]

Agree on all but the one pole thing, I have several different rods/actions for panfish, same for perch and walleye...What rod I use depends on the situation and type/style of jig I'm using...

[JackPineGuy]

After alot More then 9 years of serious ice fishing ive reliezed why invest anything into a pee bottle? just use an empty bottle for free/ In a few more years rattle reals wont seem so cool.

[workin4bait]

A walleye that measured 34.25" was pulled through an 8 inch hole my house and then released back down same hole,yes there was alot of water on the floor but otherwise there was no problems.

Workin'

[Rick G]

I also agree with evertthing except the rod, different rods for different situations.

Have caught and realeased lots o' big fish through a 8in hole over the years .

[2thepointsetters]

I didn't even know you could ice fish in Iowa until I read this post.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Glad you found what works for you, but to think your plan would fit everyones fishing style is just plain silly. I went from a flip over to a hub and would never consider going back. I could'nt imagine trying to land a 10 or 12 pound pike on a micro panfish set up. Ever try to get a 31 inch walleye up an 8 inch hole or worse yet trying to release it.

I'm not talking a micro panfish setup for all, but a good medium rod with a solid reel can do it all. I've brought up a 47in northern which was a monster for me at upper red through a 8in hole with the medium rod and also caught panfish with it. I'm not saying everyone should do it, but it is possible. I guess maybe you just need to be a little more skilled to do such things if they seem silly.

[Esox_Magnum]

Betting may of us don't own a med action ice rod... I know I don't, ML is as heavy as I run even for eyes...

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Betting may of us don't own a med action ice rod... I know I don't, ML is as heavy as I run even for eyes...

One of my favorite rods was a Premier St. Croix ML rod, the action was perfect I loved it but some how the end got broken off of it. The medium rod I was talking about is an old Cabela's XML 26" Medium Ice rod it's different then the other rods I have it's kind like a light on the front then gets back bone like a MH on towards the handle when it loads. Haven't been able to find another rod like it. Not even the cabelas rods seemed to be like it.

What are you running for Ice rods Esox? I've got to many ice rods to count. A couple favorites I have are an older Berkley lightning rod with a pfluger reel. A fabril sub zero reel with a Light rod. An HT 8BB reel with a very nice rod (I still cant belive the thing is an HT its quality) Another fav is a Tica reel with a St. Croix Ledgend rod. Then for sight fishing a little ht shanty stick with a nice reel.

[Esox_Magnum]

TB panfish sweetheart, TB Tripwire, 13 wicked,13 whitout, Southbend Black Ice, JM perch, and a lightning rods whats currently in my rod bag...Abu 100-300 and 40U's, Shimano 500 Sedona,Okuma SLV 2/3 and aBB 6061 topping them....

[Agronomist_at_IA]

TB panfish sweetheart, TB Tripwire, 13 wicked,13 whitout, Southbend Black Ice, JM perch, and a lightning rods whats currently in my rod bag...Abu 100-300 and 40U's, Shimano 500 Sedona,Okuma SLV 2/3 and aBB 6061 topping them....

Is the panfish sweetheart worth the cash? I've thought about getting one but have a hard time dropping 100 bones on an unknown since I've never seen one. Is it much better then the nice $30-$40 mass manufactured quality rods?

[Esox_Magnum]

Unitll I bought the 13rods I would say yes, not so sure now ask me again at the end of the year...I got mine used for a sweet deal so well worth it for me...handled an 8 pound eye with ease...

[DLD24]

I liked the cooker heater the couple times it didn't shoot flames at me haha...does anyone know why it does this??

[Esox_Magnum]

Mine only did that once in 25 years, was an overfilled tank causing the issue, if the air ports are plugged they can do it to...

[Agronomist_at_IA]

I liked the cooker heater the couple times it didn't shoot flames at me haha...does anyone know why it does this??

Never had that problem

[JeffB]

The only time I've ever had the cooker heater shoot flames is when the tank got tipped or shook and it gets some liquid propane to feed through.

The only thing I've learned through my years of fishing is the more I fish the more I learn about fishing. The less I fish the faster I forget what I've learned. If your fishing with someone and your getting outfished watch what they are doing different and learn.

[McGurk]

I, for one, would have loved to have read this when I started out. He has the sentiment right in about all accounts, and of course there are going to be exceptions. An 8" hole will be fine for 99% of people's fishing. One rod will catch all fish, but if you want variety you can get what you want. I had a suitcase and it worked, but I love my 2 man flipover that I now use.

One thing I would add is if you aren't catching, feel free to move and try a new setup. My biggest issue is the quantity of time to fish, so I guess I don't want to sit there not catching if I don't have to. All things being the same: A proactive fisherman will typically outfish a reactive one.

[gill man]

That's a good list. I fully 2nd the 2-3 man flipover shack. I'be been using a trap guide for years and still love it. Would also like a 3 person model for when the wife and dog come along, and a small 1 man for when I'm on foot and alone.

Still using a model 30 jiffy but would love to move to a 2hp Strikemaster or a Nils. Bought a Nils hand auger last year and it's amazing.

I do use a couple rods. A panfish sweetheart that I just love, a walleye sweetheart for eyes, and a perch sweetheart that can bridge the gap. I think if there was ONE rod the perch sweetheart would be a nice choice.

Also have a JM meat stick for dead sticking that works pretty well.

Regarding what rods and 8 inch holes are cabable of: The attached musky came from an 8" hole. It grabbed a hooked crappie and was eventually landed on a panfish sweetheart on 2 lb test. While not ideal, taking your time can go a long ways towards landing big fish on light tackle.

Gill Man

[CANOPY SAM]

You know, it's hard to swallow. Agronomist was simply sharing his observations, and things "he" has learned over "his" years of fishing, and immediately people start jumping in and arguing why he is wrong, and what "they" know is better. Never did he imply that his way is the best, or better than anyone else'. He was only sharing his experience. That's what this site is about.

Why can't someone on this forum just share their thoughts and observations without being publicly eviscerated?

It's really sad, and after many, many years on this site, I've just about had my fill of it.

What really stands out for me in this? It's obvious by the quality of content that the majority of you folks that consistently pick a fight with someone, for whatever reasons(?), likely don't even know what the word eviscerated means.

Fishing Minnesota isn't here as a vehicle to prove who is the smartest, or the best at anything. It's a family friendly outdoors HSOforum for sharing tips, information, ideas, and experiences. Period.

Remember the old saying, "If you don't have something good to say, then don't say it"? Might consider applying that next time you feel like glorifying yourself over the web.

[CANOPY SAM]

Fantastic fish BTW gill man! Thanks for sharing.

[Vitreus]

Wow, that is an awesome fish and story. Nicely done!