Outdoor forum? Ice fishing gear advice.

A big parka and a cooler of beer. That's all I got.

Ice fishing?  That's why god invented the tropics.

Seriously, go to Lake Link.  In the forums they have some good info for ice angling.  As does the Colorado Fishing Forum.....you can browse for free and sign-up for free and post your Questions.

I just hope it's fun for you and your boy, EC.
Some of favorite memories growing up are when the ol' man would take me fishing.

Unless you're a big pussy, manual auger.  What's 3 feet of ice? 

Fish finder, that's what bait is for.

Shacks, yes.

Lots of red beers and don't shit in your ice hole.

Vexilar FL-18.  You can get some used ones pretty cheap. They work as good as the FL-28.    I'd also go with manual auger or at least one you can put on an 18 volt electric drill.  You don't need to spend money for a motor if you already have a battery drill.   

@Henry posted:

Unless you're a big pussy, manual auger.  What's 3 feet of ice?

Fish finder, that's what bait is for.

Shacks, yes.

Lots of red beers and don't shit in your ice hole.

How big is your ice hole?

Henry? Uh, I’d think we’d all agree he’s a pretty big ice hole.

Just don't lick the ice hole.

What is your budget ? Panfish ? Gamefish ? Both ?

Electric augers are nice. Strikemaster and Ion offer decent electric ( Lithium battery ) augers at a not too stupid price. Replacement batteries aren't cheap though so that's something to consider long term.Power augers in general are a PIA to lug around as well. At least for me they are/were.

I ditched my power auger about 12 or so years ago in favor of a Nils hand auger. The Nils cuts like butter and I don't have to worry about it starting. LOL If you are still undecided Nils makes an auger that you can use manually or use with an 18 volt electric drill.  That is the route I will go if I ever get too old and crusty to twist a hand auger.

I'm with Ammo. Vexilar makes a solid locator. I've been running a Vex since they first came out 30+ years ago. I've had an 8, 8se, 18 and I run a 28 now. You can't go wrong with any of them but the 28 is the best ( feature wise ) of the Vexilars that I have owned.

I like the Otter line of shacks. They aren't cheap but they are a solid piece of kit. Clam makes an alright shack too. I got talked into buying a one man Eskimo shack 2 winters ago. Never again ! I sold it the following spring.

Unfortunately, It's hard to find reliable advice on sites like lake link , FB icefishing pages etc as questions about gear always seem to turn into Ford vs Chevy type pissing matches. I suggest talking to guys you run into on the ice about the gear they have. Ask about what they like and don't like about their shack, locator etc. or what they would do differently next time. You can learn a lot going that route.

On a side note, I think it's pretty cool you wanting to get back in the game with your kid.

Ah geez, there’s always one that has to show up and wreck a thread.  

Hi

Awww great......

Just Another F@cking Observer

@ammo posted:

Vexilar FL-18.  You can get some used ones pretty cheap. They work as good as the FL-28.    I'd also go with manual auger or at least one you can put on an 18 volt electric drill.  You don't need to spend money for a motor if you already have a battery drill.   

Bought my sister and niece a Vexilar FL-18, for Christmas, a few years back. They love it and it has held up very well. As far as on-ice shelters go, I'd look at Eskimo, Clam or Otter shelters.

Thanks for most the replies!

I hunted and fished like crazy when younger.  Interesting that when my daughter and son were born I didn't do much (any) hunting and fishing as they weren't into it.   Took them fishing/hunting a few times, never stuck.  Spent a lot of time at baseball, soccer, basketball, dance and cheer competitions.

My son (18) now has gotten into deer hunting and fishing with a couple buds.  Soft and hard water.  He was pretty pumped dad had all kinds of poles and cold weather gear for him.  I figured life is getting shorter and if he's interested, I better take advantage!

I don't want to say unlimited budget, but as my wife would say, I don't spare too much expense when it comes to my outdoor and Packer stuff!  Buy good stuff that lasts is my motto.  My brother has a gas auger/shack and Vexilar my boy can "try out" for now.  A old hunting/fishing buddy and nephew work at Scheel's so I'm getting advice from them too.  I knew the good stuff 15 years ago, but wow, technology sure has changed.

Having access to your brothers gear is a best case scenario. Nothing beats first hand experience when it comes to gear.

It blows my mind how far technology has come in the last 15-20 years. From baits to electronics it's easy to get caught up in all the hype and spend a bunch of money you really don't need to.  I'm lucky in that I make all of my own soft plastic baits for open water and icefishing. I trade a lot of those baits for the gear I have. For instance I have traded baits for a brand new Vexilar 28, a hand full of custom rods and other stuff. If not for trading I probably wouldn't have spent the money on any of those things.

I'll tell you one piece of tech I highly recommend is the Navionics boating app for your smart phone. It's basically a GPS and lake map program for your smart phone. I use that every time I hit the ice. It used to be free but now it's like 15 bucks a year or something. It's an app well worth having.

I'll shut up now. lol

@GEEMAN posted:

It blows my mind how far technology has come in the last 15-20 years. From baits to electronics it's easy to get caught up in all the hype and spend a bunch of money you really don't need to.  I'm lucky in that I make all of my own soft plastic baits for open water and icefishing. I trade a lot of those baits for the gear I have. For instance I have traded baits for a brand new Vexilar 28, a hand full of custom rods and other stuff. If not for trading I probably wouldn't have spent the money on any of those things.

Yes. With baits, to me, it's mostly more about the Indian than the arrow. But the advances in electronics has been nothing short of amazing. Game changing.

Don't forget to get a Color-Selector!

@Brak posted:

Yes. With baits, to me, it's mostly more about the Indian than the arrow. But the advances in electronics has been nothing short of amazing. Game changing.

You mean Native American and pointy tip rod.

Oh, wow.  That pic brings back memories.

My dad (rest his soul 11/8/2020) had one of those in his tackle box!