I’m typically an open water guy and mainly a river guy, but with this weather we’ve had and the frozen second pool of the Mississippi I’m dying on the vine.
Here’s my question to all you ice guys out there:
If I were to go to Gander or Fleet Farm and buy the bare essentials to get started, what would they be and why?
Looking forward to hearing the collective wisdom of IDO.
Micah
24″ Ultra light rod, a decent ice reel. 2 lb. test ice line. Why- because that is sporting with anything you will catch. A hand auger. unless you have a buddy 
a scoop for straining out ice, a bucket to sit on, warm clothing. A few ice jigs like marmooska, flirty girty, gil pil. etc. and some meat. Thats minimal. Be carefull you might just get hooked 
PS you could spool up a tipup or two and throw in and extra line while you are jigging with a northern sucker- but only use big northern suckers if you like catching nice walleye….Good Luck 
well it all depends… what type of fish are you going to target, and do you have a friend who has an auger or do you need to buy that too?
You can actually ice fish by yourself with just a hand auger, ice scooper, couple jigs, rod, ice line, and some bait.
Panfish…. I would pick up and assortment of custom jigs and spins. Gill pills, diamond jigs, ratsos, shrimpos, demons, etc. You will need an UL/L action jigging rod with 2 or 3 lb. test ice line. Micro ice line is fine. Get a rod with a spring bobber or better yet buy a rod without one and pick what kind you think looks best to put on it. Get one with an open hole on the end that the line goes through, instead of the spring type that you run the line through if you are going to be fishing outside. The ice freezes in the spring and your line gets stuck if its below freezing out. An ice scooper to clean your holes. And obviously auger if you fish by yourself.
I remember a stick with an eye on one end and a big wooden handle on the other. The reel was 2 nails drilled in at an angle. Back then you didn’t need a spring bobber, you just kept an eye on the kinks in the line
I believe those days to be gone now but that was bare essentials, and the rigs caught fish 
Now days there is a whole new meaning to “bare essentials”.
How deep are you fishing, what are your targets and most importantly…What is your budget?
If you are fishing 6-12fow or shallower, you can get away without a flasher, but once you have a flasher you will be hooked and it will help produce more bites. Any deeper than 12fow without a flasher you are missing a chance at a lot of fish. Again, a flasher is a budget thing.
When picking a rod, if your hole hopin’ outdoors stick with the longer rods, you want to be able to get the tip of the rod to the hole if you plan on standing. This will be a big bonus on windy days while fishing outside.
If your time is spent covered up, stay within 26 inches. Go hold some stuff and pick out what feels good for the money one wants to spend.
I have moved up from a lot of starter rods for panfish and now have 2 St. Croix Legend Ice LIR24UL rods and I love them. With that said, there were a lot of guys not happy with the product as voiced here in another post.
My next step will be into Thorne Bros. equipment, the sport is ever changing with new products 
No matter what you pick for a stick, make sure you get good reels. Why would a person put a 100 hundred dollar scope on a 600 dollar gun?
Some times there are good combo’s offered, for the most part though, the reel will be an off brand and good for a season.
My ultra light open water reels serve as my ice reels also. You want a reel with a very smooth drag due to the climates you will be putting your tackle through during the hard water season.
Seated on my St. Croixs are Pflueger President Micro spinning reel’s 6720. They are lubed with Hot Sauce year round. At 4 years old, open water and hard water, and with proper care they are just as smooth as day one, minus the scratches
I’ll let everyone else chime in on the line thing….I think I’m the only dude still spoolin’ up with 2lb Trilene XL 
Now that you have the above arsenal put together hit Custom Jigs and Spins and purchase what looks good for your area and the reports from the area. It is all good stuff 
Now to get the stuff through the hard surface, StrikeMaster hand auger. Again if the power auger is in the budget, burn some gas 
When crankin’ a lot of holes by hand you might want to stay with the 6 inch auger. 
7 and 8 inch augers take bigger pipes than what I’m sporting when the ice gets thick.
Don’t forget your spring bobber, bait, ice scoop, maybe a pair of cleats, and some beer 
Have fun with your purchases
A case of beer and your set. It gives you something to sit on, the beer makes you feel warm and you can always catch a buzz.
hey guys, thanks for the thoughts. I think if I were to do it I would probably target more than just panfish and try to put some walleyes on the ice.
More than likely not investing in any kind of a shelter at this point which we would leave me fishing when it’s not brutal out so I probably would hole hop a little and sit/stand most of the time.
If I live in the Twin Cities area (Richfield) what would be 3-5 lakes to target inside the 494/694 loop?
Here is a list of my everyday ice fishing gear Micah. I Like to think it is pretty bear bones and easy to fish with.
Strikemaster 8″ power auger with sling to throw over my shoulder.
Marcum LX-3
Hand held gps with Lakemaster chip.
2 rods.
5 gallon bucket.
Small tackle tin.
Euro larvae.
Ice scoop.
Clip on head lamp.
Keep in mind that you may be able to convert over some of your summer gear to work for winter. GPS, reels with 4# spooled on spare spool, depth finder.
Moores may be a good place to start looking for rods and lake info. Pool 2 most likely has a few good spots to walleye and panfish fish on it.
These guys hit on the basics & then some except for one item. A roll of toilet paper or a Viking shirt 
Never know when duty is gonna come calling….
as silly as it sounds, a 5gal bucket is a huge essential if you are going without a shack… its storage in a chair.
auger and scoop are big essentials too. and if you are a freeze baby, a couple hand warmers to stay toasty.
and if you’re fishing outside, i like those yellow spongey bobbers. to me, they dont freeze to your line as easy as the thread-through-the-middle styrofoam types.
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