When I lived in west Michigan our gear was simple. An ice rod _without_ a reel (the line twisted between two pegs), a couple 'tip-ups', a simple auger, an ice strainer (for cleaning out your slushy hole) a few jigs a good pair of waterproof boots, a pair of insulated "Carharts', a good wool hat and some gloves. (a decent bottle of whisky helps). Everything that would fit was carried in a 5 gallon bucket (which served as a seat while fishing) A plastic sled was used to pull it all from the car to the ice. This setup was good enough for perch, gills and walleye. I always _wanted_ nicer gear and especially a 'portable ice house' and a fish finder, but my financial situation made that impossible. We caught just as many (or more) fish as the guy who had all the best equipment. I do miss eating those pan fish....but I don't miss the bone chilling cold!
Better gear can certainly make for a more enjoyable experience but there is a tipping point where it does become overly complicated and difficult to manage. Gear doesn’t equal success that’s for sure. Thanks for watching.
When I lived in west Michigan our gear was simple.
An ice rod _without_ a reel (the line twisted between two pegs), a couple 'tip-ups', a simple auger, an ice strainer (for cleaning out your slushy hole) a few jigs a good pair of waterproof boots, a pair of insulated "Carharts', a good wool hat and some gloves. (a decent bottle of whisky helps). Everything that would fit was carried in a 5 gallon bucket (which served as a seat while fishing) A plastic sled was used to pull it all from the car to the ice.
This setup was good enough for perch, gills and walleye.
I always _wanted_ nicer gear and especially a 'portable ice house' and a fish finder, but my financial situation made that impossible.
We caught just as many (or more) fish as the guy who had all the best equipment. I do miss eating those pan fish....but I don't miss the bone chilling cold!
Better gear can certainly make for a more enjoyable experience but there is a tipping point where it does become overly complicated and difficult to manage. Gear doesn’t equal success that’s for sure. Thanks for watching.