Where do you guys up north buy your ice fishing tackle? Is it all from Canadian tire and Surplus Herbies? Any good tackle shops in the north?
Where do you guys up north buy your ice fishing tackle? Is it all from Canadian tire and Surplus Herbies? Any good tackle shops in the north?
CT, Fishing Hole, Cabelas and Backcountry. But you don't need much for ice fishing gear; a few #2 and 4 hooks, some weights, a mix of 1/4oz jig heads with green, glow and yellow heads and a mix of mister twister tails in white, glow, chartreuse and yellow tails plus some Rapala snap jigs work for walleye, pike, perch and burbot. For rainbows, I like jigging #7, #8 and #00 Len Thompson spoons, the same 1/4oz jigs with worms or shrimp. Lakers like buzz bombs and zingers, a jig called a Cold Lake Special (2oz white tube jig with a stinger hook), and 2-3oz jigs with 4-6" tails.
More important, you need a good auger and a flasher or depth sounder that shows fish and just not bottom. The sounder helps find fish before drilling holes and with finding suspended fish.
Cheers
SS
I love it SS! You don't need much for ice fishing, then you list half a garage worth of gear. When you are saying you find fish before you start drilling do you shoot through the ice or drill a hole and drop the transducer down?
Hahaha......wait until I list my salmon gear!!! All that ice fishing gear fits in a 2 try tackle box plus a worm proof clear tackle tray for the tails. And some lures work for fresh and salt water, so they get moved back and forth.
If the ice isn't too thick, I just clear off the snow and get a flat clear spot and shoot through the ice, but if the ice is too thick, I drill down 6" and shoot. If there is not too many thaw/freeze and you get clear ice it will work, If not then you will have to drill until you get water.
I have a Lowrance Elite 3X all season sounder, which works pretty good once it is tuned in. There is better ones out there, but i don't chase better and the Lowrance works for me.
Cheers
SS