Top Ice Fishing Gear For 2016

Ice fishing is one of the most popular outdoor winter activities in Canada and the northern part of the United States.

Instead of simply packing up their fishing gear and going inside during the winter months, avid fishermen can wait until their favorite lake freezes over enough to support their car, drive out to the middle of the ice, drill a hole, and continue catching fish all year ’round.

But people can’t just go winter fishing with the same rod and reel they use during the summer!

There are a few more pieces of specially designed ice fishing equipment that you will need before you begin your first ice fishing expedition.

As with any group of products on the market, the ice fishing gear that is available for purchase increases in quality as time goes by. The following are the best of the best ice fishing products of 2016.

Ice Fishing Auger

In order to go hard water fishing, you must make a hole in the ice, and the best way to make that ice hole is with an auger, or large drill.

In the past, people had to crank their ice augers by hand, but these days it is much more common to use a power auger.

Power augers are more expensive than hand augers, but much less tiresome to use.

One of the most popular power augers available for purchase as of 2016 is the Nils Master Power Auger, which weighs only 22 pounds and can drill through over forty inches of ice in slightly over twelve seconds.

The Nils Master costs over five hundred dollars, but it is one of the most efficient and reliable power augers on the market.

Ice Fishing Shanty

Another important part of any ice fisherman’s arsenal is an ice shelter, also known as an ice fish shanty.

Shanties usually consist of waterproofed fabric stretched over a collapsible metal frame.

They have an open bottom so people can drill holes and fish through the ice without going outside.

One of the most popular lines of ice fishing shelters of 2016 is that of Otter Outdoors, which makes a variety of shelters of different shapes and sizes.

Otter Ice Houses feature either one or two built-in seats for optimal ice fishing comfort, and they follow an advanced design that allows for the most room inside the structure with the least possible weight of the frame.

The fabric that makes up the walls of Otter ice shelters is both water resistant and fire retardant, and is of the highest quality in terms of durability, flexibility, and strength.

Ice Fishing Rods

There are special types of fishing rods designed specifically for winter fishing.

They are different from soft water fishing rods in that they are usually much lighter and shorter (only about thirty inches long).

As with any product on the market, an increase in the quality of an ice rod will elicit a corresponding increase in price, but it is worth investing in the best quality.

One of the best ice rods is the Frabil Ice Hunter Rod, which sells for about thirty dollars. You can see more about the Best Ice Fishing Rods here.