By Louie Stout

Back in the day, you could walk into a tackle store prior to the ice fishing season, pick up an inexpensive rod, a few jigs, a box of wax worms and even a few accessories for about $10-$15.

Those memories flitted through my head as I wandered through the Clear H2o Tackle Shop near Edwardsburg during its recent Ice Tackle Open House. Several buyers stood in line at the checkout counter with arms full of gear valued at a heckuva lot more than that.

They held $40 to $80 rods, $500 fishfinders, $400-$500 in specialized clothing and lightweight $200 ice augers.

Obviously, today’s ice angler is a lot more sophisticated and dedicated to the sport than my generation.

Does that mean you can no longer catch panfish by sitting on a bucket while jigging a tiny leadhead jig with a maggot attached?

Of course you can. But innovations in ice fishing tackle have changed the way people view the sport. Today’s gear makes it easier to find fish and enjoy wintertime fishing. As a result, there are more ice fishermen today than there were 20 years ago.

Clear H2o owner Darrin Schaap, an avid ice angler, explained it this way.
“It’s like any other type of fishing,” he offered. “We’ve got a lot of guys who do quite well with the basic essentials, but more anglers are discovering innovations in ice tackle make them more efficient and comfortable on the ice.”

So what are those innovations and how much do they cost? Here’s a look at some of the gear trends that ice anglers are utilizing:

Electronics: You can still buy a flasher style graph for around $300 that will show you fish, but many anglers are gravitating to multi-purpose electronics with flasher/graph and even GPS and mapping combined. Those units are priced $500 or more.

The top-of-the-line electronic is the Garmin Panoptix, a $1,800 investment. It does everything other techy electronics do plus it allows the angler to look under the ice in a 100-foot circle.

“It saves a lot of time,” said Schaap. “You can drill the hole, drop the transducer in the water and look all around the hole. When you see fish, it will tell you how many feet away and what direction from where you are. Otherwise, you have to drill multiple holes to find the fish with standard electronics.”

Augers: Manual ice drills haven’t changed much in looks but the blades are a lot sharper and sell around $60. However, you can now get electric models powered with lithium batteries that eliminate a lot of the work but sell in the $400-$500 range. Some manufacturers claim you can drill 1,000 holes with one charge, depending upon the ice thickness.

Or, you can buy an inexpensive adapter to put on a manual auger and power it with a cordless drill.

Shanties: There are endless varieties of shanties that can fish multiple anglers. The pop-up version is more mobile and lighter. Basic one-man shanties sell for around $300 but you can now get them with insulated material, lights, padded seats and storage pouches. Those run $500 or more, depending on size.

Clothing: Sure, you can wear a sweatshirt, long jons and coveralls, but clothing made specifically for ice fishing will keep you warmer and on the ice longer. Today’s angler wears high performance undergarments and an insulated ice suit with padded knees. Newer versions contain floatation in case the angler falls through the ice. They run from $350 to $600.

Rods and Reels: The hottest trend is rods matched with free-fall reels – push a button or lever and the bait descends automatically. No need to feed line by hand. They range from $30 to $110.

“You can still buy an ice rod for $5 made of fiberglass, but discriminating anglers have migrated toward specialized graphite rods with recoil guides and very sensitive rod tips that don’t require a bobber,” said Schaap. Prices range from $40 to $80 or more.

Tip-ups: You can still find everyday tip-ups for $10 but more expensive models (up to $100) come with lights and heating apparatuses to prevent the hole from freezing.

“Some motorized models will jig the bait, set the hook for you or send a signal to your cell phone or remote gadget that you have a bite,” said Schaap.

Baits: Old-school lead jigs and flies are less expensive, but those made of tungsten cost a little more yet they sink faster and offer a smaller profile. Also, Schaap said anglers are using more baits with tiny plastic bodies – without livebait.

“And they are catching fish!” he said. “Anglers like the idea of tricking fish without bait, but livebait is tough to beat.”