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Live bait is like a security blanket’ you feel lost and all alone without it. Time was when I never ice fished without live bait. But times have changed. With the recent advances in plastic, lure and scent technology, I feel confident traveling on nearly any body of water without bait. In fact, I think anyone can learn to ice fish without bait. Much as you fish for bass, walleye and panfish in the open water, the same principle applies to ice fishing. Fishing without live bait Fishing without live bait is a weaning process. At first it's best to take little baby steps. You should fis …

Ice fishing is a daunting endeavor, especially for the first time angler. On our first time out many years ago, we didn’t have much gear. We had a few Ratfinkees, two rods, two buckets and some wigglers for bait. We were after yellow bass and yellow bass supposedly liked wigglers. We walked out on our local lake, and found a few open holes. As luck would have it, we caught one after another and we were hooked on ice fishing forever! The next weekend we went back to the same lake, the same area and found our old holes. This time we had an auger and we drilled a couple of new ones next to t …

There was a time when a bucket, a few jigs, and a tiny rod were enough. I didn’t even have an auger. I’d look for the biggest crowd on the ice and head to the heart of the activity. I’d look around for an empty hole, break open the ice with my boot and drop a line in. the goal was to fill the bucket all the way to the top. After a few trips, I modified my arsenal to include my daughter’s plastic sled, a discount-priced six-inch auger, and a plastic scoop.Building up my tackle for the coming ice fishing season The next season I started early in October to build up the arsenal. I built a ma …

Winter is our favorite time of the year for two reasons—Ice fishing! If you've put off going ice fishing until now, then this is the year to get started! If you are a novice, then read on because what follows is scientifically proven tactics guaranteed to make you a better ice fisherman. Ice fishing is good clean fun for the whole family. You will be rewarded with a good warm feeling inside from all the camaraderie and the warm filets in your belly. Let's go over the basics on how to get started in this exciting sport. POPPEE'S GOLDEN RULES OF ICE FISHING There are three rules of i …

Panfish are the sport fish of the ice fisherman! Armed with the proper gear, one can get a great fight out of the bluegill, crappie and even a perch. Plus, you've got the best tasting fish of the year. Nothing beats fresh caught panfish through the ice. Let's go over some of the methods to panfish madness that will turn you into an ice fishing machine! BALANCED TACKLE  Balanced tackle is no longer a dream. Gone are the days of $2.00 poles with 10-pound line. Today's ice angler uses mini spinning combos with ultra sensitive tips.  For traditional jigs like Custom Jigs …