Equipment you'll need to ice fish

One can go out on the the ice bare bones so to speak, fishing with just a spool of line, a two foot piece of bright flagging one inch wide, a knife, bait , chisel, and hooks. You would need to cut bushes to suspend your line from above the hole with a piece of flagging tied to the line. This enables you to see easily the lines from a distance.

Or

you can outfit yourself with some of the following equipment suggestions. I give this advice only after a half a lifetime of fishing through the ice so that you may enjoy ice fishing in Maine without having to say " oh yeah, it was a big one but the fish got away".

•  Five traps of your choice

I use two different types when I go ice fishing , underwater and a spring jigging trap above water. In the northern parts of the state the taller the trap the better because of the snow depth. Traps made from soft wood can be used but I personally don't recommend them they break easily when frozen in the hole. Tall hardwood traps made from ash, oak or maple are the best.

Use heavy test braided line 35lb or more, you want to be able to pull in the fish and not have the line break. I use 50lb test and have had it broken or snapped by big Togue by not playing the fish enough , not letting him run when the fish wants to go. There is always a weaker point in the rigging.

•  Ice chisel is a must have on some lakes (read below)and you want a rugged sharp one, manual ice auger (Swedish type) or motorized ice auger , tag sled to haul your gear, I use a small eight inch motorized auger( I carry this one in a custom wooden box that it just fits in to protect it) and have a very rugged hand made chisel from a chromium chipper blade. This home made chisel Cuts through the ice like butter. (You will also need an extra hex key and auger bit blade just in case you should loose a hex key or hit a rock, having an extra bolt that holds on the auger to the motor is also advised just in case. These little extras can be packed in your auger box as a kit.)
• A depth map of the lake or pond that you intend to fish. This makes finding the deep holes and ledges easier remember you can't troll in winter.Ice fishing with the use of a depth map is the only way to find the deep holes easily. Some lakes in maine are over twenty miles from end to end with many deep holes and ridges.Of course you'll have to check each ice hole for depth when you set your lines. Depth Maps
  
• A seat of any sort, bait pails are now available with a cushion top.a small fold up canvas seat works well for ice fishing
  
• Extra line, , rugged locking swivels, hooks and leaders.

You can make your own monofilament leaders or buy premade on the hooks. If fishing for Togue . chain pickerel or northern pike you will need steel leaders.

• Ice scoop to clean slush and ice out your hole, it gets cold fast trying to do with your hands. 
  
• Bait -

live bait - minnows, smelts, suckers, mummy chubs , dace, etc.

• Bring along a cup to scoop water from the ice holes and change the water your bait are in to keep them fresh. You can buy a battery operated portable aerator that clips on the side bait pail to give the live bait oxygen or just do the water change every day. Always Keep the live bait ice cold or as cold as possible this will avoid shock when you put the bait fish on a hook and lower it into the ice cold lake water.

My Grandfather always said "a bare hook won't get you any fish" as the can fish rob you of your bait very quickly. Check your traps frequently.

• Either worms or crawlers to be kept on your person in a plastic bag or in a Styrofoam or insulated worm bucket and always keep them non-frozen.
  
• Suckers for cut bait or a little sucker can be put on whole and live to catch the big lake Togue. We call the big Togues "Toga-saurus" here.

Please note ##, some lakes do not allow motorized augers or motorized equipment of any kind out on the lake.

These lakes are few but strictly enforced so check your rule book by the lake in the special rules sections.

Some lakes do not allow use of live bait and the bait must be killed before using.

No spinny fish are allowed to be used as bait, check the rule book

Ice fishing can be one of the most enjoyable ways to fish the Maine lakes and ponds.A person just has to dress with the right clothing and foot wear to be comfortable in even the coldest of days.

Access to the ice can be on foot with a little tag sled pulled buy hand for your ice gear. or by motorized snow sleds with a ice shack in tow to get into when you get there. Four wheelers are used in winter but not recommended because these are not allowed on the numbered and designated snow sled trails in winter months.

 When fishing on the ice you can be as comfortable as you like, dress with the warmest clothing in layers . You can always take it off but can't put it on if don't have it with you.

Once you have chosen a lake or pond to fish and your there. You will have make a hole in the ice through which you set your traps and lines.

The do and don'ts of where to drill or chisel that first hole are just using your common sense.

Make sure you are not on a ice slope, which means there is no water under neath. You want to be on flat ice and not to close to shore for your first hole. I have seen some of my buddies dull the auger on first hole by hitting a rock, mud or sand. On many lakes in Maine this is a real challenge as there are so many rocks, this same situation and challenge also comes into play when fishing the same lakes with open water. Trout hide and live among the rocks mostly in shallow water.

Many Ice fishermen stay at the lodges available in winter for ice fishing. Lodge owners can all recommend a guide service. Heed their warnings of open waters that don't freeze. Many sport camps offer a snow sled rental .