A modern arsenal for ice fishing

The recent cold weather has been very welcome for those of us that like to ice fish. We have had a mild winter, so the ice thickness on many of our favorite fishing lakes has been marginal. My favorite lake in the Thompson chain of lakes normally has a thin layer of ice on Thanksgiving weekend. This year it was ice free until January.  

After the last few days of cold weather, I’ll bet there is now at least 6-8 inches of rock-solid ice. That’s perfect for ice fishing. I plan to be out there in the next couple of days to search for some of those tasty Kokanee salmon. 

When I go ice fishing, I will be dragging my deep plastic sled, about 5 feet long. It will be loaded to the gills with ice fishing gear. Ice fishing used to be a rather simple sport, but like so many outdoor activities, it has been complicated by a never-ending array of new, must-have equipment. The most essential piece of new gear is the electric drill that is used to bore through ice to open water.