Lets hear it: Favorite fish and gear talk

[columbusfire]

OK, I'm bored waiting for good ice! My favorite fish to catch thru the ice is the Yellow perch. Why? They bite good, they fight good, and they fry good! Plus, they are a beautiful fish. I fish with 3 rods, 2 inline reels and 1 spinning. My inlines are   attached to an ulta light and light action rods and I spool them with 4 lb Suffix ice magic line. I use 6 lb for the med action spinning outfit, which I either dead stick or use with an auto hook setter with a small bell on it.

[snowcone]

im going to agree with ya on the perch,  man are they tasty  lol.   i have an in line with 5 lb powerpro and 4lb leader , my other perch rods are 4ft with 4lb test.  even on erie i use my short rods. just more fun

[columbusfire]

Walleye/saugeye would be next favorite, although I think a big smallmouth would be fun too!

[Ntoiceman36]

I second the walleye,  nothing like catching a 8-10lb toad through the ice. I think Snowcone likes the elusive Nimi whiskered walleye

[wapak ice dawg]

I like to finesse fish with palm rod and reel combo with 1-2lbs test line and target crappie and gills

[slabslayer]

I’m primarily crappie and bluegill on the ice, but will go after anything if there’s good ice.  I only use 1 pound test for panfish, with a black widow in-line reel.  The rod I use is a custom designed 40” fast tip with a good sturdy backbone.   My favorite panfish spot frequently yields 3-5 pound largemouth bass, so I want a rod that I can pull them through the ice with and not lose my jigs all the time.   I prefer the longer rod because it allows me to sit back a bit so I’m not hovering over the hole and being seen by crappies cruising by shallow under the ice.   That happens way more than you might think. 

[30inthabucket]

I love to fish for walleye, saugeye, and perch or really anything else thru the ice. But my favorite would prob be chasing crappie on Indian lake. You get on the right spot on the right day and it can be absolutely phenomenal. Indian has some of the best quality fish around.  12+ inch fish weighing over a pound are pretty common and i caught one almost 2 pounds a few years ago. Limits that barely fit in a 5 gallon bucket... lots of fun on my 18 inch clam spring bobber rod with an inline reel, 2 lb test, and a small tungsten with a plastic tail tipped with a spike. Now if it will just fu*#%" freeze!

[snowcone]

hhmmmm   whiskered wally   does seem to hold true   aaahhhhhhhhh   i just cant get away from them on nimy   hahahaha

[ice hole 2]

Walleye is probably the best tasting fish but fried filet gills dipped in a light batter are hard to beat.
Ice fishing gear is interesting. Started 35 years ago with my youngest son when he was 13 years old.We wanted to try the sport and decided to make our own rods. He made his and I made mine but we did it together!
Found a few soft water rods that were somewhat broken but the top ends still in good shape. Bought some 3 1/4" diameter open plastic spools ( reels ) probably at Wal Mart with 1" handle for winding and a threaded outside nut for " drag control ". Spool is attached to a plastic strip held to handle with 2 screws.
Wooden handles we made are 1 1/2 " X  1 1/2 " X 9" painted. Drilled a hole in the end of these and glued the rod into it. Perfect!
Made floaters from cork stoppers. Drilled a small hole thru the center, run Stren 6# extra limp line thru the hole, set the depth with a round toothpick and painted florescent orange for increased visibility. Bingo!
Use various colored teardrop jigs tipped with waxies or red spikes.
We made 5 or 6 poles that are still in exclusive use today by both of us. Caught 194 crappies and gills in 2015 at Indian.  Can't complain. Fun to make and the memories are immeasurable !!!