Ice fishing sytems : Gear tranport.

[JLH]

Nice to see an ice-fishing forum up here.

Here is my setup, I bought it two years ago when I got into Walleye fishing because it was too cold out there at night without some kind of shelter. At about 65# unloaded it’s a #$%@! dragging it through the snow but it’s well worth it once the sun sets and the temps start to fall. Typically loaded up with bait, grill, jigging rods, tipups, vexilar, buddy heater, propane and a cooler with some food and drinks. I have a Nils 8” hand auger that I’ll be getting a power head for this season, usually the hand auger isn’t that bad but the last few years we have had in excess of 20” of ice on some of the lakes I fish (which is a lot in CT) and the hand auger just isn’t cutting it (literally!).

For rare day trips of if I'm meeting friends I'll pack much lighter, usually just throwing tip-ups and a jigging rod in a pack and carrying out bait and if needed an auger.

[Rockfish9]

OK.. powers back on, and I'm done recuing people without heat and lights...

This set up is for when I go jigging.. it has a self contained seat... a small duffell for snacks and spre clotes and enoughroom for a couple of jigging rods and a box of jigs and terminal tackle.. it's great early and late season when I want to go light or get in a few hours after work on the late winter stocked trout and brood stock... i just add the hand auger or spud....

[Rockfish9]

This duel bucket set up is for fishing for smelt in my portable o open ice... the insert bucket is marked for my limit (New hampshire).. spare gloves and snacks fit in the bottom of the outside bucket... hooks and weights, and spre lantern parts stay dry in the top.. my jigging rods are sheathed in the side... I need to only carry rhe lantern and spud or auger..most trips it's the spud..

[Rockfish9]

This is my deep snow set up... the tip ups in here are moddified 40 ups... every thing stays in the basket, evn the auger whichis a 2 piece 8" strike master.. the only thing that leaves is the blue soft sided tackle box.. that travels with most of my set ups as it containes tools and terminal gear..

[Rockfish9]

This is my house sled set up... I use it smelt fishing, on night time trips or at gatherings... most times I leave it home... it tows eaisily and can carry alot of gear if need be... it is very stable but tends to plow loose snow...once again.. the blue soft sided tackle box makes the trip...

[Rockfish9]

This is the unit I use the most... made by fish trap, I made removable/pinned auger mounts and a removavle pinned rocket launcher to hod my tip ups... I can pack everything for a two day outing on this sled, from cooking geat to bait buckets to power auger and spud as well as my soft sided tackle box and fish TV and it pulls eaisily als long asthe snow is not deeper then my knees...

I made the rocket launcher set up so I could remove them and slide the rig in my truck with the toneau cover on.. it also allws me to bring the tip ups inside so the spools wont freeze on over night trips...

Pictures of the loaded sled in the next frame

[Rockfish9]

all the cooking gear, including a 12 cup coffee pot, and service for 6 as well as fry pan and pots fits oin the blue closed lid container... a soft sided large bag holds the food ( lashed in place with bungies to the eyelets bolted on the sled) ...