Ice Fishing

Put your beer in a Yeti to keep it from freezing.

 

If I was going ice fishing in Idaho I'd be going after some of those freakishly large perch it is known for.

 

x2 Beer slushies suck.

I would be sure to get a quality heater and a decent pop up. For the money in my experience Shappell is hard to beat. But Eskimo makes some dang nice pop ups as well. If you're taking a kid I've found generally they do better in pop ups so they have a little more move around room, and can sit in a more comfortable lawn chair. As opposed to being confined to a flip up and sitting on a carpeted board shoulder to shoulder with you. I got a Shappell that says its for like 3-4 people which is BS but it fits 2 guys with all your stuff very comfortably. If you go this route remember they are like camping tents, take 1-2 off what it says it can fit "comfortably".

Also get a heater that you think you won't need. Getting the smallest or cheapest one generally is a sucker move when it comes to ice fishing.

I prefer a flip over when its just me but when I take someone new to ice fishing they generally seem to like the pop up style.

 

I look out my window at guys on Hayden Lake ice fishing right now. They've been at it for days. I've been watching guys fish this end of the lake for years. It looks unbelievably boring to me. But then, if those same guys could see us in our layout blinds waiting for birds to come in they would probably say the same thing! To each his own...

 

I mean, does this look fun???

 

Icefishing can be boring, so can duck hunting, normal fishing, etc. All depends what you make of it.
Also, it is not strictly a drinking sport, although that may alleviate some of the boredom. Kids will like it, since the advent of flashers it is like playing a video game. The modern electronics make it a lot easier than the old dumbbell to find bottom, reel up one to two feet, and set your bobber days.
We icefished when I was much younger, five gallon bucket, freeze your *** off, etc.
Now we have huts, heaters, power augers, fourwheelers to get out, and cameras. When you are icefishing, and actually get on the fish, you can catch way more than open water fishing. Sometimes it's impossible to run two poles. And when the fishing's that good, can't drink, too busy reeling in fish.
If you are trout fishing, I would assume you could use about the same thing you use for panfish, although there aren't any trout where we fish. I have heard jigging raps work, as well as spoons- Swedish pimples, Buckshots, etc. Tip them with spikes or waxworms, even minnow heads. All of these will also catch perch, bluegills, crappie, etc.

 

Typical weekend in Wisconsin

 

Yankees are so funny!7

 

Yeah, I was just giving ice fisherman a hard time. I know about the massive fish houses you guys run in the upper midwest, with heating, power, even satellite TV. That sounds cool. Here in North Idaho no one drives vehicles on the ice. Any fish houses used are the portable tent-like ones. I see those out there a lot, but just as often I see guys sitting on lawn chairs in the middle of the driving snow. That just doesn't float my boat.