Fishing Forum

Hi all -

I'm new to the forums here, but it seems there is a substantial amount of good information going around. I'm trying to come up with a "bare bones" inventory of items to put in the ice sled so that it accomplishes two things. First, low weight. Second, utility.

Weight is a big issue for me, as I don't have a snowmobile to make pulling a loaded sled easy. So I'm looking to only take what I should most always need.

Usually I fish early morning until late night (for example, last night, 1/6/08 we were at strawberry until 2am) but most of the time I'd be on the ice ~5am - 8pm.

This is what I am thinking so far for a "bare bones" setup:
[indent]Ice hut (Frabill 2-man)
Power Auger
Poles, Bait, lures, line...
Small bait cooler/insulator
Fish finder
Ice ladle
2 light weight buckets
LED tent lamp (~40 lumens)
LED head lamp (35 lumens)

Possibly a mr heater w/ 2 small bottles of propane (though... I don't know how safe it is to have one of those inside a tent running for a long time without exhausting the CO2)

[/indent]What items should I leave out? What other items should I bring? Anything out there that would make my life 500 times easier?

Any advice is much appreciated.
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I know they are a pain to drag out on the ice but a chair with a back rest is one of the most important things I take ice fishing.
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A Chair.

Heater is 1st on my list. (Mr. Heater single burner. I usually have 2 or 3 extra Propanes with me...)

What are the two lightweight buckets for?
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The two lightweight buckets are rod holders for myself and my dad. well... rod holders and "crap containers".

Usually our chair is a 4'L x 2'W x 3'H hard plastic container that we put a cushion on. We use this container to safely house all the lures, and other like items. It might, in the end, make more sense to use two chairs with back rests and find a place for all the misc items that go in the
container. I know that I've had a sore back a few times from sitting without a backrest.


Thanks for the feedback both of you .
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your list looks pretty good. Just a bit of advice on your heater. When it's really cold, keep your containers off the bottom of your hut or off the ice. I had mine on the bottom of my hut at Scofield and they froze. Keep them up higher if you can. [cool] Good luck.
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If you want to save on weight leave the power auger at home. Hand auger with sharp blades is much better this time of year.
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I always keep a couple of rags for my hands and a 50ft coil of rope in my sled, just in case.
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Get 2 folding metal rod holders, small and light.
One bucket to hold gear ilke extra gloves hand warmers.
Snowshoes are now almost a must.
Try a backpack for some of your gear. Keeps it out of the slead.
Get a heater and vent the tent!
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Mate, if you are going to fish from 5am to 8pm I would suggest a port-a-cot a bottle of good scotch and if you are married, a bloody good attorney!
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If you are trying to go light I would suggest the Eskimo quick fish II or III shelter. It weighs under 30 lbs and folds down fairly small plus it straps to your back.
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Instead of a Mr. Heater, try a catylitic tent heater. They won't make it 90 degrees in your ice shelter, but they will take the edge off, and they are safe to run in an enclosed area. I have a Coleman Black Cat and it rocks. It actually heats a 12 by 17 wall tent to a point that getting out of bed at elk camp isn't painful (it can be in the single digits there). The added bonus is they are very light.

[url "http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/subcategory.asp?CategoryID=3000"]http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/subcategory.asp?CategoryID=3000[/url]
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Thanks! I'll take catylitic heaters into consideration.

Also, thanks everyone else for the responses. It's greatly appreciated.
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