Ice fishing big ticket item ranking

[DDSBYDAY]

   Please rank these in order of priority.  These are expensive items.  How would you rate these in order of importance?  Rank them in order of how important they are to you.  With #1 being the first item you would get starting from scratch.   Please remember that there are a lot of people  that could be helped by your honest answers.

[DDSBYDAY]

MY ranking  #1 would be a flasher.---Can shoot it through the ice to find your depth and schools of panfish. 
                 #2 power auger  I prefer to be outside when I can anyway.  The power auger allows you greater mobility. 
   
                  #3. Shelter

                   #4. Camera   It's a nice toy.  Allows you to see fish behavior but last on my list.

                    #5.  Fancy gimick rod-  save your money.

[UplandObsession]

1) Power Auger- no one likes getting sweaty from using a hand auger and then sitting in in the cold
2) Shelter-no one likes being stuck in the winter elements with no protection.
3) Flasher-The original vexlar works perfectly fine.(Look in learning how to ice fish thread)
4) GPS- use stuff like trees and rocks to figure out where you are. Unless your on leech or a larger lake, I guess your SOL then.
5) Camera- fun to use when hooked up top a TV, but if your looking at the small screen your eyes go bonkers (or atleast mine do)
6) They make reels like that? It is a gimick that cost too much to have break the second time you use it...

[lhprop1]

1.  Auger.  You can be on the best spot on the best lake but if you can't get through the ice, you're just sitting out there doing nothing.
2.  Flasher.  I'd rather sit out in the cold with a flasher than in a big fancy house without one.
3.  Portable.  Shivering is overrated.
4.  GPS.  Saves time of not having to punch a kajillion holes to find your spot.
5/6. Camera/Reel.  It's a tie.  I never use my camera and I wouldn't use some super-gizmo rod reel combo.  

[sandmannd]

I'm with Ihprop on this. I think you need to get the top three on there to have a good time on the ice.

[MTCOMMER]

1.) Shelter - gotta be comfortable fishing, otherwise its a short trip
2.) Flasher - I dont own one, so I want one.
3.) Power Auger - I dont own one, so I want one.
4.) Underwater Cam - not as important to me, with the flasher, but I want one too.
5.) GPS - not necessary, but id take one
6.) Weird Rod/Reel - Sure, Ill take one of those

If you cant tell, id take about anything if it pertains to the outdoors.  I use a handauger (which is ok for early season, and  now) and thats about it, regular poles and shelter and I hope to get lucky.

[FireRanger]

1. Flasher
2. Shelter
3. Power auger
4. Underwater cam
5. GPS

Flasher to tell if there is a fish under and the depth (you so you don't waste yer time) I have been known to drill through 2 feet of ice only to have 1 foot of water under it!!! LOL!
Shelter...because after spending 25 years sitting on a lawn chair in the cold Canadian winter I may have gotten soft!
Power Auger...again...25 years of twisting and turning a hand aug...I'd give popeye a run for his money....and I'm tired.
Underwater Camera...why not, it's fun for the kids.
GPS...I have a photographic memory and never forget where I've been

[corny13]

DDSBYDAY you forgot to mention the most important big ticket Item.  The lure/jig that your buddies dont have that you can pull all the fish in with...
You can Bum all the other stuff....

[DDSBYDAY]

    I didn't mention the snow-bear either.   Can you get spinning rims for those?    Good luck on the  up coming grandchild.   We will have to meet up on Leech this coming summer.   

[MTCOMMER]

I have been known to drill through 2 feet of ice only to have 1 foot of water under it!!! LOL!

I did that with a hand auger last year  it was 3ft of water, but it looked like a promising spot - truth be told, I tried fishing there for a little bit with no luck - but I wasnt going to just let the hole go to waste.   

[AJDodgerf]

1.  Power auger
2.  Shelter
3.  Quality tip ups

Sure I would love to have the rest is all extra and not absolutely necessary.

[katfishkeith]

I totally agree with your list DDS, I would like to add that the underwater camera did teach me alot about how the fish react to certain presentations.Panfish can be really picky at times.

Wish I could have recorded a nice 10# northern scoping out a big shiner, he came back 4 times before sneaking in low, then stirring up the bottom to form a dirt screen before slamming the shiner, took him about 10 mins to finally strike. Without the camera I would have given up way before that strike.

[BiggA]

my #1 is definately a power auger. Drilling holes without it just plain sucks I would honestly not even hit the ice without one.

[Angstman]

#1  Portable -  Nobody likes to be exposed to the weather

#2 Power Auger - I don't have one of these yet, but i'm young so I dont really mind it

#3 Flasher - I don't have one of these either,but they sure are nice to use

#4 GPS - They are nice to have especially if you fish the same lake in the summer and winter, you can find the honey hole in the summer,mark it and wait for the ice to freeze to go back to that exact location

#5 Rod/Reel - You can catch a fish with a stick,some line and a hook, no need to buy anything fancy

[dakids]

Shelter---  Cold is way overrated
Flasher---  Lets you know that the fish are there
GPS---      With the lakemaster chip there is no need to drill to many holes.
auger--- see above,  sharp blades save a lot of time.
High buck rod is a waste of money when it gets dropped down the hole, or pulled in by a fish

[tuffyfan165]

#1- Flasher (you can always steal a hole or trade a few beers to borrow an auger)
#2- Power auger (you don't want to be giving away beer forever)
#3- Shelter (although it is fun to fish without on nice days, having one keeps you out there when it is not)
#4- GPS (very handy to minimize drilling time and allow more fishing time; also to mark the "hot holes" so you can return to the spot after a snow and catch nothing...)

A camera is really a specialty tool that has its use but is not a "gotta-have".
One thing not on the list that is a priority for me is a reliable snowmobile or ATV so I can hook up the portable and go wherever. Note I said "reliable", not necessarily new or expensive.

[Go Big Red!]

1. Flasher - A must have to get on the fish.
2. Auger - FireRanger's hand auger is too tall for me to use and he likes to chop open old holes with a hatchet.  A must see.
3. Shelter - As long as it's not too cold out.  Some days it's so nice, you can even get a tan (or it might be wind burn) on the ice.

[FireRanger]

1. Flasher - A must have to get on the fish.
2. Auger - FireRanger's hand auger is too tall for me to use and he likes to chop open old holes with a hatchet.  A must see.
3. Shelter - As long as it's not too cold out.  Some days it's so nice, you can even get a tan (or it might be wind burn) on the ice.

I can always bring you a stool!! 

[doomanmxz99]

#1 Flasher
#2 Shelter
#3 Power Auger
#4 Heater

The rest is a bonus

[lentz]

1)Flasher helps catch alot more fish
2)power auger u cut holes faster to find your special spot
3)Shelter helps u fish longer
4)underwater camer  ( just caught my buddys rod he droped down the hole. we caught it becouse of it )
5)Gps (helps you save your spot )

[DDSBYDAY]

    Poll is closed but the results may help new people starting out make their decisions on what order they purchase their big ticket items.  This poll showed that the majority of ice fishermen (including myself) would want a good flasher first.  The information it gives you will increase your success.  You can shoot through the ice to see if fish are present before you even drill a hole.

    2nd comes the power auger.  Hand auger is fine with sharp blades but if you are fishing a lot or like to move then at some point you will need one.

    3rd.  Shelter.  These are getting nicer every year.  Unfortunately they are getting spendy.  Dressing for the cold works until you can get a shelter.  Wind is the toughest part to handle as far as fishing outside.  The tub style shelters are nice because they give you a way to transport your gear.

    4.  Gps-  The new HD ones are incredible.  I got to use one last weekend.  This will be my next purchase.  I have a hand held model that allows me to save my spots.  The new ones with the lakemaster chips in them are extremely accurate.  They allow you to find new spots.

    5.  Camera-  very informative to see how fish react to your bait.  Fun to have in your permanent house to kill time too.  You can record video now too.

    6.  Gimmicky  rods and reels.  Save your money.  You don't need a rod that twitches for you.
         +NOTE-    Be sure to check the terminal eye on any rods you buy.  Many of them are so small just the tiniest amount of ice on you line will cause them to freeze up and can result in lost fish.

        I hope this information helps you get started ice fishing in the most cost effective efficient  way.   Thanks everyone for participating.