As the weather warms and ice fishing draws to a close, most anglers have started to prepare for the upcoming open water season. Plenty of good panfish fishing can still be had during late ice as melting snow brings warm oxygen rich water into lakes and streams. I wanted to spend a few minutes talking about new gear items that helped make my winter fishing better than ever this past season. Maybe you can pick up a deal at the end of season sales that some retailers are having for ice fishing gear.

Mobility has become key in Ice fishing in recent years. Sitting on a bucket in one place waiting for fish to swim by is no longer what the sport is about. Power augers have been the biggest advancement in mobility and allow anglers to drill holes all day. I was not an early adopter of the power auger. I would normally find fish during early ice when my hand auger could drill holes easily and often. Once the ice got to 18" or more I would settle in and beat on the spots I had found earlier or invite a fishing buddy with a power auger. This year I broke down and got a Strikemaster Electra 12000dp.



The auger works great and I love not having to deal with gas and oil. It is also nice that it doesn't smoke up the inside of the wheel house. If you are in the market for a new auger. Check it out.

Last year I started selling Rod Slicks and have been using them on my bass rods for some time. This winter, I used them on my ice rods and was very happy with how the worked. If you keep your rods in a bucket you know how often the get tangled. I also use them to protect those higher priced jigging rods. They are great! If you are interested in getting a few slicks drop me a note.



I use a MrHeater Buddy for warming my various shelters. One thing I have always hated is the number of empty 1Lb propane tanks that seem to fill up my truck and garage. This year I got the fitting from Bass Pro Shops that allows me to refill the canisters. Now I keep about four tanks around and can simply fill them off the BBQ grill when I need to. It is quick and easy and it saves you lots of money in the long run. 



Filling the tank is very easy. Connect the brass adapter to the 20lb tank and tighten it with a wrench. Then connect the 1lb tank. Turn the whole setup upside down and open the valve. Leave the valve open for one to two minutes then turn the valve off. Your done. The small tank has been refilled. You cant really get the tank as full as when you bought it due to air in the tank but close enough to surely justify the $20 purchase.
Click the picture (left) to take you right to the adapter.

There is a few items I added to my winter fishing. Hope they help you too.

Sport