Christmas gift ideas for ice fishing

We’re looking at Thanksgiving in our rearview mirror with Christmas coming up on the horizon. In this time of social restrictions, mask mandates, and gatherings limited to small numbers of people, instead of grumbling about wearing a mask and needing to maintain a safe distance, think about why we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Be thankful for what He has given you rather than complaining about what more you want.

Exchanging gifts is a long-standing Christmas tradition. I enjoy offering suggestions on what might make a good and useful gift for your favorite outdoorsman or woman. I’m starting a little earlier this year on making gift suggestions because it might take some extra time to procure that gift because of the pandemic. Usually, I prefer to recommend gifts available locally, but the COVID-19 problem has given some stores problems in securing inventory because of manufacturing and shipping delays. Other stores have simply gone out of business because of pandemic restrictions.

Because many more folks than usual are shopping online to avoid crowds, the post office is being pushed to their limits in shipping. Here in Big Lake, a day or two’s delay in receiving a USPS package over the tracking scheduled delivery date is getting to be normal because of the sheer volume of packages coming in. As far as I can tell, the private parcel delivery services like Fed Ex and UPS are holding their own with long days of work.

Let’s start with ice fishing suggestions. Fishing rods, reels, and line designed to fish through the ice are obvious ideas. A sled to haul your gear out onto the ice is handy. As I get older, I’m enjoying having an ice fishing shelter and portable chair to use for fishing and warming up. A small propane heater helps with the warming part and, depending on the style, can be used to heat up hot chocolate or coffee, or even a warm meal. A shovel to clear the snow from around your fishing hole and an ice chisel to break open old holes comes in handy. A ladle to remove ice chunks and slush from the hole helps too.

In recent years, I’ve picked up a depth sounder/fish finder and an underwater camera to help in locating fish. Both items were either on sale or clearance when I got them since they can both be pricey at retail rates. Batteries to operate these units, along with a charger to keep the batteries in top form, are handy as well.

Drilling a hole through the ice to get to the fish is important too (ya think!?!). If the ice is between 6 to 12-inches thick, a hand auger will work fine and is relatively inexpensive (under $100). A power auger (either gas or propane) is $350 to $600. An electric auger powered by your heavy-duty cordless electric drill falls between $150 and $300, depending on size.

I’ve added an ice auger carrier on both my four-wheeler and my snowmachine racks to provide security when hauling the auger out on the ice. A couple of years ago, I had my brand-new propane auger roll out of my sled and I spent some time backtracking to retrieve it. The spill resulted in the propane tank attachment becoming lightly bent. I was not happy!

There are all kinds of accessories you can buy for an ATV or snowmachine to make it more useful for icefishing, or for just general use. Either visit a local dealer or go online and search for ATV/snowmachine accessories. I have mounted extra lighting on my ATV along with a second, larger battery to operate the winch when needed. That battery helps with the lighting and assures me a good charge for starting the engine on these colder days.

Gift ideas for the hunter in your life range from a new firearm with ammunition to new clothing, boots, and packs. Optics, like scopes, binoculars, range finders, and spotting scopes, open a wide range of gift ideas. For my birthday, my wife gave me a gun holder specifically designed to mount on the front seat of my 6x6. The unit holds two long guns strapped in place and readily available. The muzzles are pointed down toward the floor for safety and the unit’s materials are a stiff, closed cell foam to protect the gun from any damage.

We’ll talk more about boating, fishing, and camping gift ideas later. A gift card at your nimrod’s favorite store is always a good present.