If you haven’t had the chance to hit the ice yet, and you didn’t quite get what you wanted for ice fishing on Christmas, you can always do some shopping on Ebay to see what is available. One thing I have learned is this, do not just type in “ice fishing” for your keyword search. You definitely need to be just a little more specific in your searches, or the amount of items you have to look through would be staggering.
I typed in Northland and found two good auctions going for Northland Buck-Shot Rattle Spoons. These are one of my favs for jigging walleye and perch, and the sizes being auctioned are perfect for walleye, all 1/2 and 3/4 oz.
Typed in Jigging Rapalas and found two pages of perch and walleye sizes available.
The same can be said for StrikeMaster augers, not only was there a good selection of hand and power augers, but the replacement blades as well. If you have seen the price of replacement blades in the stores these days, those were definitely a better deal on ebay.
Found even better prices when looking up the Jiffy brand of auger. Nothing wrong with these augers either. Built rock solid and know of power augers that have been running for 20 or more years, and still going strong.
Got a little sticker shock when I typed in St Croix ice rods. There are a pair of 32″ medium Premiers with 15 bidders, and the price was over $50 so far. You really need to shop careful when picking what you bid on folks. These two rods, brand new are only $19.99 each at the stores.
The same can be said of typing in Vexilar flashers. Some of the prices are pretty steep, others are pretty good. I have two FL-8’s that I am thinking of selling, and the price I am going to ask for is less than what these units are going for on ebay.
When it came to typing in MarCum flashers, there were not as many items, but some good quality to be found. Not sure why a camera came up, but I really like their 360′ unit. This thing swivels in a complete circle and makes it a lot easier to find your jig while setting up.
Looking up another of my favorite spoons, the Swedish Pimple from the Bay de Noc Lure Co. Yup, started in the Upper Peninsula. Found only three items, but the prices were right.
And one little known secret spoon, suppose its too late to say, “keep it to yourselves”, but what the hay. Look up “Little Cleo” spoons. These are already some of my fav spoons for catching pike and muskie, while others love ‘em for fishing rivers for salmon. What a lot of folks don’t know is these spoons with their unique wobble, are great for walleye and perch fishing through the ice. The prices were definitely right on this search, nice selection too.
Besides Ebay, you can always surf stores and different areas in the ice belt to find what you need, and at a price you like, too.
