The beauty of ice fishing – and a big reason for its ever-growing popularity, I suspect – is that it can be as simple or as sophisticated as an angler wants it to be.

For entry-level anglers, ice fishing can be as basic as a wooden dowel ice fishing rod – having started out with rigs like this, I use the word “rod” loosely – with pegs for wrapping the line, a few jigs or plain hooks and a bobber for detecting a bite. Throw in a hand auger and a 5-gallon bucket that can be used to carry gear and double as a chair, and the investment is minimal – perhaps $100 or less.

For those who prefer not to sit outside on a bucket – count me firmly in that camp – budget-conscious anglers can likely track down a used portable shelter and a basic propane heater for another $250 or so.

Not a huge hit on the wallet, in other words.

Tip-ups are a mainstay for wintertime pike anglers, as seen here in this undated photo from an ice fishing excursion on Devils Lake in North Dakota. (Brad Dokken / Forum News Service)

At the other extreme, the abundance of whiz-bang electronics, portable shelters of all shapes and sizes, lithium battery-powered ice augers, ice fishing rods and reels and a seemingly endless variety of tackle and other gizmos means the sky is probably the limit for those who don’t have to worry about budgets and how much they spend.

Out of curiosity, I put together a list the other day of how much it might cost for an ice fishing newbie to get set up with top-of-the-line gear.

This doesn’t include the abundance of high-quality outdoor clothing and footwear available to anglers today, or wheelhouses that can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000.

Perusing the websites of popular sporting goods retailers and online outlets, I came up with this very rough estimate. And keep in mind, these are ballpark figures, presented here only for the sake of conversation. So let’s get started:

Lithium battery-powered ice auger: $500.

Insulated hub-style portable shelter: $400.

Four rod-and-reel combos: Average price varies from $35 to $45, so let’s split the difference and say $160.

Ice line: $12.

Forward-facing sonar (FFS): I asked AI provider ChatGPT what it would cost to set up a forward-facing sonar unit for ice fishing. Going with a bare bones entry-level system, including a basic FFS transducer and a smaller display or “head” unit, you’d be looking in the range of $1,500 to $2,500, I was told. Throw in additional necessities, and you’re looking at another $100 to $300 for mounting equipment and $200 to $400 for a battery and charger. By the time the smoke clears, you’re easily in for more than 3 grand to buy the unit and everything else you’d need.

Flasher: Of course FFS isn’t necessary to put fish on the ice. For anglers looking to spend a bit less and go with more basic electronics such as a Vexilar or MarCum flasher, prices range from as little as $280 to upwards of $800, depending on the model.

Dozen ice fishing jigs: A three-pack of Northland Tackle Buck-Shot Rattle Spoons (which are pretty much the gold standard in ice fishing) retails for about $19, while a three-pack of the company’s Buck-Shot Coffin Spoons will set you back $20. Other popular brand jigging spoons retail for about $7 each. Basic lead head jigs will set you back $3 to $5 or so, give or take. Bottom line, expect to fish out at least $75 for a dozen jigs and/or jigging spoons.

Propane heater: While cheaper models exist, the Mr. Heater Portable Buddy Heater, arguably the most popular heater on the market, can be set to kick out 4,000 BTUs or 9,000 BTUs and retails for about $90. Clam’s new portable heater, which is fully adjustable from 5,500 to 10,000 BTUs, retails for about $80.

Miscellaneous: A half-dozen bobbers and a pair of rod holders – $18 to $20.

Ice scoop: A bare bones ice scoop retails for about $5, while high-end models will run $25 or more.

Tip-up: A basic tip-up, with a submersible reel and flag that “tips up” to signal a strike, will cost about $10 to $15. Higher-end models that pair with a regular ice fishing rod, allowing anglers to reel in a fish instead of pulling it in hand-over-hand, can run about $60. You’ll probably want at least four, so ballpark, expect to spend anywhere from $40 to $200 or more.

Based on those figures, it wouldn’t be unrealistic to spend upwards of $5,800 for what would be a very deluxe, yet portable ice fishing arsenal. Most ice anglers, of course, don’t go hog wild and buy everything at once but instead amass a collection of gear over time.

My point, I guess, is that there’s a slew of really cool stuff on the market these days when it comes to ice fishing – and that’s a good thing.

And if you want to go low budget, that is certainly a viable option, too. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

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