When it comes to ice fishing, I am my father’s son.

I’ve fished the hard water countless times over the years, of course, but I’ve never really developed a must-do-at-all-costs passion for it, despite the fact I love to eat freshwater fish.

Perhaps my lukewarm feelings about ice fishing are a reflection of my father’s. He absolutely loved to fish the open water, and he had a particular affinity for catching spring bullheads and northern pike, both of which he ate with Epicurean gusto.

But he was indifferent, at best, to ice fishing.

He’d occasionally drag me onto a southern Minnesota lake when I was a kid growing up in Belle Plaine and Shakopee, but in most years, he’d make one trip to Lake Mille Lacs (or some other famous northern Minnesota destination fishery) with friends for a long weekend of on-ice debauchery. I’m sure they cut holes and fished through them in their rental unit, though I’m more certain they drank copious amounts of beer and brown liquor and played cards.

As my late father once quipped rather famously, he needed his blood-alcohol content to be sufficiently elevated for him to enjoy the spoils of fishing the hard water.

“It can get a little boring,” he’d say. “To the point of drudgery.”

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Still, my father’s over-the-top sentiments aren’t universally shared. Many of my friends, family members and sources, among others, can’t get enough of it – and for a variety of reasons.

Still, for newcomers thinking about learning to fish through the ice, the sport can feel inaccessible and intimidating, many say. Gear needs, safety considerations, and the many inevitable how-to questions – all are often impediments or roadblocks to getting started … or to staying with it.

So, I asked a handful of hardcore ice anglers – from friends to bait-shop owners to guides – on how best to get started in this whiz-bang era of specialized lines, custom rods, $1,000 flotation suits, and new-age electronics.

“If you walk into one of our large outdoor stores and go into the ice-fishing section, I can see how it can be overwhelming,” said Darren Troseth, a full-time guide and owner of 3 Rivers Fishing Adventures in Jordan who offers ice-fishing trips for sturgeon on the St. Croix River “It really can be sensory overload with all the choices and new products.”

Ross Hagemeister, owner of Meister Guide Service in Battle Lake in Otter Tail County, agrees. “It is sensory overload,” said Hagemeister, who has been a full-time, year-round guide for 30 years. “And it can be too much. What I tell my clients is that they don’t have to spend $1,000 or more to get started, even though they easily can. You can spend a fraction of that. You don’t need all that dang stuff to catch fish. Let’s be practical.”

The good news: If you do need ice-fishing gear and equipment, it’s one of the best markets to do so in recent memory, retailers say.

“It’s definitely a buyer’s market right now,” said Jeff Byrne, longtime owner of Cabin Fever Sports in Victoria. “Especially for big-ticket items.”

The reason: a buildup of inventory from the past two years. “Everyone knows last year was a bust for ice fishing because it was so warm and the ice was so bad for the vast majority of the year,” Byrne said. “But the year before we had poor conditions, too. We had ice, heavy snow, then rain. Then ice, heavy snow, and rain. We basically had a one-month season beginning in the middle of January when lakes finally froze. So, manufacturers and retailers are sitting on inventory, and I think it will probably go fast if we continue to make ice throughout December.”

Here’s some tips

If you’re new to ice fishing and planning to give a try, consider the follow tips before you do.

• Go to school. The Minnesota DNR’s Learn to Ice Fish page is a great place to start. It’s a wealth of information, from how-to-catch videos to gear choices to when to fish, and various other helpful hints. Ice-fishing safety, including necessary safety equipment, is also featured.

If you want to catch northern pike, perch, walleyes, or lake trout, the page has simple, easy-to-follow explanations to help you do so.

• Take an ice-fishing class. The Minnesota DNR, Three Rivers Park District, and groups such as Fishing for All in the metro offer ice-fishing classes for beginners. Many provide equipment. Instruction covers everything from ice safety to how to use an ice auger, basic fishing tactics, and more.

It’s a cheap way to see if you like ice fishing before investing in equipment. 

• Hire a guide. I once tagged along with an ice-fishing guide in South Dakota and his three clients, all relative fishing novices. They were fishing in the northeastern part of the state. It was during that period in the late 1990s when fishing mobility was all the craze. I was shocked by how much I learned in six hours.

The guide was superb – upbeat and personable. He clearly knew his stuff. He thoroughly explained every move he made. And they caught a lot of fish.

Guides can be expensive, but you can learn an enormous amount in a short period of time from them. To me, hiring one is a wise investment. Do your homework and find a good one. Ask for references, too.

• Conditions matter. “You want to put yourself in a position for success,” Troseth said regarding fishing with new ice anglers. “Don’t go out in a blizzard or when the wind is blowing 40 miles per hour. Make sure you have good ice, because safety is a real concern for new anglers. And find a hot bite. Nothing brings anglers back more than experiencing an outing when they catch fish. That’s especially the case with kids.”

• Gearing up. For newcomers, the “used” marketplace of ice-fishing equipment is a wise place to start. “Cost doesn’t have to be a barrier to ice fish,” Troseth said. “You don’t have to go overboard. Start with the basics.”

Search social media marketplace sites, garage sales, and other sources to get outfitted.

• Augers. You need one. It’s a necessity. This is the place to spend some money, if you have it. Electric augers are expensive but easy to use and work great. A gas auger is another option and can be found in secondary markets for sale, and for a reasonable price.

Another option: hand augers are cheap, work just fine, require minimal maintenance, and are highly portable. 

• Clothing needs. Staying warm and dry is paramount. A friend of mine, who has a particular aversion to cold weather, recently acquired a pair of Striker bibs, and he can’t wait to use them.

Still, a winter coat and snow pants will work just fine, too. A pair of quality waterproof boots is a necessity.

• Fish for panfish. Not only are crappies and sunfish delicious to eat, they can provide near-constant action and are usually easy to catch. Call your local bait shop to ascertain where they’re biting.

Early ice provides some of the best action of the winter season. “Young kids need action to keep them interested,” Hagemeister said. “Panfish are fun and are great to eat.

• Learn how prepare your fish. Catching panfish and pike is the main reason why I still occasionally ice fish. A lot of newcomers are interested in sourcing their food, so learning how to prepare well is important. Besides, fried fish is delicious. And kids generally love it.

Jeremiah Luhmann, owner of Luhmann’s River Guiding in Lake City, said he fries his fish in a cast iron pan rather than using an electric fryer. “They conduct and maintain heat much better,” Luhmann said.