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RVA East End Music Festival returns this fall - WWBT
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A festival supporting music and arts at Richmond Public Schools is returning this fall.Mayor Levar Stoney and Superintendent Jason Kamras gathered to announce details for the RVA East End Festival.
It will be at Henry Marsh Elementary School on Sept. 24 from noon to 9 p.m. after taking a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
There will be performances by students, local artists and the Richmond Symphony.
It’s all to support music education for students at East End schools.
“Mark your calendars now because our fifth RVA East End Festival will be a special occasion to celebrate the artistic excellence of RPS students and the amazing talent in our community,” said Richmond musician Saxsmo Gates. “Music and the arts have been pivotal in my life. I want our students to have the same chances as I did to unlock their creative potential and even discover career pathways.”
Since 2016, more than $400,000 has been raised.
Copyright 2022 WWBT. All rights reserved.
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Someone Has Already Beaten Skyrim With Just A Fishing Rod - TheGamer
A feat only a true Dovahkiin could pull off.Skyrim Anniversary Edition has only been in the hands of the public for a few days, but that hasn't stopped one daring adventurer from completing the game only using the newly introduced fishing rod. Redditor TheFogFrog uploaded an image of themselves to Reddit which pictured main antagonist Alduin dead and the player stood over his corpse with a fishing tod in each hand.
For those that aren't aware, Skyrim Anniversary Edition recently added a new fishing mini-game allowing players to catch a range of fish to use for cooking. Skyrim players quickly discovered the fishing rods could be wielded like standard swords, and even scale with the one-handed weapon skill tree. The rods don't do much damage, but that didn't stop TheFogFrog from trying to beat the game with them.
Thankfully, TheFogFrog also shared a video of their fishing rod playthrough from their YouTube channel which you can watch here. To start the video, TheFogFrog lays out some basic ground rules for themselves for added challenge. Damage can only be dealt with the fishing rod but poisons can be applied for extra damage, and shouts must only be used for story progression. They also allow themselves to have a companion for the entire journey.
What follows can only be described as an incredibly stubborn yet impressive attempt to beat the worse enemies Skyrim has to offer with just a couple of pieces of wood. Two notable stumbling blocks in the playthrough were the dreaded frost troll up near High Hrothgar and Tsun in Sovngarde who had to be defeated with the help of paralysis poisons.
With nothing else in the way, TheFogFrog ruthlessly cuts down Alduin with their trusty fishing rods and cements themselves as the best fisherman in all of Skyrim. Simply attempting a fishing rod-only run in Skyrim is worthy of praise, but actually beating the game while doing so is definitely an accomplishment that only a true Dovakhiin could pull off.
Joshua Robertson is a News Writer for TheGamer, based in Barnsley, England. When not playing or writing about Pokemon, Yakuza, or Fallout, he can usually be found spending too much time on Twitter @JoshRobertson97.
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Best Reporting Software for Small Business 2022 - Small Business Computing
Whether you own a small firm or a large enterprise, data-driven competencies and advanced analytics & reporting capabilities are indispensable for your business to stay ahead of the competition. Reporting software with built-in data visualization tools blend into an organization’s applications and help you make informed decisions based on useful reports and predictive analytics. Jump to:
Reporting software is a set of tools that help businesses gather data from multiple sources, consolidate information, and generate useful insights and analytics in the form of business intelligence (BI) reports and data visualizations, such as graphs and charts. These reports provide organizations real-time visibility of data, monitor their key performance indicators (KPIs), identify trends and patterns to formulate future growth strategies, and help in the decision-making process.
Different organizations use different types of reporting tools, which are usually integrated into a central BI suite to combine different reports to generate useful insights. The major types of reporting tools you may find are market automation and analytics software, sales dashboard, customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), information technology (IT) software and dashboards, financial accounting software, time tracking tools, and BI software.
The benefits of using a reporting software include:
With tons of reporting software available to cater to different businesses, we’ve covered a few in the following categories:
Jump to:
Also read: Best CRM Software for Small Business
With several automation and analytics capabilities, a marketing reporting software consists of tools that enable organizations to manage, monitor, and evaluate their marketing performance; optimize strategic marketing activities; streamline workflows; improve return on investment (ROI), and maximize their conversions and sales. Let’s talk about the following marketing reporting software today:
HubSpot Marketing Hub is a powerful stand-alone hub of marketing tools that falls under the roof of HubSpot CRM, an integrated platform that combines all tools and integration of marketing, content management, sales, and customer service. The marketing software lets you run a comprehensive inbound marketing campaign with a wide range of features including lead generation, marketing automation, email marketing, traffic and conversion analytics, blogging, landing pages, social media, and custom reporting. The best thing about HubSpot Marketing Hub is its ability to integrate with basic CRM and sales tools at no extra cost.
With limited features in the free version, HubSpot might get expensive for small businesses as they scale. Also, there’s a lack of reporting features and split testing or A/B testing on lower tiers. Some users complained about limited customization capabilities, metrics tracking, email templates, and social media integration.
HubSpot Marketing Hub comes in four pricing tiers:
Adobe’s Marketo Engage is a cloud-based automated marketing platform that helps businesses provide personalized customer experience by bringing together customer data, content, analytics and automation, and engaging marketing and sales teams under one roof.
One of the most significant features of this platform is the ability to track customers’ preferences and then show the content based on those preferences, thus boosting sales through deeper customer engagement. Another stand-out feature is its smart cloning campaign that can save a lot of time.
Unlike HubSpot which caters to all small-to-growing enterprises, Marketo Engage primarily targets the high-growth enterprise. Though a powerful email marketing and lead management tool, it has certain limitations, such as complicated UI, challenges for beginners, issues with filtering, limited templates for emails and landing pages, occasional glitches, and error codes. In addition, many users complained about the product being expensive for small businesses.
Based on database size, Marketo Engage pricing is provided by the software vendor, and it comes in four tiers with different features.
Also read: Can Marketing Automation Software Help Your Business?
From basic single-entry bookkeeping solutions to complex double-entry functionalities, financial reporting softwares have become vital tools for organizations to manage day-to-day financial operations, such as invoicing, billing, payroll, and handling tax management and complex financial reports. Below is an overview of two financial reporting softwares and their features, pros, cons, and pricing.
Intuit’s QuickBooks is one of the leading accounting tools that cater to the financial needs of freelancers and small- to medium-sized businesses. It comes in two forms: a desktop version and a cloud-based SaaS version called QuickBooks Online or QBO.
QuickBooks integrates all financial data to provide customizable visual reports, including accounts receivables and payable reports, profit and loss statements, cash-flow statements, and more. It offers a user-friendly interface and easily integrates with other systems, including CRM, email marketing, time tracking tools, and e-commerce & payment tools.
Though QuickBooks offers a mobile app, many users complained about it being slow and faced on-the-go connectivity issues. Others faced issues such as system crashes, fewer customization options, limited inventory management, syncing problems and missed entries, transaction limitations, and lack of technical support.
QuickBooks offers four pricing plans for small, medium, and large businesses with a discount of 50% on the first three months.
Also read: Xero vs QuickBooks Comparison
Xero is an all-in-one accounting platform that provides small business owners with instant visibility of their financial position by collecting critical accounting data from multiple sources and presenting it in comprehensive reports and charts format. With simplified expense claim tools and invoicing management features, it allows you to get a quote, send an invoice, track your customers, and accept online payments in multiple currencies.
The standout features of Xero include an unlimited number of users as well as full reporting functionality on all pricing plans and automatic payment reminders to customers.
Some limitations do exist with Xero as users have to pay an extra fee for payroll integration such as Gusto. Also, some users suggested that Xero could improve in certain areas such as reporting, tracking, more integrations, inventory control, bank feeds stability, better reconciliation, and a mobile app. Many users faced an issue with the support as they offer only online support and no customer service over phone calls.
Xero comes in three pricing tiers, with 50% off for the first three months and additional add ons with additional charges such as Payroll with Gusto.
A sales dashboard is a graphical representation of data that allows executives and sales managers to monitor and control their sales KPIs, analyze sales funnels, identify issues, track team’s performance, and set future sales growth targets. It’s crucial that the sales team has a 360-degree view of all sales data at their fingertips all the time. Some of the common examples of sales dashboards include sales performance board, conversion board, cycle length board, leaderboard, product performance board, and sales team activities board.
Salesforce is one of the leading CRM platforms that helps businesses of all sizes accelerate sales, forecast revenues, automate workflows, boost productivity, and enhance customer engagement. In addition to a ton of features and integrations, most business users love it for its user-friendly and intuitive interface, high customizability, and robust reporting functions. With its powerful AI companion, Sales Cloud Einstein, it helps the sales team make smart moves by suggesting what actions to take or what deals to close first based on past data.
On the downside, Salesforce is quite expensive for small businesses with a steep learning curve and difficulty in the initial implementation. Some users complained they often get lost in tons of features and have difficulty in finding what they require. The software can be laggy at times, face connectivity issues, and cause syncing problems.
Sales Cloud offers four pricing editions:
Formerly known as Base CRM, Zendesk Sell is a sales automation and analytics platform that provides sales professionals with actionable insights to generate more leads, enhance productivity, engage with customers, and accelerate revenue growth. With a robust sales reporting feature, the sales team can monitor sales quotas and track sales funnels, all via their mobile phones.
With its quick implementation, clean layout, and ease of use, sales reps can get the system up and running in no time. It improves their efficiency and saves a lot of time by eliminating manual data entry and admin work.
Some users found it not very well integrated and lacking in some advanced features and reporting capabilities. Others faced issues with mobile app notifications, call features, customization, and email threads. Also, customer support could be a little more attentive to customer queries.
In addition to a free trial, Zendesk Sell comes in four pricing tiers, billed annually.
An IT dashboard or CIO dashboard is an essential tool for IT professionals to have an overview of IT infrastructure and allows them to identify any issues and keep track of KPIs. IT reporting software saves time, streamlines workflows, sends automatic alerts, and provides a real-time view of key indicators.
Some of the key elements and metrics included in an IT dashboard are requests per second, system uptime & downtime, security updates & response time, ongoing & upcoming projects, and deadlines.
Sisense is one of the leading and most comprehensive business intelligence (BI) platforms that provides real-time analytics and visual representation of mashup data from all available resources. The most useful dashboards include the user engagement dashboard and cybersecurity analytics dashboard. It allows system administrators to customize dashboards and create personalized access for different users.
The top features of Sisense include high-quality visuals, accurate real-time data analysis, a drag-and-drop interface, high-speed data sync, data unification, and data mashups.
The major drawbacks of Sisense are limited workflow options, difficulty in sharing customized dashboards, and fewer support functions. A few users also complained about slow servers, export function errors, difficulty in finding hidden functions, complicated JavaScript & APIs, and troubleshooting issues.
Sisense offers a free trial for your IT department and a subscription-based pricing plan. You can request a quote by contacting the software vendor.
Datapine helps data-driven companies and c-level executives gain visibility into business operations with strong analytics and a self-service platform. With an intuitive interface and easy-to-understand graphics, users of all skill levels can make sense of even the most complex data. IT dashboards include an IT project management dashboard, IT issue management dashboard, IT cost dashboard, and CTO dashboard. They help IT staff manage daily activities, track expenses, resolve queries and tickets, fix bugs, maintain security, and automate processes.
As it’s mainly targeted at data scientists, some of the advanced features might get too technical for non-technical users, particularly SQL mode. Such users suggested that Datapine should offer more tutorials and a knowledge base for using complex features.
Though Datapine offers a free trial, the pricing information is not available. Contact the service provider to get a plan tailored to your business needs.
Business Intelligence (BI) software is a comprehensive set of tools that collect unstructured data from various internal and external resources and transform it into insightful and visually compelling reports to help businesses make informed decisions.
Below are two all-in-one BI tools that combine the capabilities of marketing, sales, finance, and IT reporting softwares under one roof to provide a comprehensive overview to business owners.
Being a Gartner-recognized leader for nine years, Tableau is an integrated analytics platform that helps businesses explore and visualize data without technical headaches. The solution can be installed on-premises or hosted on the cloud as a SaaS.
With its interactive dashboards and drag and drop functionality, users of all skill levels can easily generate relevant reports and interpret statistical data. Formerly known as Einstein Analytics, Tableau CRM is natively built into the Salesforce platform and provides AI and machine learning (ML) capabilities. Powerful data visualization and the ability to handle large data sets are the most significant features that make it a leading BI tool.
Tableau could be expensive for small businesses. It also has a steep learning curve, so users may require training to be able to use it to its full extent. Some users faced performance issues, slow updates, and a lack of support.
Tableau is available for individuals, teams, and enterprises in two deployments:
Tableau Server is billed annually and offers either on-premise or public cloud deployment.
Tableau Online is fully hosted by Tableau, and provides similar features as Tableau Server.
With a wide range of robust datasets and connectors, strong visualization features, and unique social sharing capabilities, Domo Business Cloud offers viable support to businesses by transforming raw data into intuitive insights. With Domo’s low-code or full-code functions, companies can develop their own analytics packages that standardize and automate business practices. Domo also provides best-in-class security features with two-factor authentication, SSO integration, BYOK encryption, and personalized data permissions.
On the downside, Domo can be complicated in some areas, and the initial implementation may take some time and require tutorials and support. Also, reporting, customization, formatting, and filtering features need improvement, according to some users.
Domo software vendor hasn’t provided any upfront subscription plans. You can try it for free or contact Domo’s sales team to get a personalized quote.
Businesses can easily deploy reporting software with no prior training and can reap the benefits of various features such as detailed reports, data visualization, sharing capabilities, predictive and embedded analytics, and AI functionalities.
A reporting tool should align with your business goals and have the following features:
With a plethora of different reporting tools available in the marketplace, businesses find it challenging to find the right software for their reporting and analytics needs. While assessing your needs, you must ask yourself these questions: What is your business type and size? Which tools and features are you going to need the most? Who will be using the software in your organization? and How much flexibility, scalability, and customization capabilities do you need now and in the future?
Your team can try the free trials offered by various software vendors before making the final purchase decision.
Small Business Computing addresses the technology needs of small businesses, which are defined as businesses with fewer than 500 employees and/or less than $7 million in annual sales. To address the needs of these small businesses, Small Business Computing offers detailed coverage of cost-effective technology solutions, including lists of top vendors, product comparisons, and how-to guides that offer specific tools to help solve issues.
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Ice Fishing Essential Gear Guide - Wired2Fish
Wondering what gear and equipment you need for ice fishing? In this article, we cover all the essential ice fishing equipment you’ll want to get started catching walleye, northern pike, trout, crappie, yellow perch, bluegill and more. In addition to listing gear, we also shares plenty of tips to help you become a more efficient and successful ice angler.An angler needs to consider the following when gathering gear for ice fishing:
Ice fishing isn’t fun when you’re cold, which is why wearing quality thermal apparel and outerwear is critical. Things go from bad to worse when discomfort invites more serious risks, such as frost bite and hypothermia. We consider clothing to be the most critical ice fishing gear.
Being a lean guy with a tendency to get chilled easily, I’ve found the best way to stay comfortable ice fishing is dressing in layers, which requires owning assorted apparel for different weather and fishing scenarios. Here are some essentials from my collection.
Light and mid-weight thermal tops and bottoms made of moisture-wicking polyester and merino wool work well for a base layer. Next comes more insulating clothing. Good mid-layer choices are fleece-lined pants, mid- and heavy-weight long sleeve shirts, fleece hoodies and a vest with synthetic insulation.
Merino wool hunting and hiking socks are a solid choice for keeping feet warm. High cut, over-the-calf style are less apt to fall down over the course of the day and get bunched around your toes. If unimpressed with your current sock stockpile, check out Darn Tough Vermont.
New ice anglers can get by with a warm winter jacket and insulated pants, outerwear made specifically for ice fishing offers many advantages. Several products provide floatation, an important safety feature. Ice fishing suits are also incredibly warm, windproof, water repellant and comfortable. Jacket and bib pants come packed with features, such as lots of pockets, big hoods and high jacket collars, plus padded knees and seats.
StrikeMaster, Clam, Eskimo, Simms, Striker and Vexilar all make ice fishing outerwear.
A puff jacket is another handy item and I’ve used many over the years, StrikeMaster’s Light Puff Coat the most recent addition. In mild winter weather, when actively moving around and when fishing inside a shelter, a puff jacket with insulated bibs makes a great outerwear combination, which you’ll see several of the Wired2Fish team wearing in many ice fishing videos.
Warm boots are another essential. A pair of Baffin Impact pac-style boots haven’t let me down for over a decade. When it’s not bitterly cold and a lot of walking is on the agenda, I wear insulated, waterproof hunting boots. Insulated rubber boots are must-haves for slushy and mild late-ice conditions.
Rounding out outerwear are balaclavas, neck warmers and wind-proof winter hats. Don’t forget sunglasses for sun and wind protection for your eyes.
Gloves and mitts in varying degrees of insulation are critical. When temperatures allow, I like the versatility of flip mitts and have had good experiences with Simms and Glacier Glove.
Tip: Always have spare sets of gloves and mitts, and tuck a pair inside your jacket to keep them warm.
An ice drill is an essential. Yes, you can chip a hole in the ice using a spud bar, but an ice auger is the best tool for cutting multiple holes as efficiently as possible. Some auger brands to consider are StrikeMaster, Eskimo, Jiffy, K Drill, Ion, Mora, Nils Master, and Razr.
Hand augers are quiet, light and affordable, but require muscle power. The thicker the ice and the wider the drill’s diameter, the more effort is required. This is partly why 4.5 to 6 inch hand drills are popular.
Power ice drills are heavier and more expensive but do the work for you. They’re a requirement for efficient run-and-gun tactics, thick ice conditions and when 10 inch holes are needed for landing big predators.
These augers come in gas, propane and electric power configurations. Another noteworthy option is using a Milwaukee M18 18V Brushless Hammer Drill Driver to power a drill unit.
Wired2Fish’s Ryan DeChaine explains a few reasons why electric augers are popular in the following video.
An ice scoop is a must for clearing slush and ice from holes. Get a metal or heavy-duty plastic model if you don’t like baby gear. A scoop with a ruler on its handle is useful for measuring ice thickness, which is an important safety practice.
Tip: Ice drill blades are extremely sharp! Always keep them covered with a blade guard when not drilling holes.
In many ways, ice fishing rods are shorter versions of open-water models, and come in a myriad of lengths, powers, grips and material configurations. To help you find the best ice fishing rod for your needs, the following chart overviews some rod and line combinations for targeting popular fish species using different techniques, but nothing’s carved in stone, of course. Individual preferences and variances in rod characteristics across brands are other factors, meaning one brand’s light power might be closer to another’s medium-light. Lure weight capability will also vary across power classifications, depending on brand, model, length, graphite versus fiberglass blanks and so on.
Abu Garcia, 13 Fishing, Clam, Elliott Rods, Fenwick, G. Loomis, HT Enterprises, Okuma, Thorne Bros., Tuned Up Custom Rods, Shimano and St. Croix all make ice rods.
Reviewing the chart, you likely noticed the wide range of rod lengths available. Longer rods have become increasingly popular. A longer rod means less line is exposed when jigging outside and it smooths out power transfer on hook-sets and increases cushioning when playing fish, among other benefits.
Shorter rods also have their place. These are preferred for tight-lining tactics (i.e., jigging close to a hole and line watching) and when jigging in confined ice houses. They can also be a bit more manageable for kids and easier for beginners to experience success when learning the micro jigging moves required to finesse bites.
In addition to universal-type rods, there’s an abundance of technique- and species-specific ice rods. The growth of these niche rods is testament to ice fishing’s popularity combined with the increasing sophistication of today’s modern ice angler.
These rods are worth considering if you’re fond of fishing certain species using specific techniques, such as getting a dead-stick rod for soaking live minnows for walleye.
Related to the above, the benefits of owning a panfish rod with a visual strike indicator cannot be overstated when up against fussy, light biters. Whether a noodle rod with an ultra-sensitive tip or a rod with a spring bobber, the mechanics are the same. The tip (or spring) will bend slightly under the weight of the bait. When a fish bites, the indicator either drops further or straightens, signalling even the faintest of strikes.
Tony Roach talks panfish ice fishing rods in this video.
Tip: It’s good to have at least two rod combos rigged with different baits when ice fishing in order to quickly change presentations if a fish rejects the first one.
Power Designation
Length in inches
Applications and Species
Line lbs
Ultralight (UL)
24 – 32
Finesse panfish presentations with lead and light tungsten ice jigs with plastics or live-bait.
1 to 3 fluoro/mono
Light (L)
26 – 36
Tungsten and lead ice jigs with plastics or live-bait, as well as small lures up to around 1/8 to 3/16 ounces for panfish and certain finesse walleye scenarios.
3 to 4 fluoro/mono
Medium Light (ML)
26 – 36
Spoons, lipless crankbaits, Jigging Raps, other lures and jigs around 1/8 to 1/4 ounces. A solid choice for lighter walleye and whitefish offerings. Also suitable for upsized presentations when chasing jumbo perch and slab crappie.
4 to 6
fluoro/mono
Medium (M)
28 – 38
Jigging spoons, lipless crankbaits, Jigging Raps, other presentations up to around 3/8 ounces. A versatile multi-species option for walleye, whitefish, trout, eelpout and small to medium-sized pike.
6 to 8
fluoro/mono, or 8 – 10 braid
Medium Heavy (MH)
32 – 44
Spoons, lipless crankbaits, Jigging Raps, other lures and jigs topping out around 1/2 to 3/4 ounces. An essential tool for taming lake trout, pike, eelpout and trophy-sized walleye.
8 to 12 fluoro/mono or
15 to 20 braid
Heavy (H)
40 – 48
Made for jigging sizeable baits up to an ounce with blanks delivering plenty of power and shock absorption needed to tame big freshwater predators.
20 to 40 braid
Spinning reels are a popular choice for many anglers. These reels are dependable, readily available and well suited for handling light line.
Over the last decade, the availability of quality inline reels made specifically for ice fishing has increased. The latest generation inlines offer higher gear ratios and many line management features. A big selling point is inlines don’t create line twist when retrieving line.
Some anglers prefer bait casting reels for big predators. Hence, the availability of medium-heavy or heavy casting rods for ice fishing.
Locking reel seats aren’t standard on ice rods. Electrical tape is one option for securing a reel to an ice rod. Other options are specialty reel tape or reel wraps (i.e., bands) specifically for this purpose from 13 Fishing, Clam and Cold Snap.
It’s ideal to use line specifically made for ice fishing, which ensures optimal cold-weather performance. Here are some advantages of the different lines available.
Fluorocarbon is abrasion resistant, nearly invisible underwater, sinks and has low memory. Fluoro sheds water, which limits ice build-up. A popular choice for panfish, walleye, whitefish and small trout.
Professional fishing guide Brad Hawthorne explains fluorocarbon’s benefits in this video.
A quality ice fishing monofilament or copolymer line handles well, ties knots easily and will have water-repellant protection to lessen ice build-up. Mono has more stretch and sinks slower than fluoro — these qualities may or may not be drawbacks depending on the scenario. It’s a good line choice for beginners. Last season 3-pound Sufix Advance Ice Monofilament, which has less stretch than a traditional mono, performed great on the 23 inch ultra-light 13 Fishing TickleSticks I bought my kids for panfish.
Braid’s no-stretch and thin diameter characteristics are reasons many anglers prefer it when jigging deep or targeting big predators. Ice fishing braids have hydrophobic coatings, but expect ice-up over time when jigging outside in freezing temperatures. This isn’t enough to deter professional fisherman Jeff Gustafson, who uses PowerPro braid tied to a fluorocarbon leader to catch trophy lake trout and pike in Northwestern Ontario’s Sunset Country Region.
“I want to feel what my bait is doing and get a good hook set in deeper water,” Gustafson said. “It’s superior in my opinion. If it’s super cold, I’m fishing in a portable anyways.”
There are also ice lines specifically for tip-ups and rattle reels. These thicker lines are more finger-friendly in 15- to 40-pound strengths when hand-playing fish. Vinyl and PVC coated lines won’t absorb water.
Tip: Don’t forget monofilament and fluorocarbon leader material for adding at the end of braid and for rigging set-lines.
Tip-ups are standalone devices made to fit over an ice hole. Outfitted with a spool, trip mechanism and a flag as a signaling device, tip-ups are used for live minnow presentations as well as for dead-bait on quick-strike rigs for northern pike. When the flag flies, get over to the hole, grab the line, set the hook and bring in the line hand-over-hand to land the fish. Fun times!
Circular, thermal tip-ups are a popular choice. These products block snow and light from entering an ice hole, have insulation to delay freeze-over and stack neatly in a 5-gallon bucket. Products like Clam’s Arctic Warrior Tip-Up and I Fish Pro 2.0 Tip-Up are designed to work in conjunction with a rod combo.
Wired2Fish’s Kyle Peterson shares more info in this Tip-Ups 101 video.
Rattle reels are seeing a resurgence in popularity. These compact devices feature tension adjustable spools, which make noise when a walleye or other fish takes the bait and pulls line. Rattle reels are a simple but effective set-line option to help you catch more fish from an ice house.
You don’t need a huge pile of baits when getting started as an ice angler, but some variety is good. A mix of different jigs and lures gives you options for experimenting with various presentations to learn what fish prefer on a given day. Here are some of the best baits to add to your ice fishing gear the next time you’re buying new tackle.
Spoons are essential. Their flashing, tumbling action mimics a wounded baitfish and they are a tried-and-true presentation from first to late ice. Have an assortment of straight to curved models, and rattling and non-rattling versions. Beaded spoons and spoons with dropper chains are also valuable.
Some options include: the 13 Fishing Flash Bang, Berkley Vibrato, Clam Pinhead Pro, Custom Jigs and Spins Slender Spoon, Freedom Minnow Frostbite Dinnerbell, Lindy Rattlin’ Flyer, Luhr-Jensen Cast Champ, McGathys’ Slab Grabbers, Northland Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon, PK Predator, VMC Bull Spoon, and Williams Ice Jig.
Also known as gliding jigs, lures like the Rapala Jigging Rap have a horizontal, lifelike minnow profile and a gliding swim few fish can resist. The ACME Hyper Glide, Clam Tikka Minnow, Freedom Turnback Shad, Moonshine Shiver Minnow, Rapala Jigging Shad Rap and Jigging Slab Rap, and Northland Puppet Minnow are other examples. These baits get down quick and are great for both attracting and triggering fish.
Lipless crankbaits and darters are worth having and can really rile-up strikes at times. Lipless cranks have really become hot on the ice fishing scene. You can learn about the evolution of lipless cranks in ice fishing here.
Examples of baits from these three categories include the 13 Fishing Micro Magic Man, Live-Target Golden Shiner Rattlebait, Jackall TN60, Rapala Rippin’ Rap, Salmo Chubby Darter and Yo-Zuri Rattl’n Vibe.
Finally, blade baits are sometimes overlooked, but are another potent ice presentation.
There are many jigs suitable for ice fishing. When you need to get down quickly to a school of fussy panfish, a tungsten tipped with a finesse plastic or a few maggots is a reliable choice. Walleye and whitefish anglers also use tungsten jigs when downsizing with artificial lures or live bait.
Lead jigs in vertical, horizontal and 45-degree profile are also essentials. Tipped with live-bait or outfitted with a plastic they catch all types of fish.
Speaking of soft-baits, there’s abundant choice for ice fishing. There are wispy worms with finesse tails, crayfish and other invertebrate imposters for panfish. Tubes and minnows catch everything from bluegills to big northern pike. Scented soft-baits in various shapes and sizes for tipping presentations can be the secret for turning lookers into biters when not using live-bait.
Berkley, Custom Jigs and Spins, LunkerHunt, Maki, Northland, VMC and Z-Man are just a few brands offering soft-plastics for ice fishing.
Tip: Generally, baits 1.5 inches or less are good for panfish and small trout, 1.5 to 2.5 inches for walleye and other mid-sized fish, and 3 inches and up for predators. Although, upsizing and downsizing are both strategies to employ when troubleshooting how to catch more or bigger fish.
Hooks, dropper chains, sinkers, swivels and snaps are important to carry. Specifics will depend on tactics used and target species.
Storage containers in various sizes are useful for organizing and protecting ice fishing gear and equipment. Don’t skimp on this. Winter is hard on gear.
Flambeau, Gruv, Plano, Rapala and Rose Creek all make good pocket-sized tackle boxes. Rod cases come in many varieties and are essential for storing and transporting jigging set-ups. Currently, a Striker Transporter holds my fishing equipment, spare gloves, lunch and other items most days. I also rely on Otter and Frabill hard-plastic rod cases.
It’s not fancy, but a 5-gallon bucket is an inexpensive option for holding an ice skimmer, tip-ups and other items. A clip-on bucket seat adds even more functionality.
Learn more ice fishing gear storage tips here.
A rugged ice sled is a worthwhile investment for transporting gear. Options range from models anglers can pull on foot to heavy-duty sleds for towing behind snowmobiles and ATVs.
Choose a sled with high sides and a raised back. It will do a better job holding your gear and be more stable. Runners will help a sled track better and also reduce wear and tear on its base. Clam, Otter, Pelican and Shappell all make quality ice fishing sleds.
Flip-and-go portable ice fishing shelters take the sled concept one step further, offering the additional benefit of having a flip-over enclosure built into their design. When you want to block the wind, trap heat and get comfortable on a spot, simply grab a seat and flip up the shelter. These shelters are ideal for run-and-gun fishing.
Clam, Eskimo, Frabill, and Otter all make ice shelters. Learn more about ice shelters in this video.
Tip: A sled cover is useful for preventing items from falling out during travel, and keeps snow and slush from getting in.
These pop-up shelters are the other major type of portable fish houses. Hub-style shelters don’t have a sled base, but rather are akin to a rugged camping tent. The latest models are fast to set up as well as take down, and come in shapes to maximize fishing space and headroom. Hub style ice houses are great for big groups and setting up a base camp location.
Fish house comfortability increases with the addition of a portable propane heater. My friends and I have good success using Mr. Heater’s products, which offer an automatic low oxygen depletion sensor and an accidental tip-over safety shut-off. This said, having a battery-powered carbon monoxide detector inside the shelter is an added safety measure.
A common question is do you need a portable fish finder for ice fishing? For many ice anglers the answer is a resounding “Yes!”. The reason why is a portable fish finder makes you a more efficient angler. We consider it absolutely necessary ice fishing gear if you plan to fish a lot in the winter.
An entry-level model provides the essential tech you need for ice fishing. Specifically, a 2D sonar showing bottom depth, plus the movements of your lure and fish moving through the water column as detected within the transducer’s beam.
The next tier of fish finders add GPS functionality and likely include base maps of lakes. These features help find productive fishing locations.
The most cutting-edge portable fish finders go further, allowing anglers to easily scan a 100 foot perimeter from the transducer’s location within the ice hole. Garmin’s LiveScope Plus Ice Fishing Bundle LI or Humminbird’s Mega 360 Ice and Mega Live Ice are examples.
Tip: Products are available for making your own portable ice fishing sonar pack, which is worth considering if you’ve already invested in quality electronics for your fishing boat or kayak.
While arguably not an essential for beginners, a compact underwater camera, such as one of Aqua-Vu’s Micro products, is handy to have for identifying fish. This helps avoid unknowingly fishing the wrong species, such as jigging a hump loaded with smallmouth or catfish when you’re looking for walleye. Underwater cameras deliver the best picture in clear water, but don’t let this discourage you from using one in other conditions. As professional guide Brian Brosdahl once told to me, “I don’t need a picture of the whole fish to know what type it is, I just need to see faces or tails.”
Many ice fishing electronics come with a sealed lead acid (SLA) battery, but a lot of ice anglers are switching to lithium. Compared to a SLA with similar specs, a lithium battery delivers significantly more runtime. Lithium batteries are more expensive, but they have a longer lifespan than SLAs, which makes the higher upfront cost likely to balance out over the long run.
You’ll need a variety of fishing tools and other gear to be fully kitted-out for ice fishing. Here are some other things to carry.
Hook removal tools, including pliers and jaw spreaders, as well as hemostats or a product like the Cold Snap Pro Team Tungsten Toothpick for removing small jigs from panfish
Troubleshooting/repair kit containing basic tools, materials, like duct tape and zip ties, along with spares of critical items (e.g., auger blades and spark plug, batteries, etc.).
Ice safety tips and equipment are discussed at length in the Best Ice Fishing Tips to Get Started article, so we won’t repeat details here. But, here’s a recap of some ice safety essentials: spud bar (ice chisel), ice claws/picks, throw rope, whistle, first aid kit, boot cleats, extra food and water, fire starter, and a change of clothes.
Learn more about ice safety in this video.
As you can see, there’s no shortage of ice fishing equipment available. We hope this review of essential hard-water gear helps you choose the best products you need to get started catching fish this winter, but also gives you an appreciation of the other items you’re likely to need and want as you become a more skilled and committed ice angler.
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