Interest in ice fishing piquing with the onset of frigid weather, I started getting ice fishing gear out of storage, checking my stock of jigs and making certain everything is in working order. Of course everything is not in order, whether this be due to neglect at the end of the last ice fishing season, or to the little devils that plague things that are not in use.

The first problem encountered was dull blades on the hand auger, or more precisely, the edge had rolled down in places. Ragged edges are not so bad, but rolled edges make drilling a lot harder. That will be fixed with my Lansky Sharpener.

And writing this reminds me that I have not yet checked the blades on my power auger.

This year I may buy a new ice spud for checking the ice and opening old holes. The last one I had went through the ice when another ice fisher borrowed it and ignored my request to put the strap around his wrist. He promised to replace it, but now I can not even recall who lost it.

Where in the devil did I put my boot studs. Falling on the ice gets harder every passing year. They, the rubber kind that stretch over heel and toe, probably are with the ice spikes, which are even more important than the studs.

I made the mistake of taking the coyote ruff off the hood of my insulated parka a couple of years ago. That is a mistake that will not be made again. Nor will I forget my fleece face mask on every ice fishing outing. Two years after a 6-degree afternoon on Presque Isle Bay in 40 mph wind and I am just getting so I can shave without tearing off my skin.

Always carry two pairs of gloves in case one pair gets wet, and a hand towel for drying hands after baiting hooks and handling fish.

Feet, hands, head, three key body parts for maintaining comfort on the ice. Much better to prove how clever you are that how tough you are since the latter is always exaggerated.

I have a one-man ice shelter that, when the top is folded back, the inside of the sled is open and large enough for all of my gear. It is great. And it is better still with accessories. I found rod holders that clamp onto the tube frame. I intend to make a wire hanger for the propane lantern.

Also, I need a new seat for the shelter. Frabill has a new three-leg chair with a short back rest. It carries a suggested retail price of $29.99. Three legs will stabilize on just about any reasonably flat surface, whereas four legs are always tippy unless fitted to the exact pattern of ridges in the shelter bottom.

I wonder of waxing the bottom side of the ice shelter, like we did with our sled runners when I was a kid, might make pulling it even easier?

While going through the jig boxes two things occurred to me. One thing was that I have a lot of ice jigs. The other was that I need more, especially Swedish Pimples in my favorite colors.

While ice fishing for panfish, almost always I use a two jig rig made up of a size 2 Swedish Pimple at the bottom tipped with a minnow, and a tiny jig tied about 20 inches above tipped with a maggot. The Swedish Pimple at the end of the line makes finding bottom quite easy without having to mark the line.

My favorite Swedish Pimple colors are red and nickel, red and gold and luminous for those times when there is a lot of snow on the ice and at night. But you know what happens when you have favorite colors. You are often short on those colors.

After looking over the Swedish Pimple color chart I see that there are a few color patterns I need to try, especially nickel with a fluorescent green stripe or any other bright green.

I find that maybe the most important thing about jig color selection is using a shiny jig through reasonably clear ice, and a glow color when there is snow on the ice.

Please be patient about getting onto the ice. Breaking through ice is hazardous as compared to breaking through ice during summer. Maybe should not joke about this unless it helps someone to remember that safety is always the most important aspect of fishing, hunting and any other outdoor recreation.