
Ice fishing is pretty low on my list of favorite fishing-related activities – it’s somewhere below handlining blue crabs and slightly above not fishing at all. But my last two trips on the ice have started to change that.
On one trip, I fished Lake Winnipesaukee for white perch with fishing guide Tim Moore, and on the other I fished for smallmouth bass and yellow perch in Massachusetts with Captain Rob Taylor. The common thread between the two trips was the absence of tip-ups and the presence of electronics.

Last week with Rob, he’d brought out the Lowrance Elite 5-HDI that he uses on his boat and paired it with a Lowrance Ice Fishing Pack. The pack includes an ice transducer and float, and a weatherproof carrying case with room for batteries and a charger.
It was the first time Rob had brought his electronics onto the ice with him, and was clearly enjoying watching the fish react to his lure.
I took a few turns as well. I could clearly read my jig bouncing along the bottom when,…