I’ve learned a lot over the years on the hundreds of ice fishing adventures I’ve been on, but nothing is more important to fishing success than having a backup plan. Reason being, a fish’s moods change from day to day, their location changes, their feeding time varies, and they just get downright ornery.

Because of all this and, of course, Murphy’s Law—anything that can go wrong, will go wrong—you need a backup plan every time you go ice fishing. I’ve done it all: left my minnow bucket full of minnows at the bait shop, forgot my winter boots, drove to the wrong lake and wondered where my buddies were, and even left my ice rods at home! You always need a back-up plan.

One time when I was going walleye fishing at dusk, I picked up a few dozen minnows for tip-ups and headed to the lake. I headed out to the spot and realized that I’d left the tip-ups back home. What to do? Luckily, I always carry too many rods, so I rigged up a bunch of deadsticks for everyone with some size 4 Glowbrite Demons on the lines.

I charged those Demons up with a flasher, tail hooked the minnows, set them in some shallow holes and waited. Pretty soon, rods started popping and walleyes were flopping up on the ice. I don’t know if it was the glow Demons that made a difference, but I do know that I rarely use tip-ups anymore, and I still catch plenty of walleyes! Even so, I never forget to bring along that bucket of tip-ups, just in case. You always need a backup plan.

Like most ice anglers, I use an electric auger. It’s a Milwaukee Drill with a StrikeMaster Auger, and I guarantee you that I have a backup battery and a backup, backup battery—that’s the double backup plan. I also have backup batteries for the Livescope and flasher. You can never have too many batteries.

You’d better have more than one jig box filled with a variety of spoons and jigs. Slender Spoons, Demon Jigging Spoons and Vertiglo Lightnin’ Spoons come in a variety of sizes and colors for all species of fish. Chekais, Majmuns, Glazbas and Wolfinkees are great tungsten options for deeper water. Don’t forget old-school classic designs like the Ratfinkees, ‘Gill Pills, and of course, Demons for picky fish.

Backup plan #64: Always have a few jig boxes loaded up in your tackle bag, as well as a smaller box in the pocket of your jacket containing a mix of jigs, in case you forget your tackle bag with all those magic jigs.

What happens if you fall through the ice? Here, a backup plan will save your hide. I always check the ice with a spud bar at early and late ice, and now I wear a flotation suit. I love my Graff USA Float suit. It will not only keep me alive, but it is super lightweight, waterproof and has a ton of pockets for jig boxes, bait pucks and accessories. It’s a wearable backup plan.

I often fish Petenwell and Castle Rock Flowages in Wisconsin. They’re chock full of walleyes, white bass, crappies and catfish. Instead of being species-specific, I’m happy for whatever I get and whatever is swimming around the channel edges and submerged timber.

I had a few trees that I marked in open-water season and headed to those spots. It was beautiful; you could see the shape of the trees on the Livescope, and conditions were perfect. The problem was…no fish! So, I moved around to all my GPS spots that I knew had these exact trees—and of course, no fish. What to do? I decided to move away from the channel, even though there was a line of anglers in their huts all set up along the channel’s edge.

I’d walk a ways, drill a hole and scan with the Livescope. After an hour or so of this, I came upon a hump with fallen trees and brush—and there were fish! So, I dropped down a 1/8-ounce, gold Slender Spoon and a white bass came right up and attacked. Soon, I had two more whites and a walleye flopping on the ice. On that day, the fish didn’t like submerged standing trees; they wanted submerged fallen trees. A big difference.

So, I headed back to get the ATV, tent and the rest of my gear. It didn’t take long for a half-dozen anglers to pack up and swarm my area. I guess their backup plan was to follow me.

What about your ATV? I always carry a tow strap mounted on a winch, just in case. I keep the battery on a charger the day before, and I make sure it starts before I leave the house. And of course, I carry a set of jumper cables, so in case of problems, I can start it off my Livescope battery. Always have a backup plan.

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