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You need tilts as you mentioned. You need an ice chisel or auger. For around here usually a chisel will do since we seldom get 2 feet of ice. The chisel should be narrow at the business end. The wide ones make it harder to dig. maybe 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and sharp . You need the spaghetti scoop looking thing to keep the ice and snow slush out of the holes. You need some hand line that you can grab so no too thin. I like a fiber braid not mono. You need a leader for the last several feet. You need some hooks. you need fairly small for trout and a little bigger to liveline shiners for bass , pikeral , perch , pike etc. You shiner bucket has to be insulated or you will lose them on the really cold mornings. The metal buckets will freeze. The best thing seems to be to get a styrofoam bucket cheap but then put it inside a plastic or metal bucket. Without the metal bucket holding it , the foam bicket will break in no time. The foam bucket is in fact the best insulated one so combining them gives you a good set up.
In addition to shiners , I like to fish grub worms and power bait for trout. Shiners are fine for native fish but a wad of powerbait on a very small treble with a single grub worm wiggling its tail works good for trout. I like the purple power bait but orange is sometimes good too. The grub should just be stuck straight through its tail , not threaded on the hood. You want it to be 80 free to wiggle. All tyhe baits should be tried at various depth below the ice. I have found most fish are caught about 3 feet down but in some areas you need to try deeper. I would start at 3 feet down and then every now and then lower some . when you find the depth they are biting , put all the baits at that depth. I think depth is probably the biggest thing in ice fishing. I think the fish find a layer with a temp they like and cruise around at that depth.
A lot of people use corn. Some ponds and mabe even some state laws ban corn. Some chum the hole with corn and use other baits on their hook to skirt the no corn rules. I think its best to talk to people at the various locals to get a feel for that places ideas on corn.
If you really want to be prepared you should have a jigging rod. These are sold cheap at various department stores. Of course you will need sone jigs. The basics are swedish pimples and I like the tiny like 2 inch minnows that have a wingy shaped tail they swim sideways as you jig up and down. Orange works good.
You need creepers to be safe. Guys our age and size get destroyed if our feet slip out from under us and we land on our tail bone. If the pond is cobered with snow then the creepers may be optional but clean smooth ice you really need something on your feet to dig in a little.
Mittens and good warm boots are important. Your core may stay warm but your finger tips and toes will get cold. I use big leather , overstiffed mittens. You tale them off to do the tying , baiting etc but for standing around (ice fishing is 95 percent standing around unless you are jigging) mittens work better than gloves. My boots are Sorels rated to 85 below. I never fished when the temp was less than 14 below and your toes get cold even with the best boots. walking around helps.
I never carry a gaff. I never used a wind shield but they would help some days , especially with the samll boy. Kust a one sided windbreak is a big help. Since you will be taking your son you need to be way more prepared than if you are just going yourself. I suggest you buy him a plain old sled he ca use to slide but you can also lash stuff on it with bungie cords to drag your stuff onto the ice.
Where possible , I looked for spots near a road , even a dirt one or parking lot where you can set your tilrs and then sit in the warm car and wait for a flag. No its not outdoorsy he-man stuff but you'll get enough of that in places where you just can't set up near the car.
I carried a Peak one stove in the car. Its 5 x5 x5 cube takes up almost no space but being able to heat water for coffee or hot cocao is a real luxury.
Be warm. Doesn't matter if you look like a polar beer but if you get cold , its hard to get warm again so try to stay warm.
A knife with scissors or a seperate pair of scissors. I use a swiss army knife with scissors. A light for early morning. i think the new LCD flashlights or your surf fishing head lamp work good. Often , if you get into it , you may be fishing for an hour or two in poor lite both in the morning and at sunset.
The latest thing I see is the handwarmer mittens. You put a chemical pack in them and the pack generates heat. I think its not essential 90 percent of the time but if its bitter cold , you will think they were worth it,
One of the most important pieces of clothing is a hood or cloth flight helmet. Best for the head (where you lose most of your body heat) is a flight helmet , a hooded sweatshirt hood over that and a nylon or other windbreaking hood on your outer jacket.
like all things in the cold , layers are best. A cotton T shirt against your skin , a waffles shirt over that , a button shirt of wool over that , the Hooded sweatshirt over that and the outer coat with wind breaker shell and plenty of insulation and a second one with just the windbreaker shell (hood on both ) and no insulation for the less bitter days. You of course remove and add layers as the temp changes to warmer in the morning and colder at night. You also need to change layers as the wind picks up. Wind chill is very important on the ice since you generally have nothing around you like trees , etc to break the wind.
From 1986 to about 1997 I iced fished a lot. I was on the ice maybe 5 days a week for about 5 or 6 of those years. The rest of the time maybe 1 or 2 days a week plus weekends sometimes and for tournaments. Do keep your ears open for tourneys in stocked ponds. get there and be ready at the first bell because 70 percent of the fish are caught in the first hours. Stocked b ponds are about the best way to garantee a decent fish which I think is important for a little kid just starting. We are used to decades of skinked streaks in the surf but a little kid wants to catch a fish. Even just one makes a big difference in how he feels about going.
I would think its a super oppurtunity to be with your son. Since you mostly wait for a flag , you have plenty of time to talk to him. Ideal situation I think vs the hsutle bustle of fishing with a kid along the shore line.
Hope this post helps others besides John in getting started in ice fishing. I'm sure I missed a few things but its a good start.
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