What kind of gear and bait would I need to do some ice fishing in the BWCA? I have small gear for farm pond bluegill and crappie around Iowa, but would tip ups be better? How do you keep minnows from freezing overnight? How deep should I look for lakers this time of year?

What is your preferred target species? A selection of minnow heads might be enough. Waxies, spikes and plastics can work for streamer trout.

You’d be better off with frozen minnows as opposed to trying to lug around a full minnow bucket. Panfish gear won’t work for lake trout. You can get away with walleye rods for most inland lakers. Frozen smelt on a tip up is the standard lake trout rig. I rarely use bait for lake trout. Soft plastics, namely tube baits and twister tails are popular. Jigging rapalas and rattle traps are good as well.