[RyanBass]

im going to do some scouting and some shopping tomorrow at silver lake and beaver pond park in berlin. i plan on fishing wednesday 12/29, which calls for less wind.

this will be for my first ever ice fishing excursion.
i already have a few things on a list to buy as far as safety precaution items and tackle.

i am wondering about some bait and tackle and some tips to help me find fish.
as far as tackle, what what line is preferred? what bait to use on a few tip ups, and what type/size of artificial jigs are productive.

tomorrow when i scout im going to be looking at shoreline keys to help me find tapering edges and such to fish, but maybe this is a question of ice fishing etiquette. if i see holes already drilled in the ice, is it ok to fish them? or maybe a better question is am i more likely to find fish on my own?

i looked for maps of silver lake, but couldnt find any with definitive depth marks. as far as beaver pond, i have fished there once before in the summer and have a general idea of the depths, drop offs and former weed lines there.

any tips or general help in the ice fishing category would be helpful to me.
thanks

[flippy]

Ryan I might be in the berlin area wednesday, I will swing by, around noonish, I have to put a bid on a apartment house in meriden, I can show you where the guys catch fish, as for bait, i see guys using medium to large size minnows and chubs, there are plenty of pickeral, bass and channel catfish in there

[RyanBass]

thanks jim, give me a call when youre in the area.
im gonna go scouting a bit today and see what i can put together on my own.