They are probably the cheapest rod you can buy, costing only a few dollars. It's best to have at least two, but several tipped with different lures are nice and handy. Rods and reels work well, but homemade ones made from a rod tip and dowel with pegs to hold line are more than adequate. Use a float just large enough to suspend your lure and bait. Lures should be small and brightly colored, with green and red the most popular colors.
Live bait is a necessity for ice fishing.
Waxworms, mealworms, mousies, corn borer larvae, and goldenrod grubs are all good baits. Ice fish on lakes or river backwaters in the same places where you caught fish in late fall. Best ice fishing often occurs just after freeze-up. Fish are found in water of moderate depths and often are near weed beds. A newcomer to ice fishing can locate the best spots by looking for a congregation of fishermen over traditional hotspots.