Reine, Norway is inside the Arctic Circle. It's pretty, but I'll pass.
I'll second Big TC. I did that out of Portsmouth a few years ago. None of us fished - we were too seasick. Never again!
I have a Minnkota trolling motor on my boat. It is built like a tank. The baseplate on it is 1/4" thick. It has taken plenty of abuse but that is why they put skegs on them and why the shafts are made to flex.
Years ago, Kevin VanDam wrote "Bass Strategies". He put everything he knew into that book. I read one more of his books, but it was just a repeat of parts of Bass Strategies. I also use to get InFisherman and Bass magazines. I don't get any of them anymore. All they are is a sales sheet for the latest and greatest (even if it isn't) ever more costly fishing gear and a repetition of the same marketing crap, I mean articles they have in every other issue. So, I doubt I am your target market, but then, who is? And are you going to self-publish or are you going to try and find a publisher? (You can easily publish a Kindle Book, and the writing and publishing tools are free, but you still have to market it.)
Why should I read your book over one by KVD or any other professional angler? I'm not trying to be a hard ass, but have you done the research to understand what it actually takes to write and publish a successful book? There is nothing easy about it and book sales are down. The internet has been a death machine for publishing. A publisher may publish your book and not allocate any money for marketing. Your baby is on the way to the remainder pile before it's even born! Do you have an agent?
If you are serious and want to use a publisher you need to see if you can get a book contract before you make a huge commitment that never gets fulfilled.
Write up a complete outline for your book and write the first 3 chapters. Create a cover sheet for the book proposal. The cover sheet's sole purpose is to get the publisher to read your proposal. You have to capture their interest with your first paragraph to give them a reason to read your second paragraph so they don't send you to the round file. These people get hundreds of book proposals every week and you have to stand out from the competition. When you've done that start sending it to publishers.
Good luck!
Find a local bass club and join.
I'm in New Hampshire, but your price point is way outside anything I'd be willing to pay to catch panfish, in fact it is more than I am willing to pay to catch bass. I don't think I paid more than $60 for my ultralight rig. Like a number of people have mentioned, all you really need is a cane pole, a length of line and a hook.
That is a lot of ice to drill through Fireguy. I sold all my ice fishing equipment in early Spring last year. I prefer to spend my time in my art studio while it is cold outside. Now I just wish the figure drawing classes would re-open.
I pick up an Italian sub from our local sub shop. I have them make it dry and pack the veggies and oil separate. I assemble it the morning I go out, but I don't put the oil on it until I am eating it or it just gets soggy. That and a few cans of carbonated water and I'm good to go.
I have a Quantum Teton Pulse 10 reel on a Quantum Teton rod. The rod has a rainbow trout pattern just above the handle and is about 6' long. It's a very nice combo that I put together, but I have no idea if you can still get the rod or the reel. I don't buy the cheap retail combos. They never perform the way I want them to, so I shopped around for a reel that was small and light, but good quality. I didn't worry as much about the rod, I just wanted something with good action that would give me a good fight with bluegill or pumpkinseed.
I don't use the rig that often as I mainly fish for bass, but I almost always have it with me, and it has always been fun to use.
Most fish hold mercury in their livers, not muscle mass. Stop listening to the lying busy bodies who have nothing better to do than tell everyone else how we should live. F them! Turn off and tune out the noise, and enjoy your fish and seafood.
An ultralight with a small spinning reel is a great way to catch panfish and a lot of fun! An 1/8 ounce lure only has to pull the line through the eyes of a spinning rod, not turn the spool as well which works better when the lure has more mass unless you are willing to pay the price for superior bearings and a precision balanced spool. Everything has a cost. How much are you willing to pay?
I bought a Curado DC last year. It is a very sweet reel, but don't believe the marketing BS, you can tie that puppy up with a birdsnest real easy. Just start with the settings pretty tight until you get the feel for it and keep loosening the setting as you go. The reel is smart, but it isn't fool proof.
12 to 14 inches is solid enough to drive a vehicle on. Around the corner in Alton Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee here in New Hampshire we have to only FAA Certified ice runway in the lower 48 states. On weekends they will often get well over 100 planes a day landing and taking off. It actually becomes one of the busiest airports in the northeast.
The ice must be 12" thick before they can open the runway to air traffic. They are currently closed because we have had 4 to 5 days of warmer weather and there is water sitting on the runway and the snow banks have melted. The ice is still plenty thick, but the water needs to refreeze and the snow banks need to be built back up before they can re-open.
Oh no, no one was hurrying anywhere, you couldn't. If you tried to go faster than 10 mph, your tires would break loose and you'd slide into the ditch. What I was trying to point out was that it was so bad that just your engine vibration could make you slide into the ditch! I sat in line, stopped at a traffic light and watched that happen to 2 or 3 cars while waiting for the light to turn green. It was bad.