The high-speed evolution of ice fishing is threatening to rid the sport of its two biggest barriers: cold fingers and the tough job of finding fish under ice.

Witness the new fishing rods.

Push a button on the handle of the Buzz Stix, and the rod jiggles the lure for you, with the help of a tiny battery-operated motor. So much for removing your mitten to entice a light-biting bluegill. The Buzz Stix sells for $39.99 with reel.

From ultrasensitive fish locators to multicolored, glow-in-the dark jigs, ice fishing gear has made big leaps in sophistication in recent years.

“I’d say quantum leaps in just the last five years,” said Tommy Skarlis, a professional angler from Walker, Minn., who helps companies design ice fishing tackle. “You have glow jigs now where each color has a different intensity.”

Tim Peterson of Hugo, Minn., admits he has been lured by the new technology associated with ice fishing. He uses a fish locator religiously and has invested in new rods and reels.

“I’ve looked at a lot of the new stuff, and there are some good things and other things that are just gimmicks. But I’m a firm believer in flashers (a type of locator), and I’ve upgraded mine three times since 1992.”

Peterson said his recent Vexilar locator can discern fish from other objects near a lake bottom and screen out things such as zooplankton, which created interference in older models.

The boredom quotient is being drained out of the sport, ice anglers say.

More are purchasing underwater video cameras for their fish houses and watching fish activity on monitors.

Fish locators designed for ice fishing, however, often range between $300 and $430.

Barry “Woody” Woods of Woody’s Fairly Reliable Guide Service in Ranier, Minn., said ice fishing with electronics and portable fish houses has kept his business afloat.

“I use a (fish locator), and it’s amazing to the point of being scary,” he said. “I get tugged in both directions because I think technology takes some of the romance out of fishing. But I don’t think LeeAnne (his wife) and I could make our ice fishing business work without some of this technology.”