I'm not sure the fish will be active when the temperature drops. I think rather the opposite. I recently went fishing with friends in winter and we spent 5 hours there. During this time, they were able to get only 3 fish, while in the summer on this lake you have a chance to catch breakfast for the whole family. I just recently found where I can buy ice fishing tackle boxes, so if your dad needs any of these, I have shared the information with you. Good luck with that!