This is certainly no Mississippi or Minnesota for that matter but still little nerve racking. Here it was just shy of a foot of ice but Lord knows it's probably 2" somewhere in the picture. Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
So, not being an ice fisherman, just curious as to why that spot. Obvious structure, but why that side v the other?
you fish the windward side of the structure because it pushes the bait up into the zone and the walleyes come and feed.
Honestly it probably doesn't matter all that much. Each side is the same. Just try to get off the edge of the rock piles on the break lines.
Just finished up my build on the new ice auger. Can’t wait to use it. Dewalt 998 with a 8ah battery 8 inch strike master lazer hand auger Strike master drill adapter and flange Clam auger extension Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Took my little guy out for his first ice fishing trip this morning! Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
Fished sun up to sun down yesterday.... not one fish. I suck.. lol Tried jigs with waxies, minnows, tip ups with suckers..... NADA. I was getting bites on the wax worms but just nibblin enough to rob me. Fun day though Still researching second hand electronics. What are the benefits of a flasher vs underwater camera?
I dont have a traditional flasher (helix 5) but you’re going to be limited with the camera on water clarity and they can be very finicky as far as getting it pointed in the right direction. With a flasher you are going to be able to see the bottom and see when I fish is close by. The flasher helps narrow down spots to fish, you will be able to drop the transducer down to see if there is fish or not and move on if not. I won’t fish without my helix Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I would recommend a flasher over a camera every day of the week and twice on Sunday. I've got the Vexilar FL-28 and love it. I would recommend the FL-8 or FL-18 for anyone starting out (that's what I did). You can find them cheap here in MN for a used one. Fished all weekend on Leech and got 0 walleyes. There were a ton more people on that lake than I was expecting. When we got there Friday night there were 30+ ice castles on the spots we wanted to try initially. We got as far away as we could from people instead. Caught a ton of eel pout which made the trip a little less boring.
I purchased an 8" Eskimo Pistol bit this year and paired it with a Milwaukee Fuel brushless hammer drill with 5ah battery and man am I happy with that setup. The pistol bit is 4lbs, plastic and aluminum. I have not fished this year yet but I have checked the ice several times up to 8" and it just eats it up. I used a 6" steel auger with the drill last year and it was not big enough for tip ups so I upgraded this year.
Yeah I had the 8 inch already so I’ll be able to run tip ups. I want to get the pistol bit as well. But I figured I save some money for now and run this. I weighed it snd the whole setup came in at 15 pounds. Which is at least 15 pounds lighter than my jiffy I had. Plus this is less bulk like which is nice. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That sounds like a fancy setup. My buddy has the 7 on the boat. I cant imagine it on the ice. It seems a lot bigger than my 5 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hey it is all for sale with a new bow mounted trolling motor on a very well maintain 16' Lund Mr Pike with a 50 hp Merc tilt and trim for $3500.
I would still highly recommend looking at the low end Marcum. You're going to get alot more features in that then you are a low end Vexilar. Bottom zoom being one of the biggest advantages to the Marcum. They may have changed with the M series but my VX1 has more power output than the FL18. Only thing mine doesn't have is flat screen but that really isn't a big deal and I see the M series are now. Edit: $50 off at cabelas right now. Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
One other thing, which really doesn't come in to play for you being you haven't used one to know the difference but I like the colors on my Marcum better than my cousins FL18. With vexilar is seems like your jig is red and then it simply gets redder when there is a fish. My Marcum your jig starts green and then goes to yellow and then red as the fish gets closer. It's all personal preference and if you haven't noticed, like many things, this is just like a Hoyt/Mathews, John deere/Case IH, Chevy/Ford debate! Get what you can afford, play around with it and in the end you'll almost be guaranteed to like it! Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
The pistol bit certainly isn't cheap at $200 but I managed to find it on sale for $160 and I had gift card so I pulled the trigger. Hoping to get it out this weekend and put it to good use.
