Ice Fishing Newbie - Is this good?

[Will]

Seems like a "smokin" deal!

[Needice]

I would like to bring up the point about something under your feet. I use old floor mats from any vehicle. Carpet will freeze to the ice and I am not sure of the rubber ergo mats (never seen one) but car mats work great for me. Floor mats have a rubber back to keep the water out and have carpet on the top which makes it nice if you go on your knees to grab a fish out of the hole. If you sit long and they freeze to the ice just give a good pull and away you go. At home throw them in the wash tub to dry so they are ready for the next outting.

I would also buy a Flasher.

[BartmanMN]

That is a good deal. Nice equipment too.

[servocam]

Thanx everyone and happy Thanksgiving. I'll chk out the gear on HSO-Classifieds.

(Sent via a moblie device aka my cell phone)

[hunterjoe]

I have a Frabill Trekker II and couldn't be happier with it. It is (was last year) the same price as the Nanook, but it much bigger. I bought a sunflower heater, but couldn't ever use it in the shanty due to getting too hot. I now use a propane lantern due to it being a good source of light and also puts out enough heat.

[Fredd]

I use the small propane tanks because of the weight factor and refill them (illegal though the adapter is sold) and have an old 3-5000 focus five heater. I agree that the sunflower heaters can be dangerous (burning and monoxide). Find a flasher because of the real time and target separation (even if it is a vx1, gander or cabela's version of this type). You should be able to get by for around $100 used price. I fished for many years with a clearwater classic and just finally upgraded to lx-5. I have known some people to use polystyrene on the ice under their feet. I use a flip over Otter but rarely go under cover. More of transport for me. Have fun and let us know how the decisions/season play out.

[kingfisherpat]

well i have a vexlar fl 8se i plan to use thsi year for walleye

on lake of the woods cost me about oh idk around 100 200 dollors and i like the fl8 case that fl 18 is to avanced for me with that zoom feacher

it just to avanced so i want the fl 8 se good thing about the fl8 is it has a deep feature and shaloow feacher

i ask pro ice fishing gide dave genz he said they both will work on any lake but i perfuer fl8 se vexlar

so like it very much and it a whole lot better then a lowrance x67 i have that lowrace is so hard

to use case it only meant for open water fishing so i buy a vexlar case im so uset to use a vexlar

but i think all flasher,s are good nomatter what modle they are

as for the heaters i have a mr buddy heater its safe it has a cage on it easy to use

and it you wont burn anything as a sun flower heater

and the mr buddy heater dose take as much gas tanks as the sun flower,s do so get a mr buddy heater if i where you pale ok

[labguy]

That c-l listing is a crazy good deal- holy moley!

[NCLaker]

well i have a vexlar fl 8se i plan to use thsi year for walleye

on lake of the woods cost me about oh idk around 100 200 dollors and i like the fl8 case that fl 18 is to avanced for me with that zoom feacher

it just to avanced so i want the fl 8 se good thing about the fl8 is it has a deep feature and shaloow feacher

i ask pro ice fishing gide dave genz he said they both will work on any lake but i perfuer fl8 se vexlar ...

KFP, I agree that they will both work - I would take some time to fish with someone that knows how to use an FL18. If jigging for bottom hugging fish in waters more than 20ft (especially if they are in a negative or neutral mood), you will have a lot more success using an FL18 or any flasher with zoom feature. In deeper water it is very hard to see the bottom fish and can easily miss them. FL-18 zoom is one of the easier ones to figure out especially someone teaches you on the ice.

[servocam]

WOW...that does look like a good deal. I think i'll need to email tomorrow. It looks like the Eskimo Quickflip II has a bench seat and all built on a sled.

[Redbeard5289]

From one father to another here are a few things I have discovered when taking my son (started taking him out when he was three and he just turned 6)out ice fishing.

Warmth-

A good pair of snowboots and outerwear to match is essential for keeping the little ones out on the ice longer (keyword = waterproof). A portable shelter is great to not only give you some wind protection but to have a centerize location to come back to and warm up. When looking for a portable shelter make sure that it is easy and fast to put up (practice at home to get familiar on setting up and tearing down). Nothing dampens a kids fishing mood than to have to wait for dear ol dad to get the shelter up. Also if your child is of the adventuring personality its hard to keep one eye on him/her and one eye on setting up the shelter. (I sold my suitcase portable and got a Frabill Trekker Flip Over because it was faster to setup and I could keep a better eye on him)

Entertainment-

There are ways to keep your kid on the ice longer. Bring along snacks, juice boxes, PB&J Sandwiches, whatever. Food is a great way to keep kids on the ice longer. This is also a great time to dispense your fishing wisdom onto them ;-)

Flashers and Underwater Cameras can also keep kids enterained and on the ice longer. My son loves using the camera to see his lure and how the little bluegills react to his offering. He also likes to see the lure on the flasher and watch a bigger light signal come up to his little lure light signal. In fact I have to buy a 2nd flasher cuz he keeps using mine in his hole.

Go after species that are going to offer the most action. The gills and crappies that we target are not going to make a meal but those little guys sure provide enough fishing action to keep my son entertained.

Buy extra bait. When my son needs a break he breaks open the other bait container and started dropping them down his hole to watch them sink.

Clean Windows. Nothing is more entertaining than to watch other people on the ice and usually starts up a round of Q&A.

Also a Frisbee and Football and breakup the boredom when the bite is off.

Fish only as long as the child wants to, end the fishing trip on a positive note. At first my son was only good for about an hour now he is good to go for 3-4 hours. No matter how good the bite was or how much I was enjoying our time together I let my son call the shots when we would leave the ice.

Gear-

Skip the snoopy pole. After my son has broken the tips off a couple of cheaper crappie ice rods I upgraded his fishing gear to an ugly stik. He has had it for 2 winters now and has yet to break any part of it. knock on wood.

Buy a small tackle box and let him/her pick out some tackle for it at the store. That way he/she is more active in helping getting the gear setup out on the ice and will generate more interest in fishing.

Keeping your child warm, entertained and happy is the best way I know how to go fishing with your son or daughter and to begin the ground work for a lifetime of fishing passion.

Redbeard5289

[servocam]

@Redbeard5289

Yeah, I always take snacks with. Your right there - if he gets bored, a snack gets him back going or a good break. He usually lasts about 3 hours fishing off the shore or boat before he is ready to go. Hopefully he'll do the same on the ice and your exactly right, when he is ready to go, pack up, otherwise to him, it won't be enjoyable anymore.

He has an Ugly Stick Synergy Youth for open water that he has been using. I got him that on his 3rd b-day. It is a great panfish and bass pole. It is about 4ft long - I actually have 2 of them cause I like using it as well, otherwise one of my 2 girls may come with and would use it. Seems odd to put down the light weight Diawa or my Pfluger for a $20 ugly stick.

I'll let him pick out his own Ice Fishing rod/reel combo. That will help get him more excited about going ice fishing. I usually have to drag him out of Gander Mountain - he loves buying tackle and looking at everything. For some reason the bill is always higher and there is He has his own tackle box and gear already. He's not afraid to put his own worm or leach on and from the pics above, hold the panfish/bass by the mouth. He'll also change out the rubber worms himself. The last pic above and sig pic, out Muskie fishing on FL, he would cast a few, change out worm, cast a few more, change out worm...then nailed the nice bass. Of course he took a break in between for a snack and play with tackle.

[icefishing21]

there's a vexilar FL-8 on HSO-Classifieds for $200. pretty good deal, he;s located in bloomington

[CPRBASS]

One thing not mentioned yet. If you decide to buy a new hand auger, then get one smaller than an 8 in, like a 5 in. It is cheaper, lighter, much easier to drill holes with, and potentially safer for littles. Besides, it is surprising how large of fish will fit through one even though you'll probably spend most of your time fishing panfish with your son. One more thing, it saves floor space in a sled style portable too.

[Brad B]

ServoCam send me a email I have a Marcum LX3 flasher (not the True color version but the original version) that I would be willing to sell you for less than $200.00 will give you the price when you email me also I have two different houses you maybe interested in. If you don't take the marcum I will probably list it on c list for $200.00. I am willing to cut you a good deal since you will be taking your son out. I want the two of you to have a enjoyable time out fishing and am happy to help you get a good deal on gear. By the way I only used the marcum last season it was new before that no more then Probably 20 hours all season on it. My email is [email protected] just put in subject line "marcum LX3 - Servocam" so I know it is you.

[BrdHunter01]

Servocam, let us know what you end up going with....

[bgreen82]

if you dont mind asking, and since you will be doing a lot of fishing on forest, where there are many people generally, almost anyone will drill you some holes later in the season, so the power auger can wait. with a child the shelter definitely needs to be top priority. our hub style eskimo quick fish is great. backpacked and will fit in any car, plus there is a lot of room inside and i believe they sell for under $200. flashers are where its at. i only have an fl-8 but i already catch twice as many fish as i used to. i bought the hawkeye the year before the vex. never really gave it a shot, but it did give same depth as vex. as for fish finding i dont know, and i never had great luck using it through the ice. that being said, if you want one for an extremely discounted price, shoot me an email.

bgreen_82 at hotmail dot com

[servocam]

Thank you all for your input. I'm going to wait after Christmas before I purchase anything, though I found several good deals now.

[servocam]

I went to the 2009 Ice fishing show in St. Paul and looked at a lot of flip-overs and pop-ups.

How many of you like pop-ups? Problem is space and I have a Ford Edge. With seats down, not so much an issue, but if wanting to bring my 5yo with, I don't think I want to put a 80lb shack up on the roof. Doable, yes, but pry not much fun putting back up when done fishing.

With the back seat up, I have 35 inches deep by 42 inches wide (and can be squeezed to 47 wide 3 inches up). I could get a little utility trailer, but that isn't exactly what I was looking to do.

What do you like about Pop-ups? Anything to avoid, special advice?

[Finlander]

Buy a pickup truck. Your fishing will improve 10 fold!

[servocam]

Buy a pickup truck. Your fishing will improve 10 fold!

LOL - not going to happen anytime soon.

[servocam]

Ok, Christmas is over, and now I've made my list of things to go get, and Christmas brought me a $100 GC for Cabela's and $100 CG for Gander Mtn. Hmmm...I wonder if I could get Cabela's to accept the Gander Mtn GC? I will pry split up some of the shopping from Cabela's, Gander Mtn, and Thorn Bro's. TB's has 10% off Clam products and Clam has the Mail-in-rebate for the Free Fan/LED combo w/ purchas of Hub. Cabela's has the $20 off $100 or more purchase.

• Clam 6x8 Summit Hub
• Wild Outdoors Small sled (44"L x 22"W x 9"D) - fits sideways in the back of my Xover.
• Nils Master High-Velocity Hand Auger, 6"
• Vexilar FL-8se Flasher
• Mr. Heater Portable Buddy Heater (Thinking maybe the Big Buddy right away)
• Clam Large LED Fan/Light
• Then of course other misc items that I'll end up buying.

Now I just need to make it back home to MN so I can go shopping!

[magicstix]

Looks like a great start. Those hubs have become very popular. A buddy just bought one and really likes it for portablity.

[servocam]

So I went to Cabela's today and a bit disappointed they didn't have much of what I wanted on-hand - the depletion of Holiday Inventory.

Anyways, I did have a $100 CG and an Employee Discount Coupon that helped. I did notice that you have to watch prices at Cabela's - some things were much more expensive than Fleet Farm or Gander Mtn (I'm sure vice versa).

I decided on the Clam Command Post 6' x 12' hub based on a few things:

1. The extra space to fit 5 + dog is worth the extra $50

2. Another HSO user did a video showing how to make the 6x12 in to a 6x6.

No Nils auger in stock, so will pry order one online. Neighbor has a Strikemaster he said I can have, just needs new blades (pry buy power'd next year)

Cab's or Flt Frm didn't have the Clam Fan/LED kit (Free with Mail-in-rebate since I purchased the Hub), I'm gonig to check Gander tomorrow. I did get the small Wild sled as it fits sideways in my Xover. I'll see how it works - if I don't like it, i'll just go for something longer and have to fold down part of the seat. Went with the oversized (medium) cover as the hub will hang over the end.

Purchased the Big Buddy right away - will need the larger output trying to heat the full 6x12 (has 3 settings 4k, 9k, 18k)

I'll have to hold off on the a bit (til Feb) - blew my extra budget on kids and wifes Xmas Present (all got DSi's, Spent few more hundred on new laptop for wife...etc). After talking to others, reading more, going to go w/ the Marcum VX-1 Flasher.

Now time to start making Sled Mods and fitting the Hub, Heater, and Auger in there w/ the rest of my gear. Thanks all for the help earlier.

[servocam]

Hey guys, wanted to thank you all for your help and share some pictures with you. The only item I need yet is a Flasher. Neighbor let me use is FL-8 Vexliar. I would like to buy the Marcum LX-1 but I think they are all sold out. At this point, i'd be happy w/ used FL8 that works.

Pictures of my son and I:

All the gear in the small Wild sled, 22x44:

Gear all covered up after tear-down

My 6x12 Clam Command Post

And the happiest 5yo ice fishermen I know

Thanks again everyone for the advice!