What Are You Getting At The ICE SHOW?

[JohnMickish]

It's called price protecting. Many manufactureres do that and only allow a certian discount at certain times of the year. Ever wonder why electronics cost the same at every store give or take a buck or two?? Closeouts are a completely different thing.

For me, I am heading out to Rogers to that big store to pick up my new shack today. I have a $100 off coupon so here I come. I called a few stores and they will be offering a $50 off the house I want so no ice show for me.

[BartmanMN]

we ended up wining a clam ice house in the raffle and two 25 dollar Northland tackle packages!

Dang, your trip was definitely worth while.

[MountainJam]

Finally going to get a flasher, Ice 55. New crappie rod, lures, light for the portable. Probably going to make some unnecessary compulsive buys as well.

[DoubleLunger]

Gonna look at the 625c

[Casey Sunsdahl]

See you down there tomorrow.. If you see a dude with a baby blue hat come and say hi...

[DTro]

Didn't come home with a whole lot.

I've been so impressed with Sufix braid for open water, that I decided to pick up a few spools of Sufix high vis ICE MAGIC Mono. I'm looking forward to seeing how that works.

Picked up a handful of ice buster bobbers.

Also a handful of Amsoil pillow packs

But the coolest thing I came across:

[Lure Lightning]

We have had a blast seeing everybody at the show! Friday was crazy. This year seems to be very busy. It is always interesting to see all of the different gear and ideas. Gets me reved up and wanting to get on the ICE. Good luck fishin

[MinnGuy]

I got my lure lightning I've been waiting to see. The Arctic Armor guys were helpful. I'm pumped....

[Borch]

Got to shoot the bull with some old friends and a few new ones. A lot of looking and not much buying for me this year. Came home with enough Amsoil to last me a few years.

[jwmiller33]

i bought my first sonar graph ever today at the show. i went with the humminbird 35 and couldnt be more happy. got a really good deal on it... $250. cant complain about that. i was going to get a used one for relatively the same price but having a 2 yr warranty is worth going with the bird.

i cant wait to get on the ice and try this new bird out. i like the new humminbirds so much better then the vexilars and marcums.. i really like the concept how they have a extra cord attached to the transducer called the support cable. this is a really good idea because it preserves the transducer cable and the connection with the transducer. does vexilar or marcum offer a support cable too?

[StillwaterAaron]

Support Cable?

To me I think needing a support cable is a negative thing. One more cord to deal with. The reason Marcum and Vexilars do not have the support cable is because their cable is built to last and durable by itself.

[jwmiller33]

the extra cord isnt a problem at all because of the clamps provided. its attached to the transducer line, just alleviates pressure from the connection to the transducer. the way the support cable connects to the transducer is really slick. having the extra cord isnt a problem at all either. if there is ever anything that gets broken on a sonar, its the transducer, as this gets the most wear and tear from hole hopping. this is just one more way to prolong the life of the unit as a whole.

[Dark Cloud]

Alot of guys last year scrapped the support cable due to the fact of it holding the transducer off of level. Just something to keep an eye on. If you are haveing a tough time reading your jig it may be that.

Maybe Hummingbird addressed that with this years model, im not sure. I understand they came up with the support system to get around copyright issues with Marcum and Vex...

I fish alot and dont baby my stuff. Had about 12 years on a vex ducer and 5 years on a Marcum with no problems...

Miller33 - Gald you are happy with your purchase and it will certainly help you ice more fish. But how do you like it so much more than the other flashers when it is your first one and you havn't used it yet?

[Brad B]

I ended up getting a bunch of stuff.

hyfax for my kenai

cover for it also

northland bro series bug collection (3 of the ones offered)

lindy darters

BIKINI ICE TEAM Calender (even thou it was a 2009, the pics are worth it alone)

hardside padded box for my flasher.

marcum hoodie

strikemaster auger case

strikemaster beanie

assortment of keeper brand jigs.

would of liked to get a clam denali and a arctic armor suit but didn't have that much with me.

over all it was a great show.

[jwmiller33]

dark cloud-yes it was the first time i purchased a unit. keyword purchased. ive used flashers for several years, with friends, familys, etc. ive used vexilars mostly, but a couple marcums, showdowns, and probably another one or two. and i used it tonight in the garage in a five gallon bucket. also planning on using it tomorrow when i go out in the boat

[Dark Cloud]

Cool, I kinda figured but was just wondering. I cant sleep...

[jwmiller33]

Dark Cloud- Here is a more extensive analysis I considered before purchasing this unit.

I've been bumming off friend's and family's units since I have ice fished. Since Ive never owned a flasher before, I have no brand loyalty pulling toward a particular unit which I believe is actually better in this case. I wanted to compare apples to apples so when you look at the offerings from each company, you end up with this

Good

Humminbird ICE35 $299.99

Vexilar FL8/FL12 $319.99/$349.99 (ProPack)

Marcum VX1 $299.99

Better

Humminbird ICE45 $399.99

Vexilar FL18 $419.00 (ProPack)

Marcum LX3 $449.99

Best

HumminbirdICE55 $499.99

Vexilar FL20 $459.99 (ProPack)

Marcum LX5 $549.99

I pretty much eliminated myself from the Best category because I simply couldnt afford to spend $500 on something that I was only going to use to fill a pail with some panfis. If money grew on trees, I would most likely have bought a Marcum LX5 or Hummingbird 55 since they seem to be the most impressive units on this list, but in my case, not the most practical.

I created a grid with all 6 units and wrote in the specification for each individual feature. When I was done with my analysis, the ICE35 literally jumped off the page with regard to bang for your buck (its the least expensive unit on the list). The entry level ICE35 has features more on par with the more expensive FL18 and LX3 units, and is a much better unit than the comparable FL8/FL12 and VX1 units. The ICE35 has a dual beam transducer (9* & 19*), ability to move your zoom window anywhere in the water column, and 10 level interference rejection. I was somewhat concerned that Humminbird was new in this arena and would likely have some bugs to work out in their products, but I was also familiar with their reputation as a company and the fact that this unit comes with a 2 year warranty helped to put my mind at ease. I also have a Humminbird in my boat and I know they make really good products.

The ICE35 also has a demo mode which allows you to play around with all of the features of the unit while sitting in your living room. Its helpful to learn what the buttons do and how the variable zoom works. I have been playing with this thing all night and it is fun to play around with it so I will be familiar with it when the ice finally freezes and i get out there fishing.

[harvey lee]

Glad you like your purchase. Now if we can get some ice, you can go out and use it in real mode.

Happy fishing.

[Scott K]

The time is almost here!

[Borch]

Enjoy your purchase miller. I played with a Hummingbird 55 last winter just a little bit and have one waiting anxiously for fishable ice to put it through it's paces.