Ice Fishing Trout Up North

[simple1]

I am planning a trip up north to do some trout fishing this year and have a question about using my current Hummingbird 35 flasher. Would the power on this unit be sufficient for fishing in much deeper water, or would an upgrade to a unit with more power be required. The unit right now is rated for 200 fow. I am not sure I understand what exactly more power gives as an advantage. Or if not exactly required, would a flasher with more power make fishing more enjoyable?

Thanks,

Simple1

[jjz]

More power allows better detail in deeper water. I wouldnt upgrade. Unless your fishing lakers I bet you will fish a lot shallower than you think. For brookies, rainbows and splake I usually sight fish in 5 to 15 feet on most lakes and do real well. Splake and brookies usaully dont require finesse, but rainbows are usually harder to get to bite and watching their reaction allows fine tuning and see how they react.

[reinhard1]

i use a vexilar fl-8 flasher. i'm not familiar with yours but the fl-8 is pretty basic and works fine. i'm not sure you need to go much deeper than 100 feet anyway. in the winter i have cought lake trout in 20ft down to 70ft and suspended inbetween. rainbows in the winter are usualy shallow [i fish mostly less than 10ft in the shallows and within 10ft under the ice in deeper water. brook trout tend to be very shallow in the winter. on topper lake for example i have cought them with only 2 feet of water under the ice. so if your flasher is rated for 200 ft. i think thats more than enough. good luck.

[Surface Tension]

simple1, I usually never go past 70' when fishing inland winter lake trout. Your Bird will work great there.

[dmichaelm]

not flasher related, but where are you all heading for inland lake trout?

[Mike Stark]

i have an ice 35 and used it a lot last winter for lake trout. works great.

[deadeye]

You will do just fine with the 35. I have never had any trouble with my old fl8. You might have to turn up the gain a bit when your out deep but that is what it is there for.

As Surface Tension said its not really a rule that you got to be out deep . In all honesty my own personal best laker fishing has been in 25-40 FOW. Stream trout I have had very good luck in water as shallow as 5'. In the winter trout and their target prey can be anywhere so you don't need to look real deep to find them.

[leech~~]

not flasher related, but where are you all heading for inland lake trout?

Ice Fishing Trout Up North Check DNR site for Trout lakes.

[toughguy]

I have a Vexliar FL8 and a Marcum LX5. I use my FL8 when icefishing lakers. They come in so quick it's nicer to have a larger "blob" on the dial. A narrower transducer can help sometimes when fishing on steep dropoff. Keep your current flasher and spend the cash on something else.

[simple1]

Thanks for the info and the education.

Simple1