To everyone who has giving me advice on here!

[MJBaldwin]

Hey guys I would just like to say thank you again for all of the questions that you have answered. I know that some of them have have been no brainers for you guys. I would like to say that I got my Ice Fishing set up now or at least enough to hit the water this weekend. I am still in search for a flasher but not too worried about that yet just want to get on the ice. I have went with the Eskimo Quickflip 2 with a Strikemaster Lazer Mag Express. So far I like the set up we will see how this weekend bring me going to see if I cant find any fish. Once again thanks for all the inputs on the different questions I have.

[mww24]

good luck. go slow. be safe.

[Steve Foss]

Hope you get into fish. Let us know how you do!

[theicehooker]

you must make it a point in the near future to get a flasher. Dont buy anything for ice fishing besides a flasher. If you think your hooked into ice fishing now...wait till you get a flasher

[jBohmer]

Second that (flasher point). You can always dress a little warmer. You can always find some holes to punch through without an auger. But once you puts some eyes underneath ice, fishing is never the same. I may fish a few places without a flasher like Lake of the Woods, but if you are on a lake like Bald Eagle and cannot find a crappie it is because they are suspended as ususal and without a flasher you may never know that. Good luck in your fishing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I and everyone else in this great forum do.

[DeeJ]

Flashers are very helpful on LOTW - lots of suspending fish... at least when I go in the Spring. I'd go to Bald Eagle without one before LOTW but that's just me.

[jBohmer]

Flashers are very helpful on LOTW - lots of suspending fish... at least when I go in the Spring. I'd go to Bald Eagle without one before LOTW but that's just me.

Just to defend my statment. I went to LOTW with locals. They knew were the fish were biting. We just followed cords and let out lures hang a foot off the bottom. I used my flasher but enjoyed [PoorWordUsage]'n with the boys waiting for the bobber to sink. Never saw suspended fish but I am not expierenced enough with LOTW to claim it as fact.

But Bald Eagle on the other hand, I am going to assume you know the lake well. I fish it a lot and if you want to catch a crappie I am going to assume you know where to fish at. I fish there a lot. I promise that I will see fish at several different depths in one hole. Finding a sweet spot and trying to get them to take the bait I feel is extremly difficult without a flasher. If I was eye fishing on BE I know where to go (at least sometimes) and do not think I would need the flasher.

Not trying to argue, just stating what I have seen. Maybe I will see out on BE this year as it is one of my favorite metro lakes. I drive a Silerado w/topper and HSO and Iceleader decals on the back.

[jBohmer]

are you kidding me! Bee essing is "PoorWordUsage". Well, I think PoorWordUsage is bad grammar. Take that!

[DeeJ]

Not trying to debate you at all... Just putting out info for folks who may not have been to either lake. It depends what you're targeting also. You'll certainly catch a few walleyes/saugers banging the bottom on lotw.

I only catch dinks on BE so you're ahead of me if you've got a crappie pattern.

[jBohmer]

Not trying to debate you at all... Just putting out info for folks who may not have been to either lake. It depends what you're targeting also. You'll certainly catch a few walleyes/saugers banging the bottom on lotw.

I only catch dinks on BE so you're ahead of me if you've got a crappie pattern.

I never said I was catching 12 inchers on BE. I just said that I could promise crappies. I like the lakes variety. I think the eyes are few and far between but they are there (overfished metro lake). But when I bring a new person out to fish I bring them to my spots on BE so they can pull a fish through the ice. no pattern to the crapppies they are always there. Maybe due to hard fishing is the reason they are all dinks. I rarely keep any unless I am hungry. Some people suggest that getting rid of the dinks would let fish grow more. I am do not know what to think about that. If I catch enought keepers I eat them. By the way, you are not arguing, just making good debate.

[MJBaldwin]

Thanks guys for all the responses like I said I will see how this weekend goes. I know a flasher would be great but we will see if I cant find a decent used one or maybe get a good gift over the Holidays! Thanks for all the comments..

[MN BassFisher]

I have been out to BE this year, I live 4 minutes from it, and my buddy took me to what he called the "honey hole". Couldn't have had a better name, he marched around with the GPS until he said we were on it, punched some holes, dropped our flashers and sure enough they lit up like a xmas tree. There was 4 of us and together we caught over 250 crappies and one sunnie. Ha. ALL of them were small, largest was maybe 8". But it was fun constant action in the beginning of the year. I was still learning the ways of my new flasher too so that helped marking a ton of fish.