Dumb Question But Could Use Advice For A Beginner.

[MJBaldwin]

This will probably sound like the dumbest quetion but whats the easiest way to figure out the depth you are in? I use the weight but then seems like I can never figure the depth cuz I am used to just using my pole to look at it and guess. Like I have stated I am a beginner at the whole Ice Fishing and do not have a flasher or anything like that..

[Colt_45]

I just counted my arm's length. Gave me a close guess before a flasher. Or tie knots/bobber stops on, hard if you actually use bobbers but that can help if you set them at 5 ft increments. Its a start but someone might have a better trick

[Crm7290]

Look at maps and judge based off of that. If you have an iphone or android try the navionics application, everyone says that it is really good. Friends said it was accurate up at Mille Lacs, but I haven't bought it yet.

You can get a depth finder for about 100 dollars. Try the ice troller out, it is a cheap flasher that tells depth and marks fish.

[TooTallTom]

+1 Counting with your body. Your wingspan (arms outstretched) is the same as your height, or dang close for most people. Just use a depth bomb to quickly get to the bottom, then pull up one wingspan at a time. Keep count and multiply for your depth.

Step two is to put a bobber stop on with the depth bomb, and the adjust the stop to be below the water surface (in your hole) as far as you want your jig off the bottom. It'll happen just like magic when you take off the bomb and add a bobber.

[eyehunter]

Yep, lenght between hands when stretched out to each side, should be about 6'. unless you have arms like Chris Doleman, then it's like 10'...

[herefish101]

Your arm span from fingertip to fingertip is usually very close to your hight, so I'm 6 ft tall so arms streched apart across my chest with line in each hand = 6 ft + or - a few inches. So drop your depth bomb weight to the bottom tighten the line grab the line at the water level and fighure out the depth.

[NoWiser]

Cheap 30' tape measure from your local hardware store....

[FishLocker]

+Step two is to put a bobber stop on with the depth bomb, and the adjust the stop to be below the water surface (in your hole) as far as you want your jig off the bottom. It'll happen just like magic when you take off the bomb and add a bobber.

I use the same system only when the depth bomb hits bottom I lift out a foot or two of line and put on a small crimp on sinker so I know where to run my bobber stop up to. No measuring. Take off the depth bomb and replace with minnow head and you are fishing.

[GotALunker]

use a bobber stop. works excellent. just move it up and down the line. can't go wrong.

[LightningBG]

Could always have a separate string that you bring with that has the depths marked on it and a weight on the end.

[DTro]

Buying a flasher can be the most productive way to advance your skills quikly.

Most people don't even go on the ice anymore without one. I highly recommend one.

[SFC]

Cheap 30' tape measure from your local hardware store....

Tie a weight on the end your set, great idea!

[My_Key]

I used to clip a depth bomb to the end of a tape measure. I always have a Fat Max laying around in the truck. With the weight attached, you can also tell if the bottom is soft or hard. Not sure how well that would work with a $5 tape measure.

[Jim Almquist]

When you are sitting around doing nothing you should measure your arm length but more then likely it will be around 6'. Need to be down 16' it is 3 arm lengths minus 2'. When you get some extra cash you really owe it to yourself to get a flasher. I sold a old Hyndex FL8 (Pre Vexular) for $75.00 and that flasher helped me catch a lot of fish so its not like you have to break the bank to get into a flasher if you shop around.

[TooTallTom]

Also, I don't think anyone has said it yet (in this thread) but there really are no dumb questions when you're learning about something. That's how you learn.

No one was born knowing everything they know.

[highlife4me]

Has anybody used a line counter that works good for ice fishing? That would be just the ticket.

[Ebiz]

I used a tape measure for a long time before I had a flasher, only tip is to have two along as they don't work so well once they're full of water and frozen. Also, either open them up to dry once in a while or they're useless once the rust sets in...

[flyfisher03]

Pick up a fiberglass tape measure and put a big weight on the end to see the depth. Don't have to worry about rust and is open to dry faster if placed over the heater or over the defroster.

[Shack]

Personally, pre-flasher era, I just took a tape measure and with my shack/porty airing out in the garage measured the distance between the ceiling and the garage floor. I then just wrote the measurement on the support pole for good measure. When you are sitting in the shack and checking depth, hit the bottom with a depth bomb/weight and reel down till your rod tips touches the waters surface. Raise the tip up from the waters surface how far you want your jig from the bottom and set your bobber stop. Want to know the depth? Raise you tip to touch the shack/porty ceiling, pinch your line at water level and pull up to ceiling. Repeat the pulling of the line up till jig comes out of water, mentally note the difference in distance from your finger tips and the waters surface your jig is touching. Then times by how many full pulls from the waters surface to ceiling you did against the measurement written on your support pole. Add in the distance you first saw and this is pretty accurate. Using my arm would sometimes get me off a foot or two.

For dead-sticking, bobber fishing and even jigging, I have run two bobber stops on the same line. Depth bomb your line, then set the first bobber stop you put on your line as at water level. The will be your stationary bottom marker. Then you can use the second one for the stop used with your bobber or while jigging you can use the second one as a gauge of how far you are pulling off the bottom. The Venom Floats work awesome with and larger jig fishing. You can adjust your buoyancy and when fish are in the area you can easily and quickly pull the bobber off and Boom! You jigging with knowledge of far you are pulling off the bottom.

The big plus is while dead-sticking. As the rod sits in the holder you will always know where you bottom is at and how far off the bottom you are.

Hard to figure I even fished, let alone figured out way pre-flasher.

[Grum]

I found a neat little gadget in the discount bin a that g-mt store a few years back, its a thermometer/depth finder in a tube made by Vexllar. Just drop it down, wait 30 seconds and pull it up one side has depth grade that you match with the water level in the tube, the other side has the thermometer. I still use the plain depth bomb and count arms length mostly or just adjust the bobber slip knot.

[FishLocker]

Just like to add to Tall Tom's comment on questions. Not sure, think it was Einstein that said "If you do not learn something new every day, you have wasted your day". And you learn best by asking questions.

This is a wonderful site to get them answered...sometimes in a miriad of different ways/perspectives.

Stay warm,

The FishLocker

[McGurk]

Get a thin rigid piece of plastic or wood, and cut it to be a 3" by 2'3" rectangle. On the short ends, cut "v" notches in them 1 1/2" deep, so the distance between the tips of the notches is exactly 2'. Tie on some cheap tip up line and a depth bomb, so that the depth bomb ends up close to the end of one of the v notches. As you unwrap it, count it off in 2' increments as one side is 2' and a full unwrap is 4'. Use a couple of rubber bands off of brocolli bunches to hold the line on when not using it.

[RJMOEN]

If your using a standard reel just measure how much each crank of the handle reels in. Say each time you reel in it pulls 30" drop your line in reel up and do the math. Remember though each reel is different on how much it will reel in each revolution.

[Weed Shark]

As previously stated, your "wingspan" is about 6 feet. The tip of your nose to your hand extended is about 3 feet. These measurements are only important if you are trying to find a specific depth or location. Otherwise, the distance you place your bait off the bottom is the main concern.

To me, 12-18 inches above bottom is common; sometimes less or more, depending on circumstances like bottom type and fish behavior. This can be marked with a bobber stop, non-movable bobber, or a split shot. Simply pinch the line at the water surface and measure down. If using a tip-up, add the distance your line spool sits underwater to your desired distance off bottom and mark it with a split shot, which will sit just outside of the spool when the bait is down.

[GotALunker]

Get a thin rigid piece of plastic or wood, and cut it to be a 3" by 2'3" rectangle. On the short ends, cut "v" notches in them 1 1/2" deep, so the distance between the tips of the notches is exactly 2'. Tie on some cheap tip up line and a depth bomb, so that the depth bomb ends up close to the end of one of the v notches. As you unwrap it, count it off in 2' increments as one side is 2' and a full unwrap is 4'. Use a couple of rubber bands off of brocolli bunches to hold the line on when not using it.

this sounds good but as you wind up more and more line, the distance becomes greater than 2"...now you just defeated the purpose