Ice Fishing improvements/ideas

[walleyeking19]

Okay here's the deal. My brother is in his last semester at Madison, and as a final project for his engineering degree he was thinking about something to improve in the ice fishing/hunting world since he spends alot of time doing those things. I gave him a few ideas, but I figured you'd a be a great group of guys/gals to ask for improvements on anything. Big or small. There are 3 other guys working on it, and they have all semester to work it out.

So, do you have any new ideas or improvements that you would like to see in ice fishing world? Even if its something simple, it could help. He's not in it to make any money, just a grade. So any help would be great!

[leech~~]

Ya, a go anywhere Ice fishing rig with tracks and floats and doesn't cost $50,000 dollars! I want a rig that I can climb in, turn on the heat, set the GPS and head out in any kind of weather on thin ice, open water, ice breaks and heaves and still get to where I want to go with an auto pilot so I can sleep on the way and fish in it when I get there!

Will that idea do?

[Bobb-o]

how aboot a pliers/hemostats that also has a line clipper and a tape measure. maybe even add something to fire up my heater with?

[ClownColor]

a good quality spring tip that doesn't cost $8...yeah, I'm looking at you st. croix! LOL

[MN_Jay]

Being that it's 3 people, a full semester, final project for an engineering degree, then it has to be something that requires a lot of thought and some ingenuity.

With that in mind, here's something that I've thought about before - not really seriously mind you. I wonder if there could be some kind of system developed where you could drill two holes, say 150 ft apart where you could set up some sort of trolling system between the two holes. Somehow there would have to be a line connecting the two holes underwater that could troll a line back and forth (here's where the ingenuity comes in). Obviously someone somewhere has to be holding a pole that has some sort of quick disconnect to this system if a fish is hooked.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that there are some significant obstacles in doing this but I'm assuming that's the type of project they are looking for anyway.

My fee is a small percentage of overall sales....

[TruthWalleyes]

Hardwater SideImaging Sonar!

Submarine with side imagine sonar (optional camera), Under $3,000. Drill one hole. Put sub under the ice. Get in vehicle where wireless receiver is located. Submarine follows vehicle as you travel across the ice delivering side imaging information to you as you sit in the vehicle. Then drill hole, remove submarine and go fishing.

Or,

Same concept, without the submarine. Sideimaging sonar to be integrateted with your typical flasher. I.E. Transducer spins to create an image of the surrounding area. This would require some image interpretation as the sonar returns closest to the transducer will be shrunk, and the sonar returns further from the transducer will be stretched.

You got until next December!

[nofishfisherman]

Actually the first thing i thought of was portable deer stands, deer carts, and safety harnesses for deer hunting.

I think there could be improvments on the portability of ladder stands and also maybe some new way for a climber to work that makes it easier to put on your back and hike long distances through thick brush. Maybe find a way to design it so that it almost turns into an external frame backpack so you can use it to carry some of your gear as well.

Or maybe redesign a deer cart that has something better than bicycle tires. Maybe design a climbing stand that can be converted into a deer cart so you can haul your deer out at the end of the day.

The last idea would be a better safety harness. Maybe it has something built into it where if you fall you are able to engage a system that lowers you to the ground in a controlled manner.

[Farley]

Hardwater SideImaging Sonar!

Submarine with side imagine sonar (optional camera), Under $3,000. Drill one hole. Put sub under the ice. Get in vehicle where wireless receiver is located. Submarine follows vehicle as you travel across the ice delivering side imaging information to you as you sit in the vehicle. Then drill hole, remove submarine and go fishing.

Or,

Same concept, without the submarine. Sideimaging sonar to be integrateted with your typical flasher. I.E. Transducer spins to create an image of the surrounding area. This would require some image interpretation as the sonar returns closest to the transducer will be shrunk, and the sonar returns further from the transducer will be stretched.

You got until next December!

Thats awesome, but you have to have a little arm on it so when it swims up to your buddies line you can give it a tug.

[nofishfisherman]

If it could use it to screw with my fishing buddies I'd buy 6 of them.

[OnAFly]

Design an electronic lift for wheel houses and make it manufacturable for profit. (similar to what I did, more difficult than you would think).

Design a new type of rod, prove it's more sensitive(if he took Composites Analysis classes).

Design a better bait puck that doesn't allow your bait to freeze, doesn't allow your bait to morph into flies, doesn't cut off all oxygen, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. All in any temp between -20F and 40F.

[Elybound]

A device you could mount on your vehicle or atv that would monitor ice thickness and pressure ridges ahead of you while you drive.

This year an item like that would have been sold out.

[OnAFly]

That would be a good one. If you could pulse sound through the ice (similar to sonar) and look for a large change in density, you should be able to measure ice thickness fairly accurately. You would have to mount it out in front of your vehicle for very large changes over a short distance.

[mojoputter]

How about one with a stripper pole right in the middle..?

I like the trolling and submarine idea's, but how about if you combine the two, use the sub to troll.

[Jmeyers]

Tell him to create a portable where the chairs can fold down (or taken off) and then there are flaps in the back of the sled that can get pulled up and laid over your portable to sleep on...

Sometimes I just want to spend the night in the portable, I know you would need to register it but I think it would be worth it. Make sure the boards have foam on them to

[Iambjm]

Ya, a go anywhere Ice fishing rig with tracks and floats and doesn't cost $50,000 dollars! I want a rig that I can climb in, turn on the heat, set the GPS and head out in any kind of weather on thin ice, open water, ice breaks and heaves and still get to where I want to go with an auto pilot so I can sleep on the way and fish in it when I get there!

Will that idea do?

What you want Leech is a miracle....

[pathogen]

Some sort of laser or infrared device that would react with ice and make it melt almost instantly but would be unaffected by water and aquatic life. The device would need low power consumption so you could power it with, say, a small 12v battery but would have enough 'oomph' to cut holes in the ice. No more gas powered drills/augers. Tall order, but maybe in 20-30 years or so the technology will be there.

[TruthWalleyes]

Design an electronic lift for wheel houses and make it manufacturable for profit. (similar to what I did, more difficult than you would think).

Design a new type of rod, prove it's more sensitive(if he took Composites Analysis classes).

Design a better bait puck that doesn't allow your bait to freeze, doesn't allow your bait to morph into flies, doesn't cut off all oxygen, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. All in any temp between -20F and 40F.

Look into food containers meant to keep your food warm

I've got something similar to this. Less than $5.

Put a couple in a puck when walking hole to hole, but the rest don't freeze in negative temps when stored in one of these.

[TruthWalleyes]

Jmeyers...only need to register if you leave unattended.

Farley...as long as we're adding an arm, we might as well put a scissors and magnet on there too...Might be able to start your own tackle business

[Iceseeker]

Instat floatation device for ATV and fish house so that if it breaks through the ice a sensor initiates floats preventing it from sinking.

Iceseeker

[leech~~]

What you want Leech is a miracle....

Hey I just want the kid to come out of school Sumakumlaude!!

[Farley]

Farley...as long as we're adding an arm, we might as well put a scissors and magnet on there too...Might be able to start your own tackle business

LOL a scissors. you just hit the jackpot my friend.

[mamohr686]

I've got a simple idea. How about some kind of universal strap that attaches to a fishing rod kind of like a Wii remote strap. I've got a 5 year old that has thrown more than 1 rod in the lake while casting. It might be useful for older people who have strokes/limited use of one arm also.

Another idea that I made is a ramp to load my portable otter into the truck. I've had back surgery and when I fish by myself I don't want to do any heavy lifting. I can fish with a decent sized portable without any help unloading/loading with a ramp. Mine isn't fancy, but something that folds or has rollers would be really nice.

[walleyeking19]

Another idea that I made is a ramp to load my portable otter into the truck. I've had back surgery and when I fish by myself I don't want to do any heavy lifting. I can fish with a decent sized portable without any help unloading/loading with a ramp. Mine isn't fancy, but something that folds or has rollers would be really nice.

I would definitely buy a ramp to get it in my truck. Nothing is worse than trying to pick up the heavy house into the bed of the truck.

[Reservoir Dawg]

Design something to pop your transducer out of the hole so you don't have to reach down and lift it out when you get a big fish on.These could be inexpensive to produce and would sell like hotcakes

[dan z]

how bout a flasher that could read water temp at the thermocline? or even just show thermocline.