The Next Advacement in Ice Fishing!

[DTro]

I bet it's not too far away.

[morepower02]

First thing that came to mind when I got the news...Bet that would be awesome next winter. Looks like it will probably be late summer before I could get my hands on one. I am a Lowrance man so I am waiting on there offering.

[PFUNK]

I bet it's not too far away.

By my estimation it's about $2,000 away from me!

Quite the game changer indeed. No more drilling holes all over to find the "spot on the spot". Just get yourself in the general area and let the Bird tell you where you gotta go.

[gonehunting]

All these new advancements are great for anglers but has anyone stopped to think what this is going to our fish populations. I love fishing as much as anyone else but where do we draw the line. I'm no better than anyone else by having the vexilar, camera, etc. Maybe I'm just thinking too much. The thread below describing "humbling experiences" says it all.

[brian6715]

Yawn.

This is overrated. First of all, the transducer would have to stay perfectly still and "pointed" in the same direction for this to work. Otherwise, you wouldn't know whether that tree you are seeing is to the right, left, in front, or behind you. How is that going to work? Maybe someone can explain that to us?

Also, it would be beneficial for structure finding (if it worked). But... it wouldn't really benefit you in catching fish. How would knowing which direction a fish came in to attack your bait really help? I can tell on my flasher the exact instant a fish bites. Maybe someone can shine some light on the subject... but until then, overrated for me

[CaptainMusky]

I don't think this is intended to show fish moving in for a strike imaging views are difficult to pick up fish in some cases anyway. There is a tremendous benefit for finding structure.

I see this as a nice leap forward for imaging views.

[Eric_Kruger]

a soon as I saw this I started thinking about a way to mount one to a flip over shelter! LOL As far as the comment about fish populations, I fished out of a ranger with hds10's and side imaging last year and there was NOWHERE for the walleyes to hide....So the technology is already there.

Im betting this will be what puts the Ice sonar unit over $1000.00 and out of reach for any normal ice-fisher person....

[SJUICE]

Correct me if I am wrong but with side-imaging doesn't it require you to be moving at a couple miles an hour. The reason I say so is because I was at a B.A.S.S. seminar and someone asked the speaker if they are able to put a side imaging unit on the bow of the boat, and he said it would not work because you have to go a certain speed for it to work. Now they may have made advancements but it makes sense to get that picture on the graph you need to have passed an object to get the picture to show up, if you arent moving I believe it might just show a line. Not for sure though just a thought. Although if they could make it, it would be unbelievable for finding those awsome spots on a spot!

[PFUNK]

Except for that now the technology is there for ice fishing. But like you said, I don't think many are ready to drop a couple grand for an ice fishing unit

[DTro]

From what I understand, you deploy the transducer and it spins, so technically it IS moving. Think of it as an underwater radar with imaging capabilities.

Can you imagine getting a 300ft circle of information sent back to you while standing on the ice?

I wonder what the depth limitations are?

[Jarrod32]

All of a sudden the 597 ci DI that I bought last spring looks like something from the stone age...

[PFUNK]

Can you imagine getting a 300ft circle of information sent back to you while standing on the ice?

I can definitely imagine it! For the guys with the capable units I would certainly start saving my pennies. I think it will cut down on how much time you spend drilling to find that special spot. Imagine being able to examine a quarter mile worth of the edge of a flat, point, or weed line to try to pick out a unique pocket that may hold fish, while only drilling 10 holes to do it. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to easily pick out schools of crappies, or any other suspended fish for that matter. Roaming perch... now you can tell which way they moved off when the bite suddenly quit. I think this could be very helpful for an ice fisherman, but only time will tell if they make an ICE friendly version

[DTro]

I can just picture a guide deploying this thing on a piece of structure or flat and then directing his clients to the fish.

[Tom7227]

I'm going to wait to buy until Marcum comes out with a camera that is wireless and can be controlled remotely as it moves under the ice like a submarine.

[oleWalter]

...Wow. I'm almost glad I won't have the money to drop on this unit. I don't think I would ever leave the lake due to; A. All the fish I would be catching and B. My sheer curiosity of trying to see what every square inch of the lake looked like

[harvey lee]

I doubt it will affect the fish harvest that much if any as most will not be able to afford the unit.

[PFUNK]

I'm also thinking it would be very easy to get quality images with this unit. Side imaging you have to worry about matching chart speed to your boat speed and interference issues from your motor or trolling motor. Seems like this would be more user friendly in the fact that it does all the moving itself. Wonder how two of these would work next to each other though as far as interferance. I'm imagining 10 years down the road when everyone has one that there will no longer be villages on the lake... we will have to fish so far apart from each other to avoid interference. I can picture some guy chewing another guys behind for fishing too close (i.e. within a football field's length)!

[JohnMickish]

All these new advancements are great for anglers but has anyone stopped to think what this is going to our fish populations.

Put them back in the water and the problem is solved.

[hanson]

There is no doubt this is unbelievable technology.

Hopefully some of the FLW walleye guys are running them on their boats this summer so I can get a first hand look. $2,000 as an accessory to a $2k-3k unit puts it out of reach for the good majority of guys.

But I also read a quote recently about not thinking the day would come where you'd spend a couple thousand on an anchor as well... referring to the Power Pole or Talon. And a lot of boats have 2 of them.

The ice fishing application of this technology is mind blowing, it really is.

[fishwater]

My guess is the 360 is much more than a ducer with a rotary motor mounted on a talon; this things probably got a processor, something like the lss1, built in too. It's very likely going be a warranty nightmare for open water, couldn't even imagine tossing in some serious cold temps.

[Jarrod32]

I'm going to wait to buy until Marcum comes out with a camera that is wireless and can be controlled remotely as it moves under the ice like a submarine.

When I look at the LX-7 screen, it is not too hard to envision a split screen with the flasher view on one half and a camera image on the other half of the same screen. I think that might be the next "big thing" in ice fishing electronics.

[EMAGDNIM]

...Wow. I'm almost glad I won't have the money to drop on this unit. I don't think I would ever leave the lake due to; A. All the fish I would be catching and B. My sheer curiosity of trying to see what every square inch of the lake looked like

Haha i hear ya there!! +1

[gr82fish]

The problem isn't maintaining the fish population. The DNR will see to that as its answer to continuing technological advancements that allow mankind to harvest natural resources with greater ease. Smaller, and more definitive limits will become the norm in the future, in order to manage our resources for all to share. Technology will never stop advancing. Today's new toy is tomorrow's replaceable gadget. We will be able to buy today's 'toy' because it will be replaced by something better. The cost isn't a detriment; copy it and/or mass-produce it = attractive pricing...and then replace it. How far will ice-fishing technology go, in 5, 20, 50 years from now? The 'submarine' comment has truth to it.

It's not a 'problem' if it is studied, analyzed and set up for the future properly; it's managing technological advancement and the given limited resources around us. Our individual intent, as always, will determine how much we personally play a part in the dynamics of those management decisions.

[TruthWalleyes]

Its about time! Side Imaging under the ice!

[CaptainMusky]

I think this will be pretty dam cool and the thought of using it for icefishing is very appealing, but like another person said, I worry about the performance in cold weather. For example that "deploy" system is similar to that used on the Minn Kota vantage and that thing has been a tremendous nightmare. Its better now, and I know the talon has been fairly good, but I just see that ram system to deploy it would be bound to freeze up. I could totally see them having a tripod like system that you could place over your hole, with the ducer deployed down the hole, just skeptical in its current configuration that it would be reliable.

It is pretty dang sweet though. The cost will come down in time.