Russian Ice Sonar

[icedog]

I don't know why I though of this but while ice fishing the other day I was using some Russian lures. I have been using these for Bluegills and Crappies lately and the thought crossed my mind....OK, a lot of the good ice fishing lures I use originated in another country...Russia or Norway or Finland...these guys came up with some original ice gear that really works.

So the point of this is, "what happened with the ice sonar race in the "ColdWar"?? Does anyone know what the icers in these other countries use for sonar? Do we export Marcums and Vexilars to these guys? Or do they have their own versions of flashers that they are using. Or are they so stuck on the "Purist" idea that they refuse to go high tech? Weird thought eh? It must be time for me to go fishing again!!!

[spudhauler]

I lived in russia for about a year, and most people where i lived only earned around $50 a month, so sonar's would not be an option. They caught fish to live not for sport.

[Tony Boshold]

The Mormyshka you are using would be there equivalent to a fish finder. That and drilling lots of holes and searching the entire water column with out the aid of electronics. Drop it to the bottom and work it all the way to the ice.

That's how I was taught by Greg the Prowler inventor of the St.Croix Legends, the spring becomes essential to detecting the slightest of bites. Match fishing traditionally involves the heaviest basket in a few short hours or less and whatever you can catch goes in it. Most win it by catching 100's of the smallest fish as fast as they can get it down. No power augers allowed in competition I believe. Thats why the incredible lures like those Wolframs of Sweden from YBD work so well, made out of necessity. Those folks invented icefishing, definitely some merit to it. Nils augers are pretty impressive also and I can see why. The ice is so thick and they can drill alot more holes by hand with the 4".

[Rick]

Vexilar is actually a Hondex Electronics Co. manufactured sonar made in Japan. It is exported into the US and into Russia as well. In Russia it is not called Vexilar. MarCum is made right in here in the USA and I'm not sure what countries it exports to.

[Random guy]

I asked a Russain friend and he laughed at me before his heavy Russain accent reply. "We could barely afford the lures, sonar is for war, not fishing"...then he laughed at me some more.

So I guess they don't use a lot of flashers on that side of the pond.

[Dennis Steele]

Ricks right. Hondex makes the Vex and they do sell them in Russia whether they got money to buy them or not.

Russian Electronics

Sure looks like a Vex to me.

Vexilar bought the rights to sell the Hondex in the US under their own name.

[blkfrg]

Wow! Look at the price of the FL-18, 580 clams. If going by the average Russian wage, that is almost a year's pay.

[icedog]

Interesting...and almost funny the comment about sonar being for war not for fishing. Just kind of reminds me to be thankful that I live in this country..where I fish for fun and have enough money that I can afford things like sonar when I am at war with the fishes! ha

My first FL-8 was a Hondex FL-8...geeez, now I am showing the gray hair...that must have been about 18 years ago? At the time I tried buying a Sitex/Micronaur (there's a name from the past) but they had sold out to Hondex. Well, guess all I can say is God Bless Ice Fishing in America!

[FZ]

Every country has a few rich people who can offer for anything. Next time I visit my home country China, I will bring my FL-18 and V-560 with me and show average people there how the ice fishing is done in America (no need for the ice auger, I know people who build them for StrikeMaster). I may even show my relatives how to build a retractable wheel ice house