portable ice house or a flasher

[Bill Dance]

Alot of people ask me, since they have little money should they get a portable fish house or a flasher first. I am just curious what the avid fishermen of this forum think.

Thanks

[The Crumpler]

It doesn't do much good to sit out in a nice cozy portable shelter with absolutely no clue what's going on underneath you. A flasher is a must. In fact, watching a fish approach your bait on the flasher will keep you nice and toasty warm!

Since a lot of us are gear heads and like to uprade our stuff, often you can find both used shelters and flashers for sale on this site.

Good Luck.

P.S. love your show

[Bobb-o]

I second that, the only reason i got a house before i got a flasher was that i found a used house for $20 and was getting the flasher the next week anyways

[lookin4fish]

i would have to say a shelter is more important. back in the old days, you would look for structure on maps, drill holes, and move around. i feel that if you cant stay comfortable on the ice, you wont be out there, and you wont catch anything that way. i feel just as strongly about flashers as anyone else, but people have forgot tht with a little detective work, you still can catch fish without the flasher. besides, if you have never owned one, you wont be missing it, so stay comfortable and fish longer. set the flasher as a goal for years down th road. also, i would bet that if you took a group of people that have never ice fished and gave half flashers, and half nothing, let them fish this way for 2 seasons, and then at the end of 2 years gave everyone a flasher. i would venture to say that those that started without flashers would be the better fishermen. they would have learned to concentrate thier efforts of identifying where fish were related to maps, depths, conditions, and when they find fish, why there wer there, they would also learn the importance of staying mobile. i would think those with flasher would strat out drilling holes, trying to graph fish, and fishing where the see fish. then they would move on, only learning to plunk holes and fish them if they see something. never really learning why the fish were where they were. learning about the fish is the key to be successful. flashers are so popular because they work, but to maxamize success, a good base understanding needs to be made

[Deitz Dittrich]

I can and will go fishing without my fish house... I will not go fishing without my flasher...

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Quote:

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I can and will go fishing without my fish house... I will not go fishing without my flasher...

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I have to second that Deitz!

I have driven 30+ miles to a lake and turned around and gone home to get my flasher after discovering that I had forgotten it at home!

I hate fishing blind! Believe me, there is a lot of water out there that is a virtul "Dead Sea" most of the time.

Cliff

[Hotspotter]

Flasher first, shelter second.

Run around the ice for awhile to warm up, then commence catching fish with flasher.

JOel

[EBass]

Both, but which one first? Hmm, I'd say flasher. You can always stay in the truck and put out tipups.

A flasher helps so much when setting up the right depth for the bobber or on a tip up. Checking for depth and it's real easy to see suspended crappies.

Plus you can see the fish come up to your bait. It's like TV!

A few years back I didn't have a ice house or flasher. My buddy took me. I got to briefly use his Vexilar to setup my bobber and tipup, then back to him it went.

He'd always out fish me because if a fish comes in 10 feet below the ice and you're set at 25 feet. How would you know? (Talking crappie fishin here) So he pulls up his jig or whatever and catches said fish.

Another story with same buddy on Mille Lacs I got to use his vex to set up a tipup and when I was putting my shiner down the hole a nice mark was making a B line towards said shiner. I held it steady the made a lil jig and wham - 22" walter:) W/O a flasher I would have no idea and could've missed it.

Get a flasher then bug your friends to take you.

Fish Trap scout is a cheaper one man:)

[Northlander]

Marcum Flasher 1st then a house.

[MinnesotaMuskie]

I need to qualify my answer...

Without a doubt a flasher...unless you are taking small kids with that you want to get hooked on ice fishing. With young kids...the novelty of being in a warm shelter, a pot of brats simmering on the cooker, and sitting next to mom or dad...that will get you a fishing partner for life.

A new flasher that mom or dad is concentrating on while the kids sits in the cold...you might lose that one?????

New flashers come and go...a kid as a fishing partner will last a life time.

Besides...when the kid grows up and gets rich...they can buy you all the new models

[Farley]

Lookin4fish, I know what you're sayin.

I've never owned a flasher. I've used them plenty of times and my buddies own them, but I just havent gotten around to purchasing one. Not saying that I'm even a good fisherman but I've caught plenty of fish without them. Also have caught plenty of fish without a portable but it sure was easier to get out to the spot when you can throw all your gear in the sled and haul it all out there. A Marcum wont carry your gear for you.

In hindsight, I would buy a GPS with the Lakemaster chip before a flasher or a shack.

[Dan Brelje]

I would have to say flasher also. I would have to say 75% of my fishing is done w/ out the shelter.

[eyewinder]

Flasher!

[Sutty]

I'll sit on the fence, I think it depends.

If you are someone that will wait for a nice day to go fishing I say flasher. If you want to go all the time no matter the weather than shelter first so you can stay out longer.

The flasher will help you catch more fish only if you are out there.

PS do you have an auger? Thats my first choice if you don't

[Deitz Dittrich]

To be totally honest... in todays market, I dont see why you cant get both?

The Marcum LX-1 and AquaVu VPG are very affordable depthfinders... and you can usually pick up a very affordable portable fish house on our classifides or even the Pak Shak is $99 for 1 person, or you can buy the put together fold out house by Cabelas and your still looking at $99... You buy both and your still under $400 total.. Then as you fish you save up for the LX-5 and Otter Magnum flip over?

[metrojoe]

I believe I saw the LX-1 for $249.00 at Gander. It also comes with a $50 mail in rebate. So after taxes your still only paying around $215.00.

Heck of a deal for a new Marcum.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I agree with Deitz. However, if you absolutely have to only have one of the 2 I'd go shelter.

I very much remember the days ice fishing sitting on a pail, with fishing line tied to a stick, in January. I don't even know if flashers were around then and we caught fish. Sure would have been nice to be sitting inside something to keep the wind offa ya, however.

[Borch]

Definitely a flasher first!

I do a lot of ice fishing without the shelter if the weather is decent. Lets a person to be very mobile.

[toughguy]

I am going to disagree with the masses and say shelter. I have a flasher, and I won't go fishing without one, but you can go fishing in almost any weather in a portable. The time that I can get away to go fishing is limmited so I don't want to have to worry about the weather. I will not go without my otter and a heater when the wind gets blowing. I am mostly a pannie guy and I know the lakes that I fish pretty well. You will be less effective without a flasher but at least you will be warm and the beer won't freeze . And chances are if you are on a good lake and next to a bunch of other houses that most likly have flashers, you will still catch fish. (Better than sitting at home.)

[Cowgirladdict]

Quote:

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i would have to say a shelter is more important. back in the old days, you would look for structure on maps, drill holes, and move around. i feel that if you cant stay comfortable on the ice, you wont be out there, and you wont catch anything that way. i feel just as strongly about flashers as anyone else, but people have forgot tht with a little detective work, you still can catch fish without the flasher. besides, if you have never owned one, you wont be missing it, so stay comfortable and fish longer. set the flasher as a goal for years down th road. also, i would bet that if you took a group of people that have never ice fished and gave half flashers, and half nothing, let them fish this way for 2 seasons, and then at the end of 2 years gave everyone a flasher. i would venture to say that those that started without flashers would be the better fishermen. they would have learned to concentrate thier efforts of identifying where fish were related to maps, depths, conditions, and when they find fish, why there wer there, they would also learn the importance of staying mobile. i would think those with flasher would strat out drilling holes, trying to graph fish, and fishing where the see fish. then they would move on, only learning to plunk holes and fish them if they see something. never really learning why the fish were where they were. learning about the fish is the key to be successful. flashers are so popular because they work, but to maxamize success, a good base understanding needs to be made

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agreed, think like a fish and you will catch fish, doing it in a nice warm shelter is a bonus

[Hookmaster]

I think it depends on what you fish for and how you fish. I remember when we didn’t have a house, flasher, auger or ice rods and reels and we still caught fish. We had plenty of time though. Go get set up and fish for several hours in the same spot. When we got our first hand auger we were on cloud nine. Sometimes we would double team it (being kids) when the ice was thick. Most people would usually fish “known” spots for panfish, walleyes or northern.

Augers let you drill more holes than chopping so you could cover more area. This would help you find active fish. Now throw in flashers. I remember using the old green box to help find structure whether it be a weedline or hump, for walleyes and northern. This was much easier and faster than a spool of braided nylon and a bell sinker or a Swedish pimple to snag the weeds. For panfish you could also see the fish and put the bait in their face rather than fishing the majority of the water column until you found them. You can find even inactive fish and maybe coax them into biting. With the modern, sensitive flashers, it is like a video game.

In all that I’ve said I haven’t mentioned a house yet. So to sum it up, flasher first, house second.

I'm sure some of this history will bring back some memories for some of you.

[Sandmannd]

I fished with a guy last year that had a flasher a couple of times and we didn't catch anymore then when I went without. I would like to get a flasher, but they are pricey for me. Has anyone used a depth finder with the ice adaptors? I have a Cuda 168 and I know they sell and ice kit for it. Would it be worth it at all?

[Sutty]

I have a lowrance x-65 that has a "flasher screen" I tried it and it worked ok but not the greatest I ended up buying a vex.

[walldoggie]

I would have to say at first when i read this post i would have agreed with the masses and said flasher, but as i was sitting on my throne really contimplating this it occured to me!!!! Portable first!!!!. For the simple reason unless you are fishing first ice you will almost never need one unless you are a die hard fisherman. Because i am sure what happens to me happens to everybody else i spend all my time looking for fish and as soon as i find some and set up, 20 more house have followed me.

I guess the moral of this story is, once you find a spot with all your fancy gadgetry, some one with just a house and a rod will set up right next to you and ask you what you are catchin and how deep.

[ameyers41]

I was in the same boat as you just a few short weeks ago. I didn't know what to get first. Not sure what your budget is, but I was able to find a reconditioned LX-3 with the TC upgrade and a Shappell DX3000 for not much more than I would have paid for a brand new LX-3tc. Websites like these are great for finding good deals. People tend to upgrade a lot and can provide us newbie's with some good equipment for fair prices. Others have suggested pawn shops too. Later this winter, when the ice gets thicker, that might be the way I go in looking for an affordable power auger.