What would you do??

[nytelyter]

here is the senerio. i am usually a very planned person, i set up things well in advance, so i can be on time or early. now yesterday i had the day off and planned on being on ice and set up a good hour before prime time. i head to the shop and get my check, then off to the bank, deposit my check. out to quiznos for a sammy for dinner, and arrive at the landing well within my scheduled time frame. ok so far so good. welll i unload the ottershack. and the otter sled. then the wheeler. park the truck. and go for the gear bags. i grab the minnow pail. my stone legacy revolution rod bag, dinner, and then it hits me. NO electronics bag. that means no marcum lx3tc or ovs400 camera. now i am bummed. its a 22 minute drive to the house and 22 minutes back pluss all my gear is now on the grass in the lot. are you with me here. now my dillemma is. do i reload and drive home. grab my stuff drive back unload and get back out and set up very close to prime time, or just hit the ice and rough it? welll i can put my self spot on where i want to fish. and i know there is structure there. now i have to ask you. WHAT WOULD YOU DO???? welll i decided to rough it and hit it anyways. and go with out the creature comforts of electronics. i can tell ya i did not catch anything. had a couple of hits but no takers. and i do fish for the pure enjoyment of being there and consider the fish to be a bonus. so not catching anything was no big deal. but i did feel naked with out my marcum spinning in front of me. and my camera running before it gets to dark to see well. and i was just wondering what you other now electronic junkies would have done. of by the way there is now a big sign posted next to the door of my garage that just reads. ELECTRONICS???. ... paul

[beer batter]

Been there, done the same as you. It makes you appreciate it more when you go without a few times. 10 years ago nobody had this stuff.

[schweady]

Sorry to say, but even in our little slice of heaven, you probably would not return after 45 minutes to find 100% of your gear left in place... Chalk it up to experience. One time last year I went out with everything EXCEPT Mr. Heater. I'm pretty sure that day's experience is etched deeply enough in my memory that it won't happen again.

[harvey lee]

Depends on what specie I was intending to target. If it was crappies and I knew they would be suspended then I probably would have went home to get the LX5. If it was for a bottom dwelling specie and I knew the spot I was going to fish I would probably have fished without it.

I know where you were at. The other day I got about 8 miles out of town and turned around to go back and get the Marcum. If I would have went home I without a doubt would have reloaded everything.

[jiffypop]

I don't have any of the electronic comforts (locator/depth finder, camera, etc), as much as I would like them I do good enough without. I do however understand the feeling of leaving something at home that you could really use it, done it with my cell phone multiple times and then have to run home and get it. I think, for fishing, I would have done what you did, just tough it out. At least you had a chance, had you gone home you may have missed the bite or someone could have taken your spot.

[Gordie]

tough call, if its alake that I regualarly go to I would have done what you did, but if it was new water I probaly would of loaded the truck back up and did the drive. After using electronics its hard not to but I do it some times just to prove to myself that the electronics don't catch the fish I do, and thats real fishing! glad to hear you went out and didnt just scrap the whole fishing trip. good luck in the future

elwood

[IceWrangler]

Quote:

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Been there, done the same as you. It makes you appreciate it more when you go without a few times. 10 years ago nobody had this stuff.

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Actually yeah we did. I remember it was in 1992( not gonna get in why I remember the year ) I forgot my FL-8. did the same thing decided to continue on, made for a slow day and night on the ICE.

Next time it happens to me, I'll go back and get my Flasher.

I can go with out the camera, But i will not go without my Flasher, which BTW is the LX-5 now.

[Catmendo]

My take on your situation is.....you made the right choice! I agree that if you were targeting crappies or the like, electronics is important. When it comes to 'eyes, gators and other species we can do well without.

By far the vast majority of my success locating and catching fish has been without the assistance of any form of electronics. On big water such as Lake Winnipeg, locating 'eyes and staying on top of them usually means moving..... a lot!

In a nutshell I love fishing with my FL-20, but I get equal enjoyment on those days I'm on the ice without it!

[Jim Almquist]

I think that if I could find a spot that I had fished previously (old fishing holes of mine that are in a specific depth) I would fish for what ever walleye, crappie. But if I was going out to a spot (weed line,rock bar ,drop off)and had no clue and no electronics I would go home. I just can,t fish that way unless it is for spring sunnies in 6 feet of water on last ice.

[Zaraspooks]

Did the same thing last year. Got out to my spot, got the house set up, drilled the holes, cleaned the holes, set and baited the lines, reached for the FL-18 and realized I forgot it. Tried fishing for about an 1/2 hour and felt I was fishing blind. Reeled up the lines, broke down the house, loaded up the truck, and headed home. Won't let that happen again.

[Matt Johnson]

Paul... this is definitely a dilemma... I'd say just go out and fish. Yes, not having your MarCum can be a problem, no more fish mood indicator, but at least you're on the ice. You can't get time back, so I'd say go for it and hit the ice! If you were to head home then you might miss the chance at a few nice fish once prime time hits...

I've spent a few days on the ice without electronics. I didn't exactly enjoy it, but it happened

It's amazing how much re rely on certain things, and then how much we take things for granted when those tools are no longer available.

I remember when I first got a Lowrance Green Box from a garage sale when I was in junior high, that thing was the coolest! Definitely changed the way I ice fished, no doubt about that. Well, at least it changed my productivity, I still ice fish like a neanderthal

There's nothing like staring at the flasher when a pannie rises to take your jig. Gets my blood pumpin every time!

[Rick]

When I first started ice fishing it was simply a search of the water column below slowly jigging up and then jigging going down. When the fish were found you had to remember the depth you were at (not an easy thing when all you can wrap your brain around is fish-on). Walleyes were a little differant just staying within 3' of bottom normally.

I did a fair amount of it and it worked out ok for the times. I remember my brother in law (who was very stubborn and a self proclaimed expert) when I got my first flasher and he was telling me I didn't need one of those things.

After outfishing him 10 to one or better usually more than a dozen outings and that was with him copying what I was doing and my depth he finally broke down and got his own. Then you would have thought he invented the thing

That being said, I would have loaded back up and gone home to get my flasher. I've traveled further to do it. I would estimate it's upped my odds of catching fish big-time.

That flasher not only tells me when a fish is around, it hints at their mood and let's me know if more are coming in at differant levels. It even tells me about weeds and bottom content. Even when targeting walleyes the loss of a few minutes of prime time is worth it to me to have my MarCum LX5 giving me all that valuable valuable information.

Drive back next time. It will likely be more productive and for sure MORE FUN

[Rozman]

I am new to fishing with a flasher. Bought a Marcum LX-3(reconditioned). I was out thursday(first time ever with flasher) when my flasher went from the red line for bottom and the yellow line for my jig, to the flippin marcumdazzle parade!! Lines all throughout the column. When I finally figured out which line was my pimple, another line was heading up straight for it, wham, a 17.5" eye. I am an avid duck hunter and the only thing I can compare it to is a flock of mallards locked up over the dekes or my lab fetching up one of those puddlers. Coolerst stuff ever!!