Shooting through the Ice with a depth finder???

[LOWinEYEin]

Now, I'm still green when it comes to my vex. I've heard you con shoot through the Ice with the Vex...I've tried it but I not sure about trusting it though. Because getting your line wet as fast as possible, as soon as I think their there I blow the holes and fish. What is the fastest way to mark the Eyes or Crapps by shootinig through the ice?????

[iffwalleyes]

Put water right on the ice and it will shoot right though. or else take a torch and melt the ice a little. The transducer needs to be sitting in water. It is pretty acurate.

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Grip it and Rip it

IFFWalleyes
I Fish For Walleyes

[Hemlock]

Clear the snow as much as you can, and have some water handy to pour on clear ice, and it will work fine.

[Guest]

You can set the ducer in a Styrofoam minnow bucket and shoot straight through. Turn up the gain tell you see the bottom, and trim it back down as need be.

You still need a little moisture under the bucket to get contact. You can cover ground looking fairly fast that way. Just set down the bucket and slop a bit, shoot, look, and run. If ya see da fish, then fish da fish.

You also protect the ducer from abuse that way. Unintentionally dropping/banging the ducer on the bare ice is not to good for it. Repeated jarring of the crystal will lessen it's life expectancy dramatical.

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BACKWATER GUIDING
701-281-2300
[email protected]
><,sUMo,>

[EBass]

Ed you have all the tips n tricks. I just got that chain and a sewing needle. Now I just have to sew them in. What's with the warms temps? Bring on the ice

[LOWinEYEin]

Ed
Is that pretty acurate? I've heard of the minnow bucket trick. It works..Huh.

Ebass
I got the topic from one of your recent replys, then the lightbulb started up and I had some ?'s, had to post! Sun go away..got the itch baddddd.

[united jigsticker]

Like Eddy said, that minnow bucket trick is a good way to help protect the ducer.

Why, I've been out on some pretty cold days and shot thru the ice with the ducer, only to have it freeze right to the ice in a matter of moments. Probably not the best for it to be snappin it off a block of ice too often.

At $50 some bucks a shot ($80 or more if ya' got the optional dual beamer) thats some pretty cheap...and wise, protection.

I bought a new ducer last year, and when the young lady at the register rang it up, she dropped it in a bag for me. BANG!!! on the counter it went. I cringed. I should have asked to get another one but I didn't.

I got that ducer on the lake and it only had about 50% power (I had a spare with luckily)

I took it right to Vexilar in Bloomington when I was in town. They tested it, said it was faulty, and replaced it on the spot. Just as simple as that. I couldn't have asked for better customer service.

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Good fishing,
UJ
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by united jigsticker (edited 11-11-2003).]

[Rick]

You also might want to take a long hard look at the MarCum LXi. It's designed for the ease of mobility and it's ability to shoot through the ice.

I also have to add that any ice fishing depth finder will shoot through the ice, which now includes the MarCum line of fish finders.

You can see more on Marcum fish finder systems by

CLICKING HERE - MarCumTech.com

[LOWinEYEin]

Rick
I already have the Vex, if it does the same as the Marcum then why should I think about buying a Marcum??? Is it because you are supposed to promote what FM sells? Or is there a Significant difference between the two?

[richstick]

can it be luck -
I'm not plugging one over the other, I think they are both fine units. But remember this: power is only half the equation. Transducer sensitivity is the other. How a sonar works is that it puts out it's max power ALL the time. The Vex is putting out 400 watts ALL the time. When you adjust your gain knob, you are adjusting how much signal the unit is letting BACK INTO the unit. But, the Vex has an incredibly sensitive transducer. So you can't compare just power, it's not an equal comparison - looks sexy in an ad, but it's not a real sellling point.

[Guest]

More watts does not mean more performance.

The greater the potential of the unit to interpret the signal once received the lower the power need be.

Sure..if you want more power...ARRRR.ARRR.ARR..Go for it, but you don't need more power to do a better job.

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BACKWATER GUIDING
701-281-2300
[email protected]
><,sUMo,>

[This message has been edited by Backwater Eddy (edited 11-12-2003).]

[can it be luck?]

So less is more? Does that pertain here? Should I discount the MarCum because it has "too much" power?

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http://groups.msn.com/canitbeluck

[LOWinEYEin]

I did'nt expect a can to open up?
Question...
If I turn on my fl8 in my garage and point the transducer at the corner of the wall I can hear it bouncing back. Can't the fish hear it ? Or could mine be broken?

[EBass]

Whatt, they are louder in air than water. I would assume fish can hear that cause we can so why can't they? I don't believe that it effects the bite unless you're real shallow, but any movement or sound can and will spooke them.

I thought you had my email address. Has your crappie hole skimmed over with ice yet?

[Guest]

That is normal, you can pick up on the sound bouncing off solids. Sound travels at a different rate in the air then in the water yet we can often pick up on it.

I am certain fish feel it, not sure if they hear it though. Odds are good they do sense it. I have had days where I had to stop using a flasher to get the fish to hit. So there may be room to argue it can be a detrimental effect on their mood. I feel LP is a better option on spooky fish then HP.

Point it at your dog/cat once and see if he or she notices it.

(EBASS I guess we both were on the same track at the same time?)

[This message has been edited by Backwater Eddy (edited 11-11-2003).]

[LOWinEYEin]

Don't you leave work early? But yeah it has-been skimmed, good memory. But the Vex was'nt very quiet, and theres all this talk about whether or not the fish spook, i suppose the Vex is a little more suttle that someone pulling their shack.

[EBass]

Ed, either we're onto something or on something I like the dog/cat trick. My G-friend has a cat that I'll test that out on -LOL

I wouldn't worry too much about spooking fish with the sound of the ducer. Just don't start drilling holes around dusk aka Prime Time. We can hit up tonka for some first ice eyes. Do you have an auger?

[LOWinEYEin]

Yep, gassed and ready to go...almost...Just let me know when. Well, schools done-Later.

[can it be luck?]

Heck, when the fishing slows, I grab my ice scoop and "rattle" up the water. I mean splash that thing around, plunge it up and down so the water is pumping up and down in your hole. Grind up a minnow and throw it in too. I also pound the ice with my chisel or drill a hole to "wake up" the fish! Fish are very, very, attracted to sounds in thier quiet underwater world. Try "rattleing" your hole with your scoop then watch your flasher, I'll guarentee you'll see your minnow and fish become active. On Red this works well, not too deep, not too shallow. I'll go a long time without fish, rattle the hole and catch one within minutes. At times this has accounted for up to 70% of my catch useing this method. NO dump. Let them know your here!

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http://groups.msn.com/canitbeluck

[CNY Tim]

I don't know much about the watts deal between the LX-3 and the FL-18. All I know is MarCum's LX-3 has a distinctively crisp target separation., Clear concise display, an adjustable zoom that works way better than the 18, (vex faithful can't even argue that point) and another point they can't argue is the ability of the MarCum to knock out interference from other unit's. I do like the colors on the FL-18 better than the LX-3, but big whoop I'll take a 5', 10', 20' or 40' zoom window adjustable to whereever I want it in the water column anyday of the week over a 6'(Bottom only)zoom. When perch and crappies are suspended or coming off the bottom over 6' I have to switch my FL-18 back to regular mode so basically it's a brighter FL-8. You see... there are situations like this that renders the FL-18 zoom useless. With the MarCum in the same scenario I will have a 10' zoom. See what I'm getting at. If you need that zoom and demand zoom performance, it's only available on the LX-3.
Hopefully Vex's software upgrade helped the FL-18 if it hasn't I'll be putting another 18 up on HSOList and purchasing another MarCum. I want options and demand performance and MarCum has delivered big time...
I understand that Vexilar has been in the business a long time and they have done great things for the sport heck I loved my FL8SLT it was way better than my Colorpoint. I have paid the price and own both the FL-18 and LX-3. I have sat with each one of them separately and side by side doing what I do and that's fishing under 40' of water. The FL-18 is a hop over the FL-8 but the LX-3 jumps over em all. Look for improvements in the LX-3 color scheme in the near future this years units are already 20% brighter.
If anyone purchased the new LX-1 and will be giving it a whirl this season on the ice I'd love to hear about it.

[Steve Foss]

Ford vs Chevy.
Strikemaster vs Jiffy.
Blondes vs brunettes vs redheads.
Republicans vs Democrats.
Fish Trap vs Otter.
Trilene vs Stren.

Sheesh. Enough.

Got any eights? No? Go fish.

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"Worry less, fish more."
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[Guest]

Oh ya..

Well I like Dirty Blonds!

[CNY Tim]

stfcatfish:
Chevy
Strikemaster
Brunettes
Republican
fishtrap
trilene

[Dan Wood]

I was speaking of the LX-i, not the LX-1. The LX-1 is a scaled down version of the LX-3 (without zoom capability). The LX-i is made for checking depths through the ice. Nice and convienent for quick depth checks to find drop offs, humps, etc. Once you get in the general area you can use your flasher to locate weeds, fish, etc.

This compact handheld sonar displays depths to 299 feet in increments down to a 10th of a foot.
• 1000 watts of output power
• 12 degree cone angle
• Includes fish alarm and displays water and air temperature

I think this will be a handy addition to the LX-3 for covering water quickly.

[Ray Esboldt]

You know what you guys need to settle this, ice.

I'm with canitbeluck on the noise deal. I frequently grab a cup and dump water in the hole while targeting panfish. It sure seems to work more often than not. However, it seems more effective on thinner ice.

But, I've also had days where I've shut the flasher off to get a bite. If you're trapped in the "land of the lookers and sniffers", no depth finder often is the way to go.

I need to get me one of these Marcum LX-i units. Sounds like a good way to save wear and tear on my depthfinder's transducer surface. They're definitely affordable.