vexilar

[shawnfire]

vexilar, how far will it shoot thru the ice, and read fish????? I tried a search some say 2 in some say 10+... what have you done???? clear ice, thick cloudy ice???? just wondering have not tried yet

[ih772]

Over a foot with clear ice and a puddle of water.

[icefishermanmark]

I've shot through 8" with clear ice. But 3" of cloudy ice is no good. It's tough to find thick clear ice.

[jigmanII]

I am relatively new with this tool but have read thru 9-10 inches of cloudy ice by pouring water on ice.
But I am not a firm believer in a gas auger spooking fish so why not cut holes and be sure.
Wow, we do have plenty of ice in Livingston county.
Getting ready to take truck out for radio and a/c.:)

[misterclean1010]

Its just as easy to pop a hole and drop the ducer down. If you do mark fish, then at least you have a quicker chance of dropping your bait down to catch it.

[shawnfire]

I drill holes and check, but sometimes you like to know the limits of the equpt u use

[XXXdisel77]

Its just as easy to pop a hole and drop the ducer down. If you do mark fish, then at least you have a quicker chance of dropping your bait down to catch it.

I agree with this statement 110%. I know you want to know the limits of your equipment, but it's tough to even find ice clear enough to get a clear reading. Also you have to put some water on the top of the ice as well which I think another member already mentioned. It's better to just go out popping tons of holes making swiss cheese and then hole hop to find them. Tough work, but very rewarding.

[Bunky]

This maybe a Stupid question But why do you use water on top of the ice ???

[flyrod4steelhead]

Haave done that a few times, but mostly, just punch a hole and drop the transducer in and flip on the vex. For checking purposes, I don't clean out the hole. The few times that I have checked through the ice, I have been able to get a good reading through 10" of ice. But like a couple other people have said, I would rather punch a hole, drop the transducer in and then look. This way you already have a hole, and are ready to drop the goodies down to them :D

[bowhawker]

I was out fri. with my marcum lx-3 good clear 9 to 10 ins. of ice, brushed off the snow in 9 ft. of water marked a couple of fish, drilled a hole still marking same fish and caught two gills. it works!

Bob

[muddman55]

the water just makes sure you have no air between trans. and ice you need a good contact to get accurate reading, also welcome to the site.

[William H Bonney]

I've done it through a foot of cloudy ice,,, the trick there is to use your hot coffee instead of just plain water. The coffee melts away that little bit of cloudy ice on the very top,,, perfect little spot for your transducer. Just keep shootin' and movin'.

[Bunky]

the water just makes sure you have no air between trans. and ice you need a good contact to get accurate reading, also welcome to the site.

Thanks Muddman55

[Gutz]

I've heard of but never seen guys taking a zip lock filled with anti-freeze that you lay on the ice place your ducer on top of. I might try it if I vacuum sealed a bag over that but I don't know if that would reduce its efficacy or if it even works in the first place.

[icefishermanmark]

This maybe a Stupid question But why do you use water on top of the ice ???

You don't need it, but it helps. I've read through the ice without water, but the thickers it gets the harder it is.

Antifreeze is not a good idea. The manufacturers say it in their manuals. If you get a leak, you have a real mess.

[Gutz]

Yeah, I've never tried the anti-freeze for that reason but if I did, it would be with a vacuum seal over a ziplock but I don't know if it would still work.

[bucketbuster]

i've carried and used a self-ignighting torch to put some water on the ice. works great and fits in your bucket

[live2fishdjs]

i've carried and used a self-ignighting torch to put some water on the ice. works great and fits in your bucket

That's an awesome idea, sure beats carrying and filling water bottles/jugs. Thanks.

[dark ice]

Some times i take a power drill with a 2" bit.
just big enough to drop the transducer thru,
and get a quick check