Last year I tried ice fishing for the first time and didn't have any luck. I probably fished only 5 or 6 days and caught nothing. This year I am coming at it more prepared. I got a shanty and and some newer equipment so I should at least be more comfortable.
I was wondering how much of a difference flashers make and if I should invest in one. I am trying to keep the investment to a minimum and wondered if anyone has any advice.
Also, does anyone use the auger adapters for cordless drills and what power drill do you use? I have a new dewalt 20v drill but it is only 2.0 Ah and I think that might be a little too light for the required torque.
I'm betting 90% of the people on here will tell you flashers are out of date. I'm also new to the sonar game but picked up a lowrance elite 4 ice machine for this year, so I can't give you much advice on that.
As far as using a cordless with an adapter for an auger I don't think you are that far off on torque with that drill, of course depending on the size and style of auger you already have. For adapters I recommend an ice master, they're made in michigan locally and run around 25-30$. Personally I use a Milwaukee 18v hammer drill with the XC batteries (larger) and a 5in mora auger. Can drill plenty of holes with the combination and cuts like a hot knife through butter. Moras have less of a blade angle so they shave the ice and are less stressful on the drill itself.
Good luck with your decisions, you came to the right place for questions!
Thanks! I have never used a fish finder or any sort, but I have also never had luck ice fishing.
I am going to look into that auger adapter. I have a 6 inch mora with new blades and am going to give it a shot. My brother has a pretty wicked Milwaukee hammer drill that I will probably barrow if mine can't handle it.
Flashers (ie. Sonar) are a must have but there is a such a huge selection of sonars now that it can be overwhelming- from first generation mechanical to digital to LCD - you name it. Try to get as much power (wattage) for your buck as you can as well as a device with switchable modes (ie. Flasher, vertical zoom and graph). I run a Marcum LX-9 and couldn't be happier.
Flashers are good when your planning on a gun and run technique on an open body of water. On the other hand if you are fishing in an area you know well you really don't need a flasher. As the year progresses and the fish become more finicky you probably will want a flasher that helps you get ready for softer bites. That is my personal opinion.
I use an elite 4 there an awesome tool, but for perch the not really necessary but it's great for marking spots and getting back to shore in the dark and fog.
As for augers and drills I can tell you only hammer drills the have a stronger motor and also have a heavier duty all metal transmission, also don't get batterys smaller than 3 amp they die too fast. I use a dewalt 20v and it works great as for augers the Nils is nice the blades last much longer than lasers, the auger is a few pounds lighters, and they chuck right up into the drill.
If you already have a 5 or 6 inch auger no need to buy a new one. Just get the ice master adaptor for your drill and you will be set. Flasher or graph doesn't really matter what you buy. I would just try and buy the best one you can afford. If you fish from a boat or kayak I would go with a graph so you can use it all year. I would also make sure it has GPS. This won't guarantee that you will catch fish it will just let you know if there are any fish in the area below you. Best way to catch fish through the ice is to drill a lot of holes. It's no different than trolling or drifting on a boat or even casting from shore. The more water you cover the better your chances are at catching something.
I have a 6" laser and bought a dewalt 20amp regular drill last year and it didn't work very good. I took it back and got a Hitachi Hammer Drill with and it made a huge diiference. It has the 3amp batteries.
As far as electronics goes I don't think they are absolutely necessary for perch fishing LSC. I have only fished American side which is shallow for the most part and in my opinion difficult to find good size perch anyway so I rarely bring my Lowrance. Most of the guys who do well are run and gunning which the drill will help out most. However I had my best time ice fishing last year at Erie catching walleyes under 29' of ice which the Lowrance was a must.
seems like a good bang for the buck....
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I think the m18 fuel's from Milwaukee are also 3amp hour units. They also sell a high capacity battery that is compatible with the same drill which has 4.0 ah. You might want to check the big box stores for compatibility with your drill, it seems dewault also sells battery/charger kits to upgrade the amp hour rating.
Of course for the price of a drill and adapter you can buy a gas auger easily from L&M farm-fleet. Atleast you don't have to wait for the drill to start and warm up, and mix oil and gas, and it sure seems like the adapter and drill would be alot lighter. I think I'd rather have an electric auger, but cost deters me at the moment.
Personally I don't know how anyone can fish without a sonar. The idea of sitting in a spot not knowing if there is fish down there is a waste of time if the goal is to catch fish. It doesn't matter if you know where there is fish or not. If they are under you and you can't get them to react at least you can see what is going on down there and make adjustments, baits or techniques.
I use a MarCum LX 7 in graph mode. It has been years since I have used flasher mode unless I'm in very shallow weedy water. Now there is new CHIRP ice machines by Lowrance that will give incredible definition without noise and uses less power. I believe they make the Elite 5 Chirp ice machine and they come with GPS as well.
Even the most basic B&W units will increase your chance of catching fish 10 fold.
Thanks! I have never used a fish finder or any sort, but I have also never had luck ice fishing.
I am going to look into that auger adapter. I have a 6 inch mora with new blades and am going to give it a shot. My brother has a pretty wicked Milwaukee hammer drill that I will probably barrow if mine can't handle it.
The 6 inch mora you have will be fine in manual mode! I've used the same for the last 17 years! Just replace blades when necessary. I fish mostly st clair, US and Canadian side, Simcoe, and Saginaw bay. You might want a drill after the ice gets over 15 inches thick and your going to be prospecting for fish. After a half dozen or so holes it gets tough!
If your going to be fishing in US water on lsc mostly, you really won't need a sonar. Sight fishing works fine. Sonar will save your back a bit from bending over the hole :lol: Anywhere else and it is a must have. You need to know if theres fish, and if you need to change baits. It will help you be more productive with your time on the ice. I have a hummingbird h-35 and it works fantastic!
last winter my buddy had some large wooden ice shanty's built for rental and already had one out on glen lake he let me use. He had already used an ice saw to cut a big square section out of the ice. We would "chum" the hole and drop some jigs or just natural bait on hooks, and inside of a closed shanty you could see all the way to the bottom and easily sight fish perch. Daylight through the ice was more than enough to light up the lake-bed with the windows mostly closed on the shanty visibility was amazing. I think it was around 20ft depth +/-, ... I could see the perch so well, and I could not believe they would swim right up to a "live minnow" at top speed and then stop about 1mm from it! grrrrrrrr... so it can be frustrating but with a big enough hole (water clarity permitting) you can see everything it helps to experiment. It seems on that lake all you need is an attractor to bring them in (jigging a spoon or chumming with bait) and they were coming to you, but not every lake may be so clear. I would think a camera would be useful for a small hole to see if any fish are coming in and to see how they are reacting to your bait (and when you are site fishing you can see exactly when they can be hooked which is usually far earlier than when you feel anything on your line... at all).
This was pretty late in the season and those perch were not biting anything, only cought a handful and there were some jumbo lookers... some were saying they thought low oxygen conditions might be an issue due to the ice being setup for so long (and amazing thick ice, I remember it was damn near 2.5feet)!
The 6 inch mora you have will be fine in manual mode! I've used the same for the last 17 years! Just replace blades when necessary. I fish mostly st clair, US and Canadian side, Simcoe, and Saginaw bay. You might want a drill after the ice gets over 15 inches thick and your going to be prospecting for fish. After a half dozen or so holes it gets tough!
If your going to be fishing in US water on lsc mostly, you really won't need a sonar. Sight fishing works fine. Sonar will save your back a bit from bending over the hole :lol: Anywhere else and it is a must have. You need to know if theres fish, and if you need to change baits. It will help you be more productive with your time on the ice. I have a hummingbird h-35 and it works fantastic!
Agree with slabstar, sonar is not generally necessary when fishing shallow especially if you are going out to lake St. Clair. I am fairly new to fishing St. Clair and have spent most of my time at Metro, Metro Basin, Gino's, and St. Clair Shores Library Marina. At any of those spots the best tactic I have found is to keep moving to find active fish. It is nice if there are open holes, but if not i just drill a bunch and move probably every 5-10 min if I haven't got a bite. If you feel the need you can look down the hole to see if there are fish and what they are doing in response to your lure.
Just my 0.02$, but if i get time I am planning on mostly fishing St. Clair this year and am not planning on buying sonar... now I may tie a line to my gopro and drop it down the hole... but that is another story....
I have a Vexilar fl 18 and don't leave home with out it. What ever you get, make sure that you know how to use. Nothing worse than fishing in cloudy water and not knowing if there are any fish. I prefer over a camera. Also tells what depths the fish are at if you are in deep water. I have used my vex at Higgins lake ice fishing for smelt in 80 fow, seeing that the smelt are 20 foot off the bottom. They are a must have in my mind.
I have a fl 8 and love it it I gun and run on a bucket ,shanty you can see whats going on on a bucket not so much also fish deep lakes in Oakland township for bluegill and it tells me if they are in the middle on top or one the bottom ,great toy to have ,
Or u could b like me, I have a 2h strike master 8 inch I bought 8 years ago and a lowrance ice machine brought 8 years ago. Oh and a shappell 3000 dx I bought about 10 years ago. There old and I need new stuff. I'm getting the new lithium strike master auger and the new murcum lx 7 fish finder, I don't have a truck yet so I have to stick with a new shappell dx 4000 I want an otter but not enough room yet in my car.
after way too many years walking, I finally broke down and bought a machine to ride last year, you can cover a 20 or 30 acre lake walking, but on lake st clair , you need to move (and that means covering miles,if your walking, it's nothing to load everything back up and move to another access point 3 or four times) to find the fish, I would save for a machine , a flasher or shanty won't bring the fish to you, and you really can find a good running snowmobile for the price of a 2 man flip
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