Official tPB ice fishing thread

[BluesBucksNHuskers]

What are these and their uses?

It’s a fish finder that’s a live feed of what’s going down there instead of a scrolling screen.

You can see the fish swimming around and if you really have it dialed in have enough detail you can see the shape of the fish

 

[PLA]

I use Livescope both through the ice and soft water. I’m a 100% bass guy in the soft water months. I swithched to throwing big swimbaits about five years ago, so the livescope gets turned off when I locate fish. I bought it when it first came out, and didn’t really understand it the first couple years. It’s pretty amazing if you want to figure out fish behavior. I fish some tournaments, and what it’s done for tournaments is made guys that couldn’t catch fish to save their life, into cashing checks. It’s turned the pro bass fishing industry upside down. I get pissed at myself when I find myself staring at it all day! Like any expensive toy, do I need it? No. Is it fun as hell sometimes? Absolutely! When it comes to ice fishing with it. My son and I have figured out that you should have the transducer as far from your bait as possible. Fish, especially Perch, tend to spook from the signal, unless they’re really hungry.

I will tell you all a secret a buddy taught me for Perch fishing up here in SD. He only uses an underwater camera, and he will drop a 5 pound weight through the hole, tied to a rope, and pound it on the bottom several times. We have fresh water shrimp up here, and the bottom of some of the lakes are covered with them. The weight gets the water all stirred up with shrimp and other little critters, and the Perch come piling in. Gills and other fish show up as well, but it really works with Perch. Those cameras don’t bother the fish at all compared to fishfinders and the pinging of tranducers. There is a guy on Lake Poinsett that will rent his Lodge Fish Trailer very reasonably. It sleeps 4-5 guys and he rents it for the weekend for like $600. It’s awesome and it’s a year old. TV, kitchen,etc. Here is his number - Carter 605-520-4850.

 

[Jim14510]

I could go on forever about how much I love lake trout. I need to go try that lake in western South Dakota or try one of the ones in Colorado with them

Where are they in Western SD?

 

[Jim14510]

It’s a fish finder that’s a live feed of what’s going down there instead of a scrolling screen.

You can see the fish swimming around and if you really have it dialed in have enough detail you can see the shape of the fish

And size. To some degree.

 

[BluesBucksNHuskers]

Where are they in Western SD?

Lake Pactola

 

[Jim14510]

Fish, especially Perch, tend to spook from the signal, unless they’re really hungry

That's interesting. Is this something they've figured out for sure or something you suspect from experience? Something they're picking up with lateral line maybe?

You should teach me how to get the panoptix dialed in better. I can't remember the size of the lithium battery I've got it on but I'm wondering if the problem is it's too small. Could that be true?

As I said earlier whenever I get more than 40ish feet the ghost tree is brutal.

 

[Jim14510]

Lake Pactola

Why not just go another couple hours to lake of the woods area?

 

[PLA]

That's interesting. Is this something they've figured out for sure or something you suspect from experience? Something they're picking up with lateral line maybe?

You should teach me how to get the panoptix dialed in better. I can't remember the size of the lithium battery I've got it on but I'm wondering if the problem is it's too small. Could that be true?

As I said earlier whenever I get more than 40ish feet the ghost tree is brutal.

Jim,
Try putting the transducer in (one click) “downward" mode once you can find your bait. The fish tend to hug the bottom more in the winter, and can be harder to detect with the “forward” mode. The “downward”. We use the forward mode to scan for structure and look for schools of fish. Also make sure your transducer isn’t too far under the ice. You want it just barely below the ice. I run a 30ah lithium. What color pallet are you using?

 

[Jim14510]

Jim,
Try putting the transducer in (one click) “downward" mode once you can find your bait. The fish tend to hug the bottom more in the winter, and can be harder to detect with the “forward” mode. The “downward”. We use the forward mode to scan for structure and look for schools of fish. Also make sure your transducer isn’t too far under the ice. You want it just barely below the ice. I run a 30ah lithium. What color pallet are you using?

Sorry im hijacking Mavs thread. I'm talking about soft water fishing from the boat. I've got it dialed in pretty good if I'm vertical jigging or it its 40 feet or less. It's when I'm forward facing. I've read/watched tutorials on the settings. If I expand the range over 40 feet the ghost tree is unbearable.

Initially had it on battery with other stuff. Read it can get interference from other electronics so got it's own lithium. That definitely cleared it up some. I just want more.

So I'm down to:
A. Just not getting settings dialed in right. Figured out different water different settings so fuck with them a lot when I first get to lake.

B. Need bigger battery? Got what was recommended but might have been on lower end. Can't remember now if head unit and transducer power are seperate. Maybe seperate those to different batteries?

C. That's aa good as it gets. Quit your whining you little bitch. This seems least likely. I've watched videos of people with much better clarity.

 

[BluesBucksNHuskers]

Sorry im hijacking Mavs thread. I'm talking about soft water fishing from the boat. I've got it dialed in pretty good if I'm vertical jigging or it its 40 feet or less. It's when I'm forward facing. I've read/watched tutorials on the settings. If I expand the range over 40 feet the ghost tree is unbearable.

Initially had it on battery with other stuff. Read it can get interference from other electronics so got it's own lithium. That definitely cleared it up some. I just want more.

So I'm down to:
A. Just not getting settings dialed in right. Figured out different water different settings so fuck with them a lot when I first get to lake.

B. Need bigger battery? Got what was recommended but might have been on lower end. Can't remember now if head unit and transducer power are seperate. Maybe seperate those to different batteries?

C. That's aa good as it gets. Quit your whining you little bitch. This seems least likely. I've watched videos of people with much better clarity.

35-40 is about the range I stop at too.

Really cool ice fishing Wanahoo with one when you can just jump tree to tree and just count how many fish are at each one. I've heard that place has gone to shit though and haven't been out there this year

 

[Jim14510]

35-40 is about the range I stop at too.

Really cool ice fishing Wanahoo with one when you can just jump tree to tree and just count how many fish are at each one. I've heard that place has gone to shit though and haven't been out there this year

Anything local is so over fished. Have heard Wanahoo gets hit really hard ice fishing. I bet it's a cool spot to ice fish though.

I want to be able to point at the bank or along a point/hump from 100 feet away and see structure. Don't need to see fish although that would be cool.

Maybe I'm just asking too much.

 

[BluesBucksNHuskers]

Anything local is so over fished. Have heard Wanahoo gets hit really hard ice fishing. I bet it's a cool spot to ice fish though.

I want to be able to point at the bank or along a point/hump from 100 feet away and see structure. Don't need to see fish although that would be cool.

Maybe I'm just asking too much.

Thats what side scan is for. Run your boat 10mph and just grid an area marking every piece of structure. You can have every tree/hump/point/hole in most of our little Nebraska lakes marked out in 20-25 minutes

 

[Jim14510]

Thats what side scan is for. Run your boat 10mph and just grid an area marking every piece of structure. You can have every tree/hump/point/hole in most of our little Nebraska lakes marked out in 20-25 minutes

I'm talking more for going up to Waubay area, Missouri River lakes, Minn. Etc.

I also need to get better at reading side scan. Only on the dash. Trolling motor transducer doesn't have side/down. Spend most of my time sitting up front so don't play with the side scan much.

Need a new trolling motor too. Always so much more to get.

 

[BluesBucksNHuskers]

I'm talking more for going up to Waubay area, Missouri River lakes, Minn. Etc.

I also need to get better at reading side scan. Only on the dash. Trolling motor transducer doesn't have side/down. Spend most of my time sitting up front so don't play with the side scan much.

Need a new trolling motor too. Always so much more to get.

Whatever you do don’t get an ulterra. As cool as the stow/deploy from the remote is I went through probably 4 grand of just having the damn thing fixed which seems to be common with everyone that has them.

You going to pull the trigger on that Garmin one?

 

[Jim14510]

Whatever you do don’t get an ulterra. As cool as the stow/deploy from the remote is I went through probably 4 grand of just having the damn thing fixed which seems to be common with everyone that has them.

You going to pull the trigger on that Garmin one?

That sucks to hear. That's probably what I would have got. What's the alternative to Ulterra? I have a 60" terrova now. About 10 years old now. Want to get 72" for one thing. My Tyee is deep. Just get a newer Terrova?

I'm all over with electronics. Garmin live scope and HD 90(?). Whatever model was new 3 or 4 years ago. Lawrence hook 9 with trolling motor. Humminbird helix 10 on the dash. I probably won't update any of them for a few years.

I like the Garmin the best as far as user friendliness so might start updating that direction.

Trolling motor is first on the list. Need a little more length/power.

 

[Ripping Lips]

I have!I love it crappie fishing, I hate it walleye fishing - it’s great with structure but when you’re trying to cover water side imaging is way better

What brand are you using? I have lowrance AT2 and the perspective mode sucks compared to Garmins.

 

[Ripping Lips]

I use Livescope both through the ice and soft water. I’m a 100% bass guy in the soft water months. I swithched to throwing big swimbaits about five years ago, so the livescope gets turned off when I locate fish. I bought it when it first came out, and didn’t really understand it the first couple years. It’s pretty amazing if you want to figure out fish behavior. I fish some tournaments, and what it’s done for tournaments is made guys that couldn’t catch fish to save their life, into cashing checks. It’s turned the pro bass fishing industry upside down. I get pissed at myself when I find myself staring at it all day! Like any expensive toy, do I need it? No. Is it fun as hell sometimes? Absolutely! When it comes to ice fishing with it. My son and I have figured out that you should have the transducer as far from your bait as possible. Fish, especially Perch, tend to spook from the signal, unless they’re really hungry.

I will tell you all a secret a buddy taught me for Perch fishing up here in SD. He only uses an underwater camera, and he will drop a 5 pound weight through the hole, tied to a rope, and pound it on the bottom several times. We have fresh water shrimp up here, and the bottom of some of the lakes are covered with them. The weight gets the water all stirred up with shrimp and other little critters, and the Perch come piling in. Gills and other fish show up as well, but it really works with Perch. Those cameras don’t bother the fish at all compared to fishfinders and the pinging of tranducers. There is a guy on Lake Poinsett that will rent his Lodge Fish Trailer very reasonably. It sleeps 4-5 guys and he rents it for the weekend for like $600. It’s awesome and it’s a year old. TV, kitchen,etc. Here is his number - Carter 605-520-4850.

I’m a bass guy myself and have the equipment, but I rarely use it where I fish because I’m mostly fishing pads and underwater grass. I’d love to learn how to catch them on the big swimbaits, but it’s hard to put down the chatterbait or crankbait at times to concentrate on it.

The only time I use FFS is approaching boat docks or deep brush piles, but do agree with you that the bite is better once you shut it off due to how load the ping is.

 

[BluesBucksNHuskers]

What brand are you using? I have lowrance AT2 and the perspective mode sucks compared to Garmins.

I still run a couple Humminbird Helix’s with an upgraded transducer (don’t remember what that was called), I use the contour lock a lot when I’m dragging baits for catfish so haven’t really been able to try other brands

 

[Ripping Lips]

I still run a couple Humminbird Helix’s with an upgraded transducer (don’t remember what that was called), I use the contour lock a lot when I’m dragging baits for catfish so haven’t really been able to try other brands

I use to have a Helix for the first gen 360, but hates the operating system on it. I have a Solix now for my Mega 360 and love that. However, I ran lowrance HDS lives for my side, FFS, and 2D imaging.

 

[BluesBucksNHuskers]

I use to have a Helix for the first gen 360, but hates the operating system on it. I have a Solix now for my Mega 360 and love that. However, I ran lowrance HDS lives for my side, FFS, and 2D imaging.

Every year I think about buying the new ones and end with "It works, why spend money to replace it"... Thats why I have a 6 year old compound bow, a 4 year old ice flasher, 6 year old fish finders, a 4 year old trolling motor and my $2,500 shotgun stays in the cabinet while I use the same over/under 28 gauge I've used for 25 years unless I'm goose hunting. I suck at keeping up with the new shit.

In my eyes I'm a samurai that's mastered his sword so will be worse with a new one. In reality I'm just firmly making my transition into being a grumpy old fucking man that bitches and moans about change.