Posted: 12/2/2012 6:36:31 PM EDT
Who's ready for some ice fishing? Temps yesterday were a high of 25 degrees and there was a good 4" of ice on the lake. I'm sure the 50 degree temps and rain today killed it though  Oh we'll shouldn't be too much longer. Post some pics from this season in this thread 
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11'' of ice at my lake 8'' clear ice with 3'' white ice on top My catch today, biggest out of a hole so far. http://i.imgur.com/sKGrg.jpg Nice catch! 
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I've got a Vexilar so it might have different variences in options, but the basic operation is the same. Mine came with a DVD, but I'm sure theres a bunch of youtube videos with tips for the Marcum
1. Biggest thing is to just play around with the "Gain" setting 2. Make sure that the transducer is positioned at the bottom of the ice-hole. 3. Make sure you charge it after use, sucks gettin out on the ice, and having the battery die! They seemed sorta intimidating to me before I actually used one... took about five minutes to get used to it! And get ready to catch a hell of a lot more fish, and for your buddies wanting to steal it for their hole all the time, if they don't have their own
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I went with the Humminbird for my first flasher.
Super simple to use, just turn it on and set my gain and it's ready to go. You can use your Marcum in demo mode before you hit the ice to get accustomed to it. Hold down the zoom button and turn on the unit. You'll be able to play with all the settings and see how it reacts. My first perch as well 
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| Nice pics! and thanks for the tips for using the flasher. Ice conditions are still very hazardous here with the 2' snowfall we got this past week. 1 snowmobiler died over the weekend and 3 are still missing and there's evidence to suggest they all went under. Please be safe out there, I'm holding off until the ice conditions are safer. |
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Nice pics! and thanks for the tips for using the flasher. Ice conditions are still very hazardous here with the 2' snowfall we got this past week. 1 snowmobiler died over the weekend and 3 are still missing and there's evidence to suggest they all went under. Please be safe out there, I'm holding off until the ice conditions are safer. Damn, that's a terrible to hear. We have over 15'' of ice and I still get nervous everytime I hear the ice shift. I had a big pike on the line that snapped my #17 fluorocarbon line. Line was brand new with no kinks, and about 2 feet of #40 fluoro leader attached to a quickstrike rig. The one that got away.. 
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Nice pics tt350z. I used my Clam xl6000 this weekend and one of the buckles that tightens up to the anchors broke and one of the handle tabs on a zipper broke.
Wasn't cold about 20 or so degrees. I can run a shoe lace through the zipper for a new handle but not sure where I will find a new buckle. |
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What size and type of buckle? Post a picture if you can. Repair buckles are usually easy to track down. I ordered one of these kits so I'll have a spare in the event it happens again. You can see the buckles in the right 1/3rd of the straps. 
I had a Frabill 6'x12' for the last two seasons but went the the Clam on reputation from others. I am pretty surprised parts are breaking like they are from two days of use. |
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Thanks |
Perfect day for ice fishing
I only managed to get one decent size pickerel. 
I really had trouble with the flasher. Not sure if it was because I was only fishing in about 10' of water. The LX-5 has settings for 20' to 160'. I kept losing the jig and had to keep adjusting the gain or it would disappear. Also it never picked up the fish that I caught. I could see the jig at the time, but nothing to indicate the strike. |
Went out to a different lake today and had better luck getting the hang of the flasher. I used it from anywhere between 20' to 70' of water. Only had one flag go up, but the fish had taken the bait before I could get over to set the hook. Most of the people I talked to weren't having much luck either.
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Nice to see that you made it out onto the lake finally. How much ice do you guys have? Also on loosing your jig the first day. Was there any current causing your jig to drift out of the transducers cone? We have from 7" to 11" of ice. There wasn't any current when I lost the jig. The only thing I can think of is that the LX-5 doesn't read well in shallow water. In deeper water it worked perfectly though and I also got the hang of the zoom function. |
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The shallower that water the easier it is for your jig to drift out of your transducers cone since it will be more acute.
Read through this and see if anything makes sense. marcum-lx5-shallow-water-problem |
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The shallower that water the easier it is for your jig to drift out of your transducers cone since it will be more acute. Read through this and see if anything makes sense. marcum-lx5-shallow-water-problem That makes sense, thanks! |
So I bought the Clam ice anchor install tool for a cordless drill. Worked great on the first 4 anchors before it snapped. 
I even joked with my buddy when I went to use it "Wow it's made out of plastic, this won't last long..." The hanging fan/LED lights suck too. Dim as a candle. I'm never going to buy another Clam product. |
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So I bought the Clam ice anchor install tool for a cordless drill. Worked great on the first 4 anchors before it snapped.
I even joked with my buddy when I went to use it "Wow it's made out of plastic, this won't last long..." The hanging fan/LED lights suck too. Dim as a candle. I'm never going to buy another Clam product. I've read of guys just taking their cordless drill and using a drill bit to drill a pilot hole into the ice. Then just screw in the ice anchor by hand. Supposed to work pretty well. Do you have access to a lathe and mill by any chance? I can draw up simple to make one out of steel if you have the tools. |
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I've read of guys just taking their cordless drill and using a drill bit to drill a pilot hole into the ice. Then just screw in the ice anchor by hand. Supposed to work pretty well. Do you have access to a lathe and mill by any chance? I can draw up simple to make one out of steel if you have the tools. I'll go with the drill bit route or this weekend. I appreciate the offer to help, I have a buddy who said he can make one out of metal for me in the near future. It was -9 this morning, I'm planning on hitting the CT River setbacks in Hinsdale, NH on Sat. Taking my 12 year old son and it's going to be cold, I'm going to want to get that house set up and heat on fast. 
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Togue from this weekend. 8lbs 2.6oz 29in Got us second place at the local tourney..... -20 to -30 below zero wind chill all weekend....cold day but work it.... http://i1103.photobucket.com/albums/g465/hickunit/facebook_-805736095_zps85a0417b.jpg That's a pig! That weather is no joke. Must have been fun keeping those tip-up holes open.
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Togue from this weekend. 8lbs 2.6oz 29in Got us second place at the local tourney..... -20 to -30 below zero wind chill all weekend....cold day but work it.... http://i1103.photobucket.com/albums/g465/hickunit/facebook_-805736095_zps85a0417b.jpg That's a pig! That weather is no joke. Must have been fun keeping those tip-up holes open. We had to use a hammer and ice pick after just a few minutes....they froze quick..... |
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Togue from this weekend. 8lbs 2.6oz 29in Got us second place at the local tourney..... -20 to -30 below zero wind chill all weekend....cold day but work it.... http://i1103.photobucket.com/albums/g465/hickunit/facebook_-805736095_zps85a0417b.jpg Nice fish!
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