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SO I WAS TOLD ABOUT A "STRIKE INDICATOR" FOR ICE FISHING.....??? I GUESS IT ATTACHES TO EITHER YOUR ROD TIP AND LINE OR JUST YOURLINE, ITS BEEN DESCRIBED TO ME AS A LITTLE WIRE DEAL WITH A READ PLASTIC TIP ON IT. I GUESS IT MOVES OR JIGGLES IF A FISH TAPS YOUR LINE LIGHTLY ENOUGH TO NOT DISTURB YOUR ROD?? YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT, SUPPOSEDLY THEY ARE CHEAP TOO...LIKE A 2 PACK FOR A COUPLE BUCKS..OR A BUCK....I DONT KNOW. HEADING TO JORDANELLE IN THE MORNING, ROCK CLIFFS, GOING TO SPORTSMANS, CRINGE, THIS AFTERNOON TO GET BAIT AND STUFF. I AM AT WORK FOR 2 MORE HOURS, ANY IDEAS ON WHAT THE HELL THIS THING IS...MY FATHER IN LAW WHO I AM TAKING FISHING WANTS ONE TO USE....HE IS IN PARK CITY SO THAT MAKES ME THE TACKLE BEOTCH TO GET THIS STUFF. THANKS IN ADVANCE,

LATERS,
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You heard correctly. The most common type is a small diameter tempered steel wire. They work really well, and they are cheap. I'd never ice fish without one. There are also guys who swear by bobber stops, but they are a little more dificult to set up, wheras the wire indicator is quite easy. Sportsman's does carry them, just check out the ice fishing supplies, they are easy to spot, and usually come with a flourescent/red bead on one end.
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Yes for those soft biter's a strike indicator is the route to take.. Whats more,, all wire types are cheep,, usually about a buck and can be put to use (or not) depending on the bite and the situation. By merely slipping the bead back past the bend you can remove your fishing line from the loop in the wire then replacing the bead to its original positition. My favorite ice rods have large top eye's to prevent freeze-up and I can sliding the indicator down my pole's so its basically out of my way when not needed..

But let me add,, I favor surgically tubing over a wire strike indicator,, and I have used both...... Its merely a piece of large diameter surgical tubing 6" long witch is slipped over the top eye of the rod.. The trick is to find the right diameter tubing so it fits tightly once installed over the top eye.. The line is then threaded through the top eye in a normal fashion and out the tubing. The more of the tubing extended passed the top eye the more sensitive the indicator becomes...

Of course in either case we're speaking of bait's and lure's used to attached smaller biter's.. Neither will do you any good to speak of while pumping a 1 - 2 oz. Mack rig..

Just a thought..........
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if i had one i would swear by them,lol. i have not been able to find them anywhere though. i have missed a lot of bites because of that too. they are super sensitive, and ven th lightest of bites can be detected by them. id recomend them.
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YOU CAN ALSO MAKE THEM EASILY OUT OF OLD GUITAR STRINGS. USE WHATEVER COLOR OF BEAD THAT YOU WANT AND JUST WRAP A LITTLE OF THE WIRE AROUND THE TIP OF YOU POLE AND PLACE ABOUT 4 INCHES FLAT AGAINST THE POLE. THEN WRAP IT TIGHT AND SEAL IT WITH CLEAR FINGERNAIL POLISH OR WHATEVER GLUE YOU WANT THAT WILL KEEP THE THREAD FROM UNWINDING.

JED BURTON
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they are 2 for a buck at sprotsman's. I like to hot glue mine to my pole so there is nochance of snaging my line on it. and if I need to replace it hot glue come off easaly with heat. all my ice pole have them.
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not that they are a bad idea as i have used them but i perfer to hold my pole and give it a little lift 8/10" every 10 seconds or so this way i tend to feel the weight of a fish i might not feel mouthing the bait
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[Smile] Hey Badfish, what I use is a guitar string, you can get them at any music store, you get about 6 feet for 2 bucks and you can

make a bunch of them. you can use any color beads, you can also use differant size strings for heavyer jigs or light jigs. they always spring

back into shape, not like the ones all made at sportsmens. just a thought you might like. later chuck
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GOT OFF WORK SATURDAY MORNIN, 11AM. THE TREK BEGINS. ROUNDED UP MY BUDDY, HEADED TO SPORTSMANS, NODDAH, WENT TO GARTS IN MURRAY 9TH EAST JUST OFF VANWINKEL...ABOUT 50TH SOUTH. NODDAH , CALLED GALYANS DOWNTOWN....DONT CARRY ICE GEAR, BUDDY MANAGER AT GALYANS SUGGESTED FISH TECH....THEY HAD 3PACKS WE BOUGHT EM....TREK ENDED AT 430 PM, NOW THEY ARE OUT. RETIRED TO THE LIVING ROOM TO GET GEAR READY FOR SUNDAY MORNIN......SWALLOWED 12 PACK OF PABST, TOOK NAP ON COUCH, GOT UP ATE DINNER, WENT TO BED. LEFT HOUSE AT 6AM SUNDAY TO GO FISH....REPORT POSTED ABOVE.

LATERS,
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I have been using these indicators for a year now and have really liked them. I also hot glue them to my fishing pole and they work even better. Recently somebody posted about the bobber trick indicator. I have tried this recently and it has worked a lot better than the wire. I have seen bites that pull the bubble down or push it up and they still did not register on the wire indicator. I was skeptical about the bobber trick but after trying it I unhooked my wire indicator and used the bubble only. Sometimes I use both but lately only the bubble.
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After you ice fish with an indicator you'll notice how many bites you were missing without it. Like some of these guys said,"I'll never ice fish again without 'em".Unless of course your already at the lake and you've forgotten one[crazy].
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I have went through a large learning curve in trying to find the easy, cheap, and not effected by wind bite indicator that works... and this past weekend I did come back to the RUBBERBAND

First send your rig to the bottom and grab your line where you want your bait level to be at...

Now the important part - take a small rubberband and loop it though itself and snug it down tight on the line where you want your bobber too sit. Now cut off all the loop part of the rubberband and just leave the knot portion.

This can be easily reeled into the reel and let down. Now hook your standard old bobber on the line below the rubberband knot and put your bobber on so the hook is outside the SLIDES on the line.

Your now ready for noticing any bites and the wind can whip and have no effect.

Hope this helps....
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