11-04-2004, 02:37 AM
Well here I go . A depth finder (fishfinder) is a valuable asset to your ice fishing equipment ! Not only does it show how deep it is , but it also shows what depth the fish are coming through at ! Most anglers that don't have one , tend to fish the bottom , or up a bit , but they miss the fish that are half ways down in 20 ft of water !! For example , I was fishing walleyes one night , and kept getting blimps at 8 ft off the bottom in 19 ft of water , so I went up there with my bait and wham , a 2 lb crappie !! So I left one line on the bottom for walleyes , and was jigging with one that a walleye and crappie would both bite , and when a blimp up high came on the screen , I raised it and nailed a crappie , and without the Vexilar , I would'nt of caught the crappies !! Now for what kind to get !! The main thing is the price , most of them run around $320 - $440 , with some LCDs that run cheaper . I like the flashers cause they show whats going on down there at the exact moment , where a LCD has a couple of seconds delay , where it might mean missing the fish !! I have 3 Vexilars (for me and the kids ) or sometimes I'll put one down each of my holes and watch two screens !! Most of my friends have Vexilars , and the ones that try a different brand , and up selling theres and buying one too !! As for a underwater camera , I have one of them and they work great in the daylight , but not so good after dark , also , your limited to the area ( bottom mostly ) and will miss the fish that are up higher !!
Heres a example how fish will travel different depths !! Minneman was fishing a big lake in northern Minnesota last winter , and people were catching small walleyes and were throwing them back , but because they were in deep water , some of their bladders pop and the fish died and floated just under the ice !! Well , Minneman thought he would put a quickstrike rig for pike , just below the ice a couple of feet , well you guessed it , WHAM !!! So this just shows you that fish travel at all depths and that a flasher would be a asset!!!!!!
P.S > The Vexilar works for me , but theres alot of others out there , but if you buy one , you'll never fish without it !!!
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Heres a example how fish will travel different depths !! Minneman was fishing a big lake in northern Minnesota last winter , and people were catching small walleyes and were throwing them back , but because they were in deep water , some of their bladders pop and the fish died and floated just under the ice !! Well , Minneman thought he would put a quickstrike rig for pike , just below the ice a couple of feet , well you guessed it , WHAM !!! So this just shows you that fish travel at all depths and that a flasher would be a asset!!!!!!
P.S > The Vexilar works for me , but theres alot of others out there , but if you buy one , you'll never fish without it !!!
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