Fish finders while icefishing...

[Shrimpboy]

This will be my first year using a fish finder while fishing through the ice. I have a question for those of you with experience in this area that is probably pretty basic, but I was just wondering about it.

Do you all drill a seperate hole for your transducer or do you use the same hole that you're fishing in? Is the cone not large enough to pick up your jig if it's in a hole a three feet or so away from you? I understand that this would probably depend on the depth you are fishing, but what about the average trout depth....15' -25'?

I was thinking that if I were in a two man ice shack that I would just drill a third hole right in the middle of the two fishermen, drop the transducer down and than run the wires up through one of the floor holes. Do you think that would be able to pick up both jigs? Could I get the same results from putting the transducer down one of the fishing holes that we're using?

...just lookin' for some tips and ideas here.

-Jack
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[catfish77]

I like to fish in the same hole and watch my flasher, but if i have a couple people with me I will put it between us so we can all see it.
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[IceFanatic3]

First off what kind of finder do you have (flasher or finder) I've been using my vexilar fl18 and I've been just going down my hole it shows more of your jigs and setups that way! When I first got it I tried drilling another hole right next to mine but it just wouldn't show your jig very much, the only thing though if your fighting a big fish try and pull up your ducer out of the hole and you won't get a tangle mesh!!
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[DonInDenver]

I usually don't drill a third hole (we can legally fish 2 rods in Colorado). If the transducer is in the hole with the rod that I'm actively jigging (or at least holding in my hand) and I see a fish swim in, I can quickly move my jig to the depth of that fish and verify it on the screen. About half the time I can catch that fish. With trout fishing through the ice, I usually drill my holes about 30-36" apart, and some days the trout will attack the actively jigged rod, but more often it seems to get their attention and draw them in, but they'll take one of the jigs being fished deadstick.
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[Chester]

So, it seems that having your transducer in the same hole as your lure works the best. How close can you have two sonar units without interference?
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[Theekillerbee]

It really depends on the brand and power of the fishfinder you are using. For example if you have an Eagle that has 1500 watts of power, and one of your companions has a Lowrance (same company) that has 3000 watts of power, the lowrance unit will interfere with the eagle unit if you are close together. However if you have two different brands...like a lowrance and a bottomline, or a garmin unit, there is usually no problem.
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[fisherman]

I used to drill a separate hole for the transducer, now I just put it in the hole I fish in. I pull it out when I catch a nice fish so it dosen't wrap around the transducer and break off.
If someone drills a hole close to mine sometimes I can see their jig with a 22 degree transducer in 15-20 feet of water, but we like stay spread out so our lines don't tangle our lines if we catch a nice one.
As far as interference from another unit, if they are the same frequency you will get noise on each display. If they are different frequencies there should be no noise or distortion.
Eagle sent me an ice fishing pamplet and it said to keep the display back light on to keep the unit warmed when ice fishing.[]
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[Matador]

[size 1]Shrimpboy,[/size]

It has been a while since I did much ice fishing but I did use a fish finder. The main value I found with the fish finder was showing the depth of water under me. Since you are not moving the fish must move under you in order to see any action on your display. In reality the size of the cone is pretty small unless you are in deep water(like 50 feet of more) and so you really don't see much on the screen unless the fish are really concentrated. You usually see a flat line across the screen where the bottom is and if you can see your jig it is a flat line as well except for when you move it.

My experience with lots of fish(like perch) near the bottom is that you can't see individual fish, it just looks like the same line that you see when there are no suspended fish. Maybe zooming in with the grey scale on would give better clues. And I found it to be very rare when a fish actually swam through the cone just under the ice. And then it happens so fast that it is hard to move your bait to the right depth quick enough unless you are already close anyway. So the main value for me was finding the water depth.

To see the exact depth of my bait I would put the transducer in the same hole as my line. Because of the relatively small size of the cone, that is the only way to see the depth of your bait at all depths. I rigged the transducer to a cross shaped thing I made of wood(2 inch furring strips). I could put it in any hole and the cross member would keep it from falling through the hole and it would also keep the transducer pointing straight down. When I needed to I could easily yank it out of the hole to fight a better fish.

Also, if the ice is clear enough the fish finder will work through the ice. I used to make a small puddle on top of the ice and just set the transducer in it. Worked fine for guaging the depth and avoided any fuss.

Hope this helps.

m
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[PREDATOR]

The cone angle will depend on your finder. Most bottomlines are 9 degrees, and most lowrances are 21 degrees.

If it is a 21 degree angle, at 25 ft below the transducer you will roughly be looking at 9 ft in diameter. 4.5 to the left, 4.5 to the right. 4.5 in front and 4.5 in back. So, if two men are in a shelter, with lures at 25 ft depth, you ought to be able to see bolth lures just fine.

Also you can bet that anything that shows up on the finder can see your lure. Unless the water is really, really stained.

I set mine up just like you were asking about. One hole for my line, one for my partners line, and one hole in the middle for the transducer.

Then the finder sets right in the middle so bolth anglers can see thier lures and the fish and fish effectivley.

I see no real advantage to putting the transducer in its own hole, if you put it in the same hole as your line, you might get the line wraped around it every so often, but its not a big deal.

Just remember, the closer to the ice you get, the less area your finder can see. Too many times anglers are fooled into thinking there are no fish down there because they arent marking any fish on thier finders.

Sometimes thats true, but sometimes the fish are in 5 ft of water and unless they swim directly under the transducer, they may not be seen. At shallow depths, the cone diameter is viewing such a small area the chances of it seeing the fish are greatly reduced.

The same goes for the extreme deep fishing. With a 21 degree cone, if you were fishing lake trout in say 100 ft deep water and saw a fish on the bottom, you would be viewing roughly a 35 ft diameter. If the fish is on the outside edge of the cone, with the lack of light penetration at that depth, he may not be able to see your lure that far away. So you may be seeing fish regularly but wonder why they wont bite.

But I am rambling now. To answer your specific question, "but what about the average trout depth...15'-25'?" Yes, between those depths you will see bolth lures on the finder. In fact you will start to see bolth guys lures just less than 10 ft down. That is if you are using a 21 degree cone angle, and the holes are three feet apart.
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[addicted2fishin]

I use an eagle finder and (now that I have a power auger) I like to have it in a separate hole to keep it out of the way.

A strange thing I started noticing last year, though. Sometimes I would put it in the same hole as my rig and I couldn't see my lure on the finder. I would then put it in a hole about 4-5' away and I could see my lure clearly.

Strange
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[lonehunter]

The transducer I use is self-leveling. When I set it in the hole it balances out and stays perfectly level. If you have the type of transducer that is attached to an arm you need to put one of those little stick-on bubble levelers on top so you can make the transducer perfectly level once you position it in the hole.

The reason the transducer has to be level is because you are only fishing in a six to 10 inch hole. You have to know what is directly under the hole to be efficient. It won’t help you much to see what’s off to the side.

Plus you want to be able to see your lure. With the transducer level you will be able to see the lure perfectly as it drops straight down the hole, and you will be able to see the fish perfectly as well, as they swim up to check out what could be their last meal.
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[pontoonfool]

The owners manual for my bottomline say that to figure out the diameter of it's 9 degree cone divide the depth by five ( 20 feet divided by five equals a four foot cone athe bottom) , I always keep the light on when it's cold, the batteries seem to last so long any way. And thanks for the info about putting your transducer in the holr with your pole, I've always worried about tangling my line and losing a fish.
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Here's my take on this subject.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]First, Do not let Predator within 100 ft of you on the ice if you own a Lowrance of lesser power than the almighty X-15. Remember, the man with the most power wins and I'm a sore loser.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Second, I do not want to see someone else's jig on my fishfinder. If I do, they're too close to me. I came to fish and I can talk to someone 20 ft away.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Third, I drill a seperate hole for the transducer on my finder every time. I fish big fish lakes and I'm not going to take the chance of having anything in the way when I hook up on Mr Big. You can drill another hole inches away and you've saved yourself a lot of cursing when you do tangle that transducer up in your line, plus there is no way I'm tossing an expensive transducer out of the way and on to the ice! I also make absolutely sure that the transducer is never below the ice and into open water.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Fourth, All you guys with flashers, I want to fish with you and be schooled! I can not see how a flasher can beat the visual interface of sonar. Yes, flashers are tons faster but I have never seen my Lowrance fishfinders hinder me because they were too slow in showning me the data below. Who knows, maybe I'll be surprised and enlightened.[/size][/font]
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[PREDATOR]

Oh come on now! Its not THAT bad. Fishing near me is great! Yes I may be throwing some wattage, but I will tell you what I am seeing.

Anyways, this is how I see the whole flasher thing.

Sound travles at the exact same speed through water regardless of your unit type.

So your fish finder or flasher sends and recieves signals at the same speed.

The difference comes in when you look at the time it takes to process the info and display it.

Since flashers are just flashing a simple light, it takes less time to process the info and display the flicker of light than it does for the liquid crystals to display themselves on your screen.

Now since the display time is quicker on the flasher they are timed to send signals more frequently.

However you are now talking about stuff that is so quick, that you have to consider your ability to react that fast.

I personally dont have the ability to react at the speed of sound, and my finder doesnt even take a full second to produce the info on the screen, and since my reaction time is no better than one second, I am with you BLM.

I have no problem with flashers, no problem with LCD's, and figure yu use what you have, and enjoy it. Is one better than the other? Not really in my mind. At least I catch enough fish with an LCD to keep myself busy.

Now a young man like you BLM, with the reflexes and vision of a lightning bolt may find that a flasher allows you to catch more fish.
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Flashers are, indeed, tons faster that sonar. A flasher pings almost 10 to 1 of that to sonar but then again being the old man, IFG likes to refer to, my reflexes are not that fast. Still, is there an advantage once you get used to the flasher? Inquiring minds want to know.... and see![/size][/font]
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[FishingWaters]

[size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Petty4life used his LCD eagle next to my Vexilar. He was able to see a large area, sideways and forward. With the flasher all I could see is a narrow cone straight down. We could see if there were fish in the area and the depths with sonar and could see them go after the jig and watch them hit with the flasher. Together each finder compliments each other.[/font]
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[IceFishingGod]

BLM,

For the record I never called you old and slow. I said you were youthfull, handsome, intelligent, charming and a talented fisherman without peer. Oh wait..........I was talking about me...............come to think of it, I did say you were old and slow. Sometime my memory fades, but it's not from age, lead or aluminum. Too many years of ice fishing without a hat.
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[Fishrmn]

Flashers are faster than LCDs, but with your x98df you ought to be able to adjust your ping rate to 100% and narrow the gap. Besides, mere mortals would be hard pressed to be able to take advantage of the difference. I doubt 1 in 1,000 people have reflexes that fast.

Are flashers equal to LCDs? Not now. Cheap LCDs with slow microprocessors may not be better than a flasher, but GOOD LCDs have such a huge advantage when it comes to resolution that it boggles the mind.

Take your X98df. You can set the upper limit and lower limit within 2 feet of each other. Zoom in at 4 power, and you will have 320 pixels representing 6 inches of water. Or 640 per foot. The microprocessor can measure the echo returned in billionths of a second. Yeah, I know that sounds far fetched, but GPS signals can be measured in trillionths of a second. That's 1,000 times faster than a billionth. Sound at 4800 fps in water means one foot equals one second divided by 4800. 0.0002083 seconds per foot. Divided by 640 pixels means each pixel represents 0.0000003 seconds. Can the average human even begin to put that to use? I doubt it, but that's the level of sophistication you're getting for your $400. That's getting extremely carried away, but it's there.

Chronographs do about the same thing. They don't really measure time, they count oscillations in a quartz crystal.

I've fished with flashers. I've seen a Vexilar fl8 in action. I had an old paper graph X15. I'll take the LCD every time. If you gave me a Vexilar fl18 ultra pack, I'd sell it and get a Lowrance X97 or X98df.

Another plus for my money is that I can look away from an LCD, and when I look back, I can see what happened while I was distracted. You can't do that with a flasher.

If you are at Bear Lake fishing for macs, are you going to be interested in the top 30 feet of water? Nope, and your LCD can be set to ignore that part of the water column. Flashers can't.

Sorry to rant, I just get crazy about this stuff.

Fishrmn
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Fishrmn, That's kind of how I see it but I've never given the flashers a good shake and really would like to see someone who knows how to use one in action. I'm fully aware of what sonar can and will do but flashers are another story. Thanks for your post. It brings up some very good points. [/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]What you flasher fishers got to say about this?[/size][/font]
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[IceFanatic3]

Flashers all the way dudes!!! While your looking at your little speck on your lcd screen (probable fish) I've already got the big red flash showing the fish right next to my jig ready to smack it hard! Since I've had my flasher I haven't missed a fish close to my jigs[] None of them lcd's are going to beat a GOOD flasher, no way no how[cool]
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