[Lip_Yanker]

Went out yesterday from about 1:30-5pm on a local pond in Sycamore. Drilled 10 holes at various spots, depths varied from about 5' to 12'. Ice is about 8-10", but could not produce anything from this pond. Was dissapointed... I tried mini-mites, genz bugs, and waxies in various colors.

How the heck do you find fish without a sonar/flasher? There are fish in there, I've hooked them before in open water. Some good crappie and decent LM, plus a few rock bass and the ever present red ear/blue gills.

At least I was outside and enjoyed the afternoon. Also, this was the first use of the BLUE Mora auger- went through all holes with no problems. Not that I have much to compare it too, but it seemed to work great.

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[Lip_Yanker]

I figured they were there, just couldn't figure out what they would bite. Nothing that I offered anyway.

So how does a flasher help if they aren't biting? I would think as with open water, it's one thing to locate them, and another to get them on a hook.

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[Lip_Yanker]

Guess I don't understand how it would show you the fish reactions. I've never used one, or seen one "in action". Now I need someone to hang out with to learn how they work.

Thanks for the info. eye.

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[BASSPROMATUK]

Yeah without a flasher you are fishing blind... 'bout the only thing you will catch without one are these...

 

[JB]

Let me know when you are ready to go with an old school Vex. If you have a weekend day that ya want to get out I'll show you how the Vex indicates the fish and then how they might follow your bait or just watch it. It's kind of like the old video games but rather effective. Unless you know where the fish hang during the winter the vex comes in handy almost everytime. We drill a bunch of holes....if you drop the vex down a hole and you don't see fish most of the time ya just move to the next hole until you see fish. Then drop the line to the depth you see the fish and work it like Eye said and you can see the fish markers move towards or away from your lure. Pretty cool. If this is something you are already familiar with, sorry for dumbing it down just thought an explanation would help.

JB

 

[crappie66]

The Vex is the best tool for ice fishing. However, I would never just pass a hole up because you don't see fish immediately when you put the transducer in the hole. If I am noticing the fish suspended all day then I may skip over a hole when I am hole hoping, but nine times out of ten when bluegill fishing the fish are hugging the bottom tightly down in the weeds. I will drop the jig to the bottom and jig it up, if nothing rises out of the weeds within 15 seconds then I will move to another hole. There have been days I have caught 50 or 60 fish without ever seeing fish marked on the Vex, if the weeds are thick and the fish are hugging bottom and not rising out of the weeds but rather feeding within the weeds sometimes you won't see the fish so I use the Vex as a tool just to let me get the jig down to the top of the weeds and watch the spring.

The Vex is just a tool, it won't catch you more fish, that is up to you to offer the correct presentation and use the tool effectively. In my opinion the 80/20 rule applies to ice fishing, 80 percent of the fish are caught by 20 percent of the people. There are people who go out on each trip and tear the fish up, and there are others who no matter what will go out and only catch a few fish and if they get 10 fish it is a killer day for them. I would say more than 20 percent of the people have a Vex or flasher, they just aren't using it effectively, mainly as mentioned above just passing over holes because a fish isn't lighting up the screen immediately.

 

[JB]

However, I would never just pass a hole up because you don't see fish immediately when you put the transducer in the hole.

If you are punching a bunch of holes I would rather fish the one that marks fish. Yes you can draw fish off the bottom that aren't radically marking when you drop the vex. Most of the time the limited action that you see on the very bottom can be fish so yes those holes can be worked as well before moving on. If I'm punching 10 holes tho I'll probably fish the one with the most marks. If the day is slow and there isn't alot of action on the vex then by all means work any and all of the holes. The above comment and follow up comments just seemed like an assumption that just because I don't see markings that I IMMEDIATELY move on. This isn't true.

 

[crappie66]

I wasn't referring to anybody in particular. It is something you see quite often on the ice as some people spend more time walking around dropping the transducer in holes than actually fishing. Nothing like setting up and catching alot of fish after somebody passes it over. It is funny to see the frustration people get sometimes when you are catching fish and they aren't.

 

[Lip_Yanker]

Good info guys.

No JB, not dumbed down at all, was just trying to picture in my mind how it would show on the screen.

Will see how the schedule plays out, and pm you if I can make a weekend day.

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