Are ice reels really needed?

[FishnMusic]

In regards to keeping out the light in an ice tent, I would say yes--at least on some lakes. If you're in a tent that blocks out the light on a lake with clear water it allows you to see down into the water. Fish Lake is clear enough that when sitting in a tent you can see down to 25-30' which makes for a good time when you're sitting just outside the weeds in about 25' of water--no fish finder needed, you just sit and watch down the hole as the fish come up to your lure.

The picture I have attached is at fish lake in my ice tent, just outside the weeds in about 25' of water, you can see the weeds on the bottom.
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[Bama_Boy]

Personal preference. I haven't spent a ton of money on my ice fishing rods/reels. The link below is for the Shakespeare Glacier Ice combo. I found these a few years a go, and I absolutely love them. $18 at Smith and Edwards. I have the medium weight rods, and they are just fine for the panfish as well. I pulled a 39.5" tiger muskie through the ice on this combo. Inexpensive, durable, and I haven't had any issues with the reel in the cold weather after dropping it in the snow or anything.

http://www.shakespeare-fishing.com/index...ories.html
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[sinergy]

[quote RonPaulFan] I like the idea presented here of using my same spinning reels that I've been using. [/quote] Yep a good ultra light or light reel will work on the ice.

[quote RonPaulFan]Ice fishing poles look too weak for the size fish you guys pull out from under the ice. [/quote]

Like there longer cousins Ice rods come in different flavors; light, medium heavy and everything in between.
Most use the light since perch and panfish are what people are gunning for. I like using a medium with a removable spring bobber.

[quote RonPaulFan]
I do like the idea of longer rod length presented above to help set the hook, so how about I choose one of my two piece rods and just not use the second half. [/quote]

I assume you going to use the butt section so you can connect a reel. You would loose the sensitivity to detect strikes. You got remember when ice fishing the strikes are very subtle and very light. Every once in a while youll get that summer tug were it almost drags you pole down the ice hole. But detecting those light strikes can turn 2 fish day into a 20.

This is one of those ares were if you looking for rod thats going to cast well and ice fish your going to want 2 separate rods.

[quote RonPaulFan]My 7 foot rod should be 3-1/2 feet and my ten foot two price rod which I like a lot should be 5 feet. Either would be much stiffer than an ice fishing rod which seems right to me, but how am I wrong? Lighter action for big fish when they are under ice? I do have a spinning rod that is 5 feet and ultra light. It's carbon fiber and would seem to be easy to break with a big fish. [/quote]

Its in the engineering of the rod a 7 to 10 foot rod is built for casting, the upper half flexes while the lower 1/2 is the backbone in a ice fishing there no need for casting the entire rod flexes especially in light weight pan fish rods you literally can bend them in a u shape.

Ice fish rods have plenty of strength to bring in the big ones I actually have yet to break one while fishing were i have broken many spinning & fly rods [laugh]

[quote RonPaulFan]
Ice fishing tents? The material is black on the inside. Are we trying to keep out light? Other than that, they look very much like my camouflage hunting blind that looks something like this one:

[url "http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunting/Hunting-Blinds/Ground-Blinds-Accessories%7C/pc/104791680/c/104702580/sc/104365080/Trekker-T500B-Hub-Blind/1087169.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fhunting-hunting-blinds-ground-blinds-accessories%2F_%2FN-1100113%2FNo-0%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104365080%3FWTz_l%3DUnknown%253Bcat104791680%253Bcat104702580%26WTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNP%26recordsPerPage%3D48&WTz_l=Unknown%3Bcat104791680%3Bcat104702580%3Bcat104365080"]http://www.cabelas.com/...02580%3Bcat104365080[/url]

Is that substantially different from an ice fishing tent? [/quote]

Not too many specs on the link you provided but it looks very similar to a Eskimo or clam ice tents. The main thing you looking for in a Ice tent try to avoid of the elements especially Wind. If that tent can block the wind rain and snow should work fine.

[quote RonPaulFan]
But, the high dollar item is the fish finder and that's where I would most like multiple use versatility, if it makes sense.[/quote]

Fish finders are fighting words [] meaning everyine has there opinions of whats the best I like the Fishing buddy series im sure other will chime in

[quote RonPaulFan]
Can a MarCum LX-9 be used on the boat or would I do better with a boat fish finder that I also use on ice?

[/quote] Not sure about the LX-9 in the past ive owned a Vexilar and could buy a seperate hockey puck transducer and directly mount to the hull of a boat The Marcum is much like the Vexilar, I know the transducer on Vexilar with shoot through aluminun boat hull. As far as using it a a fiberglass or deep hull v shaped not sure of Marcum make a separate transducer ( just my opinion the LX9 is like 1200 dollars Id suggest buying a lesser model and a separate fish finder for your boat it would be cheaper just my opinion ) [/quote]

[quote RonPaulFan]
I might design and build my own auger to take out a core of ice and much easier and built much lighter. I have some titanium superalloy to make it even lighter still. Has anyone ever seen a core of ice removed to make a hole? [/quote]

I have no clue on this traditional Ice augers drill through the ice coring it sound like you cutting it and trying to bring a up chunk of ice instead of shavings.

[quote RonPaulFan]On boots, I've read our posts on that too. How about I wear my insulated waders for ice fishing? [/quote]

Insulated waders aren't enough maybe for the beginning of the season but when the weather start dipping in the single digits it gets cold. Insulation for your feet is the most important part since there in constantly contact with the ice I highly recommend muck boots or boots with 800 to 1000 gram thiunsulate boots. Warm boot will extend your day and keep you from going home early.
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[RockyRaab]

I don't ice fish often (even sold my auger years ago) but I'm getting the fever just reading these posts.

I made an ice rod a while back from the tip section of an old 9-wt fly rod I had. I attached a handle with reel seat and hung an under-rod spin cast reel on it. I love it. I'll snap a pic if I can unearth it from its storage spot.

The core drill sounds interesting. You wouldn't try to haul the core up and out - you'd push it down until it tipped and floated away under the ice. No muss, no fuss.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Snicker, chortle, hoot and guffaw. Man, what a bunch of spoiled sissies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My first ice fishing trips were on Utah Lake...before other lakes in Utah were even open to ice fishing. Equipment and techniques were a tad bit differment in those "olden days". No ice sleds. Went out on the ice with a bucket, one "pole", an axe to whack a hole in the ice, some lures, hooks and some worms.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Used the axe to take my weekly shower while chopping a sloppy hole in the ice. Brrrrr. And it was a stone axe at that.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My pole was the same six foot spinning rod and reel I used for all Utah species...on all waters. Same line, etc. Lures were either Dardevle spoons jigged up and down...or a worm sent down with a split shot...just like fishin' in the cricks for silly trout.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No sonar to check for depth or to watch the fishies. "This looks like a good spot". And no frequent moves until you found fish. Too much trouble (and cold showers) to keep whacking new holes in the ice with the stone axe.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So special ice fishing rods, reels, lines, fancy trinkets or special baits. Waxworms? Never heard of 'em. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That tackle and approach carried over to Willard Bay and later Yuba Reservoir when they opened to ice fishing. Don't remember exactly when I got my first hand-cranked ice auger but it was sometime about the year when Deer Creek opened to perch fishing only...no trout allowed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Also started developing more specialized ice fishing jigs and learning more about depths and presentations. But still just used plain old spinning gear and did just fine thank y'all.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Today I got most of the "necessities" for ice fishing...sled, 2 power augers (1 electric and 1 gas), about 30 specially build ice rods and reels, PVC holders (what else), etc. Since I do not fish in a tent I don't see a need for the short stick ice rods. I use mostly 42" to 48" ice rods...both spinning and baitcasting. Really not into shoulder separations while trying to set the hook on a fish 30 feet down with a footlong rod. Silly.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have gone through a bunch of different sonars and currently use and enjoy a Showdown dual. But I don't watch it until my eyes roll back in my head. I use it mainly to check depth and to verify fish in the vacinity. After that I may not look at it very often and then only to double check that there are still fish around. If not, I move. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Y'know. I can remember a lot of trips from the past when I probably caught more and bigger fish with my "old school" stuff than I do on most trips I make today. Must be because the fishing was so much better then...not because of anything to do with skill or equipment.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Do you need special ice fishing reels? Hoo haw! You just need to stay away from Fish Tech, Cabelas and Sportsmans.[/#0000ff]
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[fish_fear_me2]

I remember those days with a five gallon bucket that was both tackle box and chair. I think I used a digging bar early on but yep, still lots of splashing water as we made the hole fishable. Didn't get an "ice rod" till I got an ice shed. Needed the shorter pole. I used castmasters as my spoon, still do sometimes. We have come a long ways with our lists of necessities. Miracle we ever caught a fish before we had all this fancy stuff.
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[a_bow_nut]

[quote TubeDude][cool][#0000ff]Today I got most of the "necessities" for ice fishing...[/#0000ff] [/quote]

Doesn't the saying go something like. "He who dies with the most toy wins?" []
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[fish_fear_me2]

well he did say most and necessities, Most aint all and there are extras above and beyond necessities so he can still get more toys as needed[laugh]
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[a_bow_nut]

Oh I would never admit to haveing everything even if I did. With that saying you always have room to get something else. []

The wife has been using it on me from the day we met.

I never knew that so many shoes were necessary.

Saying that I'm waiting for my new underwater fish camera to show up today so that I have some good tv to watch while out on the ice.
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[CoyoteSpinner]

I started ice fishing two season ago, and as with all things I read, learned, talked, tried, and became an instant expert! (bwahaha)

You'll actually find ice tents come in many colors. Black is nice, cuz it warms up when there's sun. Blue and Red are pretty common too, but as mentioned - it's just a shelter, BUT needs to stand up to the wicious WIND beast, plus pelting snow, and be able to anchor it as suggest.

Mine is a Frabil - where the sled is part of the tent. Good and bad, wouldn't mind a smaller fold up one for days I don't actually need to pitch a tent. I often fish outside of it, but the underwater camera definitely benefits from the indoors treatment.

Buddy heater does wonders to warm things up. I usually end up turning it off after a few.

another item to consider is a sled. I tried using the kids dinky sled at first, but it was so wiggly and unstable. Thought about adding some old skis to it, but for $30-$50 bux a JetSled, or other variety does great. You can just carry a bucket with a lid seat, but you'll quickly want to be able to tow rather than haul, trust me.

[url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQqssLMNZI0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQqssLMNZI0[/url]
I like a medium action rod, but LOVE having a spring bobber - miss a LOT of tender bites without.
There are various styles, I've found old guitar strings can be bent and fashioned with a bead and some liquid plastic.

Jiggity Jig - check out Amazon, Ebay, Cabelas, even Walmart carries an ice section. Think SMALL! Maniac has some great ice jigs and plastics. Glow is where's it's at, that and UV paint. I'd suggest a sampler pack to start off.

Augers can be purchased used on KSL for cheap, or the For Sale board on BFT. $40-$50 to start. Don't bother pretending to make your own. You'll just frustrate yourself. Cores - uh, no. There is also a limit to hole size (10"), otherwise you could just bring a chainsaw and make a 4'x6' hole, but not in Utah (Pike fishing up north - that's a different story).

Bottom Line: start simple, you can always get more stuff later. Dresh layers, GOOD BOOTS, see what others are using.
Any fishfinder can work fine, just want to get a smaller battery (check with TubeDude) - don't want to haul a deep cycle! I have a style that has a transducer for ice, and another for a boat. Basically - different cone shape, direction of ping.

[#800000]SO - has ANYONE tried those straight line reels? Looks like a fly-reel. I'm sorely tempted to fire up an order.[/#800000]
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[#800000][/#800000]
Sometimes it works:
[inline "MI.Mayhem n Massacre - 400.jpg"]

[inline StackedOnTheIce.jpg]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]The comparison of a guy's tackle collection with a woman's shoe collection is a good one. Some gals are forever trying to outdo Imelda Marcos obscene hoard of shoes and there are some guys who try to collect everything in the Cabelas catalog.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Since you have visited my "modest" accumulation of "stuff", you know that I do believe that you can never be too rich, too thin or have too much tackle. Impossible. But I have mellowed out somewhat. Most of what I have has been acquired over a long time...and much of that before I retired. However, that does not stop me when I see something that is an absolute necessity.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I probably oughtta explain. I use the rule of the three Ns...NNN. They stand for Necessary, Nice, Nonessential. Of course I am solely responsible for my own personal evaluation. If I deem something to be necessary...then by carp it IS necessary. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Who gonna dispute it? Well, maybe my wife. She is one of those rare females who tends to buy shoes she really needs...the practical ones...rather than ones she "absolutely has to have". The shoe and tackle analogy don't cut it with TubeBabe. But the good news is that if I want a new pair of waders all I gotta do is convince her that we BOTH need them and she's good widdat.[/#0000ff]
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[CoyoteSpinner]

Hmm - three NNNs, sounds like a similar collection of letters...

I like your one about "you can never had too much horizontal surface". To the tune of { If I had a hammer }
[center]" If I had a shelf, I'd fill it up with cra-a-ap,
I'd fill it up with crap, imagine thaaaaat."
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Known some ladies who actually had calendars of Shoes! Heels in all flavors and sizes. Guess to each his/her own.

Now - I'm betting you're the kind of guy who had to walk to school as a kid - Uphill both ways!
Sometimes simpler is better, then there's the other 7 days of the week. I'll re-vote for 'start simpler, then build up'. Just watching nightly news, and they now have Metallic Nail Polish, uses a real magnet to set a pattern.
Ok.

I'll stick with my lead and tungsten! My boots may not be stylish heels, but they are warm and toasty. I'll take it - both ways uphill!

[duckdog1us]

in this post i have seen many say they like their long rods over the the ice rods i have to say i just started use a ice tent last year and changed to short rods and i HATE them when ever i can i stay out in the cold and use the long rods in the group of people i fish with we lost at least 4 cuts over 30 inches last ice season because or short rods and in years past we have landed these bigger fish
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[brookieguy1]

Ice fishing sucks!



I'll be at Henry's for one of my three yearly ice trips on Black Friday, but at least there will be brookies.
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[RonPaulFan]

Short rods because tents are small. How about big tents and big rods?
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[kj]

Brookie... My wife and I were planning on Henrys the same time as you, but in following the Idaho forum, looks like the ice will be sketchy this year at that time. We are putting off our trip til the first week of December. Send me a pm or post here what the ice conditions are like up there when or if you go over Black Friday. Got a new ride I am anxious to try out on the ice and snow. Need some thick ice to support it and us.

thanks,
kj
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[RonPaulFan]

[quote a_bow_nut]... I never knew that so many shoes were necessary. ...[/quote]

The shoes are like lures ... many colors and some have flash. Wait! They are lures! Put on hooks and cast and retrieve. The action of a shoe is probably good. Catch big fish!
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[duckdog1us]

still cant set the hook in a tent you hit the top and break your pole
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[Jazzperch1]

ive never had a problem with hitting the pole on the top of the tent unless its one of those clam foldover shacks[crazy], i use my regular rod in my 4 man ice cube all the time no prob, so maybe a bigger tent then would work.
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[Kent]

[quote JLW]

...The only thing you run into on some reels is that they put a pretty thick grease in the gears so they do not want to function very good when it gets cold... If you clean out the heavy grease and use a light grease or oil instead and WD-40 all your other working parts, your reel wont know that it isnt summer.

[/quote]

Do you just wipe out the grease or do you use some sort of chemical?
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