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Did the first map come from Tom P? From his description it does not sound like there are that many reefs maybe four at the most. I will say there is structure at most of those locations but it is not tires and christmas trees. With side scanners you can clearly see that some are roads some a drop offs where material was removed to form the dike, while others a very rocky areas that look natural and were likely there when the lake was made. Do you think when he said, "down near the SE corner off Nerva Lane", he is taking about Freeway Bay or another location? Interesting info you dug up there John. There are several areas around the lake were it looks to me that basins were formed that could have been test sections like he described. Most are along the West dike but there is one at the big power pole line, that I told you about, that goes to the old coffer dam. Maybe next week I'll go out there one day and spend some time mapping these locations out.[  ]
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I think it was 2 winters back they had the south marina open i went and yanked a couple cats out through the ice right in the marina by the inlet.... ive heard about the christmas trees and the tires but what i am seein on the finder looks like a big ball sittin on the bottom of the pond. i was going to take a little dip to see if i could get a good look at them this last summer but the doctors office my mom works at had a bunch of people gettin sick after they went in the water at the bay so i opted out.... And i dont know anyone who has caught a wiper through the ice (not that it hasnt been done) so i think that might end up being my mission this year.
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Thanks for the encouragement, biggertacklebox and others! I once improvised and used my fly fishing waders for running around in snow for deer hunting. It worked very well. They had felt soles and traction was excellent. I can get a gasket company to cut two strips of hard felt and cable tie them to the circumference of my bicycle wheels. I should test that.
Regarding deep snow or slush, the large 32 inch wheels might make a difference particularly since this bicycle is marketed as a beach cruiser for loose sand.
It might work. I don't know anyone who has tried it or even anyone who even has a 32 inch wheel bicycle since they are something new. One hint is the 29 inch wheel mountain bicycles have really caught on with their enthusiasts reporting they easily roll over obstacles that 24 inch wheels don't.
I don't think the 32 inch wheeled bicycles will compete since they have a long wheelbase with a greatly reduced turning radius. But, for shore fishing the reservoirs and getting around on wide open frozen lakes, not much turning radius is required compared to narrow mountain bike trails.
Moving around fast on a frozen lake using that bicycle with a fish finder might be a way for me to find the right spot to fish provided the fish finder has some ability to detect fish through the ice.
On that, I've heard two different things. Some say fish finders will only give a depth reading through the ice. Others say some of the better ones and particularly those with a lot of power can detect fish through the ice.
The one I'm getting has power and advanced features, but no none has one yet and I might be the first to test it for this ability. Can anyone hint what I might expect from this one: http://www.cabelas.com/product/MarCum-LX...l+Products
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My Marcum lx5 works through the ice, you just have to turn up the gain a little. You have to have it on wet ice though, water poured on the ice works fine. It's a good way of knowing if you even want to make a hole in a spot. If you don't trust your finder, do a test. wet the ice, shoot through remember the findings, then make a hole in the exact spot and compare, if the depth is what you found(minus the thickness of the ice) then you will know you can trust it mostly. I did this at Mantua last year trying to find a submerged hill, bounced around without making a bunch of wasted holes.
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A buddy of mine got 2 wipers maybe 4 or 5 years ago throught the ice in the south marina, he even says how lucky he is and what afight they put up on panfish tackle. so it can be done
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Yes, I hear it does detect depth through the ice, but can it detect fish through the ice?
If it can, I want to hunt the fish with the fish finder by travelling quickly around on my ice fishing bicycle.
Does it detect fish through the ice?
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Yes, but it depends on the clarity of the ice. If it's clear and black ice, your LX-9 should be able to do it. I've done it before with my LX-3 on Fish Lake, Scofield, and Deer Creek.
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[cool][#0000ff]Don't confuse an ice fishing sonar with a magnetometer. The latter is capable of shooting through the ground...at speed...and registering metallic anomalies "on the fly".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]To get your sonar to shoot through the ice, you have to stop, put some water on the ice, set the transducer in one spot and let it shoot and respond. No high speed cruising.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, the other answer to your question is YES, most sonars capable of shooting through ice will also register fish...depending on quality and sensitivity. There are also the variables in depth of ice, the consistency of the ice, etc. Ice with a lot of air bubbles and fractures may not produce a good readout. Ditto for trying to shoot through a top layer of slush. If you are travelling across snow covered ice you need to stop, clear a spot over clean ice, dribble on some water and then shoot.[/#0000ff]
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Ditto. It's not as clear as a water shot, but it does work. (If the fish stick around after you make a hole is another question 
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Thanks, TubeDude and BiggerTackleBox!
I'll ride and stop and detect many times and hunt those fish and make a hole in the ice over a school of fish.
I wonder if I should make a two inch ice auger for quickly making a lot of test holes for the transducer or maybe a larger one (yet still small and quick to drill compared to a full size fishing hole) for the camera, too.
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[cool][#0000ff]About the only times you can find good clear ice with little snow on top...for quick "ice shooting"...will be early in the season. After that there is usually an accumulation of snow, slush, melt and refreeze and who knows what else. That makes ice shooting problematic and eliminates the potential for run and gun. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In those cases having a small auger to make a quick test bore could be an advantage. I know at least one person who carries one of the Nils 4" augers for just that purpose. It zips down through the ice quickly...and is also big enough for fishing perch and most trout.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am not aware of a 2" auger but there may be one on the market. I might suggest rigging one on a power drill from a large wood bit or similar.[/#0000ff]
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Before you spend a small fortune on:
Special bike
Most expensive fish finder out there
Huge tent
....
Perhaps you should go ice fishing a few times and find out what it is all about and also to find out if you even enjoy doing it. Just a thought, but it seems like you are rushing into this.
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Fish move too. True - nothing like getting on a school of perch hanging on some structure, but I've found trout tend to zoom through - snatch up everything in sight, then move on, till they come around again.
Kokanee even more so - from what I've heard - you can tell when the school is coming, because your neighbors start getting hits.
But lots to be said for attracting the fish to you - flashy stuff like Kastmasters. Even heard of folks dropping cowbells down a third hole - just for the attraction.
Then again - iced fishies can be pretty timid and spooky shy too.
Most times I go ice fishing - I hike TO a general location, then move around that area. Might be a draw like an inlet, or a ledge, or a point, or knowing where some underwater structure is. But - not like I'm going trolling the whole lake. You'll see where the tent-city pops up, and that's likely the place to be.
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Ya I have to go give it a shot this year.. hopefully I will have something like that to add to my fishing portfolio!
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I hate to go backwards on this thread; however, I have attached some photos of the tire habitat that was thrown into Willard Bay. These tires are located in what you guys call freeway bay and around the corner to the feedlot. They were exposed in 2006/2007 when the repairs were being made on the dam.
I think they make the reservoir look like a trash dump & I wish someone would come up with something that did not look so trashy.
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[quote kentofnsl]Before you spend a small fortune ...
... it seems like you are rushing into this.[/quote]
I ski off cliffs.
With ice fishing, the greatest risk of it not being of interest to me is just selling good gear at great prices. That's a relatively minor risk and inconsequential.
I was more thinking if I could do anything more extreme. Perhaps I should play on thin ice, but the TyeDyeTwins beat me to that.
Besides, with the underwater color camera, I won't have to dive in to see the cool fish and diving is hindered with the ten inch hole limit. I suppose there is an exemption for thin ice breaking under your feet, but that only works for early season.
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[cool][#0000ff]What a thrillseeker.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I wanna see you play "chicken" with a Trax train on your bicycle...with or without studded tires. My money is on Trax...but I win either way.[/#0000ff]
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RPF,
Have you even rode a bike in snow or snow yet yet? Riding in more than several inches gets to be more work than running in it. It's even worse with thicker tires as all that extra friction. Riding on ice is down right dangerous for more than a few very straight feet. The slightest shift in weight and you'll be biting the ice. Not saying it can't ever be a way to get around a frozen lake because if you have an inch or 2 of snow it might work. But 99% of the time it's going to be not worth bothering.
I'm with the suggestion of checking out ice fishing and seeing what you think you need rather than imagining what might work without any basis to make a judgement.
Be rationally prepared[laugh].
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[quote TubeDude]
... I am not aware of a 2" auger but there may be one on the market. I might suggest rigging one on a power drill from a large wood bit or similar.[/quote]
Great idea! Thanks, TubeDude!
I have a Fostner type wood bit that I can weld to a long extension or I might make one of my own design.
That should work well for lots of exploration holes on late season ice that scatters the ultrasonic beam.
Though the "tent city" alternative certainly is enticing for me to catch fish, I might also find an ice fisherlady. That would be quite a catch!
Once I caught an attractive lady bicyclist on my backcast while fly fishing the Provo River and at the same time I discovered an excellent bicycle trail. Both were very important because I enjoy bicycling, use it for fitness and even get serious about racing on and off which is perhaps another contributor to my superpowers. She was very forgiving and nice while I freed her from the size 22 ant caught on Lycra. But  ly, she was catch and release only.
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I grew up in the south. Once the streets were lined with children with their palms up and  s out in hopes of catching one of a few snowflakes blowing before melting.
Now, here in Utah, I rode my extremely narrow (18mm) tire road racing bicycle on light snow and a few icy patches on pavement on several occasions with surprisingly fair traction, so your point on tire width rings true because the higher pressure with the narrow tires cut through the snow for contact with pressure on pavement beneath the snow. But, I won't have that advantage on a frozen lake.
I have no idea how well or poorly a wide tire bicycle will work on a frozen lake. Perhaps it will work sometimes. Most of the time or on rare occasion is a question. If it doesn't work well at times, then walking will be my backup plan. That will greatly cut down on my speed for my intention to quickly scout large areas for schools of fish with the fish finder I'm getting.
But, now TubeDude has me thinking about tent cities and socializing. Is that something like tailgating parties and barbeques?
I've missed out on those because all of my sports are participatory rather than the spectator sports side of it. Perhaps ice fishing goes well with fish frys and I can do both. Would I get visitors, if I made a big kettle of hot chocolate? But, then that's even more gear to lug out onto the ice.
At some point my explorer nature and enjoying physical fitness activities will still have me venture away from a tent city for exercise and hunting the big school of fish. Should I also get into cross country skiing and snowshoeing? Do those activities go well with ice fishing? Would that be a good way to get around on a frozen lake surface?
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