S2E7 - Fish Finders and Wheel Houses

Jeff and Jason talk about fish finders and wheel houses during the third week of January 2019.

Fishing Report

I was out on Mille Lacs last weekend and when I came home on Tuesday I saw on Facebook that the resort i went out of, Beachside, had closed the roads.  They said they would open back up shortly but I had just came off the ice on Sunday, and now on Tuesday the roads were closed. They said the cold had caused some ice to shift.

 

Gear Tangle Tamers

I Tried out Tangle Tamers, they are used to secure the hooks at the bottom of your tip-ups during transport.  They are double sided hook and loop fabric, 12" long, with a grommet (eye) riveted into the end for hooking your hook into.  They then wrap around your spool, preventing your lines from becoming tangled while in transport in your bucket.

They are sold for $9.99 per package of 5 at local tackle shops in CT, and are also available through eBay for the same price. 

We can also be found on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/Tangle-Tamers-278394396183913/

 

PLine

Warner heard our podcast and sent me a message on Instagram about pline.  This year I have talked a few times about the fluorocarbon line i have been using. The brand I have been using is Berkeley Fluorocarbon ice  4lb test 

http://tiny.cc/q91e2y

I thought it was OK, but I am still finding that I prefer mono.

T.Warner from Ontario Cananda has suggested a better alternative.  Give it another try. So I am going to try a 3 or 4 lb pLine and see if that goes any better. 

Mystery Tackle Box

I got some new cool lures in my mystery tackle box.  It seems like some good lures and a way to get out of my habits and try some new lures.

 

Cleats

I feel hard last weekend on Mille Lacs.  I was walking up the boat launch after parking in the lot on the lake next to the launch.  I was a bit confused how to pay for my road pass. I had walked up to this small shack on Beachside resort next to the sign that told me how much to pay, and no was attending the shack.  There was an envelope to put in your money, so that is what I was going to do, but there was no pen. I i walked back down the boat ramp and fell. I imaged if i could see myself that i was a few feet off the ground.  That was probably not reality, but that is want happened. My two kids were standing by the shack and laughing at my misfortune.  

However  being old it hurts pretty bad to fall that far, and i had a tough time getting back up.  I stopped for a few minutes and went on my hands and knees to gather myself. I saw my kids stop laughing and ask if i was OK.  After the initial jolt I was able to get up and walk to the car for a pen. When I returned to the shack the guy told me to go into the cafe across the street to pay for my road pass. 

I did not feel to bad  but was a bit sore but went on into the cafe.  Their a very friendly lady met me and told me the cost was 10 dollars per day and i had a wheelhouse and thought that would be extra but it was not. So it was 20 dollars for Saturday and Sunday on the ice.  I paid my twenty dollars. It seemed like a bargain for a few days of fishing and plowed roads.

There were two zones marked on the ice.  The first zone any vehicle could go out. One ton diesels and dual axle wheel houses. Zone two was for single axle and half ton trucks.  However they had just opened up everything to all vehicle types.  

I went out past zone one, 1 was a single axle and my suv was about the same as a half ton truck.  As i drove out past the orange cones the told me I was in zone two i felt like it was time to find a spot. 

As I found a spot and started cranking down the ice shack i realized how sore I was and it was a struggle to set up.  I was making weird noises as my kids laughed at my pain.

So that is why you need ice cleats.  So you don't fall on your bum, and your kids don't laugh at the strange noises you make while you move around.

 

Topic - Wheel House and Flashers

This is an odd topic combination but this is what we have going on right now.

 

Topic Flashers Note that we are not paid or have any endorsements of freebies Hummingbird ice35

This is my flasher and I love it.  It has the features I need and none that i do not.  It has a really big screen much bigger than a FL8. I find the FL8’s to work great to, but they cost more and have less features.  My flasher has zoom and dual beam and a huge screen.

To be honest I don’t always use the dual beam but it's nice to have and the zoom is a feature I use from time to time also.

I do wish I had the fancier version that auto depth the bottom with the LCD screen in the middle.  Both the ice 35 and ice 45 have that. It also tells you the depth. Not that I can’t read mine but its nicer to have the LCD.

The battery life is always great with mine.  It is at least 5 years old, probably older and i still have the original battery.

Another thing I love about my hummingbird is its quite.  Much quieter than a Vexilar. Maybe the new ones are better but the old ones were noisy, and mine is silent.

The price is great also, for the features you get with the ice 35 you would have to buy a fl-18 or better and they cost more than the ice 35.

I am kinda an alt brand guy.  I don’t go for the cheapest knockoff brand, but I don't always go for the main one either.  I have a hummingbird flasher and a ice cave wheelhouse. 

The one drawback i see with this is that the gain has to be played with more than on a Vexilar.  Not sure why but it does. 

Vexilar FL8 / FL18

The  FL8 SE is the original and will never let you down.  This will always work. But it does not have the features I want and the screen is small.

Vexilar FLX-28

A really nice alternative to the PL-8, I don't have one but the people who have these really seem to like them

Vexilar FL-20

I have used one of these.  My brother in law uses this and it seems to be an upgraded FL-8.  It has a flatter screen and is targeted to shallower waters. From what I could tell this is a nice mid-rage flasher for shallow water.

Marcum

Dont get one of these if you have friends with a Vexilar, you will get tons of interference. Jason had one of these and it was stolen from his garage. So he knows more, but he will be fishing by himself.