My 1OVaKnd Ice Fishing Sonar

[young_one]

Thought about buying a flasher for ice fishing, but then I did some research, and realize I can definitely save the money!

I already own a Humminbird 535 portable fish finder, with a few modification, great tool for ice fishing!

 

Many say the LCD in freezing temperature would freeze and crack, but I know when I go fishing, its usually not -20 or extrem temp. Plus I can always put the lid on for a while to make it warm again. So far I've tried -12*C, still got my pixels

 

The problem with regular portable fish finder is their suction cup transducer mount and how the transducer be placed in the ice hole.

At first I saw the ice transducer they sell, $90! and product not available. (ice is melting fast, gotta make this work)

 

So found a few loose parts in the basement and came out something like this.

 

Basiclly, something heavy to mount the transducer, so it drops straight down the ice, and the transducer sits at the right angle. A rope is attached to the transducer, on top a few pieces of styrofoam to make the transducer float. (Theory is like a chandalier, a strong chain[rope] to hold the whole crystal structure in the middle, so its balanced and stable)

 

On ice today at Lady Simcoe

Nice buoyancy, doesnt takeup too much space, still lots room to fish. The float can be adjusted, so the transducer can be always lowered below the ice.

 

In ACTION! (excuse the picture quality, didnt take time to adjust setting on ice)

My 1/16 BuckShot, stop, lift stop.

 

Various jigging motion, very sensitive as you can see.

 

more jigin

 

I didnt capture a Sonar screen with a fish, cause when the fish is there, I was too concentrated trying to catch it.

But the display will show another black signal in above the ground, strong signal = right under the hole, weak signal = just entered the sonar cone

 

Very fascinating when the fish is displayed, lift my jig and see if it follows, rod tip nods, set the hook!

Didnt catch anything today, but something like this from last year is definitely possible!

 

Enjoy your Feb ice fishing!

Edited February 3, 2009 by young_one

[johnnyb]

Now that you got your system dialed in, they don't stand a chance

[tonyb]

Interesting mod....but yeah for $90...might as well put the money towards some winter boots

[Jackie]

I also use my portable Humminbird 535 when ice-fishing. My way of handling the transducer is a bit simpler than yours. I take off the white suction cup. Using the hole where the suction cup is normally screwed onto the black plastic arm, I thread a plastic fastener to fasten the transducer cord. Once you have fastened it, the "knot" should prevent it from going thru the hole, and everything should be in place. If you fastened it just tight enough, you can still adjust the cord a little bit so that you can correct the angle at which the transducer points to the lake bottom when it dangles free thru the ice. It works for me for 2 seasons now. No problem so far. The nice thing is that everything still fits within the 535 portable box. Better than paying the $90 for an "ice" transducer! I also use this setup on my boat, when I'm fishing on the deck but want a second screen there (instead of running back and forth to the cockpit to check the screen there).

 

I have fished in -30C weather and I've never had problem with the LCD screen cracking. So don't worry. Also I use two rechargeable 6V batteries, and they can easily last two trips out without recharging. I love my 535.

 

The only thing I find with the 535 is that it takes a bit of time to "warm up". What I mean is that every time I start up the unit, it may not pick up my jig or spoon right away. It shows the depth and large structure/fish, no problem, though. But only after 10 minutes of so, it will start showing all the details. Maybe it has something to do with the auto sensitivity which I did play around with, but haven't found a good solution yet.

 

Jackie

[diggyj]

Way to go MacGyver! Nice to see someone modify their exsisting equipment. Awsome job.

[Fisherman]

Heres another made from 1/4" threaded rod and a couple of connectors.

[kickingfrog]

Heres another made from 1/4" threaded rod and a couple of connectors.

 

 

How does that work with thick ice? I'm trying to figure out the best way for my set-up.

[Fisherman]

No difficulty at all, the top has 2 "L" brackets bolted together that hang on the box, from there you can add as many pieces of threaded rod as you want, each one here is about 9" long and has a threaded connector at one end. 3' of 1/4" threaded rod, $1.99, 1/4" rod connectors. $0.25 each, couple L brackets, $0.15 each. Everything stores in the box. The third section of rod is laying on the table off to the left, 9" long.

Edited February 5, 2009 by Fisherman

[douG]

Nice work, Fisherman, and Young One too. It is a satisfying achievement to take your homemade rig and watch it work.