ice fishing without a fishfiner/flasher ?

[newboykool]

Ok....so this is my 3rd year ice fishing

the first time i went, i had no idea what i was doing, so i just got on the ice without much planning and borrowed an auger from someone fishing in a hut beside me , i offered the dude $5 for the 2 holes he drilled for me, but he was a really nice guy and didn't take the money =]( end up giving him all my minnows cuz i didn't use any of them, lol) and luckyly, i caught some perch and crappies that time with a bonus walleye. Due to the excitment, i went again the next day (it takes 2 hours to drive there) and went back to the same place carrying a hand drill and a hammer~. I found the 2 holes and had a hard time trying to drill through them

and that goes my ice fishing story for my first year.

last year, i went twice again like i did the year before with a hand auger but had no luck what so ever =<

NOW this is my 3rd year , and i've been only out once so far this season. I drilled about 10 holes but had no luck all day..i dont go ice fishing that often so i'm not planning on getting a flasher since they all cost not much but still a lot for some one who goes ice fishing only a few times a year.

k anyways...my question is...where should i fish on a small lake? or..big lake..? lol

i know this lake that's 40 minutes away from my house and i know there are crappies in there, but i just dont have any luck locating them under the ice, any suggestions for what i should be looking for ?

 

Thank you and wish you all a great holiday and a great hard water season

[aplumma]

Thats a tough question and I am not sure what the answer is. You might attack this from a different angle though. See if you can find someone on the board that will trade a trip for a thermos of hot coffee, bait and a strong back to haul things out on the ice. You can also go to a place were people are ice fishing and explain that you need some help learning the art of ice fishing I am sure that you will get a taker or two.

 

 

Art

[Rizzo]

Simcoe is a good bet, but you may have to walk a distance depending on where you go. Little Lake in Barrie usually coughs up a pike or two, and a little further up the road L St. John generally has something biting. Try one of these 3 spots and I'm sure you'll do fine...just keep it simple - minnow, hook, line (and leader if you're after the toothy ones). Its as simple as that.

[newboykool]

thanks =]

but the real problem is...i dont have a fish finder..so i know there are fish but i just can't..find them on any lakes...=<

[irishfield]

I fished the first couple years without a finder.. I had an old hummingbird that was good for telling me depth and nothing else. Drill two holes.. put a small 1/16 or 1/32 tube jig down until it hits bottom. Raise it up about 5 feet. Throw a williams spoon down the other hole until it hits bottom and either just lightly lift it off bottom... tap.. tap.. drop... raise.. drop.. tap..tap etc or bring it up about 10 feet off bottom and use it as an attractant for that tube jig sitting still at 5 feet. 9 times out of 10 the finder and it's history of a fish swimming thru just piss you off anyhow.

[toca]

ive have to agree with art.

 

this is my second year ice fishing.

 

i went and tried a couple of ice hut rentals and got some really nice tips from them.

 

i got rid of my fishfinder is only good at keeping depth and tracking bait.

[Fishnwire]

I ice fished with out a finder every year but last. They are nice to have but I put plenty of fish on the ice without one. They can actually be frustrating sometimes because you will mark fish that respond to your bait but just won't hit. That said, I really don't like not having my fishfinder when ice fishing now. It's really fun...Nintendo fishing my buddy calls it. I've caught fish that I absolutely would have otherwise missed. A couple times I went to reel up and saw something shoot off the bottom towards my rising bait. I stopped and jigged and got hit. Another time fishing crappie in 40 FOW I was marking a ton of fish right off bottom, but none would hit. Every now and then one would come through about 7' off bottom and if I reeled up to it, it would hit right away.

-

Even when you don't get fish, you sometimes see some interesting stuff. One time fishing for walleye my screen which had been blank all day suddenly showed many, many fish covering the bottom ten feet or so of the lake. They came through, hitting nobody's line, and were gone in about 3 minutes. I still remember the blackness of the bottom inch or so of my finder's screen. Kinda cool.

-

The only problem is that if you get a real cheap fish-finder, you probably won't be happy with it. I've got a Humminbird 565 portable which is good in summer and winter and cost about $250. Probably more than you want to spend this time of year, but something to consider.

-

You can have plenty of fun and catch fish without a finder, don't let not having one stop you from getting out there.

[bigugli]

I still don't fish with a finder. Admittedly I'm fishing familiar waters, but one learns by trial and error. You can have all the gadgets in the world and still have a white stripe. Simply see Irish's Monday lure washing thread.

[Bondar]

follow the crowds ? look for old holes with signs of weeds , used minnows , blood ..... watch the people around you take notes for next time , buy a map of the lake and locate structure .............

[Rod Caster]

Do some ice trolling... drill new holes every 20 or 30 minutes and move around, that way you can find some stucture. I'll jig a hole for a few minutes and if I feel it's too shallow or I haven't had a nibble I'll move on. Don't waste your time at a hole that isn't producing. If you are with buddy's, take it easy and enjoy the day, but if you are serious for fish...keep it moving and track them down.

 

 

[limeyangler]

Do some ice trolling... drill new holes every 20 or 30 minutes and move around, that way you can find some stucture. I'll jig a hole for a few minutes and if I feel it's too shallow or I haven't had a nibble I'll move on. Don't waste your time at a hole that isn't producing. If you are with buddy's, take it easy and enjoy the day, but if you are serious for fish...keep it moving and track them down.

 

 

Good advice RC...the only thing i would add to that is to perhaps find friends that are serious about fishing so they will move as well!

 

Guess thats why i fish alone a lot, apart from the fact i'm a miserable old git too

[Hawg Hunter]

i fished 30 years without a flasher here on Quinte but never really needed one,i bought a hummingbird last year(ice 45) no idea how i caught all those fish before lol

crappies are a hard fish ta find,atleast when i tried a few years ago.

 

pick yourself up a hand auger and keep moving im sure you'll locate some,although if you did by a flasher i bet you would go more than 2-3 times a year....

good luck

 

Hawg Hunter

[Billy Bob]

You can get GREAT deals on fish finders (flashers and graphs) on EBAY....I purchased several over the years and they all worked fine.

 

Bob

[LeXXington]

There are some cheaper LCD finders on the market. The real use is the depth and structure after you know where your going its good just to watch and pass the time.

 

One way that I learned ton's about ICE fishing is the hook-up section find someone going tag along and learn.

 

Good luck.

[canadadude]

a good quality flasher will increase your catch rate substantially, also pays to move around alot, don't get stuck fishing the same spot when the action dies out.

 

There far more then just structure and depth indicators, they'll let you know if the fish are interested in your presentation and also allow you to adjust your tecnique untill you get them chewing

Edited December 29, 2010 by canadadude

[ckrb2007]

If you're just ice fishing a few times a year there's no need to buy an expensive flasher/fish finder. I used a Cuda 168 black and white for years on Simcoe. The main thing is that you're able to see your lure when you jig. The old Cuda 168 did just that in 100FOW.....mind you it wasn't real time......there is a time delay on the cheaper finders. I now run with the x67c ice machine and it does make a world of difference. But, I am on the ice 4-5 times a week as I live in Barrie. Pick up a cheap finder from the buy and sell or look for deals at the tackle stores. Then, when you start going ice fishing more, you can pick up a more expensive model.

[a.cortellessa]

The best advice I can give you (and you have already been given) at this point is to just move around. Try a spot for 20 mninutes and move. I just have a black and white eagle fishfinder and I just use it for the depth essentially. But you can figure that out easily just using your line.

 

Best of luck

[milton416]

hey, read your post and just wanna add my 2cents of advice.

 

1, get an auger. you can pick up an eskimo 6inch manual for like $40. you don't wanna go out and then if you can't find anyone to drill a hole then your stuck.

 

2, go where the huts are or where everyone has been drilling holes...obvious place to start. you can also get some maps of popular lakes, this will also give you a starting point. i would also use a spring boober...you'd be surprised how many hits you miss without one.

 

3, you don't really need a flasher but it helps big time. you can find budget lcd fish finders but i found sometimes the screen freezes up. if you can look for the "zercom rts"...best budget flasher in my opinion.

 

4, read up on ice techniques and try to use them when you go out. and if in doubt, downsize lures and bait.

 

hope this helps

[crappieperchhunter]

9 times out of 10 the finder and it's history of a fish swimming thru just piss you off anyhow.

 

 

True Dat But I likes the purdy colors

[newboykool]

Thank you all for the tips

i'll be going to this small lake once again today in the late afternoon before it get's too hot tomorrow

[Billy Bob]

9 times out of 10 the finder and it's history of a fish swimming thru just piss you off anyhow.

But at least you know how bad of a angler you really are...

 

Can't catch what's not there and I can't catch what's there...... .....not what about that other crazy game called golf...

[mercman]

But at least you know how bad of a angler you really are...

 

Can't catch what's not there and I can't catch what's there...... .....not what about that other crazy game called golf...

 

YOU GOLF BOB ??

Looking at your avatar, i cant get the image of Ralph Kramden out of my head adressing the ball

and Ed Norton saying 'Helloo Balll !!!'

[Roy]

Yeah, an olden goodie.

 

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[Billy Bob]

Yeah, an olden goodie.

 

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I don't know what to say......between you and Merc I was laughing so much I started to tear up and the wife had to come and see what the hell I was laughing so hard about......SERIOUSLY....this made my day and believe me I really needed it...

 

THANKS GUYS.

Bob

[newboykool]

ok guys

so i went to this small lake today around 5 pm and caught nothing again....and...none of the other people i met caught anything...i'm not sure if i should be happy or sad ~lol