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Ice fish'n

Not pulling fillets though the ice but looking at bibs. I thought about picking up a pair of strikemaster surface bibs for winter crappie fishing here in Missouri. Do you have any experience with them? Bass Pro has them on sale.
 
Sorry, not me. Just getting back into ice fishing. Having a hard time dropping coin into an area that is hit or miss with solid ice.
 
We have not had any ice yet. My son was out today checking ice and we finally have enough ice to fish. Usually we are fishing the first week of December. The problem now is going to be that it is too cold, we are going from the 40's to the single digits this weekend when I can fish! :fearscream: Hope fully I'll catch a 40" toothy critter this weekend.
 
We just froze up last weekend and have been well below 0 until today. We're dipping back to the negative teens again the next few nights. After that things are looking more promising and I will be finding time to get out. My 7 year old has been asking for 2 months when we can ice fish. Can't let him down!
 
Not enough ice where I'm at yet... I'm not sure I had more than a week or two of safe ice where I live last couple of years.
 
skell said:
We just froze up last weekend and have been well below 0 until today. We're dipping back to the negative teens again the next few nights. After that things are looking more promising and I will be finding time to get out. My 7 year old has been asking for 2 months when we can ice fish. Can't let him down!
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Good job Dad!

When my not so little guy was 8 he was all over me to fish one weekend. The problem was the temps were going to be sub zero not including wind chill and the forcast was for 30 knt winds. I told him it was going to be super cold however this did not deter him and the other contributing factor was we would not be able to fish for the next couple weekends as well. We decided to go to a place where the wind would be blocked by a ridge which would make a big difference. We set up the tipups and the tent and made some breakfast, a little while later we had a flag and he caught his first real pike that was about 36". We could tell it was a good size fish as he was pulling it in, when it saw the hole for the first time it bolted and pulled him to the hole! I had never seen his eyes get that big, he didn't let go and landed it after about 10 min. or so. I sent the picture into the sporting news paper and they put him on the cover.

IMG_20150305_094131018.jpg
 
Nosaj said:
Good job Dad!

When my not so little guy was 8 he was all over me to fish one weekend. The problem was the temps were going to be sub zero not including wind chill and the forcast was for 30 knt winds. I told him it was going to be super cold however this did not deter him and the other contributing factor was we would not be able to fish for the next couple weekends as well. We decided to go to a place where the wind would be blocked by a ridge which would make a big difference. We set up the tipups and the tent and made some breakfast, a little while later we had a flag and he caught his first real pike that was about 36". We could tell it was a good size fish as he was pulling it in, when it saw the hole for the first time it bolted and pulled him to the hole! I had never seen his eyes get that big, he didn't let go and landed it after about 10 min. or so. I sent the picture into the sporting news paper and they put him on the cover.

View attachment 98737
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Awesome story, love it
 
Going back and forth on if I want to invest in some electronics, maybe striker 4 or sonar ball? Anyone have any input. Thanks in advance
 
I fished in Wisconsin last winter and used the garmin livescope. I have a buddy that runs it too so I saved my money for almost a year and bought one myself. It’s a great tool but not the be all, end all that some make it out to be. That said, once I learned how to use a vexilar flasher that was pretty nice too.
 
JASmith said:
Any luck I could pick up a used one or should I stick with new equipment?
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I bought my screen new but on clearance sale. The black box and transducer I bought used from Russel Marine Products in Kansas. They ship fast and occasionally have used equipment that doesn’t make it to their website. It was still pretty pricey but saved me about $500
 
I ordered a pair of Striker Trekker bibs today. They were on sale at bass pro. I don’t ice fish that often but open water crappie fish a lot in the winter. Have any of you guys ever used them? I think they have floatation built in.
 
JASmith said:
Going back and forth on if I want to invest in some electronics, maybe striker 4 or sonar ball? Anyone have any input. Thanks in advance
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If you are going to be jigging you will want electronics. The live scopes are very nice but very pricy. I have heard good things about Striker 4 however I have not used it. I have vexilar FLX 28 and a Aqua-Vu Micro and like them both. A friend has had a FL-8 for years and swears by it.
 
Ckwilli said:
I ordered a pair of Striker Trekker bibs today. They were on sale at bass pro. I don’t ice fish that often but open water crappie fish a lot in the winter. Have any of you guys ever used them? I think they have floatation built in.
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I have had a Striker Climate Jacket that I have had for 10 years and Striker Hardwater bibs that I have had for 9 years and they are still going strong.
 
JASmith said:
Going back and forth on if I want to invest in some electronics, maybe striker 4 or sonar ball? Anyone have any input. Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

I currently have a 20-25 yr old FL8 and 2 Striker 4's (quit judging). The FL8 has helped me catch A TON of fish. But I'm really a fan of the Striker 4. I have one with an ice ducer and I used it over my FL8 last year. I loved the quiet and adjustability. Easier for little boys to understand what they are seeing too. The second Striker 4 I picked up after ice season for $100 with battery and portable carry case. I'm planning to run that with one of these adapters to hold it level under the ice.
www.ebay.com

Garmin Striker 4 Transducer Leveler (For Ice Fishing) | eBay

This is a 3D printed piece keep the boat transducer on a Garmin Striker 4 level, while ice fishing (Black zip tie in picture is to be replaced with bolt). Comes with 3 zip ties for holding cable. Transducer and Graphing unit not included. Condition is new and is printed to order. Shipped with...
www.ebay.com

For the money (if you aren't wanting to spend a fortune) I would definitely recommend the Striker 4. I've been very happy with it. There are definitely better electronics out there but they are great for how cheap they are in comparison and how compact they are for transporting. I've been diehard vexilar for 20+ years and my vex has barely been used the last 2 years.
 
skell said:
I currently have a 20-25 yr old FL8 and 2 Striker 4's (quit judging). The FL8 has helped me catch A TON of fish. But I'm really a fan of the Striker 4. I have one with an ice ducer and I used it over my FL8 last year. I loved the quiet and adjustability. Easier for little boys to understand what they are seeing too. The second Striker 4 I picked up after ice season for $100 with battery and portable carry case. I'm planning to run that with one of these adapters to hold it level under the ice.
www.ebay.com

Garmin Striker 4 Transducer Leveler (For Ice Fishing) | eBay

This is a 3D printed piece keep the boat transducer on a Garmin Striker 4 level, while ice fishing (Black zip tie in picture is to be replaced with bolt). Comes with 3 zip ties for holding cable. Transducer and Graphing unit not included. Condition is new and is printed to order. Shipped with...
www.ebay.com

For the money (if you aren't wanting to spend a fortune) I would definitely recommend the Striker 4. I've been very happy with it. There are definitely better electronics out there but they are great for how cheap they are in comparison and how compact they are for transporting. I've been diehard vexilar for 20+ years and my vex has barely been used the last 2 years.
Click to expand...
Almost exactly what a buddy of mine is tellng me also.
 
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