12V 7AH 12 Volt 7 Amp Hour SLA Sealed Lead Acid Battery

US $13.75

2d 19h 48m

12V 7AH SLA Sealed Lead Acid Fish Finder Battery

US $11.50

15d 22h 24m

Sealed Lead Acid Battery SLA 12 Volt 7 Amp Hour 12V 7AH

US $18.90

13d 5h 53m

So back to my story.  To say I was disheartened would be an understatement.  The unit would spin up, but no colors, no depth readout, nothing.  Used my buddies unit to test out my transducer, it worked great on his flasher.  The problem wasn't the transducer.  Used his transducer which also worked fine on his unit, nothing on mine.  Again, flasher would spin, no readout.  Very upset I placed the unit back in my vehicle and went to fish that day without one.  Which was painful for me as it is one of the main ways I ensure catching fish on the ice.  My spring bobber was good that day and I managed a decent number of crappies, but not anywhere near what I normally catch. At this point I was resigned to the fact that I was going to have to call customer service and prepare to ship it in to be fixed.  I didn't even want to know what it was going to cost at that point....

It wasn't until well after getting home, cleaning fish, relaxing on the couch with the family watching television that it hit me.  In fact, I had even gone as far as laying down to fall asleep when something occurred to me.  When I went to grab the flasher that morning to head out ice fishing I remembered noticing that the battery wasn't charging quite right the last time I charged it after fishing all day.  Up from bed I got, ran downstairs and grabbed the unit.  Luckily I have a ice fishing camera also which uses the exact same type of battery, so I simply swapped the battery to my Vexilar.  Turned the power on and woolahh unit worked perfectly.  This had me intrigued at this point, so I took my vexilar battery and used it to power the camera.  It would kind of power up, but only display about half of the screen.  It truly was a bad vexilar battery.

Where can you buy vexilar batteries online?

This question was the first one that came to mind.  Sure I knew I could go to the local sporting goods store and pick up a new battery, but I remembered the price being upwards of $50 last time I was there.  My brain started thinking that if I'm able to find a flash drive for half to one quarter the price of what I can find at Best Buy online, why would a Vexilar battery be any different?  Luckily it wasn't.  Going to the usual suspects was quite rewarding.  If you go to Ebay you can find a wide range of vexilar batteries, just understand they won't call them "vexilar batteries".  They will simply be called by their generic name, which is a 7 amp hour 12 volt sealed lead acid battery.  The beauty is they will ship right to your door for less than $15.  That is crazy cheap.  It made the fact that my battery was toast much easier to swallow.  It should be mentioned that these are the same batteries that are used in Marcum flashers (VX-1, LX3, LX5), Vexilar flashers (FL-8, FL-18, FL-20), as well as Humminbird flashers (Ice-35, Ice-45, and Ice-55).

No need to break the bank when buying that new Vexilar battery, simply go online and find a great deal!

Size Of Ice Fishing Reels

The first thing I consider when looking for an ice fishing reel is normally the size of the reel.  When it comes to ice fishing rods you are going to be using a relatively short and therefore light rod so keeping the reel small is important.  If you don’t you are going to end up with a reel that is far too big for your rod and the balance is going to be way off.  Normally the smallest reel size each manufacturer makes it the correct choice.  This is often considered the ultra light reel.  You want a reel that weighs less than 8 ounces most likely as it will then be well balanced with your rod.  That bass fishing reel that you use during the summer is likely too large to be an asset on the ice.

How Ball Bearings Affect Ice Fishing Reels

When it comes to fishing reels, ball bearings are an important aspect especially when it comes to how smooth the reel works.  In general, the more ball bearings the better the reel.  The low end reels almost all have only 2 ball bearings and with most of them you can really tell the difference.  I would steer you towards at least 4 ball bearings and the higher up you go often means a better reel.  To be sure, the quality of the bearings is quite important as 4 high end bearings is better than 10 standard or poor grade bearings, but you get my drift.  When you look at the top brands of reels such as Shimano, Tica, Pflueger, Daiwa and so forth almost all of the reels have 4 – 10 ball bearings inside.

How Drag Affects Your Ice Fishing Reel

One of the most overlooked areas of fishing reels that really have a large impact on the reels quality is the drag.  You want a drag that allows for a smooth release of line when that large fish with big shoulders takes your bait.  If you have a reel that has a choppy release of line it can really cost you on the ice.  Finding a reel that has a quality drag to go along with several ball bearings and in a small size is just the ticket for your ice fishing gear and will lead to great success on the hard water this winter.

Ice Fishing Reel Recommendations

If I were to suggest a group of reels that will suit you well on the ice I would likely start by saying to avoid the $20 reels that dominate your local sporting goods store.  You often get what you pay for when it comes to ice fishing equipment.  To that end, I would suggest the following three reels which have all served me well over the years:

Tica Cetus Series Ice Fishing Reels

It seems that few people outside of the ice fishing world know about these high quality reels, but this is my go to reel in my ice rod combos.  A smooth reel with an excellent drag and an especially small size all work perfectly on the ice.  I'm partial to the Tica Cetus SB500, but I've heard good things about the lower end Tica Cetus LF500 and the Tica Cetus GV500.

TICA SB 500 SB500 CETUS MINI FISHING SPINNING REEL 6B

US $29.90

12d 17h 45m

The Pflueger Trion Ice Fishing Reel

Coming fully equipped with a 4 ball bearing system, plus 1 roller ball bearing it is smooth with a great drag and comes in a small size.  All with the quality Pflueger name.

Pflueger 4520GXX Trion Spinning Reel, 105-Yard/4-Pound

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $29.95

Amazon Price: $29.95

Shimano Ice Fishing Reels

How can you go wrong with a great reel like the Shimano?  A great name that is well known throughout the fishing world for its high quality workmanship and long lasting use, the Shimano is a great choice on the ice.  For those willing to spend a good amount of money for a top of the line reel, the Shimano Stradic is hard to beat and will work as well or even better in the summer.  For the small size you want to target the Shimano Stradic 1000 series.

Shimano® Stradic® FI Spinning Reel, ST1000FI

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $159.99

Amazon Price: $132.45

When it comes to the perfect ice fishing rod setup, oftentimes people overlook finding a great reel to finish the combo.  The reel has a great impact on your success out on the ice so it shouldn’t be overlooked.  Finding a high quality ice fishing reel doesn’t have to be a pipe dream, just use the above tips to fine tune your selection.

Worm Like Ice Fishing Bait

I am going to lump a lot of bait into this very general, broad ranging category.  With this I am talking about wax worms, spikes, silver wigglers, mousies (spikes, silver wigglers and mousies are all forms of maggots for those interested) and the like.  The idea behind this bait is to emulate a wiggling organism that drives fish (specifically panfish ) crazy and ready to strap on the feed bag.  When ice fishing crappie I always have some of these baits available to use at a moment’s notice.  This is a very small presentation and can be used to downsize just about any presentation you are using trying to catch fish.  I have caught a wide variety of fish with my particular favorite of these “worm like” baits, the wax worm.  From crappie to sunfish to bullheads to perch to rock bass it has worked really well for me over the years.  I have even caught a 20” walleye using a wax worm on the end of a Frostee Jigging Spoon.  The spike is a similar type bait and comes in several colors depending on what they have fed it.  Red and blue are popular colors with spikes.  Another similar type of worm is the bloodworm.  I have found these baits to be especially effective right around dusk as I think it emulates organisms coming from the bottom about that time to feed on the zoo plankton.

The key differences between the worm types is generally the size as well as the sturdiness.  The wax worm is often the largest of the bunch and also the least durable.  The spikes are tough and people like them due to their excellent durability, but they often kind of lose their insides when they get punctured.  The most common method of attaching these baits to the hook is by T-boning them, or basically hooking them right in the middle.  This allows for a great wiggle when you are trying to finesse that fish to bite.

Minnows For Ice Fishing Bait

Nothing beats live minnows often when it comes to ice fishing.  They swim around and drive the fish nuts.  They work especially well under a dead stick or ice fishing bobber not to mention their almost exclusive use under an ice fishing trap.  Minnows come in many sizes, colors and shapes, but the most common used are the crappie minnow, the shiner, the sucker minnow and the fathead.  For sure there are several other varieties, but these tend to be the most common.  When it comes time to match the minnow to the fish you are targeting, in general match the size of the minnow to the size of the fish you are attempting to catch.  For ice fishing northern pike, a live sucker minnow or shiner below a tip up can be a deadly combination.  This setup would not work at all for crappie, however.  They require crappie minnows and often you want to try and find the smallest of the small crappie minnows to really get them biting.  The walleye is an interesting fish , because there are times when a large minnow like shiner works great, but I have had much success on the ice using a small crappie minnow to catch them in bulk.  Don’t be afraid to downsize minnow sizes when it comes to walleye.

When it comes to rigging minnows, there are several methods that work well.  Hooking the minnow just behind its dorsal or top fin works great to keep the minnow lively.  Cutting the head off is a great technique that can work wonders when the bite slows or the fish appear finicky.  Don’t be afraid to leave a little bit of the guts hanging out to keep the scent strong.  There are also times when a completely dead minnow is the ticket.  A dead sucker minnow or smelt under a tip up can work amazingly well for ice fishing pike.  Keeping a few in your freezer if you don’t use them all in a given outing is often a good idea.

When it comes to ice fishing, there are many ways to skin the proverbial cat.  Don’t be afraid to try different tactics while out wielding your ice fishing rod, the differentiation can be just the thing that makes you a great success and all your fellow anglers failures.  Use the above guide to navigate your way through ice fishing bait and find a combination that puts more fish on the ice for you this winter.

Ice Fishing Bobbers To Match The Old School Cork Bobber

If we are to look at the old school methods of bobber fishing, perhaps nothing is more well known than the standard, stationary red/white bobber.  This works great for casting to a relatively shallow depth for fishing and the weight helps to allow for castability.  In the winter, we don’t need the casting portion and it often helps to be more subtle and alert the fish as little as possible.  For those reasons a small bobber is really appreciated in these situations.  While you could just use a small standard bobber from your open water tackle box, a tried and true method used by ice fishermen is the foam bobber with a toothpick to set the depth.  This is a low cost solution to attaching a bobber to your ice fishing rod.

Ice Fishing Bobbers To Mimic The Versatility Of The Slip Bobber

For those that want a higher tech solution the slip bobber really is hard to beat in the summer.  In the open water you really need a bobber that allows you to cast the line a ways and move steadily towards your desired depth.  An adjustable depth is often very important to ensuring that you can easily change where you are fishing and what depth you are targeting.  The key difference in this case is the casting portion when it comes to ice fishing vs. open water fishing.  Ice fishing will never require any casting.  To that end, we are allowed a little bit of flexibility in terms of the bobber staying on our line.  The other key difference here is of course the temperature.  In the open water we don’t need to worry about the water freezing to the line and screwing up our bobber system.  To that end, the small holes in the slip bobber are really poorly suited to an ice fishing application.  It is far better to go with the foam “ice buster” bobber for your ice fishing travels.  This ingenious bobber solution has a large hole in the bottom of the bobber which is heavily resistant to the freezing water prevalent in the winter months and still allows for the same depth variability of the slip bobber.  The foam bobber can be shortened to a length that allows for the bobber to be almost exactly neutrally buoyant and nearly undetectable to the fish below that are taking your bait.  The same slip knot system as the open water slip bobber rig is used, so this allows for the same terminal tackle to be used in both instances.

Thankfully through the years the ice fishing enthusiasts have developed great ice fishing specific alternatives for attaching a bobber to your line.  Gone are the days of struggling with our open water applications that just don’t work that well in the winter with its specific weather and fish mentality limitations.  When it comes to ice fishing bobbers, there is no reason to be stuck with your open water bobber options on the ice.

The most important factor in the success of an ice fishing expedition for Crappie is location. While it is a common species, some bodies of water are much more heavily populated with Crappie than others, and some areas within he same pond or lake will be much more productive than others. Early in the winter, they like to stay in shallower water, but as the season progresses, oxygen levels will decrease and the fish will be forced into deeper waters. Crappie populations like to return to the same hot spots every year, so if you find a good spot this year, chances are that it will be just as good next winter.

Crappie usually eat smaller fish, including juveniles of species that eat Crappie as adults, but they have a diverse diet, and have also been known to eat zooplankton, insects, and crustaceans. Because of their diverse diet, there are many different types of lures that are effective for fishing them, but the best lures seem to be plastic with jig heads. Other popular lures for fishing Crappie include crank baits and live minnows. The process of dumping large amounts of live bait in an area in order to attract fish, known as chumming, has been reported to be effective at attracting Crappie. Since they are more active at night than during the day, the best time to fish for Crappie is early morning or dusk.

In the winter, Crappie usually stay between fifteen and thirty feet under the ice, but they have been known to roam to both shallower and deeper depths. Schools of Crappie develop favorite feeding locations and return to them daily, so if you can find one of these hot spots, you should stay there for a long time. You will know when it’s time to move on from a hot spot when you suddenly stop catching fish in that area. This means that the food in that spot has been depleted and the Crappie have stopped going there.

Of all the species of game fish that are commonly targeted by ice fishermen, Crappie is perhaps the best suited for using electronic equipment to enhance the ice fishing experience. The Crappie that are suspended in the middle of the water column are most likely to bite, and these are coincidentally the easiest to detect with a fishing sonar system. Using sonar equipment to detect schools of Crappie can not only pinpoint where in the lake you should drill your ice hole, but can also indicate the depth of the school. This is important information because Crappie are much more likely to notice lures above them than below, so you will get more bites if you know how deep the fish are, because you can then position your jig a few feet above them. When ice fishing crappie, a good way to attract the Crappie’s attention is to pull the bait above the school and drop it back down amongst them.

Ice fishermen come to Lake Simcoe because of its particularly large populations of Walleye, Northern Pike, and Yellow Perch, but it is also possible to catch Lake Whitefish, Lake Trout, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass in this lake. Some reports say that the lake is so full of Yellow Perch that there is never more than ten minutes between bites. If you are trying to catch Yellow Perch on Lake Simcoe, it is recommended that you often change the bait you are using. This is because Yellow Perch are thought to be attracted to a variety of different foods, and if the fish are not in the “mood” for the bait you are using, they may be more interested in a different kind of bait.

There are a number of businesses in the Lake Simcoe area that offer ice fishing services. There are places for you to rent or buy gear, such as your ice fishing rod or ice fishing house, and there also fishing guides that can go out onto the ice with you to offer their advice on where to fish and tips on how to catch the specific types of fish you are targeting. There are some resorts and hotels around Lake Simcoe that offer a place to spend the night on land if you don’t want to sleep on the ice, and the town of Georgina is home to restaurants and bars.

Ice fishing conditions are different for different areas on the surface of Lake Simcoe. The southeastern side of the lake is thought to have the best conditions with open ice roads and thick ice layers, while the center is known to be the worst, with some cracks in the ice and lots of slush. Most of the ice fishing on Lake Simcoe is done between Georgina Island, located close to the southeastern shore, and Duclos Point, a peninsula that juts out from the shore on the southeastern side towards Georgina Island.

Although it is a great place for ice fishing, Lake Simcoe is not without ecological problems. In recent years, the lake has undergone significant eutrophication, or the unnatural buildup of chemical nutrients, as a result of excessive pollution. This has had an adverse affect on fish and other wildlife populations in the area, and has also lead to unnaturally large algae blooms and aquatic weed growth. This excessive plant growth has also been facilitated by human phosphorous emissions, and upsets the natural balance of the lake’s ecosystem. It decreases oxygen levels, which limits the fish population growth because there is not enough oxygen dissolved in the water, and raises water temperatures.  Yes, Lake Simcoe ice fishing can be tough at times, but it can be a great experience when everything works the way it should.

Of course, you can never catch a fish if you fish in the wrong place, so if you want to land a northern pike, you will have to learn about the northern pike’s natural habitat. In lakes, they like to stick to areas with clear water, where they can easily see their prey, and areas with lots of underwater weeds, rocks, and other debris, where they can easily hide from their prey. Some promising places to fish for northern pike are close to rocky points, narrow channels, and river mouths.

The northern pike is an aggressive predator, and will go after almost any kind of bait as long as it is big enough, although live bait is thought to work the best. The most common live bait items are six inch smelt, Portuguese sardines, large shiners, and suckers. The northern pike is a powerful fish, so you should use a large, sturdy hook and a thick line.

Northern pike have large mouths with many very sharp teeth. If you land a northern pike, be very careful as you are removing the hook, because people have been known to have their hands badly torn up when a landed pike bites them. If the teeth of a northern pike break your skin, you should clean the wound as quickly as possible, because there are many species of harmful bacteria that live in the mouths of these carnivorous fish.

Northern pike eat in a way that is unlike many game fish species. When most types of fish want to eat something, they quickly open their mouths and close their gills, which creates a low-pressure zone inside the mouth. The only way for the water to fill that low-pressure zone is to flow into the mouth, which in effect sucks the food item in. When a northern pike wants to eat something, it swims up beside the item, and quickly snatches sideways with its large, elongated mouth. This means that, while most fish species must pull the whole food item into the mouth at once, the pike has the ability to test its food without full on biting it. As an ice fisherman targeting northern pike, this means that the fish will sometimes give a small tug at your line without actually taking the bait. These tiny tugs may be frustrating for ice fishermen out ice fishing pike, but at least they indicate that the fish is down there and interested in the bait. Just be patient.

Because lake trout move around under the ice more than most fish species, you have to understand the fishes’ natural systems of behavior in order to successfully land lake trout while ice fishing, You can’t catch a fish if your ice hole isn’t in the same location on the lake as the fish. Generally, lake trout search the lake for a good feeding location, and when they find it, they stay there until the food has all been eaten. They will look for these feeding locations at various depths in the lake, unlike many species that stay close to the bottom in winter. Because of this variety of different depths that lake trout can be found in, it is advisable to experiment with different presentations and locations.

A lake trout’s head is structured in such a way that its eyes are situated towards the top of its head, which means that lake trout can see above them much better than they can see below. This is an important fact to keep in mind, because it means that lake trout are much less likely to go for bait that is on the bottom. In fact, they have been known to rise as much as forty feet to intercept a lure.

Be aware that lake trout are most likely to go after a lure as it descends. Because of this, many people do not feel the initial bite because of the slack in the line when the jig is descending. Lake trout can be very large fish, and they can sometimes be more than forty pounds, so it is not advisable to let a hooked lake trout out any farther than you have to. The farther you have to drag the fish through the water, the more difficult it will be to land, and the more likely the fish is to escape from the hook or break the line.

The best technique for catching lake trout is to start with the jig only a few feet from the bottom, and work your way towards the surface, staying at the same depth for a few minutes before bringing it up a few feet and trying that depth for a while. With this method, you can work the whole water column and ensure that any lake trout in the area will have had a chance to go for the bait.

The best ice fishing gear to take with you on a lake trout ice fishing expedition includes an ice fishing rod, leader, jigs, and other ice fishing equipment such as an ice fishing shanty. The rod should have at least a fifteen pound test. You should have a variety of jig sizes, and fluorescent yellow jigs seem to work the best.

Lake trout is one of the most fun fish species to catch while ice fishing. It is a real challenge, and there are not many lake trout around any more, so don’t give up if you don’t land one in the first hour. If you give it some time, you will find the ice fishing lake trout rewarding, especially when you get to taste the mouthwatering fillets from your fresh catch.

The greatest attraction of Mille Lacs Lake is the wide variety of fish species that thrive in its waters, including walleye, northern pike, muskie, jumbo perch, smallmouth bass, and tullibee. The lake is especially known for a very high abundance of walleye, and has even been called the “Walleye Capital of the World.” Between two hundred thousand and four hundred thousand walleye are landed on Mille Lacs every year.

The Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council provides some services to ice fishermen. Roads are plowed across the lake to allow easy access to the best ice fishing locations, and ice fishing houses can be rented in half day increments. These ice fishing houses range from the most basic shelter to multi-room suites with luxurious furnishings, such as gas heaters, cook stoves, furniture, sleeping quarters, and toilet facilities. A number of ice fishing packages are also available from the Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council. The packages can include a variety of services, including overnight lodging on land, transportation to and from the ice fishing site, and ice fishing equipment.

Besides the Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council, there are many businesses around Mille Lacs Lake that offer ice fishing services. There are dozens of places to rent any kind of ice fishing gear, from ice fishing rods to shanties. There are also guides in the area who will help you find the best places on the lake for the kind of fish you are trying to catch. These are experienced fishermen who know the area and can provide some excellent tips for beginning anglers. For post-fishing relaxation, there are also a number of restaurants, bars, and resorts along the lake’s shore.

The water in Mille Lacs Lake is relatively clean, with minimal levels harmful pollutants, so for the general population it is considered safe to eat any amount of any species of fish from the lake. Unfortunately, many inland bodies of fresh water in North America are polluted to some extent, so even the fish in the relatively clean ones such as Mille Lacs Lake are not safe to eat under certain circumstances. Pregnant women should not eat more than one meal per week of certain fish species from taken while Mille Lacs ice fishing, including Burbot, Carp, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Sunfish, Walleye, and Yellow Perch.

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait...

One key thing to remember is to make sure that the entire outside of the house is banked with snow to allow for the great insulation snow delivers.  This day we fished for 6 hours without having to wear any ice fishing gloves and staying plenty warm in the house.  If you ventured outside it was brutally cold, but very nice in the house itself.  This was great as the amount of ice fishing gear we required was much less than otherwise would have been necessary.

How have your experiences been in bitter cold using portable ice houses?