Which Fishfinder for me?

I fish mostly lakes in my canoe in the summer fall and spring, and drag my sled onto the ice in the winter.

SPRING, FALL, and SUMMER
I usually go to shallow water with weedbeds and mess around for the perch, bass, walleye and pike.  Do I need a fishfinder for such activity?  Where I go, probably not.  The shallow beds usually hold fish, average 6-8 feet deep, and once you find a spot where they are biting, you hang out for a while.  Move 100 yards, anchor and repeat. 

I would probably benefit from using a finder a bit more.  Currently I use a Lowrance Elite 4x HDI, a decent unit in general.

PROS
Reasonable cost.  Very good resolution.  Works in both open water or on the ice. Good screen size.


CONS
Sometimes, it freaks out and has to be rebooted.  It takes a while to boot up, which is annoying on the water.  The transducer and power cables are thick and unwieldy.  Currently I have the Lowrance bag (about a hundred bucks) that holds the finder and the battery.  That helps a bit. The menu system, although it has lots of options, is pretty annoying for me.

On the Ice
Works pretty decently on the ice.  My buddy uses a Vexilar flasher, and fishing side by side I noticed that although we both would mark fish about the same time, his Vex was way more real time, and he could get more shots at the fish close-in.  I would see a fish line on the screen, but it was hard to gauge timing of when he was coming real close to my lure/bait, as it seemed a bit delayed.  The Vex had no problem with that.

The Garmin Striker 4 piqued my interest, as it was only about 100 bucks and has a basic GPS (no maps, just a blank screen with your waypoints, heading etc.)  The cables are much thinner, making it less bulky.  Although I don't really need the GPS to navigate, as I fish somewhat small waters, it would be an advantage to waypoint an exact weedbed that I've had success in.  The weedbed would be visible when water is low, and hidden during high water.  Going back to the exact spot would be nice. The menu system is also very basic, which I like.  I mean, come on, you just need depth, contour and marking of fish is all.  I plan on using it this spring, so we'll see if it outperforms the Lowrance.

Also trying out the Magnetic Transducer Mount from fishfindermounts.com

Great Transducer Mounting Tip!
This (80 bucks or so) magnetic transducer mount  (from the great guys at fishfindermounts.com) is pretty nifty.  Your transducer mount connects to it, and it attaches to the side of your canoe/boat via very strong magnets.  I don't do anything permanent to the canoe, as I have to heave it on and off my car, so this solution works wonderfully.  I'm sick of the bulky metal transducer arms and clamps that catch on everything!

ICE FISHING
After many seasons of ice fishing, I realized--- I need a flasher.  On the Lowrance, you see the bottom as a straight horizontal line, your lure as a horizontal line above that, and the fish as either a slanted line, or a blob at the bottom that slowly comes up to your horizontal line.  Although it does tell you that a fish is approaching my lure, I can't get the feel of exactly how close he is, and if he's following it or not.  Using my buddy's Vexilar, it was much simpler to determine.

Which Flasher?
That I can't answer yet, but I know that next winter I will be using one.  I have read good things about the Humminbird 45.  They make the 35, 45, and 55 flashers.  45 model has a digital depth readout in the middle, which the Vexilars don't have (although you can bolt on a depth gauge aftermarket).  Sometimes my buddy has to fiddle a bit to get the depth with his Vex as we drill quick test holes in the ice, but the Humminbird would read it out instantly.   The Humminbirds seem to be in all the stores, as they are cheaper (45 is around 300 bucks), as opposed to the Vexilars, which seem to be more in the 500-ish range, as they are harder to find and keep their value longer.  They are supposed to be tougher as well.. so that's a decision I have to make.

Great Portable Heat Solution!!! Mr. Buddy Heaters

Need portable heat?

These are so cool.

Mr. Buddy makes a series of portable propane heaters that can be used in a car, tent, ice shack, garage, or as an emergency heater.

They use the 1 lb propane canisters, which can be had in 2-packs for about 4-7 bucks.

For an 10x10 ice shanty for example, I used the Hunting Buddy (6000-12000 BTUs) which  turned a minus 5 degree outside temperature into high 60' in an insulated Eskimo 3I shanty.  One propane canister got me approximately 2-3 hrs going back and forth from high to medium heat.  It uses 1 canister at a time with a space to hold a 2nd one.

You can even attach a larger propane canister (like the ones you use for your barbecue) via cable to give you many hours of continuous heat (swapping out the smaller canisters can be a drag sometimes).  Make sure to get the fuel filter too, which traps gunk that might gum up your pilot light.

They range from about 65-135 bucks.  Absolutely essential for ice fishing!

Make sure to always follow safety instructions.

Oneida Lake underwater in June

Oneida Lake, NY.  Frenchman Island, 8 feet of water.  Wasn't catching much, except for weeds, so dropped the GoPro down to see what the heck was going on there.  Nervous Pickerel at :57 and rude pumpkinseed at 3:45 Enjoy!

Ranger Bands -- Holy Rubber Band Batman!

Just cut up an old bicycle inner tube, can't get much simpler than that.

"Ranger Bands", used originally by the Army Rangers to tie down and quiet their hanging straps etc.

Loved by outdoorsmen, these have thousands of uses, can be cut to any thickness, and won't dry out and break anytime soon.

Cut them thin to stretch them out more, and thicker to increase strength.
They are wicked strong.

Great for anything you need to strap down, attach, etc. and make sure it won't come loose.  

PS. They burn very nicely and can be used to start a fire in an emergency

(they are rubber, so stay away from the smoke).

Boil water in 5 minutes with the Kelly Kettle

The Kelly Kettle was invented by an Irish fisherman to boil water for lunch in unfavorable windy and wet conditions.  It is by far, the best  and fastest way to boil water in harsh conditions that I've used yet.

It comes in 2 sections.  The bottom pan is a burner, where you can put your fine tinder and small sticks to start your fire.  The top section is basically a chimney, with double walls all around that hold water.  So when you start your fire, and drop small sticks down the top, the flames run up the inside, and heat up the water quickly in the sides.

You then grab it by the handle, and pull the chain to pour.  Works like a charm.

Takes about 5 minutes to boil 54 ounces (the large Base Camp model).

It'll burn any kind of wood, dry grass, pinecones, etc.

Note:  The Kelly Kettle will work better elevated a bit, and with the base airhole facing into the wind.

Here's a very short video of the Kelly Kettle at work.

Ultimate Around-the-House Knife!

This is the CRKT Bear Claw.  It will slice through just about anything.

Designed by Alaskan knife maker Russ Kommer to work like a bears claw.

Used by kayakers, skydivers, and emergency personnel, this won't be slipping out of your hand in wet or cold weather.  When you reach for it, your forefinger goes into the hole, locking it in your grip, as your thumb pops off the sheath.  Loop the sheath to your belt loop with paracord, and it won't get lost.

One good swipe will easily cut through most cordage, materials, nylon webbing, parachute cord, or seatbelts.  It comes in a couple of flavors.  You can get either a sharp tip, or a thick, blunt tip, so as not to poke a hole through your raft, or get an injury when doing quick cutting in an emergency situation.  Comes in both serrated and non-serrated versions.

I have the sharp tip, which excels at just about every home use need.  Rips through cardboard for recycling beautifully, and that pesky hard plastic packaging everything comes in these days.  

I like oranges and it scores the skins perfectly so they peel off easy.

At about 32 bucks, this is a fine knife for household use-- you will be reaching for it half a dozen times a day to do your various tasks.

Newspaper Firestarters

Want an easy way to start a fire?  These burn heavy, and for a long time.

The bees knees for camping, fishing, backyard firepits, or fireplace.  No need to carve tons of wood shavings etc to get your fire going.  Just light one of these, and throw your wood on top.  Here's how:


1. Cut newspaper into a strip

2. Roll it up in a circle and tie with jute string.
(leave a little extra for a wick if you like)

3. Fill 1/3 with sawdust

4. Melt some old candles or paraffin wax.  Use a double boiler method like this, with water in the bottom of the large pot for safety.

5. Pour wax until it soaks into the sawdust and stamp down to compress it with large end of screwdriver.  Repeat until filled up.

6. Dribble some wax on the seam and the jute to keep it from unraveling

Yer done!

These will burn for a long time in nasty conditions, enabling you to start a fire easily.  Try it!

PS, The bottom of your screwdriver will get a big lump of wax/sawdust on the bottom.  Wait til it dries, and it pops right off cleanly, keep it as a mini firestarter as a bonus!

Also, you can rub the end of the jute cord wick into fine little fibers, and it'll take a spark from your firesteel.

Toilet paper rolls work great as well, but if you're out, this is a really good option.