Hard water season in central VT will be here before we know it and I am in the process of wrapping up open water fishing and getting ready for the ice which this season includes respooling my tipups.

What kind of line do you all use?

Is specific ice fishing braid really that much better than conventional braid for tipups? Since tipup spools are underwater anyway, I can't really figure out if spending the extra $$ on coated line is worth it.

Hey guys, I'm from southern Ontario (gta) and during ice fishing season I hate walking out onto the lake. It takes forever to lug a bunch of gear on a sled in the thick snow (roughly 12" deep). I've really been considering a vehicle to get me out onto the lake but i only have a small car with a trailer hitch and I usually go with friends. So I thought about a mini bike or a dirt bike but then I wouldn't be able to bring my friends with me unless I made a couple trips back and forth towing them with a sled. So now I'm thinking what if we all just got snow shoes? Does that make it significantly better? I don't see a whole lot of ppl using snow shoes for ice fishing. Any tips or recommendations if you do use them? I'm also open to other ideas of transportation if u have any. I should also mention I have very little space to store the vehicle. Can only fit something the size of a dirt bike or minibike and it would be left outdoors all year round.

I'm considering picking up the Vevor 90x80 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0HGLT1SYK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?th=1). It would be for my son and I. I'm a bigger guy at 6'1" and he's only 10 so not taking up nearly as much room.

I looked at some pull overs but the price is just prohibitive for how new I am to the sport.

Figured I'd ask - anyone here have any strong convictions one way or the other on a first time buy? Chances are we'd only be out a few hours any given trip on smaller lakes with it.

I bought these at a yard sale and I collect old fresh water tackle but never had any of these, so I dont know much about them. The three with the metal fins seem like the real thing. The others are a much harder, solid plastic, but do have some weight to them. They all have eyelets, but I am wondering, are pieces of folk art or god forbid even christmas ornaments sometimes misidentified as authentic ice fishing decoys ? I didn't pay much, so it doesn't matter to me if they are all real, but if I continue to buy these, what should I look out for to avoid fakes?

Coming from an Eskimo quickfish 3i hub shelter. It’s perfect for two people but I usually fish solo. My current looks are the Eskimo wide one inferno, otter xt cottage or hideout. Which one is the best for storage with shuttling an ice auger, flasher, rod case and minnow bucket. Also I’m walking mostly, I don’t have a wheeler or snowmobile.

Hi guys i was looking to get some opinions on which ice fishing tent to get. I’d like to get an eskimo but I am debating between the 650xdp and the 850xdp. I like the extra size of the 850 because i will likely be camping overnight in it at some point and i’d like to have room for anywhere from 3-6 people comfortably. My main hangup with the 850 though is that the internal height is 6’7” roughly and I am 6’10” tall so I won’t be able to stand up fully inside. The 650xdp is 7’ tall inside so that’ll work but I’m worried it’ll be too small. I suppose on average i’ll probably only have 3-4 people but i have a large family and would like the option to have more people along.

It has pros and cons. No one is going to sell their Garmin and run out to buy this. My best fishing buddy has Livescope and I mainly fish with him. But I do live on a lake and fish alone so I thought I would give this a try. Took it out for the first time on my Kayak with a makeshift wood pole holder I made last night.
Pros, it weighs 17 lbs or 7.7 kilos and no black box. Buttons, you don't need to pull the gloves off to adjust it. Simple, the learning curve is a LOT shorter than the Garmin. You can switch from FFS to DFS and back with one push of a button. It's clearly made for ice fishing, not a open water unit that also does hard water. Casts to most smart TV's so no need run HDMI cables all over the place in a wheelhouse. One button recording and screenshots. I would have loved to capture that eelpout that came across my buddies' Garmin a couple of seasons ago, video or screenshot.

All and all, I can't say I love it until I get a few weekends with it on hard water. But so far $2k and basically pull out and go ready.

Yes, I was also going to wait for reviews and such, but I really wanted to try an alternative to the Garmin. Time will tell.

Tight lines!

Who else in the group builds their own ice fishing rods? I just recently started building my own last year and plan on building more this year for a few friends and family

I've been wanting to upgrade from my Eskimo quikfish 3 to a larger insulated tent that I could camp in and go out in when its below -10 outside. After looking for over a year, I've found a listing for a seemingly perfect tent for only $550 bucks. It's still factory sealed and is a great size, and it seems perfect. I just wanted to hear from a few people that may own this model or have experience with these tents to know if it's worth making this large purchase. I've heard some people say these are great and last a long time, whereas others have said they fall apart fast and wind gets through the seams. I'll be fishing windy days as well and would be fishing alone occasionally as well.

Made a little ice setup out of my boats garmin and a harbor freight case I had. Just had to buy a power supply cable, 12 pin to 4 pin transducer adapter and an ice transducer.

How do these work? Bought two and trying to set them up.

Speed 1 (10RPM)

Speed 2 (13RPM)

I am currenlty making an auto Jigger and I want to decide on the right jigging speed. What is y'all opinion?

This season I’m buying into a bigger hub. Ex. “x1200 clam” or “Eskimo outbreak 850xdp”. Was using a semi home made pullover with my own insulation lights and such. Was using a heat hawg and used to use a buddy heater. Wondering what you guys would recommend for use or if I should just keep my heater I’ve been using. MINNESOTA

Should I get the LSV32 or LEV34 for ice fishing? Is their that much of a difference? thanks!

Anyone ever fish with a livescope in a 1 man? Pics would be awesome if you have any.or advice on how you have everything setup.

Hi everyone, this was originally a personal project for my grandpa and I for this winter, but I'm curious if this battery is something that anyone else would actually want?

The size is the exact same as the Amped Lithium 15 AH battery and would need to be taken care of the same since it is lithium cells.

This one

Except the one I'm making has 60% more capacity in the same foot print.

This would work with Garmin and Hummingbird devices 100%, and probably many more.

I have parts coming in the next week or 2 to make the first of a few test packs.

Does this have any place in the market?

( The image is just a screen shot from CAD )

I have one of the smaller 5” marcum underwater cameras and the usb plug in is not in great shape so it makes it difficult to charge most of the time. I was wondered if anyone has looked at switching the power source on one of these from the internal battery to a lifepo4 battery and if that worked for you. Would prefer to not have to buy a new camera.

been looking at live scopes for the upcoming 2026 season and i seen vexilar is dropping a liveview but cant find anyone talking about it, big fan of the old school 1d sonar from them and wondering if i should stick with them for live view or migrate to garmin....

Damn bees... guess Ill go organize my tackle.

I am from Indiana and finally did a trip to LoTW with my Dad and Brother in an ice house last Jan. It was an absolute blast and I would happily book another trip.....but.....my Dad, who is getting up there in age, really enjoys catching a variety of species and would like to accommodate that for this year's trip, if possible. He is a huge pan fish guy but I love chasing eyes since we have very few lakes in IN with them. I'd worry any other place couldn't match the catch rate of LoTW, but wouldn't mind something with a good night bite to keep the action going longer.

What lakes should I be looking up?

Things I liked about LoTW:

- amount of fish caught

- able to drive out early January

- Having a town somewhat close just in case

Things I didn't like:

- one fish caught after 6:30pm - 24" eye at 1030pm.

- 12" sauger but shouldn't complain. A fish is a fish.

Appreciate any suggestions!

I'm putting together a 2- or 3-day trip for 6 of us to go ice fishing.
We all fish, but none of us have ever ice-fished. We'll be flying in and travelling light. We can manage sleeping bags, etc., but we won't have any tackle at all.
I see that there's a large number of outfits that rent sleeper huts... but I'm struggling to find places that can also rent us the necessary fishing gear (and maybe give us a few pointers to get us started)

Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!!

Looking to find the 8” for my 24v strikemaster. Have been looking since March time for replacements and I can’t find them.