January 2011’s Canadian ice fishing adventure with In Depth Outdoors was one of the most fantastic I have ever experienced. That’s a pretty significant statement given the fact I own a lodge in arguably the most walleye prolific region in the world, and have a very extensive library of angling experiences to draw from. One thing from that trip that sticks with me, and therefore the inspiration for this article, is the vast difference between things then and things now. Let me explain.
When I took over our lodge 6 years ago, my ice fishing experiences consisted of driving a car on to Mille Lacs Lake. Waiting there was a sleeper shack that had been “strategically” positioned for the seasonal walleye movements. If I was lucky, I didn’t get too cold going from the car to the pre heated ice house. Once inside, shop was set up with a pole, rattle reel, a case of beer and my lucky cribbage board. That was then.
Today, my ice fishing “experience-o-meter” still reads novice. However, gone are the days of a permanent ice shack and waiting blindly for a fish to take my bait. Instead, I traded the car for a snowmobile and saved enough beer money to add technology to my arsenal.
One of the most impressive pieces of equipment I’ve come across is the Marcum sonar flasher. That little red box has taken things to a whole new level for this inexperienced hard water angler. And what I really like is the user friendliness, despite how complex it truly is. Given five minutes, my 7 year old could learn how to use it, take it out on the ice and be successful in catching fish.
I have used other flashers. Anything from old school flashers to different brands to, yes, nothing. Experience tells me Marcum offers a unit that cannot be touched. The technology behind it is impressive, yet interestingly enough, it’s not what makes it so appealing. Rather, it’s how they have simplified things so an average angler can take the darn thing into the field and be successful. Let’s face it, not everyone is a pro or a guide. At the end of the day, all we care about is catching a fish! Marcum gives you an unparalleled advantage in doing just that.
Successful ice anglers need to stay mobile. Some call it “run and gun”, I call it fishing smart. Fish move, they don’t always bite, conditions change. Fluidity and flexibility are the names of the game. And remember Canada? There are no plowed roads. Permanent shacks?; forget it. Everything is packed in and out. All gear is strapped to a snowmobile, in a backpack or drug behind in a portable. Someone was thinking when they designed the Marcum flasher. It’s made in a compact, shock resistant, highly durable case. Other brands I have used remind me of a plate in my mom’s China hutch. Packing up in an instant and storing it away for the inevitable bumpy ride, is easy. They also added an adjustable hinge arm to support the weight of the transducer. If you’re a hole jumper, that makes varying snow depths around the ice hole irrelevant. And if film ice has formed in your hole, give it a tap with the extra tough casing around the transducer and the problem is solved. Marcum designed their flasher for the real world, harsh conditions of successful ice anglers. Fancy technology? Nope. Just a common sense design when it comes to the challenges of triumphant ice fishing.
Back then I fished blind. I couldn’t “see” under water, therefore I relied heavily on waiting, hoping and reacting in order to catch fish. Reaction fishing still has its place, but a Marcum flasher allows for proactive fishing. In the TV show, I hit a home run with my biggest walleye ever through the ice. That fish would’ve never been hooked had it not been for the LX-5 I was using at the time. There was a small walleye just off the bottom in about 40 feet of water. He had a bad case of lock jaw, so I made some aggressive jig strokes attempting to get a reaction strike. All of the sudden a very thick red line appeared about 10 feet off the bottom. Immediately I reeled up to it and SLAMO!, she was hooked. After the most action packed fight of the entire trip, she was iced, and I began reaping the rewards of all things fishing! Had that been 6 years earlier, it’s doubtful that fish would have been captured on film.
Deep lakes in our region signify walleye and lake trout habitat. While walleyes relate to structure more often than not, I don’t count on it for lakers. They’ll feed anywhere, from top to bottom. Marcum realized this and created a unique feature that allows you to zoom to any segment of water column. Thus, if fish are feeding 15 feet below the ice, the ability to zoom in and give them an irresistible presentation is priceless. Last week while filming, we were able to effectively use the feature to land walleyes and, yes, you guessed it, lake trout.
If you talk to the techy guys, they will tell you about Marcum’s unique cone angles, noise reduction, TrueColor displays, Superfine lines, 2500 watts of power and dual beam transducers. That is great, and I know it makes them stand out above the crowd, but frankly, I just want a reliable, rugged flasher that is going to catch fish, period! And Marcum has given us novice anglers a unit that will do just that.
