Grandpa is giving me an older flasher but it needs a new powercord and battery. Santa didn’t bring me any boxes with Vexilar or Marcum on them so for the time being I’m without electronics.
My question is what strategy should I use when ice fishing without a flasher? Do you just drill a bunch of holes and hope to get lucky or try to find a friend that has a Vexilar and a power auger?
Sounds like a good time to try a few tipups! I’ve been spoiled like most of us…when my vexilar battery dies I pack up and go home.
I’d watch football or just find yourself a nice weed edge and fish along it. Go to a lake you know well or find the community spot and ask a few questions.
To Start out I would try to find a lake depth map from the DNR webpage of the area I was goint to fish. Try deep holes and/or shollow places on weed lines. If you drill a hole and there are weeds move until there are no weeds. If you lay on the ice and cover the hole to make it dark you can see in the water.
I’ve got the Navionics app for my iPhone so I’m set there. So now what do I need to do… stick my head in the hole and spin in a circle 
I guess if it catches fish 
Personally I wont go without my electronics but if i was not fortunate enough to have them I would find clear water lakes to fish so I could at least sight fish, then you would be able to see if there are fish down there or if your just wasting time on a spot.
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I’ve got the Navionics app for my iPhone so I’m set there. So now what do I need to do… stick my head in the hole and spin in a circle
You’re not that far off. If you have a clear lake in the area, try some sight fishing in shallow. Its amazing to see all of the different fish that cruise the shallows.
Since you have the navionics app….you should be able to get yourself close to some structure. I would rig up a weight with a long 30′ or so cord so you can check depths as you drill. I know a rod & depth weight does the same but something on a cord with a heavier weight and markings every 5 ft would be quicker and easier see the depth without getting tangled.
Find a likely spot set up a dead stick rod with a bobber or a tip up close by with a lively minnow and then jig with something aggressive….assuming you are chasing walleyes. Like a chubby darter or jiggin shad. Aggressive fish will pound the jigging bait, less aggressive will at least give your dead stick a look.
I have fished LOTW with people without flashers and they actually do okay jigging.
If you dont have a lake map go where others are fishing.
Clip on a trusty depth finder and set your bobber about 6 inches off the bottom to get started.
I would go with a dead stick and try jigging. No reason to not fish. I use to fish all the time with out electronics. I was always told if you have a line in the water you have a chance to catch a fish.
If you are looking for panfish, I’d pop some holes and drop a small jig waxie/plastic down to the bottom to check for fish. If you get short hits and small fish, bring that jig and bait up about 5 feet and work that area one one rod and soak a minnow on the other at about the same depth. Your larger more active -feeding] fish will be sepaerate from the idle masses found on the bottom. Chances are good too that the fish at five or eight or whatever mid-column depth you chose will be larger fish as well. Waldo? Fish a foot to 18″ off the bottom with a minnow one one rod and jig the bottom with a jigging rap or simalar bait on the other.
Before leaving the house be sure you have packed your confidence. Confidence that you can do something like this trumps electronics every time.
Electronics have spoiled us and also made us better, but we used to catch fish before. Having the Navionics on your phone is a little help providing you can see the depths ( Im getting old and cant see em without glasses) . If you know whether your dealing with a shallow water weed oriented bite or a deeper water basin oriented bite would also help. The shallow bite is preferred without electronics because the basin bite usually involves fish that may be suspended 2 to 8 or more .feet off the bottom. In shallower water you will be able to cover the bottom 2 feet where 90% of the fish will be ( just remember fish are usually looking in front and above ). Drill a lot of holes and dont spend more than 4 or 5 mins in any one without a bite. Once you get a pattern look at your Navionics and find similar depths, especially if there are fingers, horseshoes, or similar variations in the contour lines. If you must fish a deeper basin bite, look for where other people have been fishing to start with. Go to bottom and
work your way up to 4 or 5 feet off till you get a depth figured out. When you do, you can go to your Navionics and look for similar depths. Again drill lots of holes and move often. Good Luck
Thanks for the advice everybody, this gives me a bit more confidence and at least a game plan starting out. 
Ive never used electronics ice fishing. It would be nice though!
Go fish where everyone else is, fish about a foot off the bottom and hope to get hit.
Look for structure you can see from shore, points, bays, etc…drill a hundred holes, put on you favorite jig, and start hopping till you catch one. You can also fish a lake like square or white bear, where can see down 20 feet or more. No need for electronics to tell you whats down your hole when you can see it yourself
If you have a smart phone that uses driod market download cabelas recon fish. Its a free app and will give you alot of lake info and contour maps!
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