What lake to fish?

Hello all I am going fishing for the first time alone on the ice tomorrow. Just searching for panfish, size don’t matter just want to catch fish.
I’m thinking of Mccarrons,Beaver,Phalen, or Keller not looking for any spots more curious if anyone has ever fished them through the ice before.
Any advice would be appreciated. I have everything but a flasher and I’m okay with that I’m not to reliant on electronics in the summer so I’m willing to try without before I commit to buying one.

Don’t know anything about the lakes you mentioned. But I’m going to say just go now and buy a flasher, trust me it will make your experience a lot more fun.

John Rasmussen wrote:

Don’t know anything about the lakes you mentioned. But I’m going to say just go now and buy a flasher, trust me it will make your experience a lot more fun.

X2

I don’t believe in the latest and greatest and in keeping up with the Joneses. But a simple flasher is worth its weight in gold. Good luck

I would also suggest spending $15 and download Navionics. That might even answer your “which lake” question itself.

I have navionics. All the lakes mentioned above are in st.paul and maplewood. And my old man has a flasher and the few times I have been out with him. I dunno it just didn’t leave an impression to spend 100$ or more on a used one. Thanks for your advice guys I’ll let ya know how I do and what lake I tried.

Keep us posted. For what it’s worth I would pick a lake with a basin that’s easy to break down and punch a bunch of holes in.

Roy wrote:

Keep us posted. For what it’s worth I would pick a lake with a basin that’s easy to break down and punch a bunch of holes in.

How does one even hole hop or break down water without electronics?

keith schuckert wrote:

I have navionics. All the lakes mentioned above are in st.paul and maplewood. And my old man has a flasher and the few times I have been out with him. I dunno it just didn’t leave an impression to spend 100$ or more on a used one. Thanks for your advice guys I’ll let ya know how I do and what lake I tried.

I think you might be the first person I have ever heard say that a flasher didn’t make them more productive on the ice.

I haven’t fished without electronics in years. From what I remember when I did, I fished community spots, checked the bottom with a weight and set a bobber, sat around and drowned bait hoping that I was in the right spot. I remember the saying that 90 percent of the fish are in 10 percent of the lake while I don’t think that’s totally accurate, I do know from running side imaging during open water that even on structure there is a lot of dead water in a lake.
IMO be willing to bet that trying a flasher would put you on more fish than asking tight lipped people were to fish in a forum will…..

Years ago when I was young and without electronics I would drill lots of holes as soon as I got to my desired spot. I would then use an egg sinker to find bottom. One dead stick would be set to 1.5 feet off bottom, one set to 3-4’ off bottom, third rod was a jigging rod to make noise and hopefully attract fish. I kept a mental note of what the depths were in each area and adjusted accordingly when I would move. While hole hopping I always had one of the dead sticks and the jigging pole with me. Punch holes in groups and it’s pretty simple.

I fished many years before using flashers. I was well into my 20’s before getting one and i caught fish. To this day I keep a depth finder clipped to my fishing jacket. Just last weekend I was thinking how I missed using my tiny balsa bobbers and the unique jigging action they allowed. And the method of lifting up your set line and how the slack always got hung up on the ice. Especially
2 lb test. It sucked fishing more than 8 feet. I still have all that gear and should pull it out some day. It’s how my Dad taught me to fish. All my tackle fit it a small tin. Teardrops, bobbers and toothpicks. Simplicity.

All I know is if my electronics quit while I was out fishing I would pack up and go home to get it fixed.

Gilgetter wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>keith schuckert wrote:</div>
I have navionics. All the lakes mentioned above are in st.paul and maplewood. And my old man has a flasher and the few times I have been out with him. I dunno it just didn’t leave an impression to spend 100$ or more on a used one. Thanks for your advice guys I’ll let ya know how I do and what lake I tried.

I think you might be the first person I have ever heard say that a flasher didn’t make them more productive on the ice.

I haven’t fished without electronics in years. From what I remember when I did, I fished community spots, checked the bottom with a weight and set a bobber, sat around and drowned bait hoping that I was in the right spot. I remember the saying that 90 percent of the fish are in 10 percent of the lake while I don’t think that’s totally accurate, I do know from running side imaging during open water that even on structure there is a lot of dead water in a lake.
IMO be willing to bet that trying a flasher would put you on more fish than asking tight lipped people were to fish in a forum will…..

Sorry to confuse you I never mentioned productivity in my statement I said it didn’t leave a big enough impression. Also I used to fish most these lakes when I was younger but lake phalen and mccarrons are inner city lakes and I left the east side of st.paul long ago. Might just be that I’m just starting to get into ice fishing,

It took 38 years but I’m ready to try finally. But personally for me that money could be better spent on my 2 year old. I do have access to one (dad’s). Even in my boat I trust my gut over my electronics. I also exclusively CnR. It’s more about the thrill of finding them and just getting out for a day.

Without mapping capability, I’d rather have an auger than a flasher. You can still find the structure although it will take you longer. You can catch fish without a flasher but generally not as many. Most fisherman today couldn’t concentrate long enough to fish without electronics.
When I started fishing in the late 60s, we still had real winters and augers were a luxury. We’d chop holes through 2-3 feet of ice and fish our one line. Start at the bottom and keep changing depths until you started getting bites. We fished known spots and hole hopping didn’t exist unless there were open holes from other fishermen that left. When one of our friends got a Mora hand auger we were giddy. Then my dad bought a used gas auger, oh boy. It only had a 30″-36″ shaft and some winters we still had to chop more to get through. This was on Minnetonka, not some northern lake.

Back in the 70″s before I had a flasher I would go to a tackle shop or “Sporting Goods” store and look at lake maps (the white plastic maps) and find a lake that was close, or not, and make my choice of where to fish, go to that lake of choice and start cutting holes, back then I used a Jiffy model 30, the thing weighed a ton and always seemed to leak two cycle out the exhaust, I would load it on a modified radio flyer sled and drag it onto the ice with my Holiday sports stick, no ice rods like today, but by using the map I could locate probable structure, it may have taken a while to get on fish but I (we) always found some… the good old days!!

Netguy wrote:

Without mapping capability, I’d rather have an auger than a flasher. You can still find the structure although it will take you longer. You can catch fish without a flasher but generally not as many. Most fisherman today couldn’t concentrate long enough to fish without electronics.
When I started fishing in the late 60s, we still had real winters and augers were a luxury. We’d chop holes through 2-3 feet of ice and fish our one line. Start at the bottom and keep changing depths until you started getting bites. We fished known spots and hole hopping didn’t exist unless there were open holes from other fishermen that left. When one of our friends got a Mora hand auger we were giddy. Then my dad bought a used gas auger, oh boy. It only had a 30″-36″ shaft and some winters we still had to chop more to get through. This was on Minnetonka, not some northern lake.

That is exactly what I do when I’m with my dad. Start at the bottom and slowly work my lure/bait to the surface I do okay but then again just go to relax and catching fish is a plus.
I’m much more intense and competitive in the summer when I’m with the guys.

Gilgetter wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Roy wrote:</div>
Keep us posted. For what it’s worth I would pick a lake with a basin that’s easy to break down and punch a bunch of holes in.

How does one even hole hop or break down water without electronics?

I don’t think he’s trying to autochart the entire lake just go fishing.
I saw a girl catch lakers on a tree branch after chiseling one hole on “Alone”.
I could easily catch fish without my Helix on most of the lakes I fish. All my spots I can pinpoint by memory so if that goes I’m fu*@$d!
I think they still make bobbers?