Would you buy?

Is there any need for something that keeps your ice hole from skimming back over with ice while fishing? Price point of $20 or less and wont interfere with fishing?

Chemical, mechanical or thermal?

I myself wouldn’t because of the way I fish. I hole hop a lot and when not hole hopping I’m in a house with the heat going. I think there use to be something out there that recirculated the water in your fishing hole to keep them from freezing over and I don’t see them around anymore.

It would come down to how it works. It would be a idea for far north, most people wouldn’t need it. The market would be small I would assume.

I just use my scoop…too cheap for anything else

I think if you were able to incorporate some type of recirculation device affixed to your transducer cord or transducer float, it could be a real game changer.

We use “Quiver pucks” for duck hunting sometimes to create a ripple in the water
These may work for this

veggie oil

probably. Get the right marketing guy and you’d do fine.

Steve Martin wrote:

Is there any need for something that keeps your ice hole from skimming back over with ice while fishing? Price point of $20 or less and wont interfere with fishing?

Do a market study. You need to know how many potential customers you can hit. Then determine what fraction might buy you product. (likely 1% or less) then figure your manufacturing cost, add marketing cost, add distribution cost, figure wholesale price and multiply. Thats what you get. Now……….is there a market for that?

get a computer fan and some dryer venting and suck the hot air from the top of your shelter and point it at the hole.

Bring a metal coffee can and some charcoal out. Chip a hole next to the hole your fishing out of even with water level, then put the coffee can half full of charcoal in the chipped hole fire it up and fish away. We use this method when fishing tournaments and aren’t allowed to use fish houses.

Obviously from the responses there is no need. Hole hoppers cant use it and shack fisherman have heaters going that keep the holes open.

suzuki wrote:

Obviously from the responses there is no need. Hole hoppers cant use it and shack fisherman have heaters going that keep the holes open.

On the contrary, I like to set up a Clam Artic Warrior tip up in a hole while I hole hop around it or while I sit in my shelter. Something easy to set up would be ideal for me.

I could be wrong, but I heard a shot of rubbing alcohol or something of the sort keeps water from freezing. Since alcohol brings the freezing point of water down. Or even oil, like said above. Haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t think it wouldn’t hurt too much. My concern would be how it may effect the fish coming up, but if you use a little, I don’t think it would be a problem…

Corey Rhymer wrote:

I could be wrong, but I heard a shot of rubbing alcohol or something of the sort keeps water from freezing. Since alcohol brings the freezing point of water down. Or even oil, like said above. Haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t think it wouldn’t hurt too much. My concern would be how it may effect the fish coming up, but if you use a little, I don’t think it would be a problem…

Putting anything in the water is illegal in Minnesota.

I believe they make some battery operated aerator like for minnow buckets and you could just put it in your case for your marcum/vexilar and run the hose down the transducer cord and that should keep your hole open.

realtreeap10 wrote:

Bring a metal coffee can and some charcoal out. Chip a hole next to the hole your fishing out of even with water level, then put the coffee can half full of charcoal in the chipped hole fire it up and fish away. We use this method when fishing tournaments and aren’t allowed to use fish houses.

This is the best method we found. I just set the can about 1 inch from the hole and it will work its way down. Half a can of charcoal will last several hours and double for heating up the hotdogs.