Hey Folks–Maybe I can answer a few of the questions in this thread. Within St. Croix we have three basic types of rods: A, B and C stock. A stock is brand new, top of the line. B stock is either brand new with slight cosmetic issues that we flagged during the inspection process or rods that have been returned with very, very little usage/wear. C stock is typically warranty returns that have been fixed enough to fish again but remain far enough off the original spec to be an issue. Generally these will be rods with broken tips where new tip tops have simply been put on and called good.

All A stock rods are full price with full warranty. As mentioned above, we have very high expectations for our retailing partners in maintaining MSRP/MAP and keep to those standards ourselves for A stock rods. B stock rods are discounted anywhere from 30% – 60% off MSRP/MAP, depending upon the issue, and carry a one year warranty. C stock rods are pricing at: $30 for non-Legend rods, $50 for Legend rods and up to $100 for musky rods and carry zero warranty. Additionally, B and C stock rods are available in our Factory Store for in-store purchasing only and are not available for purchase over the phone or internet. As one would imagine, B and C stock inventory is constantly changing.

I hope this helps address some of the questions above.

Woodshed wrote:

Winter or Summer, a fishing trip in Finland is on my bucket list. My family name comes from a lake in Kuusamo. I’d love to fish it some time.

Thanks for sharing

Very small world. My wife’s family is from that area as well. The family name is Kalunkki, Americanized to Kalungi after getting here in the States, and come from Kalunkkijarvi which is slightly north of Kuusamo.

I basically have three set-ups. A medium heavy 32″ with a 1000 series spinning reel (6# straight mono) for lighter jigs in 80′ of water or less, a 36″ medium heavy baitcaster with Abu C4 4600 (20# PowerPro with 10# flouro leader) for 3/4 oz. to 1.5″ oz. for 80′ to 160′ of water and a 36″ heavy bait caster with Abu C4 5601 (20# PowerPro with 12# flouro leader) for 1.5 oz. to 3 oz baits for 160′ plus water. Power pro backing is certainly the way to go in deep water for lack of stretch when fishing in a portable shack as I typically do. With colder temps and working outside of a portable, I would revisit this due to increased freezing.

Worthless POS people.

James–Those herring are what we catch over here in Keweenaw Bay. However, I also hear some of you MN guys talking about tulibe (sp?)…mostly on inland lakes however. Are tulibe the same as Lake Superior lake herring or something entirely different yet?

You sound like a flooring installer? At least being on the knees is better on the back. I’ve left the flooring (sports) manufacturing industry as of last Thursday but I had some 70+ year old customers and I wondered how in the world they could still walk. Some tough old birds there.

You’d probably be better off on the Ice Shanty or Michigan Sportsman boards…they’re a bit more MI centric.

Could be methane bubbles from decomposing “stuff” on the bottom. Had a 20′ x 20′ roil about 2″ next to my boat for about a minute one time, with all kinds of crap released from the bottom. Another time I augered into a methane pocket under the ice that ended up being under a little bit of pressure that blew chips out of the hole…again a bit interesting. Am guessing little bits of methane released from the bottom is fairly standard in most lakes and especially so for those with softer bottoms.

Absolutely wonderful episode.

castle-rock-clown wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Chris Raymond wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>crappie55369 wrote:</div>
Chris i used to have that very same rig!!! and then i woke up… Very nice machine

What happened to change your mind?

Chris, I think he’s saying while he was asleep the vision that is your rig came to him in a dream, but upon awakening he realized his reality of not owning one. Not a change of mind, but a change conscious. I have same problem, Kate Upton is never beside me when I wake up….but in my dreams………………

Well was that ever a Duh moment on my part! I’m so used to trying to be objective about product posts and seeking opportunities for making solutions better that I totally blew the message…kinda embarrassing actually.

crappie55369 wrote:

Chris i used to have that very same rig!!! and then i woke up… Very nice machine

What happened to change your mind?

Eelpoutguy wrote:

Chris, I’ll give that a “Double Yeah Baby!”
How far can you go on a tank of gas?? Does running tracks drain the tank faster than wheels?

Yeah, much faster. I should have an article coming out on tracks in next year’s “Ice Fishing” magazine on the pros and cons of a tracked ATV. Fuel consumption was one of the cons. The short answer is that whereas 20 MPG with tires is standard for my machine with stock tires, I found that tracks only provided approximately 7 – 9 MPG on average. As can be imagined, the deeper the snow, the more that fuel is consumed.

I looked at this very issue back at the end of 2009 and elected to go with a 700 Grizzly. At the time, if I remember correctly, it was within 100cc of the largest big bore; however, the Grizzly had the smallest footprint and lightest weight. As mentioned earlier, there’s not much size difference in the line from 450 – 700 and the weight differential was fairly insignificant. Additionally, I knew that I would be adding tracks at some point and wanted the additional ponies the 700 offered. Plus, it was EFI which I thought better for cold weather, and had an EPS option that would be welcomed for the little trail riding I would do and the tracks that I would be adding. Lastly, the Gizzly was a very reliable and proven platform from everything that I had researched.

In the interim since I’ve purchased it, I find that I no longer ride trails but can see myself doing so at some point in the future. I use it a little bit around the house to haul cut trees and a little bit in the summer when I’m training bird dogs.

This is what it has evolved to in the winter since purchase:

Joe is correct, it was when I grabbed the strap that it was unstable. I’ve since learned to only use the bracket back.

It does, be careful. Angle of the screen does matter.

Actually, I think mine is the 42″…just grabbed the wrong Amazon link. ;-( Good points.

Correct. If I go the slightly used route, I’m not expecting to find a Backtroller…the slightly used route will most likely be other brands from what I’m hearing.

Thanks again for the thoughts and insights. The more I look at these and talk with people, the more I think it’s a very viable option if I elect to buy new vs. very slightly used where somebody else took the first owner depreciation on value.

Ben Putnam wrote:

I use the Rapala Double Barrel rod bag. It’s perfect for the 4 customs that I have, but I’m looking at gun cases so I can get some more TUCR Lake Trout Precision rods at longer lengths.

Ben–In your search, don’t overlook the Plano hard cases. They make one for the AR-15 crowd that works very well with some longer laker sticks that I have. I have an Otter that I use more but to be honest, the Plano was less expensive and is more durable…and it has that break out foam you can twerk for a custom fit.

Here’s a link, they have them on sale at Wally World at times for $60ish, which is where I picked mine up.

http://www.amazon.com/Plano-108361-Guard-Tactical-Case/dp/B0029KKWT8

Are they any good to eat? I’ve caught them but have never tried eating one yet…and, while no Andrew Zimmern, I tend to be a bit adventurous with food.

Thanks for the comments and directing me to those other comments as well. Both have addressed many of my questions. I’ve corresponded a bit with Thelen but will miss the upcoming boat show in MSP. If I go forward, I’m probably looking at spring of 2016 so there’s time for more digging and speaking with actual owners.

Put the runners on first.

One item that hasn’t been mentioned, but I suspect it’s not too much of an issue where you live, and that is snow depth. In the land of the never ending lake effect and wind where I live, low profiled disks and BDs become snow covered very quickly. As such, I’ve gone with a set of Jack Traps which are considerably higher profiled. FWIW, the extra height helps with the good snowmobilers as they can better see and avoid them, whereas it could better act as a target for the bad ones…thankfully, I haven’t had anybody target my Jacks yet…KOW.

Here’s a link to an earlier post I put up on making my extraction bar and a picture of it.

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/winch-bar-for-the-ice/

Randy, great post, I must have missed this earlier.

This year I just purchased an LX-7, so the sonar is the same, and would add the two following comments that Marcum may want to consider in future updates:

1) I wish we could save multiple setting combinations as separate profiles instead of just having one saved combination. I can see one for shallow water, one for mid-depth and another for way off the deep end.

2) Similar to Joe’s comment above, I wish the USB port was more easily accessible. I’m guessing the present location has to do with allowing moisture into the unit but that’s just a guess.

I’d second Randy’s comment on windshield. I don’t have one on my ATV and the wind can be brutal…mostly on the hands. I don’t know what the snow is like in your neck of the woods but that too is brutal where I live (so much so that I’ve tracked my Grizzly) and fashioned myself a self-extraction bar to use with my winch and auger. One of those new USB jump packs might be nice but I have ATV tendered and start out each trip with a freshly charged battery. Plus, we don’t deal with the cold that you folks probably do. A tow strap is always good to have…I find myself hauling folks’ machines off the ice quite regularly for some reason. From a convenience perspective, I also have Otter Boxes front and rear.

Buzz wrote:

MN Law requires that the plug be out while transporting a boat on public roads. Also no water in the livewells or bait wells. If it is a used boat, you will need to make sure that it is free of any weeds and Zebs. As mentioned by others a new AIS trailer sticker and AIS test to obtain the sticker is going to be required (unless it is over-turned by the legislature). IMHO the down side of making a big issue out of this, may lead to further strengthen the belief that anglers don’t give a hoot. The nay sayer’s to this new process likely include those folks who don’t think AIS is a problem, those who think it is just a money grab, those who oppose anything that the DNR and Legislature does and those who can’t resist a soapbox to stand on. And to this a handful of Tea Party legislators.

I would hope they implement some common sense exemptions. We’ll see how it plays out if I end up making the purchase.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Chris Raymond wrote:</div>
but your laws seem fairly draconian.

Is that the same as Trekie?

Nope, it’s from ancient Greece if I remember correctly.

Yeah, I should probably check in a bit closer to the potential purchase. And the thing of it is, is that it would probably be fun to break to take a few days there while I’m already in your neck of the woods but your laws seem fairly draconian.

Plus, isn’t a phone based GPS app only as good as the cell phone reception? I’ve been told the new Garmin maps are really good but still muddle along with my older Lakemaster chip for my Garmin handheld (62st) fine enough.