When you say better than ever, can you tell me what works better than the 1.6 update?

Thank you Tom! Great input! I have been afraid to update mine but now i am feeling more comfortable recommending a new unit to friends

Any of you guys have units that are new and CAME with the new software revision? I have two buddies who both want to buy a helix after seeing mine, however i’m hesitant to tell them to go buy it knowing the issues with the 1.83 software revision. I just got of the phone with customer service for humminbird and they told me a new factory unit CANNOT go backwards in software revision. I’m trying to understand if this is an issue with brand new units that came with the new software or older units that were updated?

Flip over, way easier to move around. I always feel a bit committed once i have my hub setup.

Nice job, i like it, as a fellow engineer i can appreciate identifying the gaps in what is commercially available and design/building something to fit your exact needs. I switched to the clam plate this year only because my handle for my rigid drill started popping off, it clamps onto metal shoulders on the drill. Some of my less experienced buddies were using it and were not properly holding the handle so it popped off once which rolled the the shoulders a bit and now it pops off often. I was forced to used the clam plate and its ok, i just don’t like the extra weight, bulkiness and also it ties up your drill. I really wanted to use the drill for running hub screws into the ice but now that its tied up on the clam plate i can’t very easily. Great work.

I agree. If the older software revision works, then why eliminate the benefit of ice mode.

Glad to hear that Luttes, I absolutely LOVE my helix 5 G2 but the new software is making it hard for me to recommend my buddies buy one. Hopefully humminbird figures that out.

Bass Thumb wrote:

The Smitty will help. There’s really not a lot more you can do. I’d be cautious about bringing any vehicles aside from sleds on the lake right now if your snowfall is as bad as what I’ve been experiencing in central MN. I’m starting to find nasty slush pockets under the snow that will get a vehicle stuck terribly.

Good call, i hate driving my truck on the ice anyway.

catmando wrote:

If its a community spot with shacks , chances are someone plows a road to it

I believe there are permanent shacks in the area so perhaps someone will plow to them. I dont mind walking. Some spots i walk to on the river are over 3 miles round trip but in this kind of snow you really gotta want it to even go half that distance

If you can i would definitely go back to the old software revision. I am running the old software and its flawless other than the auto depth which is not a big deal at all. If i have the gain up to 11 i’m using a tiny jig in over 20 ft of water

Thanks everyone, i picked some up and ran it last night. Sounded great!

If your helix is a Gen 2 it should have no problems doing what you are doing, and the display for me is very crisp. Like others have said, i don’t have to do a lot with the settings. Ice mode, enough gain to pick up my jig, set depth (if you are in 12 fow, set it to 13 or 14), and start fishing.

I have last years model of the rigid hammer drill with a 6″ lazer and 2 4ah batteries. I almost never need the 2nd batter unless i am doing a lot of searching.

My only complaint with the rigid is the handle attachment method, had a buddy using it and it must have gotten loose and popped off. this rolled the cast aluminum shoulder it clamps on to and the problem got worse from there. I solved it by putting a C-clamp on it but that was clumsy, i just picked up a clam plate to solve the problem. Would prefer the drill handle over the plate due to weight and size but i think the comfort will off set that a little

Gen1 – no chirp/IR, I will use any other mechanical flasher over it
Gen2 – with chirp/IR, I wouldn’t trade it for any other flasher

You need the xi 9 1521 to get the chirp performance out of that unit.

bigcrappie wrote:

You can feel a wax warm fall off in 20 fow.

I can feel the difference in drag/weight when i lose a waxie with a $30 rod, but i can’t “feel it fall off”. That’s amazing. Can you feel the water moving as a fish swims up to your jig?

I don’t fish a lot of plastics but the impulse may fly has been really good for me.

Take a look at the helix 5 G2. You can get the sonar/gps open water unit for like $270 on amazon. I believe you can exchange the transducer through humminbird exchange program and exchange the skimmer it comes with for the XI 9 1521 transducer. Buy an battery and build a simple shuttle for another $50 and you got a fantastic unit for under $350. You can also use it on your boat once the ice melts. I haven’t picked my vex up once since i built mine. I’m selling my vex to build another one.

I have a helix 5 G2, i wouldn’t trade it straight up for a helix 7 for the reasons everyone already listed.

biggill wrote:

If a bottom hugger isn’t picked up on a no zoom mode, it won’t be picked up on zoome mode. Plain and simple it just zooms in. It doesn’t add any sensitivity. You just need to pay a little closer attention and always use the narrowest beam possible.

This is true although i would think the resolution of the display would limit what is shown at a certain point without zoom.

Think of it like a larger gas tank hooked up to the same engine. As long as you have the same voltage it just gives you more capacity.

I got my hands on the chirp ducer in late december at Scheels in Rochester, at the time i called a few other Scheels and they had a few on hand at each store as well. If you find one in store, Scheels will honor the online price even if its sold out online (they did for me anyway)

bbuchho90 wrote:

Update for all you guys that gave advice:

Made it out yesterday afternoon at around 2pm, checked depth at a few spots and set up camp in 14fow on a break from current to a 6ft sand flat. Plenty of ice at 14″. We pulled a few really nice perch up right away, and from 4:30 to 5:30 really got into the walleye. 30-40 of them between two of us. Most were pretty small, but very aggressive. We put one 16″ on the ice as well as a nice sauger.

Was great to find them! Now I just need to figure out where the big ones are. Heading out this afternoon to try a bit closer to the dam with a little more current.

You are already ahead of me in walleye fishing LOL, i never catch them like that

404 ERROR wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>dbv2 wrote:</div>
I am not sure that is true of the newest Humminbird Helix Ice Gen2, is it?

Haven’t used the G2, I have the G1. According to the HB website, it has not changed much. 1.5″ of target separation on the G2 Helix units, compared to 2.5″ on the 35, 45, 55 and G1 Helix units.

I’d say going from 2.5 to 1.5 is a pretty significant improvement. I have the G2 and I have been very happy with the separation vs my vex and my buddies marcum.

Bass Thumb wrote:

Are people having issues with lag in cold temperatures? I’ve heard that’s a major issue for some.

Not at all, i think lag comments have been from Gen 1 users.

I really like them for perch

perch 9″ minimum
crappie 10″ minimum
Gill 7.5″ minimum

traumatized wrote:

I have one and have no complaints. Flasher and regular sonar side by side are great, awesome zoom. Having the GPS onboard is fantastic. Ran all day and never had battery go under 25%. My only real frustration with Hummingbird/Lakemaster is that I have 9 different map SD chips for my Humminbird fish finders on my boat. None of these will fit in the Helix series. You have to have the micro SD. I talked to them about transferring the date to a micro SD card, nope, ain’t going to happen. It sucks because I already own the data, I just want it on a different media. I think they could have done a better job with that. And at $125 a card I’m in no big hurry to go out and replace them.

I have found both navionics and lakemaster maps for around $90 to $100 if you do some searching. I’d sell your full SD cards and buy new micros.

I have a helix 5 gen2 and i honestly think its is going to dominate the market until Vex or Marcum figure out how to offer mapping on their units. The sonar is as good or better than any unit available, more user friendly than the digital marcums, plus it has gps mapping that you can take from your boat to the ice and fish the same spots. Battery life has been fine for me with a 9ah lead acid battery. i could run all day on full screen brightness and have no problem.

What a monster. The river has been un-believable for perch these last 6 years or so and it gets better and better every year. I have been catching them from 3 fow to 20 fow and everywhere in between. I seriously can’t go anywhere without catching them this year.

I have never ran a Gen 1, but i had heard a lot of issues about the sonar being inadequate vs traditional units and the interference being an issue. It sounds like with some setup you can get it to work well.

My experience with the G2 has be just awesome, my only comment is that the depth auto range isn’t the greatest for hole hoping and i tend to leave it in manual mode and dial it to where i need it. Everything about this unit is as good or better than any mechanical flasher i have ever used.