SnoCobra?

http://snocobra.com/

I fished all of the Team Extreme events last year and I will tell you that it is a very well ran circuit. Previously, I fished the NAIFC, and still may fish a couple events this season, but I like the format that Team Extreme is set up on.

With the NAIFC, there is a lot of travelling involved to stay competitive. There are quite a few teams that travel all over the country and fish every event. With Team Extreme, there are 3 divisions- Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Each division holds a series of tournaments and will declare a Team of the Year at the conclusion of each division. The top 25 teams in points from each division will compete in a National Championship held in March. There will be some really good payouts at the Championship, but the best satisfaction is getting out, meeting new friends, seeing old friends, and competing against one another.

The next Team Extreme event in Minnesota will be held on Fishhook Lake in Park Rapids on January 5th. I encourage anyone who is interested to sign up and give it a try. You will find out really quick that tournament ice fishing is very addicting!

If anyone has any questions, please let me know and I will help out to the best of my ability.

Get the Precision with Recoil guides and you will be more than satisfied!

I still don’t understand why it is cheaper to order from Vados than it is to pick them up in store… With shipping included, it is cheaper for me to buy 2000 online than it is for me to go in store and purchase them. Needless to say, after years of doing business through Vados, I will be looking elsewhere next time.

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These are all good questions and I would bet that time will answer all for us ice fisherman. There are few things you need to keep in mind as you look at this technology though; first of all, which Lithium technology are you looking to use. As you may or may not know there are several types of Lithium compounds used in making batteries and each has its place and use. The batteries that I am using and is part of the discussion here is a Lithium Iron Phosphate compound. The battery is made by using 3 smaller cells in parallel and then 4 cell sets in series to create the 12V @ whatever amp hour configuration. You will find that these batteries operate a higher output voltage than you are used to since they charge to a maximum cutout voltage of 16.0V. The battery will operate around 12.8 – 13.2 V for a fully charged unit with the low current draw that we see in a Marcum unit. These technologies are fairly new to the public and have a tremendous sticker shock value, some of which makes the cost vary is the fact that for proper operation there is actually electronics built directly into the battery to make sure that damage does not occur if misused. If weight is a significant issue, these batteries weigh in at 2.8Lbs for a 10AH unit versus the 5.7Lbs for a 9 AH normal lead acid battery. Also, if you can believe charts, the cold temperature usage of these have been tested at -20F and have a good lasting power curve that indicates that some of the temperature issue have been fixed. As for the long life aspect of these batteries, it will totally depend on how you use it and how well you take care of it.

The battery that I use is the K2 series of batteries and charger so that is why I have included their info here. There is nothing unique about their data other than it is what I know of from my research.

If you use these batteries or not is purely a personal choice, but make sure that you do the research up front because it can be a big investment and you need to know what is the proper way to use and take care of your investment.

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This is right from their website. The Lithium make up is the same, However they do not use the proprietary battery management system like the lithium ion batteries from Solar Sportsman. This component is what controls the charge and discharge and prevents deep draw downs that can greatly reduce battery life or permanently damage cells. Also the improper use of an unapproved charger will not preform the same or can damage the battery. The K2 charger offered is about $50. So you have a $200 set up without a management system (the single most important element for use and longevity with this technology).

Will they be having the ice block chisel giveaway again this year?

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Big portage doesn’t have much for structure except for a sunken island out towards the middle of the lake. Best bet is to fish the weedline on the deepest side of that island. You’d probably have better success chasing the panfish.

Deep portage offers more structure.

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He’s referring to a different Portage than the ones you are thinking of.

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Check these out HERE

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Until the light start going out or you get bad lights right out of the package. The owner is a joke when it comes to customer service. He probably has an account on IDO and will post as a customer trying to hide behind these issues. I use some from another company that are brighter, more durable, and by far cheaper that the “Northern Dark Lights”

If you would like info on where to get them, send me a message.

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Link to a better price on e-bay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-9Ah-Lithium-Iron-Phosphate-LiFePO4-SEALED-Battery-w-PCM-AND-CHARGER-/181215369496?pt=US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item2a31471918

$99 + $10 shipping.

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Try getting the quality out of that battery.

James, is there a battery management system built into the Lithium Ion from Ice Force? Meaning, will it completely go dead or is there some type of reserve system to prevent this and allow for overall longevity (cycles) out of this battery?

Keep in mind that you need a special charger for these batteries. Some on these batteries will come with the charger and others will not. The Ice Force battery also requires the $29.99 charger.

Jeff’s Jigs and Flies. Stopper Lures also has their line of tungsten ice flies out this season that are worth looking at.

I know that Gary has been really busy as of late, but I will update the last couple of tournaments.

December 30th was on Osakis

Last weekend, January 27th, the Minnewaska Tournament was held.

Here are the up to date point standings for Team of the Year.

For those who haven’t heard, this is a really well ran tournament series. There are still 4 events left. On February 17th there will be one on Pelican by Monticello. If anyone is interested, send me a message and I can get you a registration form. Any questions regarding the format or rules, just ask.

The only thing is that it is not at the Xcel Center, it’s at the River Center.

If you haven’t looked at DH Custom Rods, I would take a peek. They have a noodle rod that in my opinion, as well as others, is very similar to the TB Powernoodle. You can get the Al Dente in 24″ or 28″ with Recoil guides. They also have the Seven Duece, which is the same as the 24″ Al Dente but with a 3″ handle. If you are looking for even shorter, the Mini Bite is just like the Seven Duece but comes in at 21.5″. Any one of these rods can be built with Recoil guides. The best part is the quick turnaround!

Personally, I think the confusion was created more by the rumors that were passed from the hype. Once the 6061 actually hits the shelves and people start getting their hands on it, the confusion will go away. There is a huge difference between the Black Betty and the Black Betty 6061.

Everywhere you look, there are products that are branded off another existing model. Take Clam for example. They have the Nanook and the Nanook TC as well as the Yukon and Yukon TC. Strikemaster has the Lazer Mag and the Lazer Pro. Point being, we have become accustomed to differentiate from a “base model” to a “luxury model” with a simple name tagged to a product. While 13 Fishing will advertise and market this as the Black Betty 6061, we as customers will more than likely refer to it as the 6061.

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Was just at Thorne Bros. and they have a whole rack of these reels there. Just Sayin.

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Wrong reel. They’re not the multiplier.

The “regular” black betty reels are openly available from many, many retailers.

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No need to make the trip then. Thanks James

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Oh the confusion that name is causing. My understanding is the proper name for the multiplier is the 6061 Ice Ninja.

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James, they are going to stick with “Black Betty 6061” as the official name. And yes, they will all ship the same time. The next 10-15 days the parts are being manufactured and then air shipped for the St Paul show. Retailers will be receiving their orders around the same time.

Here a a couple of the new and final specs.

-Official name: Black Betty 6061 (6061 refers to the aluminum CNC machined material used in the construction)

-R/L interchangeable, but some technical skill is required as it needs to be taken apart. There is a possibility some will be produced in right hand and some in left hand.

-Final gear ratio is 2.7:1 (19″ of line pickup when properly spooled)

The reason for a limited number this year, 500, is due to the intended release wasn’t supposed to be until next year. The original goal is to have 200 for the ice show, but haven’t heard if this will still be the case with all of the interest from retailers. Next year there shouldn’t be a problem with availability.

I thought I would post some pictures of the latest prototype. The final product will be pretty close to this. Same extended reel foot and very similar in color.

Press and hold the page button. The page will toggle over to the right or in your case the sonar screen. You will see the icon pop up as well. Once it is toggles over, you can now go into your menu and select Adjust to change your sensitivity.

2002 175 Magnum

There is also a little silver tag on the connection end of the cable that indicates the model of the transducer it is.