Yeah the attendance thing isn’t likely going to get fixed too soon. In the WCHA days a good chunk of the conference was just few hours in the car away, people could take a half day off and be at a visiting arena for a Fri night game. That is what made the rivalries so great….visiting fans here and Gopher fans going to away games. Back in those days it was so much fun going to away games….now you need to get on a plane or have long car rides for away games except WI.

Beyond that…the WCHA teams typically had a decent # of MN kids so a lot of the rivalries between the college teams was building all the way up through youth and high school hockey because so many played against or with each other growing up.

Just a bummer things went the way they did with the Big10, they needed 6 teams to form the league so MN and WI had no choice. Now that there are 7 teams in the Big10 it would be nice if the U could petition out and get into the NCHC with ND, St Cloud and Duluth. They have enough teams they don’t need to hold the U hostage any longer.

Thanks for the info….don’t really care if I catch keepers or not…more about getting out. I’ll probably have kids and/or newbies with me, so more just looking for some cooperative fish to keep things interesting.

Thank you! Looking forward to checking them out.

Thanks for the link to the video. Do you check the tension on the nut a few times a year to make sure it stays at 50lbs?

I’ve run a lot of years with the regular prop nut and cotter key combo and never lost a prop until last summer, it feels less secure to put something on that is only using tension to hold the nut in place. It must work though or people wouldn’t buy them and they’d be out of business.

I’ll have to check that I didn’t spin the lock nut on far enough to see if the cotter key hole was exposed. They for sure will not both fit like the packaging shows, it’ll have to be one or the other.

I just used several of those 4″ wide adhesive grip strips on my hunting trailer, they work great. I just put them about every 4 – 6 inches or so all the way up the ramp and have had no issues with slipping.

2 years old.
I have 2 Lx3 units with 2 year old batteries as well, all units have been used basically the same # of hours, same conditions, stored the same way and charged at the same time.
The 2 Lx3 units were at 60-70% when I hooked them up last night and were at 100% in less than 30 minutes last night.

Make sure the blades are sharp on the auger as well. You can have all the power you want but if you have dull blades it can take a lot to punch a hole.

Not sure where you live but even with the really cold temps we have right now you still need to be careful out there….find a local bait shop and ask about ice conditions and if there are areas to avoid. Aerators, current in channels etc etc.

Other than that, what was said above….use the app to find a nice break line or piece of structure at have at it. Some sort of sonar/flasher would be at the top of the list for next purchases….it can make all the difference between doing well and going home skunked.

The zoom feature is nice to have, especially in deeper water so you can still get good target separation. I upgraded to an lx5 a couple years ago and my lx3 went to my son. The wife also uses an lx3, bought them at the same time about 10 years ago and they’ve been great units.
I also like my lx5 a lot.

I like the water spike anchors, they are kind of big but once they hook up you aren’t going anywhere.
Also the amount of rope you let out helps a lot, that way the bouncing of the boat in the waves isn’t skipping your anchor along the bottom.

Well….if that isn’t just a head scratcher. So I finally found my power cord for the GPS….plugged it in to the power point in the truck and it powered on just fine. Unplugged it from the truck….stayed on just fine. Powered it on and off 3-4 times just using the battery power and it came on just fine every time and worked as it should.

No idea what the deal was….at least I don’t need a new handheld GPS….even though it’s probably time. My H2O isn’t even color it’s so old.

I have a 2005 2500HD with the Duramax and I love it. I just pull the 620, sleds and a hunting trailer but have hauled car trailers a few times. I certainly don’t NEED the diesel but I’ve been driving this truck for 8-9 years and while I would love a new one I can’t justify getting rid of it. It’s had some repairs but at 250k miles one would expect that.

I really like the power when pulling the boat, it allows me to easily pass slow pokes on the 2 lane without needing miles of open road.

AND….yeah…those people that block the diesel pumps even though there are other gas pumps open….just smile and wait patiently.

Just a quick follow up. We heard from the soldier that we sent the care packages to after he got the first one….apparently it takes a month for the stuff to get to him. He was very appreciative and said it was a wonderful surprise to get a box of goodies and notes from the kids.
It sounded like he was going to be in the field for a while and wouldn’t be able to communicate so the second box will likely be waiting for him when he gets back and the third is in route.

We always hit Tom Reid’s, the wife loves their puck dogs. We’ve always had really great waitresses there too.

Just a thought…..what kind of fishing do you do? Are you pulling a portable behind a wheeler or sled…maybe even long distances?

Or are you a walk out/drive the truck out ice fisherman?

Do you hole hop a lot or more find a spot and put the house up?

I bought a new Marcum Lx5i last year for me and my Lx3 went to my son. I really thought long and hard about an LX6 or LX7 but I like to do the sled portable kind of fishing so I was concerned how the LED screen would hold up to riding in a portable.
I also like to hole hop and the LED units seemed a little front heavy and felt like the unit wanted to tip out of the case…here again…if you don’t hole hop much or at all….not a consideration to worry about.

The LX3 is a durable unit that has proven itself over and over….I have two of them that have seen hundreds of miles in the portable behind the sled and they are still going strong so I opted to go for the LX5i which is the same flasher style as the LX3.

I also LOVE the case style on the Lx3 and Lx5, Great handle for carrying when hole hopping and the flip down cover velcros nicely to keep everything secure inside while in transport.

Not saying the LED units can’t handle a ride in a portable fish house behind a sled or wheeler….I just know the LX3s can so that helped me make my decision.

So it might be good consider how you like to fish and take that at least in to consideration as part of your decision.

So, I’ve spoken to and or met a couple different breeders and trainers. I ran across a trainer that came highly recommended by a guide I know that has gotten several dogs from him.

He isn’t a breeder but has connections all over the country. I talked to him about what we were looking for and he was incredibly helpful and freely shared tons of info and was completely unassuming that I’d work through him for training or securing a pup. It really felt like the most important thing to him was providing me with as much knowledge as he could to help me make a good decision no matter where I go.

He did have a line on a potential litter so I’ve already spoken to both the M and F owners about the dogs, their certifications, demeanors, size, on/off switch etc etc.

Should be working through getting a deposit set up this week to secure one of the pups. Really excited about adding a new member to the family.
Thanks for all the info everyone!!

Thanks for the replies!!
I’ve reached out to the places suggested above and via PM so I’m excited to hear back from them on what they have planned for litters this coming year.

The older Polaris sleds are good…I would put my vote in for the older Ski Doo sleds. I have a 95 formula SL 500 that still starts and runs great. It is a fan cooled sled….insert a knock on wood here….never had any issues with it. I also have a 98 mxz 500(liquid cooled) that runs great and again never had any mechanical issues with it. I’ve put a lot of miles on with the fishhouse in tow and it does a great job. Both machines are between 400 and 500 pounds.

If you’re going to be towing a fishhouse with gear through snow breaking trail you may want to go with a little more displacement than a 340 so you have plenty of power to get where you want to be. A deeper lug track like a 1.25″ would also be a huge help.

The biggest thing with older sleds……find someone that has kept it STOCK…when you start modifying them with aftermarket cans, carbs, gears clutches etc etc etc you’re more likely to run in to people that wanted “go fast” which means it was probably ridden pretty hard.

Lastly…late 90s through current the suspensions advanced tremendously every few years so you’ll find cushier rides as you get more current as well.

I’ve been using mediums for years and they work great.

Not sure if your model of the LX3 has a specific spot for the transducer or just a tray it lays in. I had some transducer issues a while back and when I talked to the guys at Marcum they suggested adding some decent padding in the tray where the transducer sits.
The older LX3 I was using just had a plastic tray to rest the ducer in and the bouncing in there was wrecking it. I had some old blade buddies(hockey skate blade cover) and I cut one in half, put half in my Lx3 and half in the wife’s….that was years ago and haven’t had a ducer issue since.

They are pretty sensitive to impacts so you should never use the ducer to punch through a skim of ice over a hole, bang it around on the ice or let it bounce around in the tray…..sure fire ways to needing to replace it.

If you don’t have holes in the house, something like farkle would work. Just need 6 dice, a pad of paper and pen.
6-5-4 if you have a couple people willing to toss in some $s
Otherwise cribbage or poker is always good.
Depending on the table you could play quarters or chandeliers…that way you have a game to play AND you get drunk…..which could easily lead to tackle tip ups and pout slaps. Other hazards of these last games could be minnow eating and attempting to force feed your fishing partner a frozen fish.

I couldn’t agree more with many of these comments. Breaking up the WCHA was the worst thing that could have been done. It was the best conference in college hockey and a good chunk of the teams in the division were a relatively easy drive so more fans would travel with the team or travel here to the U which packed the house and made for a spectacular fan experience.
Watching the games on TV now it looks like any other so-so college arena with a bunch of empty seats.
And don’t even get me started on the TV coverage…..back in the WCHA days…Fri/Sat night 7 or 8, maybe tape delay after the Wild. Big10….Fri/Sun and so many odd ball times if I recall right they played on a Monday or Tues night last year too.

While I agree there is some level of rivalry between the Michigan teams and the Gophs it will never be the foaming at the mouth, rabid, bad blood from the drop of the puck rivalry like there was with UND/St. Cloud/UMD/WI(when they were good LOL)/Mankato and even the Colorado teams came to town with a chip on their shoulder so it was always good hockey to watch and even better to be there in person.

Maybe someone will see the err in their ways and at lease bring some of these big rivalry games back on an annual basis.

I did hear that in a couple years the Gophs and UND are trying to get a game set up in Vegas…..I just might have to get tickets for that one!!

I would second the Stowmaster nets.
It folds up/deploys in seconds so you can have it folded up and out of the way while fishing or running.
Folded up it easily fits in the front storage compartment in my 620.

Not sure where you’re from your profile doesn’t say.
Here in MN it can be as much about finding permission as it is about finding birds. You won’t be the only one out scouting so if you find a place that looks promising you should seek out permission right away before someone gets in there ahead of you. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been scouting just to find a good spot then head to the land owner’s house and there is a truck with guys in camo pulling out of the driveway or the owner tells me there were guys just there.
If you’re looking to hunt public land your success will likely be directly related to the amount of work you are willing to do and distance you are willing to drive. Places that are easy for hunters to get at or close to populated areas are going to get pounded because many hunters aren’t willing to do a lot of work to get where they need to be. For public land the more out of the way and harder it is to get at the fewer hunters and likely more ducks you’ll find.

In the end though….it is all about windshield time and putting a lot of miles on your truck but when you find the proverbial “X” it is….oh so worth it!!

I have them networked with the ethernet, but I thought each unit has to have it’s own chip to have the contour lines so they are both chipped.

I have them just running the GPS on the internal antennas so each unit is getting it’s own signal.

The confusing part is they’ve been set up the way they are for a couple years and I haven’t noticed the discrepancy in the past. Both units have an unobstructed view of the sky. The console unit sits with about half the unit above the top of my smoked windshield on my Ranger so there shouldn’t be clear line of sight issues.

They are probably 20-30 yards different so it is pretty significant discrepancy.

Yes….they are networked

Hi Jon,
I’ve replaced both my taillights on my 2002, I think the 2003 trailers have the same lights.
They are more squared off but Northern sells a 2 tail light LED kit, you’ll probably need to drill out new holes to attach them to the fenders but they fit well.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200338570_200338570

You may want to check the line from where you fill the tank to the tank.
My 2002 Ranger had a horrible gas smell in the front compartments and it ended up being that the fill hose was cracked. Got it replaced and no more gas smell.

Might be worth checking near where you fill your tank if you haven’t already.

I tried turkey hunting for the first time last year and figured I might as well try to learn a diaphragm call so my hands would be free.

I stopped in to Archery Headquarters in Rochester and asked them for an entry level call.

They suggested the Primos True Double but warned me about the possible gag reflex.

It took a while to get past the gag reflex…but once I started figuring the call out(just following the instructions that came with it) and I actually making turkey sounds the focus was off the gag and on to making it sound right. I think it sounded okay after listening to videos of live birds, I didn’t bag one but saw some. I couldn’t draw them in but I also didn’t scare them away so maybe I wasn’t too bad.

Good luck….it took me a while but I’m glad I stuck with it.

Hi Grouse!

The only issue I am having is at wide open throttle or close to wide open.
When I am trimming it up to maximize performance it trims up to a certain point and just won’t go any higher. It’s like the trim motor doesn’t have enough ooomph to lift the motor against the forward pressure created by the prop, it goes part way up but just won’t go past a certain point while at wide open throttle….so maybe I just answered my own question. Is that a possible precursor to the trim motor going out completely?

At slow speeds or when the motor is off it will trim fully up and fully down no problem, if I trim it up and leave it over night it won’t sag at all so it seems like the hydraulics are good.