Love ’em. I’ve even made my own. The key is getting raw peanuts in the shell. Kinda hard to find in Iowa.
First experience was at a fruit stand on Merit Island Florida. The guy dipped a scoop into the crustiest crock pot I’ve ever seen and poured them into a large Styrofoam cup. Went back everyday we were there just for the boiled peanuts.
I figured if what ever grew in the crock pot didn’t kill me it would probably provide a lifetime of immunity to any number of diseases. So far so good.
You made this sticky to keep 8EFE28AEBA5BFD44 off the top of the thread list?
Shame on you!
How about a suggestion from the meme challenged?
The two priests from the Exorcist trying to cast out the demon 8EFE28AEBA5BFD44 from IDO? Or casting out the demon from Regan?
There is a bill in the Iowa Legislature that would allow the DNR to suspend all of your hunting, fishing, trapping, camping and state owned cabin rentals for a year if convicted of littering on DNR land/ice.
The fan on my Big Buddy bit the dust this year. Can’t get a replacement until next August. Not having the fan running in the garage made a big difference so I put a small fan behind the unit to try and circulate the heat better. Still not as good as the built in fan.
I tested the components to be sure the fan was toast and it wasn’t a bad switch or wire. What I found was the wall adapter that was labeled 6 volts was putting out 10 volts. I assume that is the reason for the death of the fan.
I used to have trouble starting the Big Buddy and my smaller Buddy Heater as well. I reread the directions and once I followed them they both started much better.
Perhaps this video is an allegory for his recent troubles.
He had life issues; he fell through a hole in his life (ice) his life was in danger (depressed) through his troubles he lost all the stuff that was important to him, but through hard work, a determination to find his stuff (get better) he has been able to salvage life from near tragedy.
Along these lines, think about what the “live scope” could represent.
From the day I started watching his videos his personality has intrigued me. I would not be surprised if this video was made as a metaphor for his life.
I’ve never been accused of being smart but I have been told I over think things.
Damn, just when the rut is getting good……
Thanks for all the replies.
I think perhaps a combination of the Tyepro ice tool and the pre tied lures with a swivel on one end to connect into a snap on the main line is the way to go.
I watched the video linked above with superglue on floss to hold plastics. I have heard of brushing superglue on a knot for insurance against poor knot tying skills. Any opinions? Well, besides the obvious “learn how to tie the knot correctly”.
Thanks again.
Here is what I found.
3mm is .5 gm or 1/16oz
4mm is 1gm or 1/8 oz
That was fast, thanks for the reply.
So is it safe to assume then that 5mm would be 3/16th and 6mm would be 1/4 oz? Can it be that easy?
Is there a common conversion for mm/oz?
For example a 4mm tungsten is 1/16 oz?
Some are listed with hook size as well, is there a commonality between manufacturer’s hook size, weight of the tungsten jig and diameter of the jig?
I saw this post this AM before I went to the local tiny box store to get some arrows, they had a couple of boxes of tungsten ice jigs on sale. None of the brands were listed by millimeter size. The closest I could come to deciphering the code they used was the ones marked 1/40th oz were teeny tiny and would be impossible for me to thread.
Same as the OP I’m just getting started in ice fishing so any info is appreciated.
I would wait till fall when all the stores have there displays and you can sit in all them and buy at the store. Spending $200 on shipping sounds insane in my opinion
I’m afraid the local stores wouldn’t have the models I’m interested in stocked and available for butt time and if they don’t stock them I’m afraid I’d get nailed with shipping. So yeah, I’m a loyal customer and I’ve been called crazy way more than once but that much for shipping is a no go.
If you are looking for the best bang for you buck you can find great deals right now! Ice houses are very bulky to store for retailers and they make great deals. Marine General is a great place to call and ask.
If you have any questions about Otter ice houses I can help you. Drop me a PM and I will assist!Shannon
Down here in Iowa the ice fishing stuff disappeared around March 1st. I did manage to pick up some odds and ends on end of season sales but I wanted more options on ice shelters than they had on the floor. I will take advantage of your offer for assistance after I re-review everything because I can’t remember anything about the brands except some were red, some were blue, some were black and they would all beat the crap outta trying to get 4 pound test down a hole in 20mph winds.
Thanks once again for the replies.
Ice Institute is Nov. 13-15
2 man, seats that slide front to back and side to side, fully insulated, side entry, I like the ones that have both side entry and a separate front entry, flip over or the Eskimo that’s a pop out hybrid with a sled, replaceable windows, lots of windows or big windows, molded in tow lugs, weight could be an issue I think the big Clams were pretty heavy but I’ve look at so many I can’t remember for sure. Bigger is better but for early ice dragging a 125 pound sled plus gear would be a booger.
Having said that I want to look at the zippers, the stitching, how heavy the material is, how heavy is the plastic for the windows, rod system, tow system, cost of accessories, how many ceiling vents.
I’m sure there will be trade offs, I’ll have to decide what my priorities are.
Thanks again.
I was in Fleet Farm for the first time in late February. Even that late in the season I was impressed with what they carried. Cabela’s is in PDC WI and Bass Pro is in DSM, neither is too far away. There is a Scheels in Coralville and a locally owned “mom and pop” store in Iowa City. I like to patronize the Iowa City store because they have treated me well over the years. So if I see what I want at a show and the local store carries that brand but not that model I’d probably have to pony up for the shipping. I’m loyal to a fault but shipping may be a deal breaker.
Damn. The first week in November usually finds me in a tree stand. I’ll google the Sioux Falls show and check out the dates.
Thanks again for the info.
Thanks for the replies.
I did come across a past ad for St. Paul. I’m thinking I’d evaluate the shelters at the shows and purchase/order local. I did see thought that one brand had a $200 shipping fee.
I was thinking the shows would be late summer or fall. If the world isn’t past the corona by then we’ll have much bigger things to worry about than ice shelters.
I’m in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, Iowa area but I would make a weekend of it almost anywhere in the Midwest for the right expo AND as long as it isn’t mid-rut.
Thanks again for the input. Open to and appreciative of all suggestions.
Why not just make a set of extension leads, so the battery sits on the floor? Nothing more than male & female spade terminals and some wire,,,,
HRG
I though about doing that on the end of the extension that goes from the charger to the battery to get rid of those alligator clips and leave that extension on the battery when I go fishing. I’m afraid the alligator clips will fall off.
I did see a post somewhere on here on which terminals to purchase. As soon as the corona passes I’ll be headed to town. No hurry on that project.
Thanks for the reply.
There is, I already told you about it. You should be using a “filtered/regulated power supply”. This will plug into a 110 volt wall outlet and provide 12 volts of filtered clean power for your electronics to run off of. Google is your friend and you will find many choices on Amazon and Ebay as well as other direct sellers of “filtered/regulated power supply” devices.
Sorry, I didn’t discern that from your post and if I had I’m not sure I’d trust my investment, big to me small to some, to a non-branded item. If Humminbird had a product that does what I’m trying I might think about it. It was a fun exercise in trying to make it work.
Wow, I had a nice post almost all done when something shiny floated by, I chased it, failed to catch it, and when I got back my reply was lost somewhere in the ether. Oh well.
So, my conundrum was I wanted to practice with my unit without the weight of the shuttle and battery. I want to sit in the comfort of my living room, in my comfy chair and not have 16 pounds of stuff on my lap. To try and accomplish this goal I took unit out of the shuttle and therefore the battery out of the power equation, replaced it with the charger hooked up to the power cord and the unit would not power up.
What I have discovered since is the charger is rated at 1amp and the unit draws 800mA.
In my quest for a solution I visited Humminbirds site. They sell filtered power cords but not for the Helix system. The filtered power cord appears to have the same end on it as the Helix. My unit is an All-Seasons that came with a power cord for boat installation, this cord is not filtered. Huminnbird also sells a 12v power cord that plugs into a power port, it is not filtered either.
I thought about purchasing the 12v power cord for a power port (cigarette lighter hole) and using the huge deep cycle battery that lives out in the garage and the cord with the female power port and clips that is around here somewhere, but carrying that battery around is worse than having the 16 pounds of fish finder, shuttle and battery in my lap.
Perhaps there is some kind of feed back system that detects if there is a battery in the system. All I know about electricity is it is invisible until it arcs and then it hurts a lot. So does the battery act in someway to filter out the voltage spikes and smooth out the signal/wave form from the charger?
Lots of hassle for something I though would be easy. It is odd that there isn’t a power supply that I can plug into the wall and learn my ‘bird. I went to a seminar at the local big box store and they had 25 units plugged into a system that plugged unto the wall. The seminar was sponsored by Humminbird and the power supply was provided by them.
Anyway, just trying to pass the time in a constructive way instead of being glued to the corona news.
Thanks for all the replies.
the 1 amp output probably isn’t enough. What else do you have that outputs 12V DC?
HRG
Well, I’m that guy that never throws away a charger so tons, but I’d be afraid of polarity problems. I also have a deep cycle battery that I could MacGyver.
I looked up the power draw and the non Ice Helix 7 CHIRP GPS G3N draws 800MA so the charger should be enough. The charger does charge the battery after I’ve used it.
The one that came with the unit, from the charger: Humminbird Model AU121000US-E Part #406694-2 Output: 12v DC -1A.
Thanks for the reply.
I purchased an Ice Helix 7 CHRIP GPS G3N AS A couple of weeks ago. I remember reading somewhere in the directions that the battery should only be connected when fishing as the battery can discharge. Whether that meant just over time or if there is a drain on the battery while it’s off. I took it as there is some sort of drain other than time on the battery.
It will be plugged in 24/7. Unless, of course, I go fishing.
As to the case zipper turning the unit on, I think that is what happened to me after the first time I used it. I noticed the charge light hadn’t turned green in a days worth of charging. I reconnected the charger and next day still no joy on a green charge light. That’s when I opened the front of the case and the unit was on.
Also somewhere in the instructions I had read the sonar should never be used when the transducer is out of the water as it may cause damage to the transducer. When I saw the screen on and realized it had been on for two days I got kinda grumpy thinking I had ruined my first fish finder.
A grumpy yet frantic call to Humminbird customer service to find out if my unit was toast or not would have gone better if I had calmed down and listened. The agent that helped me said something about transducers and air and something else but I didn’t listen. In my mind I was thinking of a way to test the unit without driving to the lake and drilling a hole.
I remembered the 5 gallon buckets in the garage. Would it work in a bucket? Only one way to find out. I brought a bucket into the kitchen ignoring the look of death I was getting from the wife. The look only intensified when I started filling the bucket with the sink sprayer. I don’t know what the wife was so upset about, most of the water went in the bucket and I stopped before I over flowed it.
I dropped the transducer in the bucket, powered on the unit and held my breath. I know 5 gallon buckets are deep, but not the 9 feet deep the unit was telling me. I adjusted the gain, manual depth at the lowest I could make it, fiddled with the zoom and it still indicated the bucket was 5 feet deep.
This did not make me feel any better so I decided I needed to go fishing to test the unit in deeper water, oh darn. The unit seemed to work OK at the lake. This was only my second time trying to use a fish finder of any kind let alone a unit with way more options than the smartphone I still can’t figure out.
I felt better when the depths it was indicting matched a state map I had printed off. I quit fishing and just fiddled with the until I became so confused I didn’t know which part went in the water and which part I was supposed to look at.
I still wasn’t 100% sure it was working as it should so I decide another call to customer service might help me out. This call went much better because I was neither grumpy nor frantic. The agent told me if the self test completed with out errors and the self test screen indicated a transducer was hooked up then all was well.
I was a happy guy. The next time I went out after an extensive review of the instruction went much better. I actually marked a couple of fish. I didn’t catch any but seeing the machine work as it should was a relief.
Headed out to the hard water again tomorrow. My goal is to get a bite. Then the next time out my goal will be to actually catch a fish.
There is a first time for everything.
