Thank you for the information guys!!

Thank you for all the replies and advice everyone! Awesome being able to reach out and get this much help!

Thanks Bass Thumb! What about a mono backing then the braid .. necessary for ice reels since their smaller?

Started looking around at the end of last year and finally created a profile this year so I’m an infant on here. Thanks for this website it has been entertaining and educational. Thanks to all the folks that have helped me so far and in the posts to come I’m sure. Your wealth of knowledge is greatly appreciated.

I just watched the World War II in Color documentary on Netflix a couple months ago. That was a great documentary. They showed some really great footage from the island campaign including Iwo Jima and the flag raising there but also the rest of the war. Munchy I believe they mentioned that man from Minnesota that filmed it. My granddad was in the Army and in the island campaign..I now have a greater appreciation for the sacrifice our troops and everyone else during that time made. Very humbling…

That’s pretty slick! I’ll keep my used ones and try that next time. Thanks for the tip.

Maybe we’ll hear a story of someone having to many beers, melting one and getting the glow stuff on their clothes lol!

Never thought of the lighter trick Mike..interesting! Bet you gota be careful before you melt the stick tho lol!

I got one of the tundra lighted lures and a couple of the Lindy spoons last year. After the first time out with the tundra last year the light quit working and hasn’t worked at all in any temp this year. The Lindy spoon glow sticks seem to work better but you have to take them out and shake them every so often. Just my 2 cents….

Those B-Y baits look really nice..ordering some soon!

Not the greatest day of catching fish but we got out, the new flasher worked flawlessly and we had a great time sight fishing down our holes watching the fish take our baits! My son had an awesome time and asked to come back to the lake we were on to sight fish again! The magic of fishing and the memories it makes! And I missed a good sized largemouth or northern…D*&%IT! But so cool to watch it all happen!

I have an FL-18 that is now a back up. It is about 10 yrs old(maybe older) and has been and still is awesome! It was time for an upgrade and my son is now old enough to use and understand how a flasher works. I should’ve just went with my gut and got this unit to begin with. Oh well I have it now and didn’t lose any fishing time trying out the Helix besides a little setting adjustment time. I’m sure the guy that got it will be as happy as I am! Time to make some memories!

Thanks hawghunter. I’ve been messing with it at home and I really like it. The features it offers are perfect and very easy to navigate. And this one came with a manual!

Thanks Dylan. I decided to go with the Vexilar FLX-28. I had the Ice Helix 7 and didn’t like the complexity of it. I realize I want simple for ice fishing and Vexilar is simple. But the screens and features on the Helix and LX-7’s are awesome. I love the weight reduction a lithium battery offers these units. Can’t wait to get out with this new unit!

Thanks Spencer. It’s a toss up between that and a Vexilar FLX-28 Pro Pack. Decisions, decisions, decisions…

Spencer Haugen wrote:

I own one I love it people will say they hate the case it comes in because it’s tippy i normally grab it by the plastic handle by where the battery sits. I like the different styles go graph for deep water Lakers to zoom bars or flasher style for pan fish and eyes. Just take care of the unit and you’ll be good

I watched a video on it..seems pretty easy to use. Has that been your experience?

I have the Eskimo 5i and it’s great. 3 adults and gear fit very well..anymore than that it would get a little cramped and non-essential gear would have to be left outside or in the vehicle. From what I’ve looked at from Eskimo, Otter, and Clam I don’t think you’d go wrong with any of their hubs. Comes down to personal preference and best bang for the buck. That deal on the Clam C-560 sounds like a winner to me!

This is crazy! I was just thinking about a trip I took about 20 yrs ago in Michigan on the west side of the state by Ludington and then came across this post. We went targeting big Northern and Bowfin in the backwater channels of Lake Michigan. We caught a few really nice ones and man do I remember the fight! My buddy caught one that he put in for state record qualifying but it just missed. It was a great fish and weekend! Landed some real nice Northern too but not the big ones we were hoping for but we did have several mangled lures to show off lol! Great memories for sure!

I have one. Send me a PM

Thanks again WD!

Thanks wormdunker! I have the Ice Helix 7 Chirp GPS G3 FB which is not listed on the sw update page of the HB website under the Ice Series tab. Makes things a little confusing to say the least. My unit has sw version 2.030 installed right now. I’m guessing since I haven’t received an email saying there is a sw update that version is the current one. Looks like a phone call to HB CS is in my future.

Ice Cap is dead on point! I recently got the Ice Helix 7 and I’m still learning the functions of the unit. Besides the battery issue I recently had I really like this unit!

Yeah Bass Thumb it just wouldn’t hold a charge so on to the next battery.

I have an Eskimo 5i that has been awesome. Easy set up/take down with a little help from a 2nd person. As Vinella said great anchors and quilting too. I use bungee cords for holding the sides out instead of the strings that come with it..way easier! The full length door would be great to have but I get by. This might get a little tight for 4 people with all the gear but Eskimo makes bigger models. I also have the Eskimo Sierra thermal flip and 8 inch pistol bit..I’m sold on their products. Eskimo all day in my opinion!

Cameron white wrote:

No real way to test the charger. I use a noco 3500 myself, way better than the factory ones, and has a lithium setting. The 1100 does as well.

Thanks Cameron I’ll check them out. I just took the battery back yesterday and ordered one from Amped Outdoors. I put the battery that came with the unit and one of my other batteries in it and it worked fine with both of them so it was the battery.

I checked out noco..nice stuff. I didn’t see the models you mentioned but their Genius line is very impressive. I like their jump starters too. I see a purchase in my future!

Dude it’s the battery. Simmer down.

Electronics do weird things when they aren’t supplied with the proper voltage.

Just like a human and oxygen. 20.9% is all good, 17% will have you acting a bit goofy too.
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Thanks for the commentary B-man. I get there is a battery issue and was being silly about the situation. It’s not really a big deal, more disappointing than anything..so I just figure out what’s wrong and remedy that issue. I’m just reaching out for every possible situation before a decision is made to send it back and trying to put a little humor in the situation. Putting in a regular 12v battery to see what happens. The trials continue lol…..

It is now down to 7% and the flasher stopped flashing, yesterday the flasher worked until the unit shut down on it’s own. So I scrolled through the other views and nothing is doing anything. Additional issue now..really thinking about sending this thing back and getting a traditional Marcum or Vexilar if I exchange the battery and it continues to do the same thing. 4% now…

Yeah Mahtofire14 that’s what I thought after reading the different posts about these units so I decided to get one. Not sure if it was a good buy now. Hoping this issue is just the battery. I just took it off the charger after being on it since about 4 pm yesterday and in about 20 minutes it has gone from 100% to 58%. The flasher has been flashing crazily every few minutes for a few seconds and the level of charge drops and then goes back up but is lower than it was before the crazy flashing starts. Is thing possessed??

munchy wrote:

Do you have a multimeter? If so check the charging voltage and the battery voltage once its fully charged and disconnected.

Sorry Munchy I missed this reply last night. I think there’s a multimeter in my girlfriend’s late fathers tool bucket in our shed that I haven’t had a chance to go fully through but now I’m going to lol. If there is one I’ll check what you mentioned. Thanks for the suggestion.

Yes. Of all the batteries I sold up here, I had two Dakotas go bad. Both were the BMS system, not the battery itself. That said, I would try a different lithium charger first. Could be a bad charger. Once you eliminate the bad charger possibility, charge it, turn your unit on at home and let it run till it dies. If it still only gives you an hour, then it’s a bad cell or a bad BMS.
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Cameron is there a way to know if the charger I have is bad before I just take it back? Test it in anyway?

I thought about that since I have read that thread but then thought “wait a minute this is the first time out for both items there’s no way this thing should be dead, shutoff dead, in about an hour”!