Well with everyones help, I have now finished up my ATV setup. Otter Monster box on the back, Digger up front and a little 8″ LED light bar for some extra light on the lake at night. Cannot wait to get it out on the ice and try it out.
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If you are content with an old style dial flasher, hard to be the 28. If you want a unit thats you can customize and set up just the way you want it, go with the LX7. I got an LX7 used this season and have loved it. I do not even use the flasher mode any more and have gone to just using the graph and vertical zoom. All abot how you want to use the unit. Should be happy with either option IMO.
Couple years ago I bought a used Arctic Cat 550 EFI. Works great for me pulling the portable and plowing the driveway. I have never had a machine with EPS and don’t really see the need but guys who have it swear by it. EFI was a huge thing for me though, after having carb’d models growing up and dealing with those, its really nice to just hit the key, touch the starter button and it be running with no choke etc.
Another brand to check out is Can Am. I was about to buy one of their 570’s brand new before finding the deal on the Cat I bought. Well built machines and owners of em swear by em.
Thanks Jamin, signed up for the trial and paid a couple bucks extra for shipping to get here Friday. Still less than $270 with tax and shipping. Appreciate the feedback everyone!
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Josh Hedstrom wrote:</div>
Where did everyone get their monster box from?Best I could find and can still find. I opened a “trial” account to order it and then closed my account within 30 days. $252 to my door.
https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/otter-rear-atv-box?a=2213884&_br_psugg_q=otter
Awesome, saw that place, and just never had heard of them so was a little aprehensive. Looks like I will be placing an order. Thanks!
Thinking I will be going with the Digger mount in the front and Monster box in the rear. Also just ordered a small LED light bar for the front of my wheeler also.
Where did everyone get their monster box from? I think the closest place to me that sells them is Runnings, never really shopped there though, do they have coupons like Fleet Farm does at times with like 50 bucks off a 250 dollar purchase or anything like that? Or any leads on somewhere else to check?
Thanks everyone, you guys have some great looking machines. Hoping to get mine on that level shortly!
I got a used LX7 for a smoking deal on FB Marketplace. Upgraded from the LX3-Tci. So far I really like it. Not using the dial at all and just using the graph and vertical zoom. Like how customizable it is. Debating on keeping the LX3 for a backup and for people who dont have one that come out with me or if I should sell it to put into more fishing gear 
Make sure you have the handle for it. Another thing I will add is that the screw to hold it to the drill attachement doesn’t seem to hold the best. I will be adding a little bit of blue loc tite to mine.
I would consider it. I just purchsed a LX6 Lithium, but thought about v2 of RT9 instead. What prices did you see them at?
Saw em on Marcums site for 699.99, that being said I did some more looking and was able to find some good deals on used LX7s and thinking that is the route I will go.
Looks like the RT-9 is on pre black Friday sale of 30 percent off at Marcum
I saw this as well from a link from someone. Do you know if everything is 30% off or if it’s just the RT9? Unless I followed the link it still showed it as $999.99
Agree with everyone saying get an M3 or LX3-TC or LX3-TCi. You get the bottom zoom as stated, but can also zoom anywhere in the water column. This is a feature that Vexilar does not offer. I have the LX3-TCi and love it. Will probably get an LX6 as an upgrade but will keep the LX3 because its such a solid unit. Have not had a single issue with it at all.
Love me a Ceymar C10. For the price I cant imagine anything else being a better buy. Close second would have to be a Sienna.
Can’t even imagine… Have a 20 month old little boy and a little girl due any week now. So much love for both of them and things like this really make you realize how fragile life really is. Thanks for that. Prayers to you and the family to have the strength to deal with this..
A buddy and I went out of High Banks last year for our ice fishing trip and used their road. Great people! We had a blast and hammered perch out there. Couldn’t have rattle wheels set for about a 2 hour period in the morning and afternoon because they were so stacked. Would most definitely go back again. Great people working there as well when you want to get out of the house and have a cocktail. That reminds me, make sure you get a to go cup from the bar! Great deal and good price on refills too!
The trick to getting deals at the show is really to try and have cash and hit up the vendors on sunday as the show is shutting down. I have gotten some really good deals in the past but you run the risk of what you want to buy not being available.
The no tax for me sometimes factors in as I live in WI. Sounds like some good deals though from what I read.
This is so true. I’ve went 3 times now, once on every day. The vendors are trying to unload stuff on Sunday so you can get a bit of a better deal on stuff but run the risk of them not having any stock. Saturday just seems to be overly busy IMO. And on Friday (when we went this year) was pretty nice, still fairly busy as should be expected but lots of stock and still deals to be found. If someone hasn’t gone I really recommend it. You don’t realize all the new things that you can’t live without haha.
I pulled the trigger on an XT hideout from Thorne for 400 bucks and no tax. Pretty excited to have a more manageable portable for when I’m fishing by myself.
Fished at Highbanks last year. Great people, and the fishing was fire last year for Perch. We couldn’t get bait down fast enough.
I found that my TUCR Quick tip works amazing for #3’s.
We went out of High Banks this week. Hammered perch off the perch bar. Caught about 5 or 6 walleyes all in the slot too. We got our limit of perch and headed home early. Couldn’t get bait down fast enough. Was a really fun time. Not sure how their cabins and such are since we stayed in our ice castle but the bite is hot up there, it was for us at least!
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21 feet deep out of High Banks we slammed perch the past few days. We also had 5 walleyes but they were all in the slot so they went back. It was a blast. Couldn’t get bait down fast enough. We got our limit and headed home early. Green spoon with a minnow, or minnow head worked awesome. Hardest thing was sorting through them. We caught so many we decided we were only keeping ones over 9 inches. Ended up with 40 between the 2 of us. Was a fun time. Started about 7 or and would bite good until 11. Then am they started back up again at about 2 until dark. Non stop action.
2 incredibly talented builders who aren’t huge names in the mainstream here in MN are Andy Wolfram and Adam Bricker. A quick google search can pull up some of their work. Would be worth checking them out.
Seen some of Brickers rods. Those looked like artwork!
John, if a person buys the case and insert from you guys do you get the egg crate foam from the otter case originally and the insert?
Okuma Ceymar fan here. Will not be buying any other type of spinning reel for ice fishing. Super smooth and a good price point too!
I have an adhesive LED light strip to one of my bars that I routed through. It is nice to have it tucked and away. I haven’t had issues of it binding or anything like that. There is a plastic piece that I had to drill through to fish the cord through. This light also had alligator clips that I cut off and after I fished it through, I put ring terminals on to screw down to my Berkley battery. Hope the pictures help!
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factor in the weight and vehicle you’ll be putting it in. I have the one smaller than a resort I think its a lodge and it sucks to lift it into a vehicle by yourself.
Can’t stress this enough. I got a really good deal on a lodge, and love it when I can drag it with the wheeler. The thing that really sucks though is I need to completely unload it to even get it in the back of my truck if I am by myself. I have really thought about buying a cheaper 1 man to use for early ice, but it is tough to convince myself to spend a couple hundred bucks for something that I already have.
I just wanted to come back and say, now after deciding to buy the Kahtoola’s thank you to all you recommended them. I have to say, these are one of the best purchases I have made for ice fishing.
I just bought a ML 27″ Tickle Stick for a deadstick in the shack. I haven’t fished it yet since I was hole hopping with my QT from Tuned Up the first time out, but I am curious to see how it works. Seemed like a decent rod for the price point.
I have got my TUCR precision this week and just got every color of the #3 Rippin’ Raps my local fleet farm had, so 7. Also planning on buying a new rod case and a good set of ice cleats at the ice expo. Keep stocking up on new jigs when I stop in the local bait shop too.
Alexandria area here. Hoping to be out on Black Friday.
Thats a tough one. I don’t have a bullwhip but do have some custom rods and they are great. But after going from Carhartt bibs to Striker bibs is a night and day difference. I dont know what I did without those bibs. They are great and would suggest looking into Striker. Like mentioned above, if you go to the St Paul Ice Expo you should be able to find some good deals as well.
Striker bibs for sure!! After getting them last year, not sure how I went without. Custom rods as well. Just a warning though, once you buy one it wont stop! Will also throw out a ATV, makes life a lot easier than pulling a fully loaded otter by hand alone. The skies the limit on gear though. So many things, so little money lol.
