I like mine quite a bit. It is definitely the ticket for setting tip ups. Lower the camera to the top of the weeds then use that much line off the bottom of the tip up to set the bait. We were in a city of fishermen and had 6 flags. We only saw one other tip up go off with literally 12 other shanties around us. The weeds were very thick, having out baits out of the grass made all the difference. It also keeps my 7 year old excited when the action is slow. For me personally I still fish over a flasher. The cable gets tangled up too easy with the fish.

Here are the swivels I use. I used them for float rods on steelhead with great success.
https://www.fishusa.com/product/Blackbird-Swivels-by-Redwing-Tackle

Either a double uni knot or a blackbird swine for center pin float fishing. If I’m in the shanty I like braid. If I’m outside in the cold then I like fluoro. Line stretch really doesn’t show up until you’re in 20+ FOW. In the shanty I don’t ice up and I like the quicker short hook sets. Outside the fluoro doesn’t ice up as bad and you can set the rod as high as you like.

It really comes down to how you travel… I have a cheap eskimo pop up 949 non insulated…. It is what we take when on foot. The flip overs are the Cadillac and I have an otter cabin full insulated. The downside is you need two guys and a machine to pull it. One fits in the truck, the other requires the enclosed trailer and all the trimmings. Pop ups require seating, flip overs have seats. Sleds are another concern. The flip over has it’s own, the pop up needs to either be carried as a back pack or takes up sled space. If you go flip over and machine you need a cover to keep the slush and snow out of the shanty. I guess the best advice is to go to a local outfitter and look at both. We use both shelters every year. Fully insulated is worth the $$$$. I don’t need a heater in the Otter, I need a buddy heater in the eskimo.

My phone is a safety device as well as my back up navigation… Yes it plugs into the quad, but I don’t think I would be interested… Maybe an iPad would be better. Soon the tablet will replace our displays. It already has somewhat.

There’s also a threaded mount hole in the back either 10-24 or 1/4-20. You could improvise a mount pretty easy. I carry an lx-7 as well. The recon is perfect for figuring out whether you are in a school of dinks, and setting tip ups on the edge of the weeds. I also like to find some structure before I set a shanty.

My camera made me a better fisherman. Watching the take on the screen helped me see the rod. I ran the flasher overtop as well. I now have a precision noodle thanks to what I learned through all this. There are a lot of guys feeding fish all weekend and never know it. Pretty crazy once you see everything come together.

Ice is pretty much gone on Erie. It was shaping up to be an epic season then a big blow, then warm, then… well… I think the boat will be out of the barn early this season again. Thank god for fuel injected four stroke yammies!

Gonna go soft on you guys, but friends. Ice fishing has always been a great time with the guys.If we catch anything or not the memories, stupid stories, items dropped down the hole, and even a few mounted fish always will be there. That being said, if I forget the flasher or it won’t work then I go home immediately LOL.

I use braid on my walleye rod because we fish 20-30′ FOW. There is no stretch and I like the hook sets. We do mostly fish out of heated shanties preventing freeze and the jigs are heavy. I tried braid on my pan fish rods and took it off after a few trips. Line freeze and ice accumulation was bad. YMMV

Yes. The 500 series are all pretty much discontinued by most major mfgs… The 1000 or 10 series are the smallest frames. the 20’s are the next size up… Most walleye guys unless you need some crazy line capacity use a 10. I use a stradic 1000, or a symmetry 500 on the ice. If and when I do another combo, it will sport a okuma ceymar 10. A 30 would be big on an open water rod.

My trailer made me go with a pro 1200 cabin. I wanted to fit the shanty sideways across the back when the SXS in in the trailer. You can do no wrong with Otter as long as you pull it with a machine and can afford the price.

We live in a right now, bigger, better, faster, “it’s got a hemi”, world. No one is willing to give up any comforts. Pop used to be bottled in glass pints that were returned, washed, and re-filled. Now we must drink from a plastic bottle that will NEVER decompose. Need a drink of water? Another bottle. Climate change is real. Maybe warmer, maybe colder but definitely more extreme. We had fishable ice on Lake Erie before New Years. That hasn’t happened in over 30 years. The last two seasons were a bust and the boats never stopped running. Use less and reduce the foot print. I look at it like fishing. I rarely ever keep a limit. Others will break the law, double dip and poach. That doesn’t make it right. I save some for another day.

Try this out… Take a shake up hand warmer and a rubber band. Strap it onto the underside of your wrist. It keeps the circulation flowing. I swear by it and have had steam pouring off my fingers with no gloves. I also love Barbour fingerless wool gloves. Cheaper substitutes are not the same.
http://www.madriveroutfitters.com/p-5557-barbour-fingerless-gloves.aspx

The bad news of the wool is they are hook magnets. This has been an age old problem since the beginning of time.

I used blue masking tape first then 3m super 33 electrical tape. These rods are tools that will show wear, get covered in minnow scales, and get used. I’m really not worried. I will say that I don’t like a reel seat on any of my ice or ultralight soft water rods. I would be sad if one cracked though!

Check this out

James and IDO built his site from the ground up. I have personally become a way better fisherman thanks to his show and tips. If he wanted to cover up a bad product then he would have stayed silent and not acknowledged the incident. I run and pay a premium for otter gear because it is tough and it works. My frabil trekker was covered in newspaper and I got holes from setting it up and taking it down. Cheap Chinese junk. My shanty and rod case are otter. They perform well and exceed my expectations. I recommend it to others. You can buy whatever you want for gear. I’m sorry to hear the zipper screwed up on that shanty. It is weird that it corroded like that. It was repaired for less than $50. I took a bath on my frabil when it was done. I think the last thing that we forget is that this resource, this information, the videos, the forum, are all FREE. Pretty amazing in today’s pay to play world if you ask me.

I would also try some rippin rap #3 and #4… They seem to attract the fish. They may not hit it, but they seem to always come to see what the noise is. Tie it up on 6# if there are walleye in there. You just might tie into something that 3# isn’t ready to deal with.

Local is best guys… Cabelas and Bass Pro merger is a bad thing. Local shops pay the wholesale company the same price that Cabelas charges us. Makes you want to order online, BUT bait, fishing and ice reports are all from the mom and pop stores. I order things on line like everyone else, but I always support my local shops.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

every ice shack i’ve ever owned has been an Otter, it’s all i’ll ever own…I plan on keeping my ProXT Cabin until they come out with a gamechanger..not exactly sure what else they could do to improve it though?

Draft beer, stripper pole… Possibilities are endless. I think the improvements will be in new fabrics, and composites to shed weight. There is a huge market for a one man flip over that is light weight. Money seems to be a non factor as I see $120 rods, $800 shanties, $750 flashers, $8k quads… I too own a ProXT Cabin and it is amazing compared to what I started with. With proper care this gear will last many seasons of hard use. Always ask a guide which gear to use. They put 5 years of wear on the gear in one season.

Jason Mitchell meat stick for the 3-4 size on crappies

I love them for scouting. It is the first thing I put down the hole. The fish may not take it but they definitely want to know what it is. It also tends to sort out the dinks.

I’ve owned a frabil trekker, an eskimo, and fished out of some buddies clams. I now own an otter. Go ahead and switch. You’ll be back, otter is better made hands down EVERY DAY. Tubs, seats, shelter, all of it. One and done if you take care of your gear.

When I assembled mine the seat brackets were not welded square preventing them from swiveling. I sent them a picture and they shipped entire bases as well as a cover for the seat. No charge. No complaints on warranty. Price and weight? Well that’s a different thread. Can’t have everything.

Ok, I pulled the trigger. For those looking I grabbed a Recon 5 from Fish USA for $233 and free shipping use code ForumJan2018 at check up. I don’t know if it’s OK to post this so sorry if I stepped on toes, just wanted to pass a smoking deal on to the others. Thanks for the help guys, I’ll post results. I wanted the 5+, but without knowing if it is going to work great I just grabbed a regular 5. Better than nothing and for that price I’ll give it a try. The kids will love it if this works.

Thanks Joe! That video helps a lot.. That is about the same stain that I am dealing with. I should be able to see the jig 2′ away. You guys always help me to spend more money… Someday there will be the best garage sale on earth and my wife has no clue what I spent!!!!

What about a wading belt over top like waders? I notice the same thing with hip waders, if I wear the belt my back is less sore.

I handled one at the local shop… They had a demo strung up on a rod. It is smoother drop than my 6061. The drag was not impressive. It has plenty of power, but it wasn’t smooth. I kinda fell out of love with my 6061 and went back to spinning reels. Try to touch one before you buy it. Some guys swear by it I personally passed. I just couldn’t find a $110 of “value” above and beyond what I own. When I see Mr. James Holst running it then I’ll believe. He makes a living on the ice and runs okuma ceymars. These are under $40 each. I don’t think a free fall 3x better. I have a pair of Shimano Symmetry 500’s that do all my ice duty. Just my opinion, do what you gotta do.

Find a way to get the flasher up off the ice… It makes a huge difference in neck stiffness. I carry a little folding clam shovel to snow it in and clear the site… Lots of snow needed for a big pop up lol. Always anchor the base of the side facing into the wind before popping it. Don’t ask how I know. If you have two or three guys and want to make a short move then you can slide it over with it popped. Think about how you string your tip-ups with the windows of the pop up. It is nice to look out the window for a flag rather than standing up to see. The holes are drilled different for three guys. Other than that, get that thing out and use the hell out of it. Congrats on the purchase!!!!

Smitty sleds are great, but until you’ve worn a striker suit you will never understand. They cost $300 for a reason. I didn’t want to spend the $$$$ either but I will never go back. These suits are the best innovation that ice fishing has seen in 10 years. I literally went from a few hours here and there without a shanty to all day. Put your back to the wind and like others suggested wear a gator, scarf to dust mask to preheat the air if you have respiratory issues. Final option is to make friends with some younger guys and fish in a group. I take some older guys when ever possible. There is a lot to learn and I never mind pulling some extra weight for them.