I own a marcum lx-7. I fished with an fl-8 for a long time and caught some fish, alot of fish. I will say that the marcum that I have now truly blows away the fl-8 that I used in the past. If you know James well enough, you should know that he doesn’t use a product just for the promotion. He uses the products he uses because they help him catch the fish he wants to catch and consistently does catch. Marcum is much farther ahead of the game when it comes to ice fishing IMO. So, if I were you, I would buy a marcum and no it doesn’t have to be the best one they make, because either way your going to get the best results.

Aaron,
You are living where many people dream to live. Pool 4, is where I grew up fishing, and it is unbelievable. I now fish northern,mn as I moved up to Duluth area about 13 years ago. Any time I get a chance to fish pool 4 I take it. I think saving some money and hiring Randy Stevens as a guide, is a must. I don’t know what kind of fish your planning on targeting, but he can teach you how, when, and why walleyes are biting where they are any time of the year. After you hire Randy, start saving your money up again and call up BrianK, for a guide trip for flathead catfish. He will teach you a ton about them, as well as teaching you about the river in general. These two people will make the difference in going out fishing, and going out and catching fish.
Good Luck on your next trip!