Thanks for everybody’s inputs! I’d been scratching my head about giving up Livescope screen space for a flasher display. I suppose a graph display could be useful at times. If I’m not watching the screen closely it’s definitely nice to have the history to reference. Still seems like my going in approach will be to focus on the Livescope!
Does anybody get much use out of perspective view on the ice?
These seem to be the preferred basic settings. I use them.
Thanks for the cheat sheet. From all I’ve read I’m prepared to refine the settings regularly. Any preferences for how you set up your display? Flasher, sonar, Livescope etc?
Just got back from fishing Crappie. 4 degrees when I hit the ice. Had 2 rods rigged with 6lbs Advance and had no problems with coiling and very little freezing like you get with braid and mono. I will be ordering 4Lbs and Can’t wait to try it in the heated hub.
Tinker.
Thanks for this information. Think I might pull the trigger now on the Advance!
James and others, thanks for taking the time to to respond! The coiling is a concern, but I usually go with 4-6# so maybe the Advance will be just right for me!
Thanks everybody for your recommendations. I ended up spooling my reels with 10# 832 Ice Braid in Neon Lime. We fished 5 days in the backcountry around Lake Tahoe and I was very happy with the line. One day we had temps around 20F with wind chill much lower and gusts up to 30kts. On that one day I did deal with some ice buildup but it was manageable. I think I’ll use it the next time I go into the backcountry but I’ll be sure have some backup spools with fluoro in case the temps are significantly below freezing. The most frustrating part is that we couldn’t reach the lakes with the big fish we hoped to hit because of deep snow so we didn’t actually need the braid! We would have been just fine with my usual 4# fluoro!
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Sorry, ended up with a double post after an earlier one was flagged then released.
I have been planning to use 20# fluoro this winter after reading about it over the last few years from Doug Stange. I chose to go with fluoro leader material rather than line because it is formulated and processed differently resulting in more abrasion resistance (the drawback being that it also stiffer and more expensive). Maybe the leader material would help your, or you could consider 25# or 30#. Also, Stange probably changes his leaders frequently after inspecting for nicks. Here are some relevant quotes from Doug Stange that I have referenced:
“Quick Strike Rig Pike” (2015) – “Stranded wire is still a great choice, particularly on lightly fished lakes, though Stange ties rigs on 25-pound fluorocarbon when targeting jaded gators in heavily fished waters. “Twenty-five pounds is just right for deadbait,” Doug Stange says. “Fishing livebait is a different story. I drop to 20-pound fluorocarbon for livebait, especially when walleyes enter the mix along with pike; but at that point I’m usually fishing a single hook and not quick-strike rigging. Again, livebait’s a different subject. And for giant pike at late ice, I always fish wire, because there’s a chance to get bitten off with fluorocarbon. But it doesn’t happen often. Indeed, in more than 8 years of fishing it I’ve never been bitten off. But it could happen.”
“Factoring Pike at First Ice” (2014) – “It’s worth noting that I now have many seasons under my belt fishing with fluorocarbon as a leader below most of my tip-ups without ever being bitten off. I began fishing with 30-pound, quickly dropped to 25-pound, and switched three years ago to 20-pound. Fishing the 20-pound I’ve landed fish as large as 18 pounds and probably iced over 100 pike. I still use 27-pound Sevenstrand wire as leader when fishing for big fish at last ice. There’s still always a chance for being bitten off when using lighter fluorocarbon.
The relatively light 20-pound fluoro is particularly important at first ice, because livebait is the standard at this time, as opposed to deadbait sets which predominate during midwinter and at late ice. Rigged on a single hook, a medium-sized livebait can swim actively to attract the attention of pike. The 20-pound is significantly more supple than 25-pound.”
Thanks for your thoughtful responses! Already picking up some useful information.
I have a couple that I’ve used for 3 or 4 years. I first used them while living in Colorado fishing for rainbows and browns. They are relatively popular out west as they originated in Idaho. Recently, I moved to Virginia and have taken them out to Deep Creek Lake in western MD fishing for walleye and jumbo perch. I was surprised to find they were much less effective out here with a high proportion of poor hook sets. In retrospect I think there are few possible causes: different bait/hook and the rod weight. In CO I used small tungsten jigs tipped with waxies on a med light rod. In MD I used bull minnows on a treble with the same med light rod. The jawjacker has a hair trigger, which works well with a small, single hook jig (most of my trout are hooked firmly on the front lip). And the med light rod is just right for 13-16″ trout. But the hair trigger with a 3″ minnow did not do the trick on the md light rod. The jawjacker would get tripped and I would begin fighting the fish but lost probably 7 of 8 fish that hit the bait. I’m going to try them again this winter but use a minnow on a jig along with a stiffer rod that should set the hook a little more firmly.
I found they were great to use with kids or newbies too.
One other piece of advice, set them in holes close by because it is difficult to spot the tripped rod at a distance (especially in low light). Also, when close by you can usually hear the jawjacker get tripped.
In Colorado typically we look for edges, particullarly weed edges. The trout will cruise along the edges and bites will often come in flurries as several fish move through the area. My go to lures were tungsten jigs tipped with waxies or krill from petsmart. Many anglers use tube jigs tipped with the same bait. Also helps to have some kastmasters and other spoons of varying cycle time as options. I caught most of my fish right near the bottom but they can be anywhere in the water column. Usually fished between 7 and 20 ft of water. Some days they will go for actively jigged lures other days they prefer dead sticks.
