Bearcat89 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Ryan Schwartz wrote:</div>
Get the 28 unless the adjustable zoom window and setting manual depth ranges in one foot increments is important. If so, get a 38. I don’t think I would look at a 30 at this point. Have yet to fish with the 38 to give any first impressions. When I’ve made time in my schedule to ice fish thus far this season, the ice hasn’t cooperated.

The 30 beats the 28. Coming from a guy who owned both but now have sold off the 28s.

Don’t get me wrong, the 30 is a solid unit. I guess where I was getting at is that the jump to a 38 from a 28 is bigger than going to a 30 from a 28 or a 38 from a 30.

Get the 28 unless the adjustable zoom window and setting manual depth ranges in one foot increments is important. If so, get a 38. I don’t think I would look at a 30 at this point. Have yet to fish with the 38 to give any first impressions. When I’ve made time in my schedule to ice fish thus far this season, the ice hasn’t cooperated.

I run Vexilar flashers, so I stick to their batteries to keep the chargers and connections consistent. The older SLA chargers will actually work with their lithium batteries.

I think their batteries are high quality. I would also agree with Amped Outdoors as another option.

buckybadger wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>CaptainMusky wrote:</div>
Just saw novak weather said potential “Big Snow Maker” for Thursday LOL.

He’s awesome for weather information and explains things real well. You just have to keep in-mind that his revenue is based on viewers and sponsorships.

I usually look at his snowfall predictions and tone them down a notch. As for the “where” and “when” he’s pretty spot on…just pushes the extremes a bit with his graphics and predictions to generate views.

Spot on. I’m a bit of a weather geek and I also chased thunderstorms for the last 15 years up until the end of this season when I decided to hang it up. If every storm wasn’t riding the hype train there would be no views/likes. Same goes for the likes of Reed Timmer et al.

gim wrote:

Whatever snow falls this week is going to melt pretty soon again. The forecast for the week of Christmas looks very warm.

Fuuuuudge.

Haven’t watched the documentary. I have the Bob Showers book on the history of the franchise. I enjoy hockey more than the other three core sports and I was just getting into my teenage years when the team left for Dallas. It felt like a little bit of innocence with pro sports was gone and it made me realize it’s a business and there was more to it than just idolizing players. I get why Norm moved the team. While I’m disappointed the team left, I don’t hold it against him like some other rubes do. Attendance was lackluster and Met Center was becoming an older building and it needed the updates to stay relevant. Sometimes we need to bend the finger around as who’s to blame and take some responsibility for it. Not going the Target Center route was a good thing in the end. I’ve seen college hockey there, it’s a poor venue for hockey. I can see why the NCHC college conference moved its post-season tournament to the Xcel Center from Target Center.

Still trying to get out for first ice, but Mother Nature had other ideas. A little bit of soup.

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I’ll have to put this on the bucket list. I’m four hours from Oshkosh, whereas it’s 45 minutes to St. Paul from where I’m at, so if the experience is worthwhile, I’m game for making the trip.

I’ve been following what James Holst has been doing with Norsk and they seem to be doing a lot of innovative stuff with lithium like Bluetooth monitoring of battery levels and being able to shut off batteries completely for storage.

mxskeeter wrote:

There is a place called Grizzlies right by Scheels. Have ate there 4 times and it was always good.

Good call on Grizzles.

I know these are chains, but there’s a Texas Roadhouse in Eau Claire for steak. Eau Claire is also home to one of the last Famous Dave’s locations left in the area. Those are the two places my wife and I tend to stop at in Eau Claire.

For a burger, maybe something from this list: https://www.visiteauclaire.com/blog/post/best-burgers-in-eau-claire/

For me, Scheels has taken over for what Cabela’s once was.

It’s kind of sad to go into the Woodbury (MN) Cabela’s and the ice fishing section is regulated to the old Bargain Cave with an adjacent corner area outside the cave where shelters are on display. Kinda makes the hobby feel insignificant.

mojo wrote:

I know people with that same mentality – they don’t want to be told what to do or think. That’s why I suggested getting them to consider the feelings of others. If that crosses their mind at all, they may re-evaluate, and that could make the difference between blind ambition and proceeding thoughtfully.

It’s the stubbornness personality trait where every decision made in life is the right one, even if in reality it’s a poor choice. They play the “watch your own bobber” and “my freedoms” card to mask this defect. No one is telling you what to do, it’s just advice on making a rationale decision…one human being (gasp) caring and looking out for another.

Went Friday afternoon. It was nice to be able to walk around without bumping into people in the aisle. The stores that were set up there…Reeds, Marine General, Throne Bros., had quite a bit of traffic. I’m sure the lower attendance in general was due to people fishing on Red. Wasn’t looking for anything in particular, other than tackle. The show is ok…the next time I would probably go is when I’m looking for a big-ticket item to get a deal.

Unfortunately, social media plays a role now in that everyone has to be the first one out for the validation and likes/views. “Yo, yo, yo, it’s your boy, out here on first ice…”

Fish bite all year around. Marginal/sketchy ice conditions aren’t worth dying over for fish. My wife would probably have an anxiety attack as well if I choose to make a selfish decision to go out and risk it all on thin ice. My wife cares about me, those fish sure as hell don’t.

David Anderson wrote:

Well, All’s well that ends well. At the St. Paul Ice show Marine General had them on sale for $700 then they gave me a $150 rebate card to send in to Vexilar. I saved over $250 from the listed price when I went to Cabela’s, who luckily didn’t have them. Have been playing with the FLX38, not a game changing upgrade from the FLX30 but the zoom features are interesting as I am anxious to try them out on my lake for crappies. BC, when I upgrade I trade my brother my old one for his old one that I traded to him last time I upgraded a couple of years ago. He get’s the old FLX30 and I get his FLX28, I have already sold my old FL20 to a friend. I understand the Marcum however basically fished my entire life with the likes of Vexilar product including the first ones branded Hondex and Micronar. That was a long time ago. My upgrade will cost me about $300, I don’t have to learn new tricks, and my brother who has helped me out, gets an upgrade as well. My friend gets a good deal on the 20 and I have a spare 28 for guests at the lake. What is an FLX 40? Thanks

I got sucked into buying a 38 as well after being a naysayer initially. I do like the new Pro Pack with the USB ports since I use underwater cameras and GoPros for my YouTube channel. Enjoy!

The 38 was last Vexilar product green-lit under the old ownership regime, along with the Predator camera. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 38 is the last flasher for Vexilar.

I ran a Big Buddy in a non-insulated Eskimo hub and am plenty warm. Have to take the parka off it gets so hot.

mark-bruzek wrote:

I looked into the 30BB last week when FF had them on sale.
I watch 2 minutes of the intro video from vexilar and said F that.

I think Vex miscalculated on the 30. They were better off trying to move people from the 28 to the 38 for those who wanted to stick to flashers. The frequency adjustments, adjustable zoom window, multiple power levels, and manual one foot depth range selection would have been enough new features for a new product. The 30 is the 28 with frequency adjustments, a medium power setting, and 18-foot zoom option.

Pike don’t really seem to care about the rig. If what is in front of them looks somewhat interesting, they’ll bite.

According to my Facebook feed, everyone was ice fishing over the weekend in MN and WI.

gator800r wrote:

fishthumper wrote:
Even if I owned a FFS unit, I would not hit the ice without a flasher. I could not see myself moving that FFS setup from hole to hole. To me FFS is a tool to use to located the fish and the flasher is the tool to use to catch the fish.

you hit the nail on the head you are 100% correct! I will say live scope is a huge advantage in catching fish also though. It is nice to have when u found the fish and are set up on them in the shack or house.

Not to mention you pretty much need a separate hole for the transducer and pole mount if you are using it to fish. Waiting for the prices to drop and the tech to evolve (shrink in size) a bit.

Flyfishgeek wrote:

The only thing I want is a good flasher. The wife uses a camera

A lot of stores are unloading the Vexilar FLX-30 with the recent release of the 38. You can still find some decent prices on the 30.

Been waiting 11 months for good ice…what’s another 3 weeks?

I think records are pretty meaningless this year, other than for seeding. There seems to be quite a bit of parity. Even the Chiefs aren’t as good as their record…a .500 team or slightly above can give them trouble, like Denver. Carolina, a team well below .500, gave them a game.

ThunderLund78 wrote:

This team is FAR WORSE than their record.

Agreed. Vikes don’t feel like a 9-2 team…too much of the “a win, is a win” excuse being thrown around. Bears were begging the Vikings to run away with this game with all the self-inflicted errors and two weeks ago let Jacksonville hang around. Win versus Titans was earned.

Slabaholic wrote:

As for reels, a 500-size spinning reel is good for anything. I have a bunch of Okuma C-10’s, but honestly the Shimano Sienna is better for almost half the price. The size 20 Pflueger President is great too. I have a baitfeeder on my deadstick rod but I hardly use the ‘baitfeed’ feature.

+1 on the Shimano Sienna. Solid reel. Never had an issue with any Shimano stuff.

December 2nd

I played around with a 38 at Scheels and it’s not as bad as I thought it would be to operate, but it’s reaching the ceiling of what you can do with just dials. Regret buying a 30 now and I can’t really dump it with the discount prices on new units and taking that kind of loss. Going to wait for a sale and pick up a 38.

Waiting for the 38 to go on sale. Basically, want it for the adjustable zoom window (bitter it’s not on the 30, but it is what it is). Not interested in FFS due to cost and I’m the rare breed that likes to fish more in the winter than other seasons. Although the last two ice seasons have evened it out.

Debated about going, but it’s almost a 5 hour drive one-way for me, so I would probably make a weekend out of it…arrive Saturday, leave Sunday. Not sure it’s a big enough draw to make it worthwhile. I’ll probably go to the St. Paul show…I’ve heard the crowds have let up a little bit in recent years, which could be from those heading up to Red Lake for early ice. I didn’t like being crammed like sardines in there.