I’ll echo what was said above, it is possible but be very careful. It is a deeper lake (30’+) that always freezes late in the year, specially when waterfowl stick around and keep random pockets open late. Add in the various springs in the lake and it is a recipe for disaster. An ATV/UTV would be a much better idea if you had access to one.
Always had this issue with my half-ton. My buddy showed me a trick that I rarely ever see but works well. Take your tailgate cables and wrap them over the striker on the bed box that the tailgate latches to when it is closed. This essentially leaves your tailgate half down but should give you enough room to fit your shack inside if you put the back of your sled inside first. Should be able to still put your tonneau cover down.
Hole sleeves are a must! Also, skip the slush bucket and get yourself a “slush copter”. Will save you a half hour of scooping out your holes and lugging slush outside. Takes 10 seconds to clear a hole full of slush. Hands down one of the best investments I’ve gotten since I’ve had my wheelhouse.
Cars/Trucks were a possibility over the weekend but this storm may change that as mentioned earlier. If accessing on the west side you will be limited to fishing 17 FOW or shallower due to the heave. The heave opened back up Saturday afternoon and it was very difficult to find a place to cross with an ATV without planks (having planks is highly recommended, a 10′ 2×10 cut in half is all you need). We fished Thursday-Saturday and caught a lot of eaters but only iced 5 fish over 25″ with the largest being 28″. With the nice weather on Sunday we heard a lot better reports on bigger fish but that is likely to shut off again this week with the cold front/storm moving through.
Eskimo 9416i. Big enough for probably 4 full size cots. I slept in my uninsulated version a few times with a cot inside and it worked great, even once up on LOTW in late January. Now I have a 8×16 wheelhouse I don’t use the hub very much.
Keys to sleeping in hub shack.
– Stake down shack and hubs – last thing you want is a hub slamming into the heater or your head while you’re sleeping
– Bank the shack – Biggest reason for lost heat it wind and escaping heat. The better you bank in the skirt with snow/ice the warmer you will be.
– Get a big enough heater – I used a double sunflower heater from Mr. Heater (MH30K) and I always thought it was enough to keep me warm. With an insulated version that would be even warmer. A regular big buddy heater wont cut it.
– VENT! Open up all the vents you have and maybe even crack the door or one of the windows. Those sunflowers burn a lot of oxygen and the last thing you want is to get CO poisoning.
– Get a mat – get something to stand on like a rubber mat so that you aren’t directly on the ice. Little overkill to do it under the entire shack but a rubber welcome mat is cheap.
if anyone knows how difficult coding is, you would understand the complexity of making any simple change with the type of technology we have at our fingertips.
Some of the simple changes requested aren’t complex and wouldn’t require a bunch of time or testing. Simple GUI changes would take less than half a day for any programmer who is familiar with the system. Some of the requests like turning off the transducer (hardware dependent possibly) or different camera interface would indeed take some time but they wouldn’t require in-season testing like what was cited by Marcum for delaying the recent LX7 shallow water update another whole year.
Now I may be wrong but…..I do not think this is true…
Every “Pro staffer” that I know has to pay (or maybe at a reduced price) for what they get…
I’m also sure every pro staffer you know also doesn’t have a TV show sponsored by the company they represent. They aren’t your typical weekend warrior pro staff guy from down the street. James and company don’t bust their butts every week to create a show just for fun, it’s a business to them as well. They don’t put anything on their show, just like any other show, that they don’t get paid to display. Maybe they have to pay for some gear at a discount upfront but the $$$ they get for advertising more than makes up for the cost of the gear.
If Marcum is worth their salt they will listen to the feedback and try to improve. In all my personal dealings with them I have only had great experiences. Contacting them directly rather than assuming they have abandoned their LX9 owners and griping about it online is called trolling.
If you are simply assuming things without knowing the facts you are not helping anyone.
I agree, I’ve had great customer service when it involved broken parts on my LX5 or my cameras. The real issue I have, and most others will agree, is their total lack of communication with these updates. People assume things and spread rumors when they don’t get any answers from the company when they ask. I’ve emailed them 5 separate times about the LX7 update (before and after release) and never received a reply. These were appropriately worded, simple emails with questions about the release date, suggestions for improvements, and even one asking what improvements were made in the newest LX7 release.
Since people cant get answers from the company itself they’ve turned to a Marcum sponsored forum crawling with pro-staff to try and get answers. At the very least the pro-staff members should have the ear of actual Marcum staff and be relaying the suggestions and feedback expressed here back to Marcum. Maybe they are and Marcum just isn’t listening. If Marcum doesn’t want rumors spread they could very easily hop on here or the website and issue a statement with the facts and clarification. Until then, I wouldn’t hold your breath on any LX9, LX7, or RT9 software release.
I have a 50″ Vizio in my Yetti. It stays on the wall year round and I’ve yet to have any problems last 2 seasons. The wall mount has articulating arms so the TV can pull off the wall and swivel. I built “shelves” above and below the TV so when I’m traveling I just push the TV against the wall and throw a few ratchet straps over it and it doesn’t budge (picture below).
In the future I’m going to get rid of the traditional ratchet straps and get some retractable straps like those on the transom of a boat trailer just for a little more convenience.
20161224_104056.jpg
For me, if I was going steel, I’d look at Firebrand and for aluminum, I’d look at Yetti’s. Just my humble opinion though.
Oh, and get a rubber floor!
Uh, Firebrand is aluminum, not steel.
Not trying to pirate your thread, but McCord, where do you buy the fly line?
Runnings in Brookings, SD is where I got mine. Doesn’t come on a spool or in a box, just coiled up and held together with a twist-tie.
Only holes in my shack are for windows, door, fish, and the furnace. I mounted it initially in one of my cabinets on the ceiling which is a rubber roof (no metal) and it still wouldn’t connect to the satellites. No point in mounting it by a window because having it in the open would defeat the whole purpose. Just a heads up to those who are interested in the GPS option – it’s not a simple as just throwing it in your shack and thinking you will be protected.
Do you have one yet and have you tested it? I got one for myself for Christmas and tried putting it in my shack but I wouldn’t work. It seems like the metal from my shack acted like a faraday cage and wouldn’t let the GPS communicate. Once it was outside it was fine.
I agree it’s dumb, but it’s not because of any issues otherwise they wouldn’t even sell a 10″ bit…
Not necessarily – I do believe that the 10″ has to potential to cause damage and premature failure of some of the electrical components and battery due to the higher torque/current. The biggest reason that I believe they wont sell any 10″ combo is due to the limited warranty. Since the 10″ bit is an “accessory” they can probably deny any warranty claim because it isn’t the original bit.
in terms of Ion directly selling a 10″ bit to customers, do they even do that? or must you buy everything through a retailer? If they do sell direct, then I have no idea why they wouldn’t sell you an auger with just a 10″ bit, that makes zero sense…
They do sell directly from their website so I would take it that one doesn’t have to buy from a retailer. Maybe they have a contracted retailer who fulfills these orders. For $800 (Ion combo plus 10″ accessory) I can buy nearly 2 Eskimo HC40s – no brainer for me. Funny part is that Ardisam has both Eskimo and Ion so they get my money either way…
Slush copter is the way to go! I don’t even mess with my Catch Cover Slush Bucket anymore. Just drill your holes and sweep any shavings on your floor down the holes. If there is a lot of shavings on the floor you might want to use the slush copter on a few holes first and then sweep. About 10 seconds with the copter and your holes will be clean. Rubber flooring also helps being able to sweep all the shavings down the hole.
That was my biggest gripe when I was in the market for an auger when I got my wheelhouse. I emailed Ion about this and asked if they would be willing to swap out a 10″ blade for an 8″ combo for the price difference and increase in shipping. They were unwilling to do so, so I took my money elsewhere.
I don’t believe that there isn’t enough interest in a 10″ Ion combo. Electric is the perfect drill for wheelhouses as there is no exhaust. Most wheelhouse owners I know, including myself, prefer a 10″ hole in their shack. Heck, even before I had my wheelhouse I preferred 10″ holes (not needed but personal preference).
I honestly believe the reasoning as to why they don’t sell a 10″ combo is because the electric motor and system isn’t built to drive a 10″ bit. A 10″ bit has a lot more ice to remove than an 8″ bit (50sq in vs 79sq in) and that requires much more amperage which could lead to premature failure if the motor and electrical system was not designed for such a load. I also asked Ion about this concern of mine and their only reply was quote “The 10″ will not be sold with the powerhead. The 10″ is an accessory only and does have to be purchased separately”. To me, that sounds a little fishy…
Get rid of whatever line is on there and get yourself some cheap fly line ($3-5 for 50 yards). Neutral or slightly sinking buoyancy and a level taper. Fly line is a lot easier to hand-line with and is very knot resistant. That braided line will become a tangled mess in no time. Put a swivel on the end and tie a leader of whatever you want to the other side of the swivel (I always put 6′ piece of 10lb Fireline on the end for my leader).
Go propane. Don’t have to mess with charging batteries every day or having them die while you’re still fishing. Just change the oil at the end of the season is really the only maintenance for a propane auger. You’ll maybe go through 2-4 propane bottles over the entire season and that only takes 1 minute to replace. Batteries/electronic technologies are ever changing, your electric auger will be outdated in 5 years while your propane auger will still be running for 20+ with only a few tune ups.
Spot Trace https://www.findmespot.com/en/?cid=128. On sale for $50. $100/year for the service plan which is extremely reasonable compared to other plans on the market. Detects motion (vibrations) as well as changes in GPS locations and will send you alerts if there is anything detected. You can also track in real time if someone does decide to take it for a joy ride.
Block the wind as much as possible with whatever atv, utv, or car you have on the ice (if it is thick enough). Prepare – Get all your stakes ready for a quick setup. As Crappie mentioned, get one stake in on the upwind side and attach one of the outside hub strings to that stake. After you get the string attached to the stake it becomes fairly simple to setup a hub, even by yourself. With this method I am able to setup my big Eskimo 9416 all by myself in 30mph winds in about 4 minutes.
You will want to stake at least the two upwind corners inside and three outside hubs (upwind and two sides, the downwind hub doesn’t matter very much). Big key is to point one of the hubs directly into the wind. If you don’t tie down the hubs that get hit with wind, odds are you are going home with a black eye.
popular topic and still nothing from a Marcum rep on the matter either here or other outlets. I am a Marcum fan and owner of an LX-5 (which I did have to take in for repairs as the motor completely stopped working after 2 years of use), but it does make me wonder about a company if they cant respond to these types of concerns. im not in the market for a new flasher and don’t plan to be unless I have further problems with my Marcum, but when I do, I think im going to look into vex and hummingbird. Im not off the Marcum bandwagon, im still a fan, but I have been disappointed by some things in the last few years.
Replying on popular web-forums such as IDO is one thing but completely disregarding emails is another. I’ve sent Marcum multiple emails with questions about the LX7 update before and after it was released and didn’t get a single response back from them. These emails weren’t mean spirited or anything of that nature, just simple questions like to figure out if there were any other functionality improvements in the latest release than just a shallow water fix. That kind of behavior right there is totally inexcusable and will definitely make me think twice about Vex and Hum before I buy another Marcum.
No matter how good the propane fumes smell, they are no better than gas, just remember to ventilate.
Agreed, but after just 2 holes with my z71 both my eyes and throat will start to burn. It’s hard to get 6 holes even in a very ventilated shack with my z71 before I start to feel really light headed and my throat starts feeling like I just swallowed gasoline. With the propane auger I can drill all 8 holes without any burning or light headedness if I leave the door open. Any fumes aren’t healthy but 2 stroke vs propane fumes are like Everclear vs Top-shelf liquor.
I got one last year for my wheel-house and absolutely love it! Quiet and definitely enough torque for a 10″ hole. Compared to my z71 eskimo it is much slower but 40cc vs 71cc isn’t really a fair fight. Very little exhaust fumes and they smell way better than any 2 stroke. I’ve only had mine one season now but I’ve never had to pull more than 2 times to get it started. I turn the motor off after drilling each hole in my wheel-house and once the motor is warm it literally only takes a flick of the wrist on the cord to start it back up.
Question for staff or anyone who has installed the update: What is all included in this update? Is it simply just the improved gain settings for shallow and deep water performance?
2018… 
The LX6-7-9 Shallow water fix will be released before the ice season, this has been confirmed by several Marcum product testers online… The software update has been 2+ years in the making…They didn’t have sufficient ice to fully test and fix all of the bugs the field testers found last season..
I’ll believe it when I see it… Been getting the runaround for 2+ years now.
I think the real question is if Marcum has solved the shallow water issues for the RT9 that that LX7 and LX6 owners have been experiencing? If they have, why hasn’t there been a software update for the LX7 or LX6. If they haven’t solved the issue, I would be very skeptical about dropping that much money for an RT9 knowing it already has a problem and the fact that Marcum releasing it knowing it has an issue.
How many holes is a lot for you? If you’re only looking into a 6-7″ auger then a drill combo might actually work well. I’m not a fan of electric just because I only use 10″ holes but a 6″ hole is literally a third of the amount of ice needed (28″sq vs 78″sq). I think the game changer is Milwaukee’s announcement that they will be soon releasing a 9AH battery this fall. Might be a little more expensive but if you get an 18V combo kit with two 5AH batteries and pick up an extra 9AH battery there is no way you would run through all of those batteries in a day. If you really do drill a lot of holes then being lightweight is worth it’s weight in gold. Can’t beat a 10lb drill assembly when hole hopping.
Since you mentioned camping, I might also add that with that power-center you have to ability to use 30amp service whenever you go camping to power TV, Fridge, Air Conditioner, ect. I went the expensive route and used all Furrion products for my external power supply (plugs, cord, adaptors) but the quality is top notch and the light notification on the receptacle/cords is very handy. There are obviously cheaper options and shorter cords but this should give you a good idea.
Receptacle – LINK
Cord – LINK
Adaptor (30A to 15A for generator or at home) – LINK
I know I’m probably in the minority on 12 volt wiring but I see zero need for it. Generators are so light and quiet these days why not use it all the time? Battery operated LED interior lights and flashlights last so long they are all that’s needed as a quiet time backup. Even battery hole lights will last a whole season on a couple batteries. 12 volt batteries and chargers are no longer needed in my humble opinion.
12V definitely are needed for a majority of people. Many more options for flush 12V LED lighting (mostly camper/RV lights). I think the biggest reason for still having a 12V setup is because forced air furnaces use 12V. I understand you can use an AC/DC converter and a generator to run the furnace but its definitely a peace of mind thing knowing I can still at least fish all weekend if something goes wrong with the generator.
As far as wiring goes, this is what I installed and it is the cats-meow for an 120VAC/12VDC setup. Little bit of money but well worth it in my opinion. Gives you the option to run off batteries or off of a generator if you need 120V for outlets or TV. When the generator is running there is also a converter/charger inside to keep your battery charged and run your 12V system. Pretty easy to wire, just need a battery disconnect, a few regular AC breakers (same ones in your house), and some fuses.
It wouldn’t hurt to run one or two extra 12V and 120V circuits around the shack about mid-height for upgrades later on. Might not use them but it is only an extra $10 in wire and it beats tearing up a wall to add that 2nd TV later on.
