Ice helix 5 tips?

[rbmchief]

Anyone used the ice helix 5 yet and have any tips on setup? I'll be using mine for the first time this weekend. I've read up quite a bit and I know I have a decent starting point but does anyone have any tips for setup after using one? Favorite screens to use? Sensitivity settings, any settings for that matter? I fish mainly walleye in semi clear water in 6-20' of water.

[butchcassity]

Chief...any updates on how the Ice Helix 5 turned out? I was thinking about getting one as well. Any other reviews would be helpful as well. Thanks!

[wyfrabill]

I got mine on the ice for the first time today. I took my FL-8 along to compare flashers and see how close the two were. I was impressed with the helix's flasher mode. However I was blown away and used the graph feature way more today and found it more useful than the flasher. I loved how you can watch your jig patterns and get a detailed view of how fish react to it. The GPS took a little bit to get set up but it was handy in marking waypoints while fishing today

[rbmchief]

Chief...any updates on how the Ice Helix 5 turned out? I was thinking about getting one as well. Any other reviews would be helpful as well. Thanks!

I love it and second everything wyfrabill pointed out, setin it up is fairly easy and the graph mode is a huge improvement over the flasher style fishing. Once you get your scroll speeds and a few other settings fine tuned it is a sweet piece of equipment. Definitly glad I went this way. It blows my ice 45 out of the water

[glenwyo]

Anyone used the ice helix 5 yet and have any tips on setup? I'll be using mine for the first time this weekend. I've read up quite a bit and I know I have a decent starting point but does anyone have any tips for setup after using one? Favorite screens to use? Sensitivity settings, any settings for that matter? I fish mainly walleye in semi clear water in 6-20' of water.

Chief, I got the Helix 5 and have used it twice this season. I already had the Humminbird portable case so I only needed to purchase the unit and mounted it to the portable case. I bought a Marcum transducer "arm" to hold the transducer in place so I could get rid of the float; much better for hole hopping. Never did care for the float. The unit has worked very well so far. When I am using the graph I prefer to use the mode that shows the whole screen rather than a split screen. I have been able to pick up my jig, spoon, etc. with no problem. For the RTS (real time sonar) on the right hand side of the screen I use the "narrow" window to follow the jig. Sensitivity goes from 1 to 20 and I have had mine set on 10 with good results. The scrolling speed can be set from 1 to 10 and I have mine set on 6. The color of your screen can be set to, I believe, 12 different color palettes. This is nice because you can choose which color best suits your vision. I haven't had to use the "noise" settings yet as I haven't fished near another flasher/graph. In the SwitchFire setting I am using "clear" mode rather than "max" as there is less clutter using clear mode. You can display lots of digital numbers on the left hand side of the screen and different sizes but I only display the depth. I haven't really experimented yet with the "zoom" mode or Fish ID+. Been a very good unit.

[rbmchief]

I have found in shallower water>10' mine seems to work better in Max mode with the sensititvity set down around 2 or 3, for deeper water I seem to be getting the best results in clear mode with the sensitvity around 4. I like the split screen graph with Zoom on one side and regular on the other. It picks up fish and jigs quick. I was using a small tungsten jig with a waxie on it this weekend in 25' of water and had no problem seeing my jig.

[Dorado]

I have always found it very easy to see your jig and mark fish with any newer sounder.  What I have not liked in the units that are open water versions converted to ice fishing setups is the vulnerability to interference from other anglers using fish finders.  I have some very good Lowrance units that work great, as long as nobody else is trying to use their sounder within a 50 yards or more.  Then you get lots of false marks and clutter. I have not found a way to get around this.
This is the only reason I use a Marcum flasher ice fishing, you can easily dial out the interference.  Nobody wants to fish near me

[Elkhnter]

Dorado- Yes you can tune out other flasher around you with the Helix 5 it has a noise level function in it, you just need to turn it on and turn it to low, med, or high and it will reduce the clutter no problem. And they are 10 times better than a flasher with all those clown lights flashing around- I like seeing a fish on a screen  as a fish versus yellow, red, green lights dancing all over the place and trying to guess what the heck is even going on, but to each there own!!

[Dorado]

Dorado- Yes you can tune out other flasher around you with the Helix 5 it has a noise level function in it, you just need to turn it on and turn it to low, med, or high and it will reduce the clutter no problem. And they are 10 times better than a flasher with all those clown lights flashing around- I like seeing a fish on a screen  as a fish versus yellow, red, green lights dancing all over the place and trying to guess what the heck is even going on, but to each there own!!

I hope it works for you.  I have a Lowrance HDS unit that is way more powerful than the Helix, but I'll be damned if it will work with anyone using a fish finder next to me....Could be user error  

And the flashers do take a 1/2 day to figure out, but I never worry about interference......